Social Network: The new business frontier.

Only two decades ago, e-mail was a foreign term that meant very little to anyone… while the internet was a concept with little to no relevance in anyone’s life.
We have come a long way since the early 90’s. The world in which we live and work today is infiltrated at every level with technological aids. The social network has developed to such an extent that it has given organizations, there customers and employees an interdependency on the technological links it provides.

The intranet is a system based on the same technology as the World Wide Web. The key difference is that it is an internal system, allowing organizations to share work and work collectively on projects regardless of their geographical location. This development, as with most technology, has opened the door to vast development and allowed “collective think” to progress greatly.

As Darwin described it, each succeeding technology “liberates humanity just that much more” (Marshall, p.29). The extranet has been a continuation of the intranet that has granted an organization great freedom in interacting efficiently with their clients and business partners. Its development has aided in the progression of efficiency and cost effective means of communication.

In modern society, the internet is not only used in our everyday private lives, its capabilities have extended to such a large extent that business operation and organizations depend on it. The question is, with these vast networks and the benefits gained from new technology – who is being left out of this ever growing community?

Mike Smith

Cell Phones: Protective devices

What are cell phones used for? They are used to make calls, to listen to music, to surf the internet, for instant messaging, to take photographs. However, their usage is changing. I read an article recently that the U.S government wants to use their citizen’s cell phone connections to alert them of impending terrorist attacks. This adds another element to the list of uses of the cell phone. I believe that it can now be called a device for personal “safety and protection”.

Mobile phone network companies in South Africa such as Vodacom and MTN are also trying to make cell phones “protective” devices. This is being conducted through a service called “Protect-Me” http://www.protect-me.co.za/. It is a personal safety and security service. Protect-me uses your cell phone as a mobile panic button. Once programmed your cell phone will be able to show your location using location based services (LBS) from cell phone network towers. This location is then displayed in the service control room on a computerised mapping system and the endangered person’s location details are sent via SMS to the nearest response unit who proceed to your location to secure your safety. This is invaluable protection for citizen’s living in a country such as South Africa where crime and hijacking occur.

The role of the cell phone as a “protective” device is showing us another social implication that it brings. Not only is it a communications and entertainment device, but it can now be used as a watchdog in modern society.