Unlike many other technologies, the Web has caused fundamental societal change of an unprecedented magnitude. Research on this ever-changing socio-technical phenomenon and its impact has been developing at a rapid pace in many disciplines at the DTC. Yet there is a great deal more to learn especially when the Web is positioned as the subject of focus.

We at the Web Science DTC attempt to reduce the unknown about the Web by adopting methods and assumptions from disparate disciplines or when necessary integrating this knowledge to form entirely new approaches. Doing this not only highlights the importance of understanding the Web for what it is and does but also what it should do and what is required for that to happen.

Our aims are achieved by gaining insight into the relationship between citizens, the society and the Web, and how these entities impact each other. Our Web science research then also strives to ensure the Web is well understood, not harmful, that its benefits are lasting and growth is assured for all people who leverage this incredible resource.

Our approach guarantees that the sources of proposed business opportunities are clearly identified and the forms in which they materialise are adequately articulated. Given this knowledge, the potential opportunity could be effectively understood and exploited by the new venture creation process.

Leveraging Valuable and Actionable Insight from Web Science
Entrepreneurs could benefit from this insight offered when developing their ideas into commercial success.  Those who manage online initiatives in support of their new ventures can learn to act in more responsible ways when doing business online and acknowledge the role each business, without exception, plays in ensuring consumer trust in any’ digital economy. Entrepreneurs will also be well informed about ways to adopt more effective and efficient uses of the Web leading to increased consumer engagement and retention, and a flourishing digital economic ecosystem.

The post Web Science: Understanding how business and society are being transformed using the Web appeared first on Web Science MOOC.

Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about.
Week 6 will take a brief look back over the MOOC and consider ‘what next’? It will be clear by now that the Web is evolving, and it will not remain as it is today. In this week we will consider where the Web might be in another 25 years, looking at emergent trends such as the internet of things, linked data and the semantic web.

What are the main aims you want to achieve?
This session will encourage you to think about where the web is going, and why this matters. The Web is not finished and nor is its current form guaranteed. We all have a stake in the Web and it is our responsiblity to be informed about its future. This week we aim to get students thinking about this.

How will the learners benefit?
Learners will benefit from the expertise and insight of some of the world’s leading Web Scientists. The emphasis of the week will be on current trends and future scenarios: where might the Web go and how can we engage with this?

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC?
This session draws attention to the ‘politics’ of the Web and challenges everyone to become involved in the future of the Web. It is exciting to have 10000 people thinking about how the web is evolving, what the opportunities and costs of a future web might be, in terms of privacy, globalisation, equality, and so on.

The post Tutor Interview Series: Susan Halford and Les Carr – What Next? appeared first on Web Science MOOC.

Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about –
The session provides an overview of some of the issues that have developed around cyber security and the threats to our activities on the web. A lot of what takes place on the web echoes activity that takes place away from the web. Many crimes that we regard as cybercrimes are just extensions of crimes that have historically taken place off-line. Similarly, we look at the role of trust in cybercrime and look at how this is a key factor that enables deviant activity to take place, just as it does in non-deviant forms of behaviour, such as legitimate commerce.

What are the main aims you want to achieve? –
The aim of the session is to introduce students to the range of activities that threaten the security of the web and our use of it. We introduce students to a wide range of different research projects that we are currently undertaking at the University of Southampton. This research represents the cutting edge of our attempt to understand cybercrime, drawing on a range of different disciplines making this a prime example of the power of the Web Science project.

How will the learners benefit? –
Students will become aware of the role that their behaviour has on their web security, they will also see how criminology has combined with other disciplines to form an essential part of web science.

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC? –Introducing students to the synthesis of criminological ideas with other disciplines to ask some challenging questions, and hopefully show some of the answers.

The post Tutor Interview Series: Craig Webber – Security appeared first on Web Science MOOC.

Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about.
My session explores the historical relationship between the Web and political activism. Students are going to see how a particular type of global activism has developed alongside the Web and how each new development in Web technologies can be used by activists to challenge their governments and established political systems. We will also discuss how technology can restrict certain types of political activism, or make it seem less radical.

