Edinburgh Napier University

  Engaging in interactive and social events on the Web has become very common practice. Activities such as blogging, posting web pages, instant messaging, engaging in e-commerce, chatting online etc. all comprise elements of personal information production processes. These are separate activities, yet at the same time they are integrated into our daily lives (Haythornthwaite and Hagar 2005, p. 311). Much is said about the social and interactive activities on the Web (Miller 2005; O'Reilly 2005; Maness 2006; Miller 2006), but little is known about their effects on individuals, work settings, and society on the whole. While events on the Web are integrated more and more into everyday life and work, it is obvious that there is a growing need for social technology competencies. Interactivity and participation are key elements in the social web (Maness 2006; Holmberg, Huvila et al. 2009, to appear). This means that the user perspective needs to be expanded to include the user as a part of the knowledge production process. The amount of available information requires instant relevance judgments by users and an ability to adapt into social networks on the Web. At the same time, issues concerning the motivations for engagement, as well as how to foster participation, remove barriers, and cultivate motivation are underlined. All of this also demands skills in evaluation techniques so that individuals may understand and reflect on the perceived importance of links and networks.