Thursday, December 26, 2019

Are Children Smarter Because the Internet Essay - 658 Words

Are children smarter (or more socialized) because of the Internet? In the world today, technology is everywhere, and the Internet is a major part of our lives. Almost everything we do in our daily lives has to do with the computer or some sort of technology in one way or another. Children now a days are starting to use technology at younger age. There are a lot of children with tablets or iPods, which they use daily. So this brings to mind, are children smart or more socialized because of the internet? With children of all ages using the internet on daily basis, are they learning or just using it to socialize with other friends? According to 2005 Pew Research Center report, 87% of 12-17 year olds are online. That is a 24% increase†¦show more content†¦By engaging their brains in more complex tasks at a younger stage in their lives, toddlers are improving cognition and critical review skills, and displaying a more advanced understanding of both virtual and real worlds. There is a whole other side to this question also, that the information on the internet has always been readily available, so what is it about the internet that is making children smarter. If it has always been available and they did not make the effort to use it then, they are not going to use it now. In a way the internet can also be a distraction to children because the social media sites are easily accessible. They say children are not able to retain as much information as before because the internet has such easy access to questions. So students/children are not taking their time and giving thought into their projects. Its so easy to just look up an answer and pop it in, than to give it thought and personal reflection. And if the students are just using Google, than are they really retaining the knowledge they are seeking? â€Å"Google Annual Search Statistics.† Statistic Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013. Sparrow, B, J Liu, and D M. Wegner. â€Å"Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips.† Science. 333.6043 (2011): 776-778. Print. â€Å"Smartphones Account for Half ofShow MoreRelatedAre Children Smarter Because Of The Internet? Essay1909 Words   |  8 Pages2016 Are Children Smarter Because of the Internet? Today we use Internet for social networking, work, studying, business, online shopping, and many more things. There is many useful information on the Internet such as news and stock market, which is free and easily available on websites like Usa today and Yahoo. Imagine a life without Internet? The Internet has helped the world to become more advance. Due to the Internet we are able to communicate all around the world for free. Internet plays a majorRead MoreAre Children Smarter or More Socialized Because of the Internet?593 Words   |  3 PagesThese days a lot of children by the age of 2 years old will know how go on the internet, work a cell phone and know how to play video games. Technology is getting more advanced and children are getting smarter. My godson Brandon is 3 years old and knows how to work my phone, iPod and plays the PlayStation 3. He will grab my phone and will know how to go to YouTube and watch videos then later talk about what he just saw. Just by watching ran dom videos his IQ expanded and started talking more aboutRead MoreDoes The Internet Make Children Smarter? Essay1684 Words   |  7 Pages11/21/2015 â€Å"Does the Internet make Children Smarter?† Are children smarter or more socialized because of the internet? Some will say yes! Since the internet has been around people have been using it for many things, such as homework and research. Those that have said no, believe that the internet is just a waste of time, or just an excuse to get out of school work. This will explain the many points of how useful the internet has helpedRead MoreThe Internet s Effect On Children822 Words   |  4 Pagespeople say the internet is helping children, but some people say the internet doesn t. If children are using the internet for the right purpose they are learning, but it is so easy to get distracted by ads or mobile games and use the internet for other things than school work. People are inventing new ways to stop those distractions such as ad blockers, setting specific hours of games and homework. People have had different opinions about if the internet has made child ren smarter or not, my researchRead MoreBenefits Of Internet Essay1115 Words   |  5 PagesIn today’s society, the Internet has become one of our daily needs as a form to communicate, to research information, to do business activities, and to socialize with others. The Internet can sometimes be harmful to humanity, but it all depends on how people use the source. The Internet can be accessed in many forms on different mobile devices such as smartphones and computers to help bring benefits, especially for children. Modern technology brings great benefits to children academically and personallyRead MoreChildren and the Internet943 Words   |  4 Pages Did you know that more than 76 percent of kids use the internet more than three to four times a week? Despite the fact that some internet site can display wrongful or misleading information, the internet can be a useful tool for educational purposes. In this paper, readers will discover reasons for how the internet can be helpful for children. Have you ever wonder what a child does on the internet? Although some websites like: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Kik are good