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The Self-Organization, Sustenance, and Coordination of Fansubbing Teams through IT

The Self-Organization, Sustenance, and Coordination of Fansubbing Teams through IT. Spencer DeBrosse Faculty Mentor: Gloria Mark SURF-IT 2010. What is “fansubbing?”. Process of producing fansubs, placing subtitles into foreign media and distributing them over the internet.

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The Self-Organization, Sustenance, and Coordination of Fansubbing Teams through IT

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  1. The Self-Organization, Sustenance, and Coordination of Fansubbing Teams through IT Spencer DeBrosse Faculty Mentor: Gloria Mark SURF-IT 2010

  2. What is “fansubbing?” • Process of producing fansubs, placing subtitles into foreign media and distributing them over the internet. • Accomplished by “globally distributed virtual teams.” • Largely facilitated by the internet. Fansubbing teams couldn’t have existed 20 years ago. • These teams are composed of individuals who often have never met in real life, yet often have great loyalty to their groups. • Production time , from airtime of TV show to the availability of the fansub, is less than 24 hours for several groups. However, consistency of release varies.

  3. Acquiring raw video Translator Timing The fansubbing process Typesetter Editor Encoder Quality Check Distribution

  4. Globally Distributed Virtual Groups • What is a GDVG? • A group whose members are physically separated but are still able to collaborate using IT • When are these groups most effective? • Research points to high levels of communication, socialization outside the project at hand. These promote trust among group members. Jarvenpaa, S., & Leidner, D. (1998). Communication and Trust in Global Virtual Teams • How else can we optimize distributed virtual groups? • What is the best software for collaboration? • How are these groups best managed (democratically or with a strong leader)? • How do teams overcome problems associated with global communication (both in terms of things like time zones and cultural differences)?

  5. Methodology • Randomly selected groups to contact. Later on, relied on contacts made from interviews in order to target specific groups. • Interviews were conducted online through Skype, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and email. • All interviewees were asked the same set of 27 questions. • We will categorize groups by their level of “effectiveness.” • We define “effective” groups as those who release fansubs frequently and efficiently.

  6. Results • It is clear that the most effective groups are composed of self-motivated, independent workers. Teams with • The example of Eclipse and gg: “Gg has more central personally, the group leader…she’s like involved in everything [inaudible] in the way that it isn’t in Eclipse. Eclipse is more decentralized […] I don’t really know if it makes it faster or slower, what does make it is like more unreliable because if she gets bored or if she quits or isn’t around, then everything goes much slower because she’s what drives the group really in that case. Eclipse is more independent of individual members in that way.” • Larger groups are more effective than smaller groups due to greater human resources. • Almost without exception, Internet relay chat (IRC) is used by all fansubbing groups. IRC has features which are well suited to globally distributed team work. • The tenets of effective group work (as mentioned before) are high levels of communication among team members, socialization outside of the project at hand, and the development of trust. IRC promotes all three.

  7. Other notable issues • Legality of fansubbing: fansubbing is responsible for a great deal of the anime’s popularity in the US. The result is a tacit understanding between the fansubbers and studios. • Fansubbing groups separate themselves from pirates. Many will discontinue fansubbing a show if it becomes licensed in English. • The existence of a fansubbing community. Certain groups are prestigious.

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