mine and (not) ours: social influences on group information repositories

Group information repositories are systems for storing and organizing files in a central location all group members can access. The functionality and capabilities of these systems are essentially the same as the desktop metaphor of personal information management (PIM) systems. Using a case study of a group information repository, I argue that social factors affect the information structure of the repository, and how it grows and evolves over time. Users restrict their activities to files they “own, ” are reluctant to delete files that might be useful to others, dislike the clutter that results, and can become demotivated if no one views files they uploaded