Text analysis as a tool for analyzing conversation in online support groups

In this paper we describe a software tool that allows investigators to make comparisons across different online forums and media by analyzing word counts in userspecified categories. Using a large sample of messages from a bipolar support chatroom, we demonstrate how this tool can be used to characterize the nature of the discourse and compare it to other media, to analyze relationships among different word categories, and to characterize changes in visitors’ discourse over time. Future plans for adding functionality to the software and using external data for additional validation are also discussed. Author Keywords Online communities, computer-mediated communication, conversational analysis, empirical studies, computersupported cooperative work ACM Classification Keywords H5.3 Group and Organizational Interfaces: Computersupported cooperative work, synchronous interaction, evaluation/methodology

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2004
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Adam D. I. Kramer, Susan R. Fussell, Leslie D. Setlock
• Keywords: ACM Classification Keywords, Bipolar Support Chatroom, CHI 2004, Cooperative Work, Human Computer Interaction