Kenneth C. Laudon,Jane P. Laudon Management Information System 12th Edition pdf

blogosphere

. Although blogs

have become popular personal publishing tools, they also have business uses

(see Chapters 9 and 10). 

If you’re an avid blog reader, you might use RSS to keep up with your favorite

blogs without constantly checking them for updates. 

RSS

, which stands for Rich

Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication, syndicates Web site content so that

it can be used in another setting. RSS technology pulls specified content from

Web sites and feeds it automatically to users’ computers, where it can be stored

for later viewing. 

To receive an RSS information feed, you need to install aggregator or news

reader software that can be downloaded from the Web. (Most current Web

browsers include RSS reading capabilities.) Alternatively, you can establish an

account with an aggregator Web site. You tell the aggregator to collect all

updates from a given Web page, or list of pages, or gather information on a

given subject by conducting Web searches at regular intervals. Once subscribed,

you automatically receive new content as it is posted to the specified Web site. 

A number of businesses use RSS internally to distribute updated corporate

information. Wells Fargo uses RSS to deliver news feeds that employees can

customize to see the business news of greatest relevance to their jobs. RSS feeds

are so popular that online publishers are developing ways to present advertis-

ing along with content.

Blogs allow visitors to add comments to the original content, but they do not

allow visitors to change the original posted material. 

Wikis

, in contrast, are

collaborative Web sites where visitors can add, delete, or modify content on the

site, including the work of previous authors. Wiki comes from the Hawaiian

word for “quick.” 

Wiki software typically provides a template that defines layout and elements

common to all pages, displays user-editable software program code, and then

renders the content into an HTML-based page for display in a Web browser.

Some wiki software allows only basic text formatting, whereas other tools allow

the use of tables, images, or even interactive elements, such as polls or games.

Most wikis provide capabilities for monitoring the work of other users and

correcting mistakes.

Because wikis make information sharing so easy, they have many business

uses. For example, Motorola sales representatives use wikis for sharing sales

information. Instead of developing a different pitch for every client, reps reuse

the information posted on the wiki. The U.S. Department of Homeland

Security’s National Cyber Security Center deployed a wiki to facilitate collabo-

ration among federal agencies on cybersecurity. NCSC and other agencies use

the wiki for real-time information sharing on threats, attacks, and responses

and as a repository for technical and standards information. 

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Part Two

Information Technology Infrastructure