Weekly Reader

From #SXSW Why IP Law Still Matters in a Social Media Age
"At a recent South by Southwest Interactive Festival panel, intellectual property experts Chip Stewart, a Texas Christian University professor; Kathleen Olson, a Lehigh University professor; Victoria Ekstrand, a professor at Bowling Green State University; and Riyad Omar, general counsel of NewsRight, delved into the intersection of IP law and social media. They explained three pitfalls that social media professionals should be careful of and offered some tips to avoid them." -- Stephen J. Easley, SmartBlog on Social Media, 3/16/12

Who Gives a Tweet? Evaluating microblog content gives us an insight into what makes a valuable academic tweet
"While microblogging has been found to have broad value as a news and communication medium, and increasingly as a valuable tool in academia, little is known about more fine-grained content value. Our tweets might be funny, interesting, confusing, or just plain boring, but with little audience feedback it’s hard to tell; we’re often tweeting into a void. If we understood what content is valued (or not), and why, we may be able to 1) derive design implications for better tools or filters; and 2) develop insight into emerging norms and practice to help users create and consume more valued content." -- Paul André, Michael Bernstein & Kurt Luther, Impact of Social Sciences, 3/22/12

The Future of Apps and Web
"The Web Is Dead? No. Experts expect apps and the Web to converge in the cloud; but many worry that simplicity for users will come at a price. Tech experts generally believe the mobile revolution, the popularity of targeted apps, the monetization of online products and services, and innovations in cloud computing will drive Web evolution. Some survey respondents say while much may be gained, perhaps even more may be lost if the “appification” of the Web comes to pass."-- Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie, Pew Research Center: Internet & American Life, 3/23/2012