We want to provide a context for you to do your own research and thinking -- and to arrive at well reasoned decisions. Both of us have strong feelings based, we trust, on well reasoned and researched positions and we would love to try to convince you that we're right. That would, however, be out of place. Our job is not to persuade you but to provide the context in which you can do your own work and make up your own mind.

These cases fit into the tolerating ambiguity and thinking big areas on the Special Requirements page.

Doing Business in the Information Age

by Roger Schank, Institute for the Learning Sciences

The world of business will be forever changed by the coming information infrastructure.

owners of knowledge will sell their wares to ...

packagers of knowledge who will sell their service to ...

storers of knowledge who will have to work with ...

accessers of knowledge who will, in turn, work with ...

conveyers of knowledge

Now these may turn out to be, respectively: experts selling to publishers, who sell to timesharing companies who deal with software vendors who deal with the cable or telephone companies. Again, I really don't know how it will play out, but if you look carefully you can see it coming.

We are slowly moving, I believe, into an economy where knowledge is a commodity. People have noted recently that we are moving into a service economy from a manufacturing economy. We often hear about the "information age." But I am not sure that it is very well understood what the real effects of a knowledge-based economy might be.

What would become of the travel industry as we know it? The travel agent you called up to book the trip, or to suggest which hotels to look at or which places to see, would not have to be a travel agent at all. It is easy enough to book your own reservations if you have a computer today. This ability has not killed the travel industry because not that many people have computers and because it hardly seems worth the effort when the travel agent is easily available by phone. Some companies have, in fact, become their own travel agents, but infrequent users do not spend the time to learn how to book reservations.

Deciding to use a computer to search an unfamiliar database, with unfamiliar commands, is not a decision any but the most bold computer users take lightly. However, this situation will change and will change fast. In the future you might be able to use your computer to "travel to France," for example and see videos about places you might visit, ask experts about what you see, and book reservations. When the accessible database you interact with grows to contain more detailed and better packaged information than any one travel agent could possible know, the travel agent on the corner will be out of business.

Some travel agents might stay in business if they provided the services available through the computer, but as I have said, this is not absolutely necessary. In any case, the real competitive advantage in this business will be in the providing of video. The provider who makes the best video available, the best hotel expert, the best champagne expert, the best sightseeing planner, even the best language training program, would be the one who would get the computer user's attention and hence his business.

The Green Card

Two lawyers decided to conduct business on the Internet. Their strategy was to engage in "spamming", i.e., sending an identical message to thousands of Usenet Newsgroups. They offered their services to assist people in preparing applications for the so-called "Green Card Lottery," which was to randomly select a pool of immigrants who could obtain resident status, certified by issuing them "green cards."

As a result of their efforts there was a huge hue and cry. They violated two rules of Usenet posting practices. First of all, they offered commercial services, which is generally not allowed except in specific newsgroups dedicated to these purposes or in other special circumstances. Secondly, they posted their message in thousands of newsgroups completely unrelated to immigration issues.

As a result of their actions, some Net users complained to the manager of the site from which they posted their messages. Other people began "mail bombing" the site, i.e., sending numerous large messages in an attempt to break the software managing the site. The site manager closed the lawyers' account. In turn, the lawyers threatened to sue and had their account reinstated under the condition that they refrain from "spamming."

Newspaper reports suggested that the services the attorneys offered were not required in order to successfully file for the green card lottery. The attorneys claimed that they could offer advice that would increase the chances of success.

What are the ethical issues here? Try to focus on this case at several levels. First of all, look at the specific rules that the attorneys broke with respect to message posting. Note that these are not laws, but voluntary guidelines that most people observe. You might want to discuss whether these guidelines are important in terms of possible consequences, as illustrated by this case's results. Secondly, move on to focus on commerce on the Net. Usenet is explicitly a noncommercial part of the Internet, but other "pieces" of the Internet are becoming increasingly commercialized. To illustrate this point, you might want to look at several Web sites. A good way to do so is to start with http://www.directory.net/ (Commercial Sites Index). Is this commercialization good, bad or of neutral ethical import?

