Understanding Networked Applications:

A First Course

Chapter 2

by
David G. Messerschmitt
 Definitions
• What is an application?
• What is a technology?
• What is information technology?
• What is the relationship between
application and technology?

Understanding Networked Applications 2 A First Course

 Application
• Application = something that puts technology to
use to the benefit of someone
• Technology = something that puts scientific
principles to use
• Terms are relative (e.g. Pentium/PC)
• In this course, we are interested in the level at
which technology meets users (people) and
organizations

Understanding Networked Applications 3 A First Course

 Types of applications
• Individual = entertainment or productivity
• Social = groups of users
• Information management = access to or
manipulation of information
• Educational = contribute to learning or
training
• Organizational = aid mission or operations

Understanding Networked Applications 4 A First Course

 Important ingredients
• Information technology
• Information
• Users (people)
• A purpose or mission (application)

Understanding Networked Applications 5 A First Course

Understanding Networked Applications:
A First Course

Social Applications

by
David G. Messerschmitt
 Social Applications
• Categories of user groups
• Styles of social applications
• Illustrative social applications

Understanding Networked Applications 7 A First Course

 Objectives
• Identify distinctive types of user groups
– In terms of impact on application needs
• Identify distinctive types of social
applications
– In terms of applicability to different groups
• Note: terminology specific to networked
applications, not general society
– e.g. citizenry
Understanding Networked Applications 8 A First Course
 Group Characteristics
• What characteristics of a group are relevant
to
– application design and features
– information technology infrastructure

Understanding Networked Applications 9 A First Course

 Group Characteristics
• Size
• Narrowness of purpose
• Duration
• Frequency and type of interaction
• Social relationships
– communication links
– trust (individual and generalized)
– expectations and routines

Understanding Networked Applications 10 A First Course

 Group characteristics (cont.)
• Technology accessibility
• Language skills

Understanding Networked Applications 11 A First Course

 Group classification
• Note: any classification is imperfect
• Goal is insight into different application
requirements
– Individual
– Task group
– Work group
– Interest group
– Citizenry
Understanding Networked Applications 12 A First Course
 Categories of user groups

Individual
Task group
Citizenry

Work group

Interest group

Understanding Networked Applications 13 A First Course

 User groups
• What are some examples of:
– Task group?
– Work group?
– Interest group?
– Citizenry
• In:
– University?
– Company?
Understanding Networked Applications 14 A First Course
 Important to application style
Individual
Task group
Work group

Each member
knows the other
members Loose-knit
social organization

Interest group
Citizenry

Understanding Networked Applications 15 A First Course

 Important for infrastructure
requirements
Individual
Task group

Does Interaction does not

have full attention
of users
Work group
Interest group
Citizenry

Understanding Networked Applications 16 A First Course

 Task Characteristics
• Communication
• Coordination

Understanding Networked Applications 17 A First Course

 Communication Applications
Immediate Deferred

Direct

Same Different
Publication
time time
Same
Place
Different
place

Understanding Networked Applications 18 A First Course

 Some Examples
• Newsgroup
• Chatroom
• Telephony
• Web Board
• Net Meeting

Understanding Networked Applications 19 A First Course

 Styles of social applications

Immediate Deferred

Direct Full attention of users required?

Publication Other group members known?

Understanding Networked Applications 20 A First Course

 Styles (con’t)

Immediate Deferred

Direct Infrastructure delay requirements?

Publication One or two-way communication?

Understanding Networked Applications 21 A First Course

 Styles (con’t)

Immediate Deferred

In which box would you put?

Direct Remote conferencing
World-wide Web
Pointcast
Facsimile
Publication Television broadcast
Electronic and voice mail

Understanding Networked Applications 22 A First Course

 Styles (con’t)
Immediate Deferred

In which box would you put?

Direct Newsgroup
Calendar and scheduling
Chatroom
Telephony
Publication Groupware

Understanding Networked Applications 23 A First Course

 Some variations
Immediate Deferred

??  Voice mail
Direct Messaging  ??

??  Newsgroup
Publication Broadcast video  ??
??  World-wide Web
Understanding Networked Applications 24 A First Course
 Task group
Immediate Deferred

Direct
What is the appropriate role
for each box in a task group?

Publication

Understanding Networked Applications 25 A First Course

 Work group
Immediate Deferred

Direct
What is the appropriate role
for each box in a work group?

Publication

Understanding Networked Applications 26 A First Course

 Interest group
Immediate Deferred

Direct
What is the appropriate role
for each box in an interest group?

Publication

Understanding Networked Applications 27 A First Course

 What has changed?
Immediate Deferred

Direct
How does networked computing
change the world (if at all) in each box?

Publication

Understanding Networked Applications 28 A First Course

 Citizenry
Immediate Deferred

Direct
What is the appropriate role
for each box in the citizenry?

Publication

Understanding Networked Applications 29 A First Course

 Coordination Applications
• Resource allocation
• Monitoring and notification
• Collective decision-making

Understanding Networked Applications 30 A First Course

 Examples
• Collaborative authoring
• Calendar and scheduling
• Awareness
– Who’s available now?
– Who did this?
• Electronic voting

Understanding Networked Applications 31 A First Course

 What Kinds of Groups?
• Resource allocation
• Monitoring and notification
• Collective decision-making

Understanding Networked Applications 32 A First Course

 Issues in social applications
• How effective is remote collaboration
relative to personal interaction?
• What are some advantages/disadvantages of
geographic dispersal to organizations?
• What are the relative merits of immediate
and deferred styles?

Understanding Networked Applications 33 A First Course

 Understanding Networked Applications:
A First Course

Information management

by
David G. Messerschmitt
 Summary
• Information management for individual user
• Information management as an element of a
social application

Understanding Networked Applications 35 A First Course

 How networked computing helps
information management

• Timeliness
• Wider access
• Processing
• Multimedia
• Social aspect

Understanding Networked Applications 36 A First Course

 How networked computing helps

• Timeliness
• Access
• Processing
• Multimedia What are some specific ways
• Social aspect these can help (or hurt)
organizations?

Understanding Networked Applications 37 A First Course

 Participants

Author or publisher

User Indexer or organizer

Librarian or teacher

Recommender

Understanding Networked Applications 38 A First Course

 Participants
User
Author or publisher
Indexer or organizer
Librarian or teacher
Recommender

Who fills these roles in an organizational

context?
How might these roles be affected by
networked computing?
Understanding Networked Applications 39 A First Course
 Push vs. pull

User Control over what is provided

Time when it is provided
Pull

Push
Intermediate cases:
Notification Publisher
Subscription

Understanding Networked Applications 40 A First Course

 Push vs. pull
User

Pull

Push
Publisher
What are some examples of each in
an organizational context?

Understanding Networked Applications 41 A First Course

 Proper roles of push and pull?

Pull: work Push: attention

Brainstorming Notification of topic
Accessing documents Notification of
document availability
Reminder of deadlines

As networked computing grows, the deluge

of information and communication can overwhelm
the individual unless we use it wisely
Understanding Networked Applications 42 A First Course
 Finding useful information
• Search
• Browse
• Navigate

Understanding Networked Applications 43 A First Course

 Others can help
• Author: Hyperlink
• Author or third party: Index
• Metadata
• Reviews or recommendations

Understanding Networked Applications 44 A First Course

 Social information access
• A group can collectively access information
• Examples:
– Remote collaboration
– Problem solving, e.g. customer service
– Aid of librarian or teacher

Understanding Networked Applications 45 A First Course