Academic programs value diverse research interests in their faculty because it widens course offerings, benefits students and the community, and strengthens reputations. Yet diversity also means that individuals have fewer colleagues nearby who share similar research interests. To avoid loneliness and to increase productivity, many faculty seek out kindred spirits beyond the boundaries of their universities and form “invisible colleges” (Gresham 1994) that “provide forums for sharing, disseminating, and testing new ideas, as well as for exchanging information about research, funding opportunities, academic bureaucracies, and personal situations. They promote scholarly identity and purpose and stimulate discussion of theory, methods, and findings. Ideas get transmitted more quickly and innovatively than in formal journals constrained by publication lags and orthodoxy-promoting refereeing” (Koko, Nazer, and Wellman 2001, 3). For instance, the ABC conference functions as an invisible college, giving participants a chance to both renew and extend relationships with other business communication professionals.
But what happens when the conference ends? How do faculty “wander the hallway” for advice or ideas when they may be scattered among several floors, buildings, or even different states? Who holds the community memory when the invisible college is separated by distance and meets infrequently? One answer may be to build a virtual community, a space unbound by geography that could link colleagues and provide a space for materials development, information sharing, and networking. This poster will discuss the development and first year of operation of Pedagogy Portal, a non-profit, experimental website designed to foster social networks among faculty in professional communication. Using the results of site log analysis and interviews with initial users, the author will discuss the features of the site and the viability of community websites as spaces for collaboration and community-building.
NOTE: Although this proposal was for a poster presentation the conference organizers changed the format to a traditional panel presentation.