Journal of Systems and Information Technology

Andreas M. Kaplan; Michael Haenlein

2012 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261211232126

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a viewpoint on the historical roots and future evolution of social media. Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides a summary of the authors' previous research and experience in the area of social media. Findings – This paper contains practical insights on the consumer use and business potential of social media applications. Originality/value – This viewpoint provides insights to anyone who is interested in researching consumer use of social media or using social media in a managerial context. It will be particularly helpful to business leaders who are looking for answers in the fast‐moving area of social media applications.

Sapna Choraria

2012 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261211232135

Purpose – The purpose of this descriptive study is to focus on the salient features of perceived sociability and perceived usability that motivates the members to participate repeatedly on social networking online community web site. The paper proposes that each individual relegate different importance on the dimensions of usability and sociability in terms of the quest of knowledge versus causal knowledge. Design/methodology/approach – A self‐designed questionnaire administered among 600 sample respondents (users of Facebook.com) through online survey method. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine and improve the usability of the measurement tool followed by structural equation modelling to test the proposed framework. Findings – The findings indicate that ease of use, behaviour and interaction is been given an equal level of importance by both the groups, while satisfaction is given the least consideration. Research limitations/implications – The community used to study the flow of the information belongs to the single general purpose category. Also the target sample size is restricted to active online users belonging to the category of professionals from India. Practical implications – The results of this research work will provide a framework of user‐centric strategy for the online managers to maintain the dual directional flow of information, i.e. seeking and contributing, and achieve online success. Originality/value – The study contributes to the existing knowledge of social networking process on online community web site promoting user participation through continuous flow of information.

Matthijs den Besten

2012 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261211232144

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore consequences of the use of social media for idea generation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyzes over 600 ideas submitted to a Slate ‐Twitter contest to find the best short characterization of the American Declaration of Independence. These findings are then compared with those of Kornish and Ulrich, who analyzed idea‐contests in classroom settings. Findings – In the Slate ‐Twitter contest, repetition of ideas was rare while recombination was frequent. The evolution in the total number of unique ideas suggests that the contest became more focused over time. It also appears that ideas that are recognized as valuable attract similar ideas in turn. Research limitations/implications – Further checks will be needed with regard to the robustness of the findings. Furthermore, while the current analysis relies on peer review by participants to the contest to value submissions, results might be different if it were done on the basis of independent external reviews. Conceptually, the findings suggest that idea generation via social media has a more iterative character than previously analyzed forms of broadcast search. Future research could investigate what triggers more exploration and exploitation of ideas in this process. Practical implications – For businesses, which are more and more encouraged to engage in open innovation, the analysis can serve as guide on the use of social media for information collection. Originality/value – The paper provides a simple and effective method to monitor social media, which firms can use to their advantage.

John L. Hopkins

2012 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261211232153

Purpose – Online social networks (OSNs) offer organisations direct access to a plethora of information about their networks of connections and provide the means by which to create two‐way, business‐to‐consumer (B2C), information channels. Instead of traditional impersonal and one‐direction advertising, organisations can establish a personal and two‐way communication medium, by accepting members and having friends on these platforms. This paper aims to discuss the phenomenon of OSNs, and in particular Facebook, and examine whether they can be employed by small businesses as a resource for growth and adding value. Design/methodology/approach – A case study is presented that examines how a small business in New Zealand, specialising in the distribution of products that help babies and toddlers sleep through the night, has adopted Facebook as a tool for engaging with its largely stay‐at‐home customer base. This examination of The Sleep Store is an impartial study based on findings collected over a period of several months, via a series of interviews supplemented by telephone conversations and e‐mail exchanges, with representatives from the case organisation. Findings – The Sleep Store's adoption of Facebook was found to offer the business both direct and indirect value. That is direct value, based on the value of transactions, quantified by the increase in turnover experienced through connecting with new customers, and organisational growth; and the indirect value of word‐of‐mouth, positive recommendations and the relative influence that Facebook community members exert on each other, which enable valuable new insights to be made into their business ecosystem. Research limitations/implications – While the adoption of Facebook in this instance has been found to be an undoubted success it does not, however, suggest that such impressive results would necessarily be expected by all small businesses adopting Facebook in this way. The nature of this business, and their customer base, are an important contributing factor to the overall success of this project. Practical implications – The findings of this study highlight potential opportunities for small businesses adopting Facebook as an additional sales channel or tool for leveraging new information about their market. Originality/value – This is original academic research, designed to make a valuable contribution to the growing body of literature, on how small businesses are benefiting from the availability of OSNs.

