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This article compares the use of deep packet inspection (DPI) technology to the use of cookies for online behavioral advertising (OBA), in the form of two competing paradigms. It seeks to explain why DPI was eliminated as a viable option due to political and regulatory reactions whereas cookies technology was not, even though it raises some of the same privacy issues.

The paradigms draw from two-sided market theory to conceptualize OBA. Empirical case studies, NebuAd's DPI platform and Facebook's Beacon program, substantiate the paradigms with insights into the controversies on behavioral tracking between 2006 and 2009 in the USA. The case studies are based on document analyses and interviews.

Comparing the two cases from a technological, economic, and institutional perspective, the article argues that both paradigms were equally privacy intrusive. Thus, it rejects the generally held view that privacy issues can explain the outcome of the battle. Politics and regulatory legacy tilted the playing field towards the cookies paradigm, impeding a competing technology.

Shifting the narrative away from privacy to competing tracking paradigms and their specific actors sheds light on the political and the regulatory rationales that were not considered in previous research on OBA. Particularly, setting forth institutional aspects on OBA – and DPI in general – the case studies provide much needed empirical analysis to reassess tracking technologies and policy outcomes.

Social websites have become a major medium for social interaction. From Facebook to MySpace to emergent sites like Twitter, social websites are increasing exponentially in user numbers and unique visits every day. How do these websites encourage sociability? What features or design practices enable users to socialize with other users? The purpose of this paper is to explore sociability on the social web and details how different social websites encourage their users to interact.

Four social websites (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter) were examined from a user study perspective. After thoroughly participating on the websites, a series of observations were recorded from each experience. These experiences were then compared to understand the different approaches of each website.

Social websites use a number of different approaches to encourage sociability amongst their users. Facebook promotes privacy and representing “real world” networks in web environment, while MySpace promotes publicity and representing both real world and virtual networks in a web environment. Niche websites like LinkedIn and Twitter focus on more specific aspects of community and technology, respectively.

A comparison of different models of sociability does not yet exist. This study focuses specifically on what makes social websites “social.”

The purpose of this paper is to lay out an approach to addressing the problem of privacy protection in the global digital environment based on the importance that information has to improve users’ informational self-determination. Following this reasoning, this paper focuses on the suitable way to provide user with the correct amount of information they may need to maintain a desirable grade of autonomy as far as their privacy protection is concerned and decide whether or not to put their personal data on the internet.

The authors arrive at this point in their analysis by qualitative discourse analysis of the most relevant scientific papers and dossiers relating to privacy protection.

The goal of this paper is twofold. The first is to illustrate the importance of privacy by default and informed consent working together to protect information and communication technology (ICT) users’ privacy. The second goal is to develop a suitable way to administrate the mentioned “informed consent” to users.

To fulfil this purpose, the authors present a new concept of informed consent: active “informed consent” or “Opt-in” model by layers. “Opt-in” regimens have already been used with cookies but never with 2.0 applications, as, for instance, social network sites (SNS).

The purpose of this paper is to develop/elaborate the concept Privacy by Design (PbD) and to explore the validity of the PbD framework.

Attention for alternative concepts, such as PbD, which might offer surplus value in safeguarding privacy, is growing. Using PbD to design for privacy in ICT systems is still rather underexplored and requires substantial conceptual and empirical work to be done. The methodology includes conceptual analysis, empirical validation (focus groups and interviews) and technological testing (a technical demonstrator was build).

A holistic PbD approach can offer surplus value in better safeguarding of privacy without losing functional requirements. However, the implementation is not easily realised and confronted with several difficulties such as: potential lack of economic incentives, legacy systems, lack of adoption of trust of end‐users and consumers in PbD.

The article brings together/incorporates several contemporary insights on privacy protection and privacy by design and develops/presents a holistic framework for Privacy by Design framework consisting of five building blocks.

The author warns that when corporate leaders misunderstand and mishandle communication in a crisis, there can be existential consequences: customer loyalty can be jeopardized, market share lost to rivals, the ability to achieve key goals compromised, and perhaps a legal position undercut. The article aims to demonstrate how such pitfalls can be avoided.

The paper explains that effective communication requires mastering a discipline with two key skills – gaining a current and thorough knowledge of the expectations and needs of audience and understanding how to craft a message to achieve a desired reaction.

The author proposes and parses a working definition of communication is: “an act of will directed toward a living entity that reacts.”