What are the main aims you want to achieve?
I’d like learners to get thinking about the changes in political society that the Web brings. How it changes our perceptions on the world, our borders and how global networks of activists form. But I would also like students to see that political engagement via the Web is not necessarily always benefiting civic society. How governments choose to react to the challenges of global activist networks and how the technologies currently in vogue influence user behavior can have effects on the development of online activism and therefore of political engagement as well. I’d like learners to be able to consider these challenges and begin to question the directions that the Web is taking us.

Finally I’d like to make learners aware of the different methods that we have in Web Science for researching how groups and individuals use the Web. It isn’t just all big data, we can also go out “into the field” and observe how people interact with technology, and this is one area of the MOOC that I’d like to emphasise.

How will the learners benefit?
Learners will benefit from a concise discussion regarding the role of the Web in activism as they will be able to see how technology and design can shape politics, and vice versa. This understanding, together with the discursive elements of the course, will enable them to engage with one another and discuss the potential future impacts of Web technologies on activism, developing their critical thinking and knowledge in this, currently popular, realm of Web Science.

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC?
The MOOC is just such a great way for us within the course to engage with people from all walks of life and all parts of the world. It brings the study of a global social system (the Web) to a global audience, who all have different ways of looking at the way the Web is changing society. I’m really excited to hear the MOOC participants reflect on how the Web is influencing (positively or negatively) politics in their country. The discussions that are going to come out of this course are going to be fantastic.

The post Tutor Interview Series: Phil Waddell – Democracy appeared first on Web Science MOOC.

Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about –
This session is about new venture creation in the digital age.  The internet has made it very easy to create new businesses in a wide range of sectors – but it’s important to get the ‘business model’ right otherwise you’re unlikely to succeed.

What are the main aims you want to achieve? –
I hope to convince you that new venture creation is desirable and achievable, providing you take care and go about it the right way. The internet has brought about exciting new mechanisms for getting new businesses underway — ‘crowd-funding’ platforms such as ‘Kickstarter’ for example.  Of course, you need to know what you are doing before you set off.  I’ll be introducing a  toolset known as the ‘Business Model Canvas’ to help you succeed.

How will the learners benefit? –
You will benefit by being able to begin designing sensible new business models for new ventures in this new kind of economy.

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC? –
Falling technology prices, availability of data and mobile capability have made it easier than it has ever been to develop exciting new businesses.  The time is right for  a surge of creativity and value creation, and I want to encourage you to be part of it.

The post Tutor Interview Series: Lorraine Warren – Economy appeared first on Web Science MOOC.

Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about –
As part of the Economy week, my session will discuss new approaches to managing personal data in the digital age, from the perspective of business, law and technology. It will explore the idea that rather than being a company asset, personal data could be a tool in the hands of individuals themselves.

What are the main aims you want to achieve? –
I hope I’ll be able to get across a flavour of the complexities of the issue – how it touches on multiple disciplines and how it is rapidly changing. And I’m really looking forward to some stimulating debate with the Web Science MOOC participants!

How will the learners benefit? –
They will come away with some new concepts to think about, and perhaps a different perspective about online privacy – something which everyone has an opinion on these days. And for those who want to learn more, I’ll be pointing to some good places to start.

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC? –
I’ve taken part in MOOCs before as a student, so it’s really interesting to be on the ‘other side’ of the classroom, as it were. I’m pleased to see that some participants have already started discussing the course online, with each other and the course tutors – a very ‘Web Science’ approach.

The post Tutor Interview Series: Reuben Binns – Economy appeared first on Web Science MOOC.

Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about –
My session looks at the Big fuss around Big data and tries to introduce you to the main concepts to answer some relevant questions for yourself. What is big data? Is my data big? Am I missing something if I’m not already investing in BD systems in this economy?

What are the main aims you want to achieve? –
I’d like students to understand the difference between big data and “a lot of data” ( a fairly common misconception) and to be able to question whether the groups they work with may need systems to handle big data any time soon.

How will learners benefit? –
Students may benefit from a mildly skeptical view (as opposed to a big data pitch) including a set of readings that are balanced pro/con regarding Big data rather than a simple assumption that Big data must be applicable

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC? –
The MOOC allows for a discussion rather than just the delivery of lectures and I hope it will spark interest to read more about the topic beyond the study sessions.

The post Tutor Interview Series: Ian Brown – Economy appeared first on Web Science MOOC.

Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about. –
In my part of Week 5 we will discuss what the application of digital technologies means for how employers are recruiting and how people get jobs.

What are the main aims you want to achieve? –
I’d like to inspire people to participate actively in online networks. This not only boosts our reputation, it gives us new skills in communication, creativity and reflective thinking. It requires a long term strategy firstly to discover a “voice”, develop a digital “footprint” which demonstrates what we do, and then to build an appropriate network to support it.

I spoke to a large group of schoolboys recently on this topic (slides below) – while they understood the need to clean up their Facebook profiles “at some point”, they hadn’t really considered the longer term implications of their online activities for their future careers.

How will the learners benefit?
I’d like learners to understand that we can make all this digital data work for us rather than against us – by being proactive and forward thinking online we can impress potential employers, tutors or business partners. Relying on a standard CV is no longer sufficient to stand out from the crowd in a rapidly changing global job market.

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC? –
Connecting to people from all over the world who are enthused by change and want to make a difference :-)

The post Tutor Interview Series: Lisa Harris – Economy appeared first on Web Science MOOC.

Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about –
In this session we are going to consider the democratic nature of the Web and the ways in democracy is being used in the political process by both governments and activists. Increasingly governments might see the Web as a tool for improving transparency, broadcasting information, driving innovation or even improving trust in the democratic process. We will look at the use of open government data towards these aims and explore an example of the publication of national crime statistics through and activity and a discussion. We will also look in depth at the role that the Web increasingly plays in activism, as alternative voices embrace the technologies to try and effect change.

What are the main aims you want to achieve? –
We want to illustrate the wide range of ways in which the Web permeates the political sphere and how for governments it can both be a force for openness and transparency, yet often something that they may desire to control. An appreciation of the complexities of the issues in this area will be gained and  some insight into the types of research methodology that have to be adopted in order to understand the role of the Web in this area.

How will the learners benefit? –
Students will benefit by gaining a better understanding of how specific Web technologies support agendas such as the publishing of open data and a greater perspective on the complexities of the Web’s engagement in democratic processes and the difficulties of balancing the openness of the Web with respect for individuals privacy and a desire to restrict the use of the Web for extremist or anti-government agendas.

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC? –
I think it has been a wonderful opportunity to show that understanding the Web involves far more than just understanding a set of technologies and infrastructures. The Web is created by people and the way in which they use it and is an ever evolving, highly complex system. To truly undertand it and to help society to benefit from the Web we need to use a wide range of research methods and draw on insights from many different disciplines.

The post Tutor Interview Series: Mark Weal – Democracy appeared first on Web Science MOOC.

Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about –
My activity falls into Week 5 (Economy) and covers the topic of Social Business – primarily focusing on how businesses and organisations can carry out social media monitoring and analysis to improve their performance. This will go over the advantages of using social media, problems with determining whether it has much of an effect or not, and begins to indicate some areas where network analysis could be used to gain valuable insights into an online brand community.

What are the main aims you want to achieve? –
I’m aiming to get people thinking about what it is about social media that makes it so engaging, and how this is utilised by organisations to get people interacting with their brand. By understanding this, you will have a much greater sense of the effect that social media has had (and is having), and why it opens up completely new forms of communication, that in turn facilitate new opportunities for businesses.

How will the learners benefit? –
They will learn about some of the main issues preventing reliable social media measurement at this time, and begin to understand that the meaning of certain actions on social media are questionable – especially when an organisation is trying to gauge the audience response to something. What did it mean when you ‘liked’ something on Facebook that your favourite shop posted? But rather than just focusing on the negatives, we’ll look at some of the really innovative campaigns that have been carried out, where social media has definitely had a positive results, to appreciate the power that these new services posses.

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC? –
The most exciting thine to me is that the very process of offering this session through a MOOC is like practicing Web Science in action. This is the Web changing the way people can approach, carry out and engage with education, and to be a Web Scientist involved in delivering part of this course is really invigorating. Delivering this session relating to social media is great because it ties in with my research interests and lets me share what I’ve been working on to a new audience – and hopefully will help to spark their interest and curiosity in to the topic!

The post Tutor Interview Series: Chris Phethean – Economy appeared first on Web Science MOOC.