Kate Holmes; Rachel McLean; Gill Green

2012 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261211232162

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of how independent craftspeople adopt and use social media (SM) in order to promote their creative enterprise. However, some of these opportunities may place a demand for specific knowledge, business and technical skills on untrained artists. The purpose of this paper is to look into this emerging phenomena, the challenges and opportunities it presents and to propose solutions or recommendations to independent artists, training organisations, and government bodies who may wish to promote the creative industries. Design/methodology/approach – In order to identify different modes of adoption of SM and some of the related challenges within this domain, interviews were conducted with independent craftspeople in order to explore these topics and identify emergent themes. The research focuses on an ethnographic study through an interpretive lens; Habermas' theory of communicative action is drawn on to explore the adoption and use of technology by craftspeople to promote their work and business. Findings – The paper identifies some of the most current challenges for the independent craftsperson in adopting SM to promote and sell products. While participants are aware of benefits of SM technologies, lack of time, lack of technical knowledge and unfamiliarity with new media technologies are all highlighted as barriers to adoption. Proposed recommendations include training and support offered by government development agencies, and cooperatives employing social media experts. Research limitations/implications – Situated within the context of an ongoing ethnographic study, this study was a specific episode carried out at a craft fair to investigate the specific theme of SM adoption for product promotion. Given more time further interviews could be carried out to include a greater range of participants. Craftspeople who work entirely out of a workshop and do not attend events such as craft fairs could be interviewed to give further insight. A future study will present an analysis of the content of web sites, third party portals and social media posts to understand the interactions that take place through web technologies and social media. Originality/value – The findings of this paper can be used in shaping support solutions for independent craftspeople wishing to adopt SM as a method of promoting their product or craft. The discovered challenges may be used to identify potential problems of the Internet and SM for the independent craftsperson. Findings can also be used to inform hosts of e‐commerce sites for independent artists, they may also be used to inform government and funding bodies.

Mervi Vuori

2012 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261211232171

Purpose – This study aims to enhance understanding of using Web 2.0 technologies and social media in a global corporation. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study in a global corporation was conducted to illustrate the main uses of social media and to describe the related service portfolio. Findings – The main uses of social media were identified and conceptualized based on the case company data. Internally, social media was used to for internal communication and knowledge transfer, to reach personnel and to conduct internal idea crowdsourcing. Externally, social media was used to enhance communications related to the company brand, to enable dialogue with customers, to build communities with various stakeholder groups and to engage external stakeholders in idea generation via a crowdsourcing platform. A categorization of social media uses for communication, collaboration and connecting vis‐à‐vis external and internal uses was created. Idea creation practices were further conceptualized as the main enactment of Web 2.0 social media technology. Research limitations/implications – This study is a single case study and thus the results cannot be generalized. Practical implications – As Web 2.0 technologies and social media have become a topic of interest for many companies, it is essential to understand how social media can be used in a business context. The classification of social media uses is deployed to highlight the possible implications for company operations, and the human factor is emphasized in system adoption and use. Challenges related to social media implementation are described. Originality/value – As of to date, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence on uses of social media. This research is based on a case study, allowing an in‐depth insight into the phenomenon and related issues.

Wu He

2012 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261211232180

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine social media security risks and existing mitigation techniques in order to gather insights and develop best practices to help organizations address social media security risks more effectively. Design/methodology/approach – This paper begins by reviewing the disparate discussions in literature on social media security risks and mitigation techniques. Based on an extensive review, some key insights were identified and summarized to help organizations more effectively address social media security risks. Findings – Many organizations do not have effective social media security policy in place and are unsure of how to develop effective social media security strategies to mitigate social media security risks. This paper provides guidance to organizations to mitigate social media security risks that may threaten the organizations. Originality/value – The paper consolidates the fragmented discussion in literature and provides an in‐depth review of social media security risks and mitigation techniques. Practical insights are identified and summarized from an extensive literature review. Sharing these insights has the potential to encourage more discussion on best practices for reducing the risks of social media to organizations.