CHAPTER 5 1 Network Applications

Opening Case Effective marketing at Del Monte with social networks Del Monte is a worldwide conglomerate known for canned fruits and vegetables. In Canada it operates under its CanGro foods subsidiary and markets its products under the Del Monte and Aylmer brands. The Business Problem The company realizes that understanding the modern fast-moving marketplace is critical. Unfortunately, its sophisticated database and analytics tools were no longer capable of addressing that challenge on their own. The company, therefore, turned to social networking to better understand its customer base. 2

Opening Case Discussion What are the business reasons for a company to adopt social network technologies? In which areas of a business would it be beneficial to use social network technologies? Give a specific example of how Del Monte could use them and what would be the benefit. How would the adoption of social network technologies across the firm affect employees and management? What implications would it have on them? 3

Opening Case What we learned from this case? The opening case about Del Monte illustrates three fundamental points about network computing: First, computers do not work in isolation in modern organizations. Rather, they constantly exchange data with one another. Second, this exchange of data—facilitated by telecommunications technologies—provides companies with a number of very significant advantages. Third, this exchange can take place over any distance and over networks of any size. 4

Agenda 5.1 Network Applications Discovery Communications Collaboration 5.2 Web Definition Technologies and applications Categories of Web 2.0 sites 5.3 E-Learning and Distance Learning Definition Benefits and drawbacks 5.4 Telecommuting 5

LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Describe the three major network applications.(5.1) 2. Discuss the various technologies, applications, and websites that fall under the umbrella of Web 2.0. (5.2) 3. Differentiate between e-learning and distance learning.(5.3) 4. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of telecommuting for employers and employees.(5.4) 6

CHAPTER OVERVIEW 7

5.1 Network Applications Stated in general terms, networks support businesses and other organizations in all areas of the business and for three main usages or applications: discovery, communication, and collaboration Discovery Communications Collaboration 8

5.1.1 Discovery Discovery allows users to browse and search data sources, in all topic areas, on the Web. ◦ Search engines ◦ Metasearch engines ◦ Publication of material in foreign languages ◦ Portals  Commercial (public) portals  Affinity portals  Corporate portals  Distribution portals  Industry-wide portals  Mobile portals 9 Publication of Material in Foreign Languages Metasearch tool that lets you search large media sites as well as social search engines

Search engines are computer programs that search for specific information by key words and report the results. Metasearch engines search several engines at once and integrate the findings of the various search engines to answer queries posted by users. Portal is a Web-based, personalized gateway to information and knowledge that provides relevant information from different IT systems and the Internet using advanced search and indexing techniques. 10

Commercial (public) portals offer content for diverse communities and are most popular portals on the Internet. Affinity portals support communities such as a hobby group or a political party by a single point of entry. Mobile portals are accessible from mobile devices. Corporate portals offer a personalized single point of access through a Web browser that can be located both inside or outside the organization Industry-wide portals is a single point of entry for entire industries. 11

12 A Corporate Portal Framework

5.1.2 Communications Electronic mail ( ) Web-based call centers (customer call center) Electronic chat room Voice communications ◦ Two examples of Internet telephony (VoIP) Unified communications 13 two examples of Voice over IP companies

Electronic mail ( ) is the largest-volume application running on the Internet. Web-based call centers (customer call center) are services that provide effective personalize customer contact as an important part of Web-based customer support. Electronic chat room is a virtual meeting place where groups of regulars come to “gab”. Internet telephony (VoIP) voice-over IP digitizes your analog voice signals, sections them into packets, and sends them over the Internet. Unified communications (UC) simplifies and integrates all forms of communications—voice, voice mail, fax, chat, , instant messaging, short message service, presence (location) services, and videoconferencing—on a common hardware and software platform. 14

5.1.3 Collaboration Definition Terms Collaboration software Electronic teleconferencing 15

Definition Collaboration refers to efforts of two or more entities (individuals, teams, groups or organizations) who work together to accomplish certain tasks. 16

Terms Work group Workflow Virtual group Virtual collaboration 17

Work group refers specifically to two or more individuals who act together to perform some task. Workflow is the movement of information as it flows through the sequence of steps that makes up an organization’s work procedures. Workflow management makes it possible to pass documents, information, and tasks from one participant to another in a way that is governed by the organization’s rules or procedures. Virtual group (team) is when group members are in different locations. Virtual collaboration is the use of digital technologies that enable organizations or individuals to collaboratively plan, design, develop, manage and research products, services and innovative applications. 18

Collaboration software A variety of software products are available to support all types of collaboration. These products include: Microsoft SharePoint Workspace Google Docs IBM Lotus Quickr Jive 19

Microsoft SharePoint Workspace is a collaboration product that provides shared content with version management. Google Docs is a free, web-based word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application. It allows users to create and edit documents on-line while collaborating with other users. IBM Lotus Quickr product provides shared content with version control in the form of document directories with check-in and check-out features based on user privileges. Jive’s newest product, Clearspace, uses web collaboration and communication tools such as forums, wikis, and blogs to allow people to share content with version management via discussion rooms, calendars, and to-do lists. 20