Case studies of communications failures are reported.

Organizations need defenses against their charismatic leaders.

The paper provides a guide to how effective leaders communicate with stakeholders by speaking and acting only after thoroughly studying their needs and interests.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how effectively hotels are using Facebook as a marketing tool and how consumers are interacting with the property by measuring the number of fans, customer comments, and accuracy of information provided.

This paper is based upon a content analysis, inquiring into 100 hotels' Facebook pages.

Findings demonstrate that the use of Facebook features by hotels varied widely. Some hotels utilize Facebook solely as a means for posting property information, whereas others focus on facilitating customer engagement.

Literature related to the effectiveness of social media as a marketing tool within the hospitality industry is severely limited, thus this research highlights the challenges some hotels are experiencing with maximizing the reach of their Facebook pages, suggests possible approaches for improvement and makes recommendations for structuring social networking strategies.

Results demonstrated many hotels failed to interact with customers, provide accurate and timely information, and entice prospective purchasers by showcasing the property through photos and videos. Practitioners would be well served to improve upon these aspects to better appeal to consumers and recognize a significant return on investment.

This study investigates the extent to which Facebook is being utilized by the top 100 domestic US hotels. Evaluation criteria included three aspects: content information, property details, and interactions between hotels and customers. Literature related to social network marketing is sparse, thus the present research is intended to provide a basis for future research and guidance for industry professionals to best maximize technological marketing channels.

This study aims to understand the impact of users' privacy concerns on their acceptance of social networking web sites (SNWs).

This paper develops two research models, with privacy concern conceptualized either as an antecedent of acceptance intention, or as a moderator of the relationships in the technology acceptance model (TAM). Using a survey questionnaire, empirical data were collected from 428 undergraduate college students. Structured equation modeling was used to test the validity of the proposed research models.

The privacy concerns of the research respondents were found to be statistically significant. However, they did not directly affect users' acceptance of social networking web sites. Instead, privacy concerns did moderate the effects of perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use, on users' intention to continue to use SNWs.

The study identifies the theoretical foundations of privacy and privacy concerns in the context of SNWs. This empirical study, based on an established theoretical foundation, will help the research community to gain a deeper understanding of the impacts of privacy concern in the context of social networking.

The findings of this study can provide SNW operators with useful strategies and tactics to enhance users' acceptance depending on their level of privacy concern.

With the worldwide rapid growth of SNWs, there have been ongoing concerns about how users' private information is viewed or used by others. This study provides much needed empirical evidence about the impact of privacy concerns on users' acceptance of SNWs.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

The paper finds that over the last few years social networking has established itself as the latest in a line of internet trends. Given the extraordinary growth in popularity of such networks, it was only a matter of time before people woke up to the commercial possibilities offered. Internet users in many countries are catching the networking bug. In the UK, for instance, 20 percent of all online visitors admit to regularly logging on to pioneering sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo among others. Such developments have not gone unnoticed among advertisers. As a result, many remain enthralled by the prospect of promoting their brands to an audience that continues to increase in numbers at a healthy rate. For networking platforms, the battle has therefore commenced. And the aim is to attract leading brand advertisers by developing appropriate strategies that will allow marketers to target their consumers more effectively.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Against a background of social concern about the commercialisation of childhood, the purpose of the paper is to analyse the commercial activity on the favourite web sites of UK children and report the views of a sample of parents and children.

The paper reviews the theory underpinning current debate over risks to children from online commercialism and summarises the key provisions laid out in current international regulatory guidelines. The broad principles of protection from harm and deception are identified. This review is used to frame a research design encompassing web site observation and qualitative data collection from children and parents.

A great deal of advertising is poorly labelled and deceptively integrated into content. Most sites visited by children are created for an adult audience which means 25 percent of adverts were for dating, gambling, loans, surgery and age‐restricted products. There was also evidence of pester power, dubious “free” offers and incitement to make impulse purchases using mobile phone credit.

Surveys of commercial activity on children's web sites must be ongoing as technology, advertising techniques and regulation change at a fast pace.

Companies which attract a child audience (inadvertently or not) should revise their strategy for selling advertising space. Advertisers should review potentially deceptive techniques such as advergames, product placements and embedded commercial content. “Wish lists” should be reviewed in the light of guidelines on pester power. Online payment methods available to children should be reviewed.

This is one of the first overall assessments of the commercial content of UK children's web sites.