social sites were aRead MoreThe Education On Internet Safety1423 Words   |  6 PagesOur kids experience a very particular way to explore our world today, and this comes down to advancements in technology and internet. Many parents would have had an entirely different childhood where discipline was much more strictly used by their own mother and father, something that is very hard to find for today’s parents, Thanks to the unlimited amount of information and a path to a wide field of material that is available at just the click of a mouse or press of a button. Now that we are livingRead MoreIs Google Making Us Stupider?1563 Words   |  7 Pagesadvancing, it is really easy to find information with a click of a button. One highly used search engine in the internet is Google. Many people believe that using Google has made people not use their br ains therefore making them stupider. I on the other hand, believe that the internet is a great resource and tool for many things if used right and can actually help you learn and make you smarter. For example, having a question and quickly going to Google to find your answer before thinking about it firstRead MoreThe Internet And Its Impact On Our Lives Essay1264 Words   |  6 Pagestoday as the Internet, was invented for military purposes. However, Tim Berners-Lee had a different intention for ARPAnet. He invented the worldwide web where information was accessible for anyone. Centuries ago, to impart knowledge or information from the past and pass it from one person to another, books were created. To obtain it, they had to go to a library, read tons of books about a certain topic, jotted down and remembered the details they need. Today, all you need is an internet access andRead MoreTechnology Can Be Both Beneficial And Harmful In Many Different1704 Words   |  7 Pagesthe internet is strengthening our ability to scan information rapidly and efficiently. Companies like Facebook, Apple, and Google associated with social media, are making societies feel the growing need for new and improved technology, although social media is creating a distracting environment that keeps people s mental ability from to learning and growing, it also has been built as useful tool that enables anyone to access information and gain knowledge at any time right from the internet. Since

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Lush Cosmetics Supply Chain and Retail Management

Introduction LUSH Retail Ltd. is a cosmetics retailer headquartered in Poole, United Kingdom. Founded in 1995 by Mark Constantine, a herbal trichologist and his wife, Liz Weir. Constantine and Weir both have backgrounds in the hair and beauty industry. Unhappy with the market, they decided to branch out and start their own business based on natural hair and beauty products.The couple started off developing formulas and products for The Body Shop in the 1970s. This forbade the Constantine and Weir from opening a retail shop for 5 years. So the couple decided to set up a mail order company called Cosmetics-To-Go. Is was successful but eventually was sold to a Poole local who then took the formulas and namesake. Being near to a farmers†¦show more content†¦LUSH is targeting primarily women 18-45. While LUSH does have products for men and children, the majority of its line is directed towards women of this age group. The majority of LUSH’s retail stores are located in pos h neighborhoods, high traffic malls and destination sites. With these locations, LUSH is targeting women of a higher socioeconomic class, specifically, middle to upper class. Women who are beginning to or have already established themselves professionally. Traditionally, income and education have had a correlation; the higher the education, the higher the income and vice versa. Alternative means and measures of education have begun to change that correlation. LUSH targets its market with values. These values come from Constantine and Weir, quality organic and natural products, environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Products without packaging, as well as preservative-free ingredients, appeal to those who live an organic and eco-friendly lifestyle. A major value of the LUSH is not to test its products on animals, these vegan and vegetarian products attract consumers fighting for animal rights. LUSH also makes the majority of its products with fair-trade ingredients, whichShow MoreRelatedEssay on Lush Cosmetics3726 Words   |  15 PagesMARKETING ASSIGNMENT REPORT WRITING ON LUSH COSMETICS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This report is on LUSH cosmetics – a sustainable brand in cosmetic industry. This report will describe about marketing history, company ethics and current market position of LUSH. This report also deals how LUSH is making their products with sustainability and what marketing strategy they are following. We will discuss about marketing mix of LUSH, How they are doing ethical business and their position in competitiveRead MoreL ´Occitane Market Analysis9171 Words   |  37 PagesArro 1 Executive Summary Cosmetic industry is one of the fastest growing industries in today’s economy. Despite the financial recession and instability the market of cosmetics keeps growing. Trends are changing rapidly: what a couple of years ago was a niche market and was aimed at a narrow range of customers today becomes a must if a company wants to survive. A number of EU countries have developed a large trade surplus and a significant comparative advantage in cosmetics products. French and GermanRead MoreValue