This groundbreaking book analyses the geography of the commercial Internet industry. It presents the first accurate map of Internet domains in the world, by country, by region, by city, and for the United States, by neighborhood.
Demonstrates the extraordinary spatial concentration of the Internetindustry.
Explains the geographic features of the high tech venture capital behind the Internet economy.
Demonstrates how venture capitalists' abilities to create and use tacit knowledge contributes to the clustering of the internet industry
Draws on in-depth interviews and field work in San Francisco Bay Area and New York City.

Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded research project on drug information and online drug-related communities. The editors of this pivotal text, Edward Murguia, Ann Lessem, and Melissa Tackett-Gibson, elevate the debate about drug use and the Internet from a polemic discourse to social scientific investigation. The essays confront issues related to the study of drug communication online, including the causal factors of abuse as discussed in online forums, the relationship between music and drug use in virtual communities, and the ways in which individuals assess the accuracy of online drug information. This book highlights the variety of ways to examine drug use as a social problem and presents several theoretical perspectives valuable to online research. Real Drugs in a Virtual World is an enlightening and thought provoking read that will appeal to sociology students and those interested in virtual communities.

There is widespread concern that the explosive growth of the Internet is exacerbating existing inequalities between the information rich and poor. Digital Divide sets out to examine the evidence for access and use of the Internet in 179 nations across the world. A global divide is evident between industrialized and developing societies. A social divide is apparent between rich and poor within each nation. And within the online community, evidence for a democratic divide is emerging between those who do and do not use Internet resources to engage, mobilize and participate in public life.

Virtual Reality is not real life. Instead it is life-like creations using computer-generated scenarios. Human behavior is replicated in virtual scenarios, where every detail is controlled by computers, and in situations that can be repeated under the same conditions. Based on technology and design, the user can experience presence. In the virtual world, users are embodied in avatars that represent them and are the means to interact with the virtual environment. Avatars are graphical models that behave on behalf of the human behind them. The user avatar is a proxy that also backs interaction with others, allowing computer-mediated interactions. Analyses directed to understand people's perceptions, personal and social behavior in computer mediated interactions, comprise a multidisciplinary area of study that involves, among others, computer science, psychology and sociology. In the last two decades a number of studies supported by Virtual Reality have been conducted to understand human behavior, in some cases the implications of the technology, or to reproduce artificial human behavior. This book presents a collection of studies from recognized researchers in the area.

Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives, as is implied by its name, explores worship (i.e., Prayer, Praise, Scripture, Sacrament, Rituals, Confessions, Eucharist, Rites, Pilgrimages, Reflection, Contemplation, etc.) on the Internet. It is not an "everything you need to know" guide about the subjects of faith and belief, religions-online, religions on the Net, or religions in cyberspace. Rather, it is a book about religious and spiritual experience under the rubric, cyber worship, which is the variety of ways religious devotion is performed and carried out on the Internet. The term 'Cyber Worship' is a catchall phrase, which includes variants such as online worship, virtual worship, electronic prayer, cyber puja, cyber synagogue, and so on. Dr. Mohamed Taher has thus assembled a quick reference for two groups: those communities that are involved in Cyber Worship and business Webs that collaborate in sustaining wired environments. As such, this book provides an interesting and current perspective on a practice that will continue to grow in the future.

"A huge contribution. The coverage is very complete, and the examples are engaging and very informative." -Cheryl Oakes, Collaborative Content Coach for Technology Wells-Ogunquit CSD, ME "Both the newcomer and the tech-savvy educator can find something useful from this well-organized, easy-to-follow book. A wonderful addition for educators at any grade level." -Betsy Muller, Technology Consultant and Teacher Issaquah School District, Seattle, WA Boost teacher/student Web literacy while using the Internet to enrich classroom instruction! For many of today's students, the Web is one of the first places they go to for information. Unfortunately, doing research on the Internet poses many dangers and challenges. Both students and educators must become Web literate, which means not only knowing how to find information but also how to examine content, find out who published a Web site, and see who is linked to a site. This practical guidebook helps teachers and students effectively find, sort, and evaluate information on the Web and illustrates how educators across all content areas and grade levels can use the Internet to strengthen students' critical thinking skills. Educational technology expert Alan November offers methods to conduct smarter, faster, and more productive student research and provides basic steps to help learners judge information for quality and validity. This resource includes: Formative assessments in each chapter Need-to-know information for students' out-of-school, unfiltered research Tips for addressing plagiarism Explanations of commonly used terminology Web Literacy for Educators shows teachers how to navigate the Internet efficiently and wisely and help their students do the same.

