Web 2.0 and E-Discovery

Companies today face an overwhelming amount of digital information, and many of them are involved at some point in civil litigation. When a company is in the discovery (pretrial) phase of civil litigation, it usually exchanges information, including documents, with the opposing party in the litigation. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which govern civil litigation in federal courts, were amended in 2006 to provide additional guidance to parties with regard to electronically stored information. The management teams of many U.S. corporations are working with their IT departments and lawyers in order to understand the sources of electronically stored information that may be potentially relevant to their litigation. Over the last 20 years, technology has grown increasingly more complex, from the early mainframe and personal computers to sophisticated e-mail and instant messaging applications that enable users to send and receive millions of messages every day. This chapter addresses the issues companies may face related to the discovery of electronically stored information as a result of new communication technologies, including Web 2.0 applications.

Security in a Web 2.0 World

Web 2.0 has brought enumerable benefits as well as daunting problems of securing transactions, computers, and identities. Powerful hacker techniques, including cross-site scripting (XSS) and cross-site request forgery (CSRF), are used to exploit applications to reveal and steal, at the worst, confidential information and money, or, at the least, cause trouble and waste time and money for reasons that may be best described as fun or simply possible to do. The people interested in transgressing Web 2.0 applications do so for money, prestige, or for the challenge. An infamous hacker from the early days of the Internet now heads his own Internet security company. A more recent hacker of some infamy has created a stir of concern and consternation as to how pervasive and potentially destructive hacker attacks can be. Securing Web 2.0 applications requires a multifaceted approach involving improved code development standards, organizational policy changes, protected servers and workstations, and aggressive law enforcement.

Bringing Real Justice to Virtual Worlds

The purpose of this chapter is to advise developers, content providers, end users, legislators, and business managers about the challenges and ramifications of conducting business in virtual worlds. The chapter examines crime in virtual worlds, as well as evaluates the current status of property rights (real, actual, and intellectual), and suggests changes to the existing legal structure in order to confront virtual crime. Recommendations to the business manager are also included in this chapter.

Web 2.0, Virtual Worlds, and Real Ethical Issues

Social networking sites, enabled by Web 2.0 technologies and embodied in role-playing virtual worlds, are gaining in popularity and use both for recreational and business purposes. Behavioral controls can be regulated through program code restrictions, rules of conduct, and local norms. Most vendor hosts of virtual worlds use code restrictions sparingly, restricting only overtly illegal activities. Otherwise, all worlds publish some form of rules of conduct and rely on the development of in-world local norms to regulate behavior. As a result, many unethical forms of behavior have arisen, including griefing, fragging, and industrial espionage. There is no sure method of solving the unethical forms of behavior unless strong social norms develop; therefore, users must take precautions when acting in virtual worlds to understand how to avoid or deflect virtual attacks of different types.

Activity Theory Approaches for Authentic Web 2.0 Learning

This chapter discusses activity theory approaches to authentic online learning through Web 2.0 media tools and practices. With the proliferation of Web 2.0 software, many have access to the tools, but it is more difficult to harness the power in them toward authentic and meaningful action. Activity theory provides a lens to examine the “unit of activity” as a way to describe, analyze, and understand activity en route to learning goals. The first part of this chapter briefly defines activity theory and its main tenets, and the last few sections specifically address learning in authentic situations and developing authentic communities. Web 2.0 tools and practices allow learners to be engaged in content-related challenges using the tools as mediating devices and therefore facilitating more authentic and successful learning trajectories.

Virtual Worlds and the 3-D Internet

A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment, usually modeled after the real world, accessed through an online interface, and inhabited by users in the form of avatars. The purpose of this chapter is to explore how these interactive, immersive environments are being used by a variety of organizations. Although various kinds of virtual worlds are introduced, this chapter focuses on the interactive 3-D virtual world of Second Life, describing its demographics and its features. Ways in which Second Life has been used by businesses, educational organizations, and political entities are then discussed. Legal issues associated with virtual worlds in general and Second Life in particular are raised. The chapter concludes with some ways this technology is expected to evolve in the future.

A Strategic Framework for Integrating Web 2.0 into the Marketing Mix

Marketing strategy set by the marketing mix has remained fundamentally the same through years of other business disciplines being significantly disrupted by emerging technologies. Emerging Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, blogs, YouTube, and virtual worlds are not only affecting how companies tactically approach marketing, but also their marketing strategies. This chapter will explore the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on marketing and brand management and how companies can leverage these technologies to strengthen relationships between their brands and consumers through a Web 2.0 marketing mix. This new Web 2.0 marketing mix supplements the traditional four-p marketing mix (price, product, promotion, and placement) with a new “p” lens: participation. The focus of this analysis is on B2C marketing of products and services only.

The Enterprise 2.0 Organization

The implementation of Web 2.0 technologies in organizations ushers in a new era of collaboration and communication for enterprises. Enterprise 2.0 is the term that has emerged to describe the organization’s embrace of Web 2.0 technologies. This chapter examines the current trends and impact of Web 2.0 on organizations, managers, the workforce, and information exchange within and across companies. This phenomenon is expected to bring another wave of change to organizations that some believe could be on the magnitude of that experienced during the Internet revolution. These technological advancements do not come without challenges. Security, privacy, ethics, and legal considerations all play a major role in how these technologies develop over time. The time has come, however, for companies to begin to determine strategies for utilizing these technologies in order to remain competitive in the global business arena.

The Influence of Consumer-Generated Content on Customer Experiences and Consumer Behavior

The purpose of this chapter is to inform retail business managers about the amplification of consumer voices through new forms of Internet media. Candid, real-time feedback through various forms of Web 2.0 have revolutionized the way consumers research, purchase, and enjoy products and services in today’s world of commerce. The chapter provides a background on the importance of the Internet in consumer purchases, the development of various forms of consumer feedback, and the implications for multichannel retail businesses. An analysis of several leading Web 2.0 technologies is provided to clarify key differences. The reader should walk away with a more robust understanding of consumer behavior in today’s multichannel retail landscape.

Social Software Trends in Business

Social networking and Web 2.0 are the hottest words in technology right now; but is there more than just hype? This chapter will define and describe social software and Web 2.0, separate their true concepts from the marketing and buzz, and follow by identifying what might be next for this dynamic technology space. After establishing the social software and Web 2.0 concepts, this chapter identifies the value that they can bring to a company when used in a business context and the shortcomings or pitfalls. This chapter will set the foundation for subsequent discussions of social software and Web 2.0 for specific industry applications.