Driven Marketing at Aveda2813 Words   |  12 Pagesoperating in the personal product care industry. Aveda offers a line of over 700 premium professional and consumer, plant-derived personal care products. Currently, the company posses 7000 salons, day spas and retail outlets located globally. In 1997, Aveda was acquired for US$300 million by the cosmetic giant Estee Lauder, although it operates as an independent entity. As part of Estee Lauder family of brands, Aveda ha s contributed substantially to corporate growth, particularly in hair care products. (LoucheRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pageson the Companion Website. These are a selection of cases from recent editions of the book which remain relevant for teaching. The case studies are intended to serve as a basis for class discussion and not as an illustration of either good or bad management practice. They are not intended to be a comprehensive collection of teaching material. They have been chosen (or speciï ¬ cally written) to provide readers with a core of cases which, together, cover most of the main issues in the text. As such, theyRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesthe spread of wage labor, the growth and extraction of food and resources to feed those workers, the revolution of tr ansportation technologies, and the accompanying creation of an international system of nation states, borders, and population management techniques. Cities were the epicenter of this world in transformation, and one of the main magnets for migrants. In 1800, 6 million people lived in the largest ten cities of the world. By 2000, this had grown to more than 200 million, increasing

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Narrative style and character in james joyces clay Essay Example For Students

Narrative style and character in james joyces clay Essay Narrative Style and Character in James Joyces ClayFor many readers, one of the most appealing factors within literature is often the dynamic representation of character.The idiosyncrasies and appearance of characters are often depicted in great depth and presented with a particular bias in mind. The brief format of the short story does not allow for great lengths of detail to be included therefore, alternate writing styles are used. James Joyce adopts the free and indirect narrative technique to present the story of Maria the suppressive spinster in his short story Clay. This particular approach influences the reader to sympathize with Joyces flawed character, while ironically pointing out the particular flaws and directing them towards Irish society. Dubliners is a collection of short stories by James Joyce in which the author utilizes the everyday experiences and rituals of the Irish middle and lower class to publicize his disdain with the Irish society and the political views adopted by the Irish people at the time. Clay is no exception to this format. The Character Maria is described as having witch-like physical features but with maternal and domestic virtues. The irony represented here is that while Maria is so purely maternal, she remains a spinster. Joyce provides the reader with a little more insight into the thoughts of Maria through her expressions of sexual frustration. Ginger Mooneys toast to Maria receiving a ring this Halloween reveals a repressed desire for a man Maria had to laugh and say she didnt want any ring or any man either; and when she laughed her greygreen eyes sparkled with disappointment (pp181) The disappointment in her eyes suggests that she is emerged in a lifestyle in which she is not particularly happy-a sexual paralysis. The reader is presented with a second example of Marias uncomfortable state of emotion, regarding her marital status, in the cake store. Maria blushes and smiles after being asked if she wanted to purchase wedding cake, as though the thought appealed to her.A final example of Marias sexual repression arises when she discovers that she has left the plum cake on the tram. Her conversation with the intoxicated gentleman causes her to be distracted. She later recalls how confused the gentleman with the greyish moustache had made her, she colored with shame and vexation and disappointment (pp182) The shame suggested here could simply indicate her feelings towards her absentmindedness however, Karen Lawrence Suggests it could also be construed as shame for having an interest in the man, which again suggests sexual repression. (Joyce And Feminism p.256 )The character flaws are not directly stated. Joyce uses a free indirect discourse; the narrative assumes the language and rapport of Maria-allowing a third person narrative to exploit a first person point of view(Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms p87). The narrative moves in and out of her consciousness. After the washer women settle in for their tea and Mooney proposes that Maria will receive a ring, Ginger Mooney lifted up her mug of tea and proposed Marias health she knew that Mooney meant well though of course she had the notions of a common woman. (pp181) The point of view is hidden within the narration. This technique allows the irony to be emphasized-what appears to be objective descriptions and observations are really expressions of Marias personal bias. She is assuming that Mooney is sincere in her premonition of Maria getting married. It does not occur to her that she is being ridiculed. The description of the Halloween game is another example of Marias version of life. As she blindly reaches for an object to signify her future, she finds death. .