The Internet in China examines the cultural and political ramifications of the Internet for Chinese society. The rapid growth of the Internet has been enthusiastically embraced by the Chinese government, but the government has also rushed to seize control of the virtual environment. Individuals have responded with impassioned campaigns against official control of information. The emergence of a civil society via cyberspace has had profound effects upon China--for example, in 2003, based on an Internet campaign, the Chinese Supreme People's Court overturned the ruling of a local court for the first time since the Communist Party came to power in 1949.
The important question this book asks is not whether the Internet will democratize China, but rather in what ways the Internet is democratizing communication in China. How is the Internet empowering individuals by fostering new types of social spaces and redefining existing social relations?

Twenty five years ago, it didn't exist. Today, twenty million people worldwide are surfing the Net. Where Wizards Stay Up Late is the exciting story of the pioneers responsible for creating the most talked about, most influential, and most far-reaching communications breakthrough since the invention of the telephone.

In the 1960's, when computers where regarded as mere giant calculators, J.C.R. Licklider at MIT saw them as the ultimate communications devices. With Defense Department funds, he and a band of visionary computer whizzes began work on a nationwide, interlocking network of computers. Taking readers behind the scenes, Where Wizards Stay Up Late captures the hard work, genius, and happy accidents of their daring, stunningly successful venture.

To improve the cost effectiveness and sustainability of e-learning, many national and international initiatives are pioneering new ways in which educators can share their curricula with teachers and learners around the world. To enable this global sharing, educators must learn to design, manage and implement reusable electronic educational resources. This unique book outlines approaches to sharing and reusing resources for e-learning.
Drawing upon research by 30 prominent scholars from seven countries, the authors offer multiple perspectives from school, continuing and higher education as well as industry. It is essential reading for those implementing e-learning in education and corporate training, including teachers, trainers, academics, educational developers and support staff as well as senior managers.

Save yourself and your students hours of research time. Now extensively revised and expanded, "The History Highway" is widely recognized as the one essential tool for students, teachers and researchers seeking a reliable guide to history sites on the web. "The History Highway" offers the broadest, most current coverage of the astonishing amount of historical information available on the Internet: provides detailed, easy-to-use, and up-to-date information on more than 3000 web sites; covers U.S. and World history and all sub-fields; features ten new chapters, with coverage of futurism, environmental history, immigration history, and Mediterranean and Middle Eastern history; all sites have been thoroughly checked by specialists in the relevant field of history; the best sites in each field are clearly identified; hard cover and paperback editions include a CD of the entire contents with live links to sites; and e-book version with live links to sites is in preparation.

Save yourself and your students hours of research time. Now extensively revised and expanded, "The History Highway" is widely recognized as the one essential tool for students, teachers and researchers seeking a reliable guide to history sites on the web. "The History Highway" offers the broadest, most current coverage of the astonishing amount of historical information available on the Internet: provides detailed, easy-to-use, and up-to-date information on more than 3000 web sites; covers U.S. and World history and all sub-fields; features ten new chapters, with coverage of futurism, environmental history, immigration history, and Mediterranean and Middle Eastern history; all sites have been thoroughly checked by specialists in the relevant field of history; the best sites in each field are clearly identified; hard cover and paperback editions include a CD of the entire contents with live links to sites; and e-book version with live links to sites is in preparation.

The Politics of Cyberconflict focuses on the implications that the phenomenon of cyberconflict (conflict in computer mediated enivironments and the internet) has on politics, society and culture.

Athina Karatzogianni proposes a new framework for analyzing this new phenomenon, which distinguishes between two types of cyberconflict, ethnoreligious and sociopolitical, and uses theories of conflict, social movement and the media.

A comprehensive survey of content, opinion and theory in several connected fields, relating not only to information warfare and cyberconflict, but also social movements and ethnoreligious movements is included. Hacking between ethnoreligious groups, and the use of the internet in events in China, the Israel-Palestine conflict, India-Pakistan conflict, as well as the antiglobalization and antiwar movements and the 2003 Iraq War are covered in detail.

This is essential reading for all students of new technology, politics, sociology and conflict studies.

Uses of Blogs brings together scholars and practitioners from a wide range of fields to offer a broad spectrum of perspectives on current and emerging uses of blogs. Blogging is rapidly developing into a mainstream activity for Internet users, but beyond the popular headlines, there has been very little serious research done on their actual application in specific, everyday contexts. One reason for this is that the variety of styles of blogging -- new blogs and political commentary blogs, marketing blogs, corporate dark blogs, fictional blogs, educational blogs, to name just a few -- make it difficult to generalize and to imagine how blogs might be used in particular environments. This pathbreaking new book demonstrates the application of blogs and blogging in the full range of industrial and social contexts.

Web-Based Instruction details how faculty members can design web-based and web-assisted instructional delivery approaches to provide students with the opportunity to learn anytime and anyplace. It stresses the paradigm shift in using technology as an alternative instructional delivery tool but recognizes that the course design and delivery method must maintain the principles of good teaching practices and academic rigor. The book examines how to win student respect and trust, provide support systems, and transition from the classroom-based approach, and it includes examples of course designs, as well as student feedback systems. James Van Keuren takes the frustration out of designing and implementing alternative instructional delivery approaches that do not rely on face-to-face contact. He also creates a step-by-step process for shifting from a teacher-centered to a more student-centered learning environment.

