A comparative study of Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA

The objective of this study is to compare the differences between Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA in terms of website usability, marketing, languages and norms. The two countries were compared because the USA is a more advanced country compared to Bangladesh. Studying their differences...

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Main Authors: Majharul, Talukder, Paul H. P., Yeow
Format: Article
Published: INT ASSOC COMPUTER INFO SYSTEM 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/3049/
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author Majharul, Talukder
Paul H. P., Yeow
author_facet Majharul, Talukder
Paul H. P., Yeow
author_sort Majharul, Talukder
building MMU Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The objective of this study is to compare the differences between Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA in terms of website usability, marketing, languages and norms. The two countries were compared because the USA is a more advanced country compared to Bangladesh. Studying their differences would identify possible gaps which can be bridged to improve Virtual Communities of Bangladesh and perhaps other developing countries. Thirty-three Virtual Communities sites from both countries were randomly selected and evaluated based on a set of criteria relating to the above aspects. The data were analyzed using statistical tests to determine any significant difference between Virtual Communities of the two countries. The study found significant differences in the website usability aspects i.e. the use of multimedia; in marketing aspects i.e. the use of electronic catalogs and Web advertisements; and in languages and norms i.e. the inclusion of language options and the use of religious, collectivistic, and structured messages. As a conclusion, useful recommendations were given to Web developers, marketers, and Bangladeshi government to improve Web usability, marketing, and cultural environment of Bangladeshi Virtual Communities. Future studies can be conducted by replicating the study to other developing countries such as China and India.
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spelling mmu-30492011-09-29T05:24:23Z http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/3049/ A comparative study of Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA Majharul, Talukder Paul H. P., Yeow T Technology (General) QA75.5-76.95 Electronic computers. Computer science The objective of this study is to compare the differences between Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA in terms of website usability, marketing, languages and norms. The two countries were compared because the USA is a more advanced country compared to Bangladesh. Studying their differences would identify possible gaps which can be bridged to improve Virtual Communities of Bangladesh and perhaps other developing countries. Thirty-three Virtual Communities sites from both countries were randomly selected and evaluated based on a set of criteria relating to the above aspects. The data were analyzed using statistical tests to determine any significant difference between Virtual Communities of the two countries. The study found significant differences in the website usability aspects i.e. the use of multimedia; in marketing aspects i.e. the use of electronic catalogs and Web advertisements; and in languages and norms i.e. the inclusion of language options and the use of religious, collectivistic, and structured messages. As a conclusion, useful recommendations were given to Web developers, marketers, and Bangladeshi government to improve Web usability, marketing, and cultural environment of Bangladeshi Virtual Communities. Future studies can be conducted by replicating the study to other developing countries such as China and India. INT ASSOC COMPUTER INFO SYSTEM 2007 Article NonPeerReviewed Majharul, Talukder and Paul H. P., Yeow (2007) A comparative study of Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA. JOURNAL OF COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS , 47 (4). pp. 82-90. http://apps.webofknowledge.com/full_record.do?product=WOS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&qid=1&SID=S1OeLFa9c6no3Of2c4D&page=108&doc=1072
spellingShingle T Technology (General)
QA75.5-76.95 Electronic computers. Computer science
Majharul, Talukder
Paul H. P., Yeow
A comparative study of Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA
title A comparative study of Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA
title_full A comparative study of Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA
title_fullStr A comparative study of Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA
title_full_unstemmed A comparative study of Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA
title_short A comparative study of Virtual Communities in Bangladesh and the USA
title_sort comparative study of virtual communities in bangladesh and the usa
topic T Technology (General)
QA75.5-76.95 Electronic computers. Computer science
url http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/3049/
http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/3049/