My name is Gerald C. (Jerry) Kane. I am an Assistant Professor of Information Systems at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA. My research interests involve Web 2.0 technologies – primarily wikis and social networks, and my personal webpage can be found here.
I have conducted and am in the process of conducting a number of research projects related to the collaborative processes that take place on Wikipedia. Why? On Wikipedia, I have often heard the phrase "wikipedia works in practice, not in theory." I think that's because no one has ever studied the development of a Wikipedia article in depth. I think that both the Wikipedia community and the wider world can benefit from a better understanding of why Wikipedia works as well as it does.
Most of these articles are under review by academic journals, and I am happy to share them or my findings if you contact me and promise not to circulate them widely until they are published.
Although I am not an active contributor to Wikipedia (mainly because of the pressures of academic publishing), I am an active user of Wiki technologies in my work and teaching. My teaching innovations using wikis have been profiled in Computerworld, eWeek, Chronicle of Higher Education, and a number of other popular publications.
I always seek to conduct my research in ways that respects the hard work of Wikipedians and the wider Wikipedia community. If you have any concerns, questions, or suggestions about my work, please do not hesitate to email at gerald.kane at bc.edu. I intend to conduct transparently and in a spirit of good faith.