Electronic teleconferencing Teleconferencing is the use of electronic communication that allows two or more people at different locations to hold a simultaneous conference. There are several types of teleconferencing. 21

5.2 Web Definition Technologies and applications Categories of Web 2.0 sites 22

5.2.1 Definition Web 1.0 was the first generation of the World Wide Web, in which users had minimal interaction and the technology was mainly used as a means to provide information about products, events, people, and so on. Web 2.0 is a loose collection of information technologies and applications, and the websites that use them. Web 2.0 sites harness collective intelligence ( for example Wikis); deliver functionality as services, rather than packaged software; and feature re-mixable applications and data ( for example, mashups). 23

5.2.2 Technologies and Applications AJAX: A web development technique that allows portions of web pages to reload with fresh data instead of requiring the entire web page to reload. Tagging: A tag is a keyword or term that describes a piece of information (e.g., blog, picture, article, video clip). Blogs and blogging: A blog is a personal web site, open to the public, in which the site creator expresses his or her feelings or opinions. 24

Wikis: A wiki is a web site on which anyone can post material and make changes to other material. RSS ( Really Simple Syndication): RSS allows users to receive, or customize the information they receive when they want it without having to surf thousands of web sites. Podcasts and Videocasts: A podcast is a digital audio file that is distributed over the web using RSS for playback on portable media players or personal computers. A videocast is the same as a podcast, only with digital media and audio content. 25

5.2.3 Categories of Web 2.0 sites Social Networking Sites Aggregators Mashups 26 Radar Networks has developed Twine, which claims to be the first Web 3.0 social networking site Mashup (HealthMap)

Twine can be considered to be a knowledge management tool for the masses. Each user’s Twine home page is a personal dashboard. Its central feature is a list of updates not unlike the Facebook News Feed—that allows a user to import any memo, website, video, or photo from anywhere on the desktop or Internet. Twine then uses semantic web technology to automatically organize all of the user’s information by theme and then infer what other information might also interest that user. Twine.com is a social website for information storage, that combines Features of forums, Wikis, online databases and newsgroups. On March 11, 2010 Twine.com was purchased by EVRI.com and is still active today. 27

Social Networking Sites: Allow users to upload their content to the web in the form of text, voice, images, and video. Aggregators: Provide collection of content from the web (e.g., Technorati, Digg, Simple thred). Mashups: A web site that takes content from a number of other web sites and mixes them together to create a new kind of content (e.g., SkiBonk, Healthmap, ChicagoCrime) 28

5.3 E-Learning and Distance Learning Definition Benefits and drawbacks 29

5.3.1 Definition E-Learning refers to learning supported by the Web. Distance learning (DL) refers to any learning situation in which teachers and students do not meet face-to-face. 30

5.3.2 Benefits and drawbacks Benefits of E-Learning Self-paced learning increases content retention Online materials deliver high-quality, current content Students have the flexibility of learning from any place at any time at their own pace Learning time generally is shorter, and more people can be trained due to faster training time Training costs can be reduced 31

Drawbacks of E-Learning Instructors may need training to be able to teach electronically The purchase of additional multimedia equipment may be necessary Students must be computer literate and may miss the face- to-face interaction with instructors There are issues with assessing students’ work, as instructors really do not know who completed assignments 32

5.4 Telecommuting Telecommuting allows workers to work anytime and anyplace. Benefits for employees ◦ Reduced stress, improved family life ◦ Employment opportunities for single parents and persons with disabilities Disadvantages for employees ◦ Feelings of isolation ◦ No workplace visibility ◦ Potential for slower promotions 33

Benefits for employers ◦ Increased productivity ◦ Ability to retain skilled employees Disadvantages for employers ◦ Difficulties in supervising work ◦ Potential information security problems ◦ Additional training costs 34

Closing Case Canadian firm helps build social networks More and more businesses are looking at social networking technologies for different purposes and in very different ways: to attract new customers, keep existing ones, get feedback from customers, and to advertise and create awareness. The Business Problem However, firms looking for more personalized interactive contact with their customers need other technology tools that provide them with the flexibility to change content and allow customers to personalize their interaction. 35

Closing Case Discussion 1. What is different about Filemobile and traditional social networking websites such as Facebook or Twitter? 2. Provide examples of how your university could take advantage of social networking technology using Filemobile. 36

Closing Case The Results Using Filemobile, MSN launched a website that tracked the Olympic torch relay across Canada leading up to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. In addition to mapping the trek, the site allowed users to share their own relay stories. The CBC ran a campaign to fi nd a song for its popular show Hockey Night in Canada. The CBC used the Filemobile platform to create a website that allowed users to upload their songs. The campaign received over 20,000 submissions, making it, according to Filemobile, the most successful user-generated contest in Canadian history. 37

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