Web Companies Research Articles

Managing Web 2.0 Content

SUMMARYBig Web companies, traditional enterprises, physical science researchers, social scientists, are all experiencing (or anticipating) unprecedented growth in the amount of data available in their domain. There are new opportunities and great untapped value in analyzing ‘Big Data’.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Software process improvement success factors for small and medium Web companies: A qualitative study

ContextThe context of this research is software process improvement (SPI) in small and medium Web companies. ObjectiveThe primary objective of this paper is to identify software process improvement (SPI) success factors for small and medium Web companies. MethodTo achieve this goal, we conducted semi-structured, open-ended interviews with 21 participants representing 11 different companies in Pakistan, and analyzed the data qualitatively using the Glaserian strand of grounded theory research procedures. The key steps of these procedures that were employed in this research included open coding, focused coding, theoretical coding, theoretical sampling, constant comparison, and scaling up. ResultsAn initial framework of key SPI success factors for small and medium Web companies was proposed, which can be of use for small and medium Web companies engaged in SPI. The paper also differentiates between small and medium Web companies and analyzes crucial SPI requirements for companies operating in the Web development domain. ConclusionThe results of this work, in particular the use of qualitative techniques – allowed us to obtain rich insight into SPI success factors for small and medium Web companies. Future work comprises the validation of the SPI success factors with small and medium Web companies.

Discovering implicit communities in Web forums through ontologies

Being a Community manager is an emerging employment in social Web companies. His or her role is to monitor communities on a devoted social website, in order to understand new trends or behaviours. He or she also has to discover and attract new potential users of the website in external resources like web forums, that are not necessarily on the same topics nor explicitly defined. In this paper we propose a scalable protocol to monitor on-line communications, like web forums, walls or twits. We provide an analysis method to extract implicit communities and user interests based on the semantics of data exchange and the structure of communications. The method is parameterized by a target vocabulary expressed as an ontology, in order to focus on relevant communities.

Le « net scolaire » à l'épreuve du temps « libre » des lycéens

Résumé Plusieurs travaux assimilent les lycéens à la Génération Google qui privilégie les moteurs de recherche comme ressource documentaire au point d’abuser du copié-collé pour réaliser le travail scolaire. Avec l’extension des devoirs à la maison, il devient difficile pour les adolescents de gérer leur temps entre les tâches scolaires et les activités personnelles. Afin d’optimiser leur emploi du temps, se développe une sorte d’instrumentalisme scolaire qui se renouvelle sur le net au point que des officines privées se sont emparées du phénomène pour proposer de nouveaux services scolaires. Comment les lycéens qui passent l’épreuve du baccalauréat organisent-ils leur emploi du temps pour articuler leurs différentes sphères d’activités et quels usages font-ils d’Internet pour réaliser leurs travaux scolaires ?

ISA – Towards an Integrative Service Architecture for Telcos

Both increasing competition from established web companies and over-the-top players, and business opportunities from new Web 2.0 related services give reason to telcos to open up their service delivery platforms for integrative offerings in the frame of the Web 2.0 service ecosystem. While the web community provides innovative and hyped services that are open and can enrich telco service offerings, telcos help the user to manage digital assets across networks and devices with superior user experience. To benefit from both sides, users desire maximum flexibility and ease of use in deliberately combining components from Web and telco players to integrated services. From telcos's point of view, new models of co-creation need to be implemented to meet this demand, and to extend their reach beyond the traditional network customer basis.

A construção do sentido e a retórica das empresas na web

Este artigo analisa como as empresas brasileiras fazem uso intencional da linguagem em seus websites para influenciar percepções, crenças, sentimentos e ações de públicos-alvo e como este discurso absorve elementos do contexto social. A análise das afirmações autodescritivas de 40 empresas pesquisadas é conduzida a partir de uma perspectiva histórico-crítica que considera o discurso uma prática social. Para a coleta e análise dos dados, foram utilizados a análise retórica e alguns pressupostos da análise crítica do discurso, tendo a Internet como meio de pesquisa. Os resultados indicam como a cultura e o poder estão presentes na linguagem das empresas na Web. Revelam, também, o ambiente virtual como um novo espaço para a construção do sentido, no qual as empresas ampliam suas fronteiras simbólicas e constroem retoricamente sua legitimação.

Internet usage transaction log studies: The next generation

Internet usage transaction log studies: The next generation

Investigating Web size metrics for early Web cost estimation

This paper’s aim is to bring light to this issue by identifying size metrics and cost drivers for early Web cost estimation based on current practices of several Web Companies worldwide. This is achieved using two surveys and a case study. The first survey (S1) used a search engine to obtain Web project quote forms employed by Web companies worldwide to provide initial quotes on Web development projects. The 133 Web project quote forms gathered data on size metrics, cost factors, contingency and possibly profit metrics. These metrics were organised into categories and ranked. Results indicated that the two most common size metrics used for Web cost estimation were “total number of Web pages” (70%) and “which features/functionality to be provided by the application” (66%). The results of S1 were then validated by a mature Web company that has more than 12 years of experience in Web development and a portfolio of more than 50 Web applications. The analysis was conducted using an interview. Finally, once the case study was finished, a second validation was conducted using a survey (S2) involving local New Zealand Web companies. The results of both validations were used to prepare Web project data entry forms to gather data on Web projects worldwide. After gathering data on 67 real Web projects worldwide, multivariate regression applied to the data confirmed that the number of Web pages and features/functionality provided by the application to be developed were the two most influential effort predictors.

(Inter)connecting China

Use of the Internet and telecommunications in China has exploded in the past decade, making it the most attractive telecoms market in the world. However, many foreign companies, eager to exploit this telecommunications boom, have seen their scope for involvement dogged by China's excessive state regulation, political control and relative economic backwardness. In this essay Chinadotcom, one of the first state‐sponsored Chinese web companies, argues that many of these criticisms are overstated. Economic, infrastructural and political constraints, the company contends, are all part and parcel of the developmental process. However, firms as well as the state are learning to cope with this new phenomenon and slowly adapting their indigenous practices to meet the challenge. In fact, the company concludes, given the right conditions, the potential for development in China is so vast that it could end up outstripping its major English‐speaking rivals.