Post 6

Refined topic:
For my research paper I am exploring how people have changed the way they process, access and find information on the internet as technology has evolved. Do people read online differently then in print? Do people use the internet different as technology evolves? Do people change their expectations of how they use the internet? Do people use different key words, web pages, and different kinds of search tools? Are they successful in finding the information they are looking for?

Refined thesis:
It is believed that by using the internet users have changed the way they process, access and find information.

Summary:
The article “Strategic positioning and resource-based thinking: cutting through the haze of punditry to understand factors behind sustainable, successful internet businesses” looks at three major factors in successful companies and their online interfaces and components. The article emphasizes the importance of not only implementing cutting edge technology and innovation, but doing so in a timely way. “During Yahoo’s period of search innovation dormancy, Google was able to leverage its technical lead to create brand, grow market share, and this generate scale,” (Gallaugher 2007). In addition to these key points an organization must have strategic and nimble interfaces both online and internally to make everything function at a high capacity and maintain market place value. The use of advertising, branding and taking action towards a strategic plan increased successful internet organizations. “Through advertising and most notably PR, Yahoo grabbed media attention ahead of its rivals,” (Gallaugher 2007).

The article “I’m Feeling Lucky”: The Role of Emotions in Seeking Information on the Web” looked at how individuals emotions affected their choices and actions when searching for information online. The way a website is set up visually and the experience an individual has when trying access information affects their future choices. Individuals may have increased or decreased confidence based on how successful they in accessing the information they need. How a webpage is set up can affect user success. For example; by having consistent looking links and clear verbal indicators users may have an easier time finding what they are looking for because they know what visual clues to engage. “Best practices in site search design, such as the BBC search results page, match the natural pattern of states users move through while seeking information. Manual recommendations also represent a best practice for site search because they can aid in reducing uncertainty,” (Kalbach 2006).

Discussion about how the two articles relate to my topic:
Similarly to last week, doing this research has helped me refine what I am looking for even more. I feel that I was able to narrow down my research and found some interesting articles that brought a different perspective to how the internet influences the way that we process, access and find information online. There are a lot of factors that influence these three points. I want to know more about how the user interfaces with the internet, how technology evolution influences the user process and how they react ever changing and advancing resources online. Like one of the articles I read for this week said the evolution, design, timing and relevancy have a large impact on the user’s experiences and how they then make choices while online. I thought the article about how emotions influence user choices online brought an entirely new idea to the mix. What I am finding out is that there are clues to how people might change their thinking processes but right now it seems hard to measure and pinpoint this adaptation of different behavior. A more realistic approach might be to look at outcomes of certain behaviors that can be measured, such as access, process and what is found on the internet based on the process and access. I feel like I am on my way to narrowing things down and I think the information that I am finding is really interesting.