The Internet and Health Care: Theory, Research, and Practice presents an in-depth introduction to the field of health care and the Internet, from international and interdisciplinary perspectives. It combines expertise in the areas of the social sciences, medicine, policy, and systems analysis. With an international collection of contributors, it provides a current examination of key issues and research projects in the area. Methods and data used in the chapters include personal interviews, focus groups, observations, regional and national surveys, online transcript analysis, and much more. Sections in the book cover: *e-Health trends and theory; *searching, discussing, and evaluating online health information at the individual level of analysis; *discussing health information at the group or community level; and *implementing health information systems at the regional and social level. The Internet and Health Care will prove useful for university educators and students in the social, public health, and medical disciplines, including Internet researchers. It is also oriented to professionals in many disciplines who will appreciate an integrative theoretical, empirical, and critical analysis of the subject matter, including developers and providers of online health information.

With Big Tech's breakthrough into finance with blockchain, it is imperative that finance players understand the ramifications and how they can defend their competitive advantage. Big Tech in Finance provides a cutting edge look at Big Tech's play for domination of the crypto economy, its ramifications and how finance is fighting back. The book analyses the motives behind Big Tech's break into banking and unpicks the strategies behind the use of blockchain, technology interfaces, infrastructure and investments into blockchain unicorns. The book then goes onto review how organizations in finance are countering these threats, with governments and banks driving their own strategies and use of centralized blockchains. Delving into the fight between Big Tech, Big Banking, start-ups, and regulators, Big Tech in Finance analyzes which actors have the best shot at succeeding. It explores the key tools in play, such as smart contracts, digital central bank currencies, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and the metaverse. The book also divulges the geopolitical dimensions underpinning the power struggle and its implications for the industry. Written by an internationally recognized expert on blockchain, the book draws on in-depth interviews with founders, investors, regulators, bankers and blockchain experts to provide valuable insider insights. This will be an essential read for finance and fintech professionals, bankers and investors and anyone else interested in the developments of fintech.

"Internet Newspapers: The Making of a Mainstream Medium" examines newspapers on the Internet, and addresses the emergence of online newspapers and the delivery of news through this outlet. Utilizing empirical research, chapters explore the theoretical and practical issues associated with Internet newspapers and examine the process through which online newspapers have grown into a mainstream medium. Contributions to this work emphasize three key areas: the structure and presentation of newspapers on the Internet; the medium as an interactive process; and the ways in which the public interacts with Internet newspapers.
This collection makes a substantial contribution to the understanding of newspapers on the Internet, covering their development and changes as well as the impact that news delivery through this medium has had on other media, audiences, and society. It also sheds light on improving operation and performance of Internet newspapers to better serve the public and gain competitive knowledge. The volume encourages additional scholarship in this area, and also shows how researchers can benefit from an empirical approach to their examination of Internet newspapers.
"Internet Newspapers" will appeal to scholars, researchers, and students of journalism and mass communications, and can be used as a supplementary text in advanced courses covering journalism, communication technology, and mass media and society.

This groundbreaking book analyses the geography of the commercial Internet industry. It presents the first accurate map of Internet domains in the world, by country, by region, by city, and for the United States, by neighborhood.
Demonstrates the extraordinary spatial concentration of the Internetindustry.
Explains the geographic features of the high tech venture capital behind the Internet economy.
Demonstrates how venture capitalists' abilities to create and use tacit knowledge contributes to the clustering of the internet industry
Draws on in-depth interviews and field work in San Francisco Bay Area and New York City.

Fed up with the high tolls charged by your ordinary telephone service? If you're itching to cut the copper cord with your costly, traditional phone service, you need "Talk is Cheap," the new, easy-to-understand guide to understanding and using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and other Internet telephone options.

Technologies such as VoIP are gaining a great deal of attention these days as more people switch from standard telephone service to phone service via the Internet. But while the cost savings are outstanding, there are some issues with Internet telephony that you should know about. Are the connections reliable? Is the quality comparable? Will it include 911 services?

James Gaskin's "Talk is Cheap" addresses these issues and many more by explaining how to make the switch and what the tradeoffs will be if you opt for Internet telephony over traditional phone services.

"Talk is Cheap" focuses on the increasingly popular services from Vonage, which uses VoIP, and Skype--a free service that operates as a peer-to-peer (P2P) network with the ability to turn any PC, Mac, or Pocket PC into a telephone. The book explains your options; explores the background behind, the workings of, and differences between VoIP and P2P networks; and discusses the advantages and drawbacks of both technologies (including service offerings, quality, capabilities, completion rates, and more).