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 , .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 .postImageUrl , .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 , .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697:hover , .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697:visited , .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697:active { border:0!important; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697:active , .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697 .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u043c062720d86d702f46f0a262cf8697:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead a play by to Essay Marias version is more nave. Instead of realizing the significance of her choice, she simply assumes the commotion around her is signifying that she did something wrong and must choose again. Joyce presents Marias constant naivete of her surrounding as a form of ignorance.Through the use of irony, Joyce illustrates the ignorance of Maria and applies her paralysis to the whole of Irish society. The free indirect narrative style acts as a device to present the tale from Marias point of view however, the irony injected into discourse serves to criticize Maria and her state of paralysis. The free indirect discourse ties together the sympathy and irony of Marias character and the society she representsLawrence, Karen. Joyce and Feminism. New York: Oxford University Geddes, Gary. The Art Of Short Fiction. Clay pp178-185. Ontario: Bal*censored*, Chris Concise Dictionary Of Literary Terms. New York:Bibliography:

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Social Media Web Resource Management

Abstract Gentle (2009) defines social media as â€Å"the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue†. Its popularity has been growing exponentially in the last few years. Among the most vibrant include twitter and facebook.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Social Media Web Resource Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This paper addresses measuring the impact of social media by looking at challenges, practices and methods. Effects of social media can be felt from in communication, events, information access and management, as well as brand building and monitoring. Social media web resource management is accomplished using different systems and techniques. This paper briefly analyzes Drupal,Joomla, Plone and siteforum. The analysis is done through degree centrality, betweenness centrality, network centralization and network reaches. As social media l gains popularity, more challenges arise. These include information management, privacy, customer adoption, regulations and policy formulation, all addressed in this paper. Finally the paper concludes that social media is an e-commerce platform with significant benefits and cannot be ignored. The papers also presents recommendations based on the identified problems. Introduction â€Å"The term social media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue† (Gentle, 2009). Social media allows creation and exchange of content, particularly user-generated. Its main purpose is to create interaction platforms, enabling scalability to various communication techniques. It further allows accessibility to various communication channels between organizations, communities and individuals. In every organization today, social media has substantial effect on how communication is carried implemented. Social media today is in different forms including social blogs, wikis, podcasts, social bookmarking, pictures and videos, just to mention a few.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As Benkler (2006) researched, â€Å"there are six different types of social media namely; collaborative projects, blogs and micro-blogs, content communities, social networking sites, virtual game worlds and virtual social worlds†. The technologies differ but most of them can be integrated in social networking platforms. The main features of social media arise from its level of accessibility, usability, permanence, immediacy and reachability (Shirky, 2008). Businesses and individuals are able to reach an audience for different purposes. For businesses, social media has created an ease of reaching a global audience. Social media is easily accessible to both the private organizations, as well as the public. As opposed to the industrial media, where communication lag easily occurs, social media creates immediacy in communication. It allows change and editing of information as opposed to industrial media where permanence makes it hard to alter information once it has been released to the intended audience. Effects of social media Several surveys and studies reveal that social media plays a significant role in the economy and business trends in different regions. It also plays a significant role in the day-to-day lives of people. According to a survey conducted by the Nielsen Wire (2011), â€Å"social networking accounts for 22% of all the time spent online in the US†. The same survey revealed that more than 230 million people in the United States use their mobile devices to access social media. This figure only represents those people above the age of 13. In 2009, Australians recorded the highest number of hours spent on social media. Over 9 million people in the region were on a social site an av erage of 9 hours per month. While in the past social media was considered to be for the young, this trend is slowly changing and old people