External influences and integration as requirements in online community development

Abstract

Existing requirements engineering methods and practices do not fully apply to online community (OC) development. This paper highlights the nature of requirements in OC development. This is done with a model that distinguishes between internal and external sources and between design time and refinement time. The paper also emphasizes how integration should be considered as a requirement when developing an OC. The paper ends with a description of an ongoing research project that aims to develop new methods and practices for OC development.