Pornography and Freedom

A couple who ran an adult bulletin board system (BBS) in California were indicted by a federal attorney in Tennessee for pornography. They were convicted, and are currently appealing their sentence; if unsuccessful in their appeal, they will serve prison time for their conviction.

This is, of course, a touchy issue. Although this case does not involve the Internet, it is undoubtedly only a matter of time before the same sorts of things occur with Internet-based pornography.

Discussion of this case should focus on the Constitutional issue of free expression as a First Amendment right. Even things that we view as repellent are protected, or ought to be. An interesting sidelight is the idea that in cases of pornography local standards apply. The issue: whose standards should apply for material that is Internet accessible case. The BBS case involved two states whose residents, by and large, are at polar opposites on many issues, including what constitutes pornography. Is it fair to apply Tennessee standards to content originating in California?

It's important to note that this discussion may become heated because there has been a lot of attention paid by news media to the issues of pornography, particularly child pornography, on the Internet. The coverage has generated more heat than light, with little unbiased and accurate information emerging. That is why we recommend focusing primarily on the First Amendment implications. It's important to note that child pornography can be eliminated by aggressively prosecuting creators of this material.

They Know What Girls Like

see Gender Differences

by Andrew Marlatt

The research was exhaustive and illuminating. The trick was to design a Web site with it. Girls prefer to establish relationships. Boys prefer physical superiority. Girls' play focuses on "multi-sensory immersion" and "strong story lines." Boys go for "speed and action." For girls, success comes through the "development of friendships." For boys, it comes through "the elimination of competitors."

For Purple Moon, the research pointed to a Web site for pre-teen girls that was "all about meeting new friends, about new cool characters you get to know, about new challenges and new places you can hang out," said Purple Moon president and CEO Nancy Deyo.

Designed in conjunction with Atomic Vision, Purple Moon launched in September, becoming one of a growing number of sites for girls. It centers on students from the fictional Whistling Pines Junior High and is equal parts youthful soap opera, gossip mill, treasure hunt, and--naturally--shopping mall. Purple Moon has or will soon release related CD-ROM's, adventure card sets, and other merchandise.

The company is a spin-off of San Francisco's Interval Research, which spent years probing the minds of both adults and youngsters to understand the relationship between girls and technology. Among the findings was that boys and girls have vastly different senses of adventure. "When [boys] are engaged in an interactive experience," said Deyo, "it's all about winning or losing or getting a high score or conquering a superhero. They find that very motivating, but girls don't."

Instead, she said, girls want to go on "friendship adventures" with true-to-life characters who have had fascinating experiences or have been through situations familiar to the girls.

To fit these criteria, Purple Moon created an ethnically and experientially diverse cast.

"Jessie," for instance, has traveled to Egypt -- her mother is an Egyptologist -- and her parents are divorced. "Ruben" is a stepchild whose natural father was an abusive alcoholic. "Gera," meanwhile, likes pizza, hamsters, and running track.

Purple Moon chose not to divulge the histories, interests, and relationships of the characters to each other in a single, long exposition. Instead, information is meted out in small, icon-driven doses. Click on a guitar on Ruben's personal page to read a paragraph about his band. A link on this page leads to another character who plays an instrument. From that page users may gather more snippets on that character or may be curious enough to click on a link that teases, "Psst�want to meet a strange girl?"

This technique responds to girls' interest in exploration, said Kristee Rosendahl, director of online and merchandise. The site's scavenger hunts also fulfills this desire. In one such pursuit, items from "Nicole's" dropped purse are scattered around the site. Those who "collect" the visual items--a popular pursuit in itself, said Rosendahl--don't get a physical prize, but an informational one. In this case, it's a secret photograph of Nicole cross-eyed.