are embracing the trend. In 2010, the number social media users aged 65 years and above doubled. In the United States, it is approximated that one on every four people aged about the age of 65 uses social media. The number of people registered in different social sites further proves the level of significance it has in people’s lives today. By June this year, facebook had already registered over 750 million users (Kincaid, 2011). From the following statistics, it is evident that social media is a phenomenon that cannot just be ignored. The effects can be analyzed in the following areas;Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Social Media Web Resource Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Communication Social media plays a significant role in the way people communi cate, what they communicate and when. If a business is able to survey and understand these trends, it is bound to benefit tremendously from the amount of exchange that takes place on social sites. For example, people are likely to discuss less serious issues in the evenings after work. This might not be the best time for a business to try and introduce a discussion on more complex matters. Furthermore, many social media sites are created with simplicity in mind, a function that organizations should put into consideration as they try to interact with their audience. Events Event creation and management has become easier in the era of social media. Most social sites such as facebook allow for easy creation and management of events. Interaction with targeted participants makes it easy to gather feedback and work towards meeting everyone’s expectations. Whether it is a personal, professional of political event, the ease of getting people together through social media is evident. Userability in events management is most evident in the entertainment and political arenas. Developers have today come up with functions is social media that allow constant updates and notification in the case that significant changes related to the event occur. This way, even forgetful and overly busy people are still up-to-date with the rest of the participants through notifications. Information access and management For business, easy access to information is probably the most significant benefit they have reaped from involving themselves in social media. The success of any business is highly dependent on their ability to disperse relevant about their products to the market, as well as get feedback on the same. Social media has not only allowed this, but has also allowed organizations to sort out information before it reaches them. This is through functions such as liking or disliking a product available in some of the social media sites. This way, a business is able to make a qu ick conclusion over the customers’ reactions before analyzing the data in detail. Brand building and monitoring A significant advantage offered by the social media is how immediate feedback can be on a product. It is possible for an individual or organization to test a brand by exposing it to their audience in social media. It is also possible to influence opinion through social media by associating a product with fan activities in the internet.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Social media as a marketing tool has enable businesses to build their brands and manage their reputation to a global audience. Furthermore, it is possible to measure results arising social media though different measurement parameters. One example of these measurement parameters is network analysis, which is â€Å"the study of social relations among a set of actors, characterized by a distinctive methodology encompassing techniques for collecting data, statistical analysis and visual representation, among others† (Bernoff and Li, 2008). Social media web resource management A content management system is done through different systems such as Drupal. â€Å"It is a free and open-source management system (CMS) and content management framework (CMF) written in PHP and distributed under the GNU (General Public License)† (VanDyk, 2008). Through this system, users are able to register and create accounts. A developer is able to maintain the site and manage the menu. Through D rupal, it is also possible to customize layout and make system administration easier. Another system used to manage content is Joomla. It is defined by Kafer and Emma (2009) as â€Å"free and open source content managing System (CMS) for publishing content on the World Wide Web and intranets and a model-view-controller (MVC) web application framework that can also be used independently†. It is mostly applicable in data storage, managing a database, page caching, managing blogs, search services and internationalization of language. It can be installed via different platforms the most common being the Microsoft web installer. Plone is a common management system is social media. â€Å"It is a free and open source content management system† (Kafer and Emma, 2009). It is used for different kinds of websites such as blogs and internal websites. It also used for internet sites and webshots. It is mostly preferred for its flexibility and adaptability. It enable easy work flow and offers very good security. Furthermore, developers that use it commend it for flexibility and high usability. Plone features include collaboration and sharing, working copy support, inline editing, versioning, and graphic page editors, among others. Another system that is gaining popularity in the recent past is Siteforum. This a