Identifying Patterns among Tourism-Oriented Online Communities on Facebook
The proliferation of social media has transformed how people engage in communication and community building, with platforms like Facebook becoming central to connecting individuals with shared interests. Despite the extensive formation of tourism-oriented online communities on these platforms, there...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-09-01
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| Series: | Tourism and Hospitality |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/5/3/48 |
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| author | Eva Zabudská Kristína Pompurová |
| author_facet | Eva Zabudská Kristína Pompurová |
| author_sort | Eva Zabudská |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The proliferation of social media has transformed how people engage in communication and community building, with platforms like Facebook becoming central to connecting individuals with shared interests. Despite the extensive formation of tourism-oriented online communities on these platforms, there is a notable lack of comprehensive studies examining their structural and managerial dynamics. This study addresses this gap by systematically analyzing fifty international tourism-focused Facebook communities to develop a novel typology based on the nature and type of information shared. The research identifies significant variations in community sizes, engagement levels, and management structures, highlighting that only 6% of these communities qualify as large, with membership exceeding one million. Contrary to common assumptions, a direct link between community size and engagement was not found, with qualitative factors like community purpose and content type being more influential. A notable correlation was observed between the number of administrators and moderators and the member count, emphasizing the importance of effective community governance. The study’s findings contribute to a deeper theoretical understanding of online community dynamics and offer practical implications for tourism marketers and community managers aiming to optimize engagement strategies on social media platforms. The research sets a foundation for future exploration of the interplay between virtual community management and tourism-related discourse. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8edf80f03024470183a8eafc1ddd3fa1 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-5768 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tourism and Hospitality |
| spelling | doaj-art-8edf80f03024470183a8eafc1ddd3fa12025-08-20T01:55:53ZengMDPI AGTourism and Hospitality2673-57682024-09-015383084710.3390/tourhosp5030048Identifying Patterns among Tourism-Oriented Online Communities on FacebookEva Zabudská0Kristína Pompurová1Department of Tourism, Faculty of Economics, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Tajovského 10, 975 90 Banská Bystrica, SlovakiaDepartment of Tourism, Faculty of Economics, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Tajovského 10, 975 90 Banská Bystrica, SlovakiaThe proliferation of social media has transformed how people engage in communication and community building, with platforms like Facebook becoming central to connecting individuals with shared interests. Despite the extensive formation of tourism-oriented online communities on these platforms, there is a notable lack of comprehensive studies examining their structural and managerial dynamics. This study addresses this gap by systematically analyzing fifty international tourism-focused Facebook communities to develop a novel typology based on the nature and type of information shared. The research identifies significant variations in community sizes, engagement levels, and management structures, highlighting that only 6% of these communities qualify as large, with membership exceeding one million. Contrary to common assumptions, a direct link between community size and engagement was not found, with qualitative factors like community purpose and content type being more influential. A notable correlation was observed between the number of administrators and moderators and the member count, emphasizing the importance of effective community governance. The study’s findings contribute to a deeper theoretical understanding of online community dynamics and offer practical implications for tourism marketers and community managers aiming to optimize engagement strategies on social media platforms. The research sets a foundation for future exploration of the interplay between virtual community management and tourism-related discourse.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/5/3/48online communitytourismtypology of online communities |
| spellingShingle | Eva Zabudská Kristína Pompurová Identifying Patterns among Tourism-Oriented Online Communities on Facebook Tourism and Hospitality online community tourism typology of online communities |
| title | Identifying Patterns among Tourism-Oriented Online Communities on Facebook |
| title_full | Identifying Patterns among Tourism-Oriented Online Communities on Facebook |
| title_fullStr | Identifying Patterns among Tourism-Oriented Online Communities on Facebook |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identifying Patterns among Tourism-Oriented Online Communities on Facebook |
| title_short | Identifying Patterns among Tourism-Oriented Online Communities on Facebook |
| title_sort | identifying patterns among tourism oriented online communities on facebook |
| topic | online community tourism typology of online communities |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/5/3/48 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT evazabudska identifyingpatternsamongtourismorientedonlinecommunitiesonfacebook AT kristinapompurova identifyingpatternsamongtourismorientedonlinecommunitiesonfacebook |