"Talk is Cheap" then goes into detail on what you can expect in Internet service from traditional phone companies such as Verizon and AT&T. In addition, you will learn more advanced techniques, including how to turn your Palm or Pocket PC into an Internet phone and how to work with Wi-Fi phones andvideophones.

A straightforward, quick introduction to the ins and outs of using Internet telephone services, this book provides everything you need to make informed telephone decisions--whether you're thinking about the switch from traditional phone service or have already made it and want to get the most out of your new Internet telephone.

From music to gaming, information gathering to eLearning; eCommerce to eGovernment, Lorenzo Cantoni and Stefano Tardini's absorbing introduction considers the internet as a communication technology; the opportunities it affords us, the limitations it imposes and the functions it allows. Internet explores: the political economy of the internet hypertext computer mediated communication websites as communication conceptualizing users of the internet internet communities and practices. Perfect for students studying this modern phenomenon, and a veritable e-feast for all cyber junkies.

Learn how to build more effective distributed applications with Web services!

"Service-Oriented Computing" explains the principles and practice of successful services, with many of its concepts developed in the context of Web services. Since every aspect of a service is geared towards compatibility - so they can be described, selected, engaged, evaluated, and collaborated with - Web services allow a more effective development of distributed applications than previous software approaches.

"Service-Oriented Computing" presents the concepts, architectures, techniques, and infrastructure necessary for employing services. It provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art in Web services and associated disciplines, relating concepts to practical examples and emerging standards. Applications of technologies are explained within the context of planning, negotiation, contacts, compliance, privacy, and network policies.

"Service-Oriented Computing: " Draws from several key disciplines such as databases, distributed computing, artificial intelligence, and multiagent systems. Covers basic standards and protocols (XML, SOAP, WSDL, .NET, J2EE) in-depth. Describes advanced concepts such as ontologies, Semantic Web technologies, distributed transactions, process modeling, consistency management, organization, business protocols, peer-to-peer service discovery, and service selection. Contains a detailed section on the web ontology language (OWL) as well as business process languages (WSCI, BPEL4WS, BPML, and ebXML). Features an accompanying website with a complete set of transparencies, solutions to exercises, and open-source and public-domain tools for you to build and experimentwith your own service-oriented computing systems.

This invaluable reference will serve as a comprehensive senior undergraduate and postgraduate student textbook on service-oriented computing, enabling practitioners, technologists, strategists, and researchers to be adequately prepared for the fast-approaching explosion in Web service provision.

"Real time Collaboration Enterprise" is the new business model for market domination. Billions of dollars will be spent in this field, and by 2007 the majority of Global 1000 enterprises will be deploying real-time collaboration business processes to be a core of their business portfolios. Based on their extensive experience with cutting-edge technology, the authors discuss how to successfully implement collaboration commerce solutions, reporting lessons learned from leading companies such as P&G, Astra Zeneca, SAP, and Microsoft.

Equips students and recent graduates with the tools and confidence to develop their own digital presence, addressing the growth in employability and professional skills courses globally; Unlike competing texts, requires no pre-existing technical knowledge, approaching the subject from a strategic and employability perspective rather than a technical or purely marketing approach; Introduces the new ABCDE framework and a series of practical tools and international case studies

Contents:
Introduction 1. Politics and the Internet 2. Resources on the Internet 3. Evaluating Resources 4. Using the Internet 5. Using the Results 6. Learning and Teaching on the Internet 7. Source Guide

Implement Your Own Applications Using Online GIS An in-depth study detailing the online applications of geographic information systems (GIS), Online GIS and Spatial Metadata, Second Edition outlines how GIS data are published, organized, accessed, searched, maintained, purchased, and processed over the web. This latest work describes how the internet has become a platform for the delivery and integration of geographic information. It highlights the growth that has taken place since the first edition and includes new chapters on popular XML formats used in online GIS, SDI Metadata Portals, Mobile GIS and Location-Based services. It also updates metadata standards and explains how metadata links it all together. Designed To Help Non-Technical Readers Understand Technical Issues The book provides a brief overview of the basic technology of online GIS before introducing the technical methods used to develop and implement GIS on the web. It includes an introduction to the protocols and standards now in use online and provides technical background and real-world examples of scripts, markup, and other elements that make this technology work. Expanding on the previous edition, the book offers a global perspective of online GIS, contains links and references to online resources, and includes future directions, applications, and trends. Reviewing major advances that have occurred over the past decade, this seminal work: Discusses the detail of four XML-based standards now in common use for Online GIS and spatial metadata Outlines the nature of Information Networks, systems in which information is distributed across many different sites Examines the conceptual framework of metadata, by studying the RDF and similar standards for the Web Describes several metadata standards in use around the world for spatial metadata P