software-as-a-service product offered by the Siteforum company in Germany. The software includes number functionalities such as virtual event and online marketing. It is used in social networking as a collaboration tool. The company offers the software as a hosting, storage and traffic model. Its functions cover content management system and virtual events such as administration, intranet, online-shop, marketing and support. For businesses that use social media as a marketing tool, functions such as online marketing and customer relations management are significant. Social network analysis â€Å"Social network analysis (SNA) is the mapping and measurin g of relationship and flows between people, groups, organizations, computers, URLs, and other connected information/knowledge entities† (Bernoff and Li, 2008). The nodes represent the people while the links represent the relationship between individuals and/or groups. Experts and consultants in this field of study use SNA to understand organization and business networks analysis. This method of analysis can be used to understand social networking even at an individual level. Different concepts are used to understand social networking. Degree centrality â€Å"Social networking is analyzed using a degrees concept, which is used to understand the number of flows or connections between nodes† (VanDyk, 2008). The person or group with the most direct connections is considered as having the most active node. When social networking is used for business, common wisdom interprets more connections as better. What matters in this analysis is where the connections lead to and the be nefits of leading that way. Businesses for example only connect to others who are already connected. Betweenness centrality This measures the location of a node and its connectivity to the rest of the network. For example, being between important constituents makes one in an easily connectable location. A highly connected person or group located centrally can be said to play a broker role in the system and network. â€Å"A node with high betweenness has great influence over what flows and what doesn’t in the network† (VanDyk, 2008). Such a node has control over the outcome of different connections attached to it. It also has visibility into the rest of the network. Network Centralization As Krebs (2011) explains, â€Å"individual network centralities provide insight into the individual’s location in the network and the relationship between the centralities of all nodes can reveal much about the overall network structure†. Such networks are dominated by fe w participants and activity is on a few nodes. Such connections are considered unstable since they can easily and abruptly fail if the main connection is removed. Less centralized networks are considered most stable since they have no single point of failure. In the event of intentional attacks, they may survive since the attack’s point of entry is not centralized. This type of connection in social networking is also protected from random failures since the link is not on a specific node. Network reach Benkler (2006) argues that â€Å"not all paths are created equal and shorter paths are more important†. Tapscott and William (2006) further explain that â€Å"networks have horizons over which we cannot see, nor influence†. In any network, there are specific network paths which are critical and which we should pay attention to. â€Å"It is therefore important for any business or individual to know who is on their network, who is in their neighborhood and who they can reach† (Tapscott and William, 2006). In social networking, connections happen through network integration, boundary spanners and peripheral players. In network integration, â€Å"network metrics are often measured using geodesics or shortest paths which make the erroneous assumption that all information/influence flows along the network’s shortest paths only† (Tapscott and William, 2006). Social networking best happens via the shortest and most direct connections. Being on many efficient paths is paramount since there are many different interpretations coming from different paths. This is particularly beneficial for those in business. It allows both local and distant information to travel around the network. â€Å"In boundary spanners, nodes connecting their group to others usually end up with high network metrics† (Surowiecki, 2004). The spanners are more central in the network and allow a wider coverage than that within the local connection. The spa nners should be well-connected to the central location since they have access to information from all the clusters in the network. The information can be put together to form new products and services by the innovators. Finally, in peripheral players, the nodes are not considered as being very important. â€Å"Since individual networks overlap, peripheral nodes are connected to networks that are not currently mapped† (Krebs, 2011). Participants in the network might have individual networks outside their company, a function that can be very resourceful in collecting fresh information from outside the company. Challenges Due to amount of information transacted through the social media, several challenges rise. The first significant challenge is consumer adoption. For many consumers, transition from tradition media to social sites presents a challenge. The change is particularly difficult for people aged 65 years and above. The rate at which usability changes further makes it di fficult for people who may not be able to catch up with new functions