Research Problem Identification

Currently, the current Alumni System of UiTM just provides information about their graduated student only in the system and other than email, there is no communication interaction channel that alumni can used to communicate with their batch in the system. Due to this problem, alumni will faces difficult to interact with other alumni because although they are using the same system, they need to copy the information of their friend and manually contact them outside the system.

Online communities forms when enough people carry on computer-mediated nonprivate discussions longenough, with sufficient human feeling, to develop what are considered “social relationships” with other online participants (Rheingold, 1993). These communities are fluid and flexible, and may be based on awide range of cultural interests and social affiliations. Consumption related online communities are those networks of people whose online communication interactions are based upon shared enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, a specific consumption activity or related group of activities (Kozinets, 1999). Examples include members of an online forum that share knowledge and experiences of a musical instrument, or readers of and contributors to an online bulletin board devoted to a particular novelist.

Based on the earlier preliminary investigation, an interview was conducted with one of the UiTM Alumni Committee Puan Salmah, Executive Officer of FSKM Administration Office who was also responsible of alumni FSKM. Regarding on her management and information about the alumni and alumni system of UiTM, she mentioned that the flow of activities of alumni also difficult to be trace. That is because the activities of the alumni are not provided by the current system and the communication between them is only through by email. She mention that this is difficult to communicate with the alumni in the system to keep track their activities.

By referring to the UiTM alumni system manual guideline as shown in section 1.8 Appendixes : Figure 1-3, it is found that the system is only provided information menu and every user of the system will enter the system and can just do the add information, update information, search the other alumni, reports and the only one communication interaction channel in the system is email. When they used the system, basically they more prefer to search their friends and communicate directly through the system. The reason is because they found it is easier for them to find and then contacting their friends through the same system, not just transferring the information from the current alumni system and used them outside the system in the other web application such as Facebook, email and so on.