Rosendahl described such rewards as an "incredibly juicy little payback. It's satisfying in itself, because you get this piece of information that your friends don't have." And, she added, "In relationships and shared experiences, knowledge is power."

Knowledge also gives the girls a reason to communicate, which is why users are encouraged to create their own personal pages. On these pages, which can be kept private or made available to others, girls list their interests and hobbies, which are assigned icons. They then find and communicate with each other, and the characters, at Share Central.

Here, agent technology is used to help girls find others with similar interests. They can then send "postcards" via the site's internal e-mail system, thus establishing relationships based on shared interests.

At a site for girls of this age, security is a high priority, which is why those postcards are screened for content, said Deyo. It's also the reason Purple Moon does not offer chat or outside links. "If you want to be very true to girls and their parents about making it a safe and appropriate place, you have to monitor things closely," she said.

Similarly, registration involves a parent, who must either e-mail or call in their consent. In a few cases, parents of pre-teen boys have actually given their consent. Purple Moon does not exclude boys, Deyo insisted, but the design is girl-centric, right down to the colors.

"You see less of the blacks and the reds," she noted. "You instead see some yellows and fuchsias and greens and blues. Not totally pastel, though. It's really a collection of secondary colors that's interesting." Of course the site is also heavy on purple, which research concluded has replaced pink as the color of choice for girls.

Color is also used as an interface element, which along with various fonts and button sizes indicate where the user is or what she can do next. An unusual navigation bar at the bottom of each page tells users where they've been, who else is on that page, and suggests links to follow. There is no particular advantage, however, in following those links. The idea of a final destination or end point was purposely excluded.

"We really don't want girls to take a linear approach to their experience," Deyo explained. "Something like the scavenger hunt will take you all over the site, and along the way girls will find interesting things and they'll stop and do something else because they just don't want to be limited. [Girls say] 'Don't make me do step 1-2-3 before I get to 4,' because it seems pointless to them. Boys find that challenging. Girls feel locked in by it."

To nourish this nomadic approach, Purple Moon shuns the likes of Shockwave and Java. Its graphics are sparse, simple, and small. Pages generally top out at 35K. "We wanted a site that was really fast and downloadable, where the bar was low enough for every girl who's sitting with a 14.4," said Rosendahl. "What we found is the narrative structure of our site could be as complex as you can possibly make it, and they love that, but in order to get to it, it had to be simple."

This is not to imply, she added, that girls can't grasp new technology. Instead, unlike boys, girls simply prefer narrative content to "some cool tool." This, too, was based on the research findings, a summary of which can be found under "about our company" at the site. It's not a place for males with low self-esteem.

For example, it contends that in a competitive environment, a girl's goal, "is to explore and have new experiences�." For a boy, it is "to win, and the play is linear. Outcome is black and white; die and start over�."

"Oh, now remember, all these [findings] are general trends," Deyo replied. "They're not reflective of all the boys or men out there."

Internet.com
November 3, 1997

Building Customer Loyalty

According to Jason Olim, who studied CD Now, the kind of customer loyalty that can be achieved in online business is unparalleled in traditional mediums. Customers who are used to shopping online will spend 1.5 times more time online than a newcomer to the site. In addition, loyal customers not only spend more time shopping, but they attract others to the site. In his case study, "Customer Loyalty is the Name of the Game," Olim identifies four key elements of customer loyalty.

the capability of the Internet to provide a unique shopping experience

an efficient and user friendly site design

the provision of meaningful follow-up

continued dialog in after-sales support

Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young, the nation's second biggest accounting firm, is in the process of eliminating 50% of its total U.S. office space by converting most E&Y accountants and consultants into part-time telecommuters who must literally make reservations to use the remaining offices. Under a system known as "hoteling," E&Y employees in need of space must book at least one day in advance. Each office is equipped with the necessary hardware - as well as room for a few personal belongings, like portable pictures of the family.

"The Age of the 'Road Warrior,'" Time, Special Issue
Spring 1995, Vol. 145, No. 12

last update: July 22, 2000
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