In the assignment, you’re going to explore some of the technological underpinnings of the Internet and Web 2.0, and understand what is about current information tools that make them particularly potent facilitators of existing and potential social networks. Social networking itself is, of course, as old as humanity itself—but it is not until recent times that technologies specifically focused on the creation and expansion of social networks have come to prominent public attention—to the point where they, arguably, have fundamentally reshaped the information environment. How many of us would like to return to the Bad Old Days of a decade ago, when user concerns were of only minimal interest, most of the Internet still featured one-way information distribution, “friends” were people we actually knew, and dancing cat videos were few and far between. Well, perhaps the latter two aspects still have some merit—but going back from an Internet where users are equal if not more important as content providers and participants of interest to the old one-way channels and Information gods is unlikely to ring many chimes.
As source material for your exploration of Web 2.0 technologies we have identified the following sources as required readings. If you don’t really pay attention to this material, it’s really unlikely that you can write an acceptable paper on the topic below, let alone an exceptional one. We spend quite a lot of time trying to identify useful sources for you that bear on our topics for analysis; while we strongly encourage you to conduct your own further research and identify additional useful sources, this should be an add-on to the basic material rather than a substitute for it. Our Module 1 sources include:
Majchrzak, A., & More, P. H. B. (Apr 2011). Emergency! Web 2.0 to the rescue! Communications of the ACM. 54(4), 125-132.
Hwang, J., Altmann, J., & Kim, K. (2009). The structural evolution of the Web 2.0 service network, Online Information Review, 33(6), 1040.
Andriole, S.J. (2010). Business impact of Web 2.0 technologies, Communications of the ACM, 53(12), 67-79.
Netzley, M. A.& Rath, Akanksha (2012). Social Networks and the Desire to Save Face: A Case From Singapore. Business Communication Quarterly. 75(1), 96-107.
Erickson, L. B. (Jan/Feb 2011). Web 2.0 and Social Networking for the Enterprise. [Review of the book Web 2.0 and Social Networking for the Enterprise, by J. Bernal]. Research Technology Management. Arlington: 54(1), 67-68.
In addition, the optional readings expand on many of the central points; you may also want to do some independent research of your own to clarify any issues that concern you.
Assignment:
When you have read through the articles and related material, please compose a 5 page paper in which you:
Compare the impact of Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0. Provide details on each and discuss how each has evolved from its forerunner Web interface. What do you see as the future of the Web in Web 3.0?
Assignments should be five (5) full pages double-spaced, not counting the cover or reference page. Paper format: (a) Cover page, (b) Header, (c) Body.
Please use an introduction paragraph outlining what the paper topic is about specifically
Please have at least one citation per paragraph, more if needed to support your writing.
Support your key points with specific examples and data from government sources, peer-reviewed academic references, and subject matter experts.