created each day. Even for young people, social media tends to favor people with an interest in technology. Regulation, privacy and adoption present a significant challenge to the adoption of social media in different regions. Issues of privacy have been a source of heated debate among regulators, users and developers. Many sites require very personal information to register or sign is as a user. The issues of regulation continue to spark battles between those designing the rules, those responsible for implementation and users. A good example of how regulation and privacy affect social media is China for dictating what citizens can share or not. The third challenge is managing the amount of information transacted through social media platforms. Some organizations may find the amount of feedback from customers overwhelming. This is especially common among organizations that choose to use the social media but lack g ood information management capacity. The nature of social media is in such a way that users expect a response to their questions or concerns almost immediately. This can be both tiring and expensive for an organization that lacks the technical capacity to create automatic response systems. Conclusion As explained in the beginning, social media allows creation and exchange of content, particularly user-generated. Its main purpose is to create interaction platforms, enabling scalability to various communication techniques. The invention of social media platforms has allows easy access to communication channels in the internet, ease of accessing a global audience and overwhelming levels of interaction between people from all parts of the world. As the world warms up doing almost everything through the internet, social media presents an opportunity for business to stay relevant in an online world. Managing social media websites and designs has created a competitive market in the area of innovations. Most common managing systems include Drupal,Joomla, Plone and Siteforum. The need to create a vibrant environment is social media means that more are being created each day. The effects can be analyzed through various parameters such as degree of centrality, betweenness centrality, network centralization and network reaches. As innovations and applications become more complex, so do challenges. Major headaches for developers and users include privacy, policies and regulation. For businesses, inflow of information may be overwhelming, making it hard to manage. In conclusion, social media today has major influence in how e-commerce is conducted and how its direction of growth. The trends are exciting and vibrant, making it hard to predict how much more influence it will have in businesses and lives in future. Recommendations The world today can be considered as an ‘online world’ where people shop, learn, talk, work and even travel online. As this happens, bu sinesses, organizations, individuals, governments and consumers stand to gain many things. Therefore, it is important that each of these people be strategically placed to reap the benefits of being able to reach the rest of the world easily. Internet marketing as well as online media campaigns and buys are the new trends in the business world. For players in the market to fully benefit, â€Å"it is important for them to build their network or community when they use social media tools, and it is equally important to maintain that community if they really want to benefit from social media use† (Peacock, 2008). Challenges arising are many, but can be resolved if all the major stakeholders such as governments, investors and consumers are involved. Governments should find means and ways of supporting positive developments in social media rather than restricting utilization. Users have a responsibility of ensuring that they use social media responsibly by protecting themselves fro m security challenges that may arise from participation in different functions. It is also important that businesses use their position positively. Using their position and technological advantages to hurt customers should be prohibited by the law and avoided by business. This is particularly important in the way they use personal information made available to them by their customers. Governments through regulations need to ensure that every stakeholder is protected. Reference List Benkler, Y. 2006. The wealth of networks. New Haven: Yale University Press. Bernoff, J. and Li, C., 2008. Groundwell: Winning in a word transformed by social technologies. Boston: Harvard Business Press. Gentle, A., 2009. Conversation and community: The social web documentation. Fort Collins, Colo: XML Press. Kafer, K. and EmmA, H., 2009. Front end drupal: Designing, theming scripting. Jersey, USA: Prentice Hall. Krebs, V.,2011. Social network analysis: A brief introduction. Web. Kincaid, J., 2011. Facebo ok now has 750 million users. Web. Nielsen Wire, 2011. Social networks/blogs now account for one in every four and a half minutes online. Web. Peacock, M., 2008. Selling online with Drupal e-commerce. Birmigham, England: Packt Publishing. Shirky, C. 2008. Here comes everybody. New York: Penguin Press. Surowiecki, J. 2004. The wisdom of crowds. New York: Anchor Books. Tapscott, D. and William, A., 2006. Wikinomics. New York: Porfolio. VanDyk, J.K., 2008. Pro Drupal Development, Second edition. New York: Springer Vertalag/Apress. This coursework on Social Media Web Resource Management was written and submitted by user Nickolas Roth to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.