This book has evolved out of roughly ve years of working on computing with social trust. In the beginning, getting people to accept that social networks and the relationships in them could be the basis for interesting, relevant, and exciting c- puter science was a struggle. Today, social networking and social computing have become hot topics, and those of us doing research in this space are nally nding a wealth of opportunities to share our work and to collaborate with others. This book is a collection of chapters that cover all the major areas of research in this space. I hope it will serve as a guide to students and researchers who want a strong introduction to work in the eld, and as encouragement and direction for those who are considering bringing their own techniques to bear on some of these problems. It has been an honor and privilege to work with these authors for whom I have so much respect and admiration. Thanks to all of them for their outstanding work, which speaks for itself, and for patiently enduringall my emails. Thanks, as always, to Jim Hendler for his constant support. Cai Ziegler has been particularly helpful, both as a collaborator, and in the early stages of development for this book. My appreciation also goes to Beverley Ford, Rebecca Mowat and everyone at Springer who helped with publication of this work.

Researchers and practitioners alike often overlook the vital relationship between trust and social media. ... Authors Joanna Paliszkiewicz and Alex Koohang charted a course to explore this abyss with a view to answering the question how does trust influence the use of social media. [i]Dr. John P. Girard, Peyton Anderson Endowed Chair in Information Technology, Middle Georgia State University[/i] The authors have done an excellent job in explaining how trust plays a significant role in social media. The book begins with a thorough overview of social media to its applications in learning, business, and an analysis of social media and trust. The second part of the book uses data from four different countries to answer multiple valid and vital research questions dealing with social media and trust, including an instrument that measures trust variables. This book presents some meaningful work on how the integration of social media and trust can best be developed. The authors apply their backgrounds in information technology, knowledge management, trust, and business to generate some provocative and instructive guidance to the readers on how to best leverage knowledge internally and externally to meet the organizational strategic goals. [i]Dr. Jay Liebowitz, Distinguished Chair of Applied Business and Finance, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

"A classic."—New York Times "Seminal, epochal, path-breaking . . . a Democracy in America for our times."—The Nation From the bestselling author of Bowling Alone, a landmark account of the secret of successful democracies Why do some democratic governments succeed and others fail? In a book that has received attention from policymakers and civic activists in America and around the world, acclaimed political scientist and bestselling author Robert Putnam and his collaborators offer empirical evidence for the importance of "civic community" in developing successful institutions. Their focus is on a unique experiment begun in 1970, when Italy created new governments for each of its regions. After spending two decades analyzing the efficacy of these governments in such fields as agriculture, housing, and healthcare, they reveal patterns of associationism, trust, and cooperation that facilitate good governance and economic prosperity. The result is a landmark book filled with crucial insights about how to make democracy work.

This book presents and analyzes the concept of online brand communities, an emerging and exciting topic in marketing and eCommerce. First, it lays out the foundations like the evolution of the Web and the so-called Social Web, its utility for users and businesses, and the evolution of the marketing mind-set to adapt the Social Web. On this basis, the book then presents a detailed analysis of online brand communities, examining the concept of virtual community with a specific focus on virtual brand communities. In this context the book also explores recent trends related to branding and brand management. Next, it proposes a classification system for online brand communities, taking into account questions like the motivating factors for consumers to join, participate and stay in a community. The process of value creation in communities is examined from both business and consumer perspectives. The book draws to a close with a brief presentation of the process broadly accepted for the successful development of online brand communities.

The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller-now in a new, updated paperback edition Today's online influencers are Web natives who trade in trust, reputation, and relationships, using social media to accrue the influence that builds up or brings down businesses online. In Trust Agents, two social media veterans show you how to tap into the power of social networks to build your brand's influence, reputation, and, of course, profits. In this revised paperback version, learn how businesses are using the latest online social tools to build networks of influence and how you can use those networks to positively impact your business. Combining high-level theory and practical actions, this guide delivers actionable steps and case studies that show how social media can positively impact your business. New edition features specific first moves for entering social media for small businesses, educators, travel and hospitality enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and corporations Authors both have a major presence on the social Web as well as years of online marketing and new media experience If you want your business to succeed, don't sit on the sidelines while new markets and channels grow. Instead, use the Web to build trust with your consumers using Trust Agents.

Social media greatly enables people to participate in online activities and shatters the barrier for online users to create and share information at any place at any time. However, the explosion of user-generated content poses novel challenges for online users to find relevant information, or,