Ted Smith

In today's fragmented media landscape, generating positive word of mouth (WOM) among consumers has become an important tool for marketers. Marketers are challenged with identifying influential individuals in social networks and connecting with them in ways that encourage WOM message movement. In this article, we explore the nature of social networks, their role in influence, and the characteristics of the most influential individuals. We also examine the characteristics of viral marketing… Show more

In today's fragmented media landscape, generating positive word of mouth (WOM) among consumers has become an important tool for marketers. Marketers are challenged with identifying influential individuals in social networks and connecting with them in ways that encourage WOM message movement. In this article, we explore the nature of social networks, their role in influence, and the characteristics of the most influential individuals. We also examine the characteristics of viral marketing messages. Our findings contradict the commonly accepted notion that WOM influence comes from an elite, highly-connected few. Rather our research suggests that most people are moderately connected and are as willing as the highly connected to share marketing messages with others. Also, we find that influence is motivated by our basic human need to be helpful by giving advice, and that people share a common enjoyment in seeking out valuable information. The implications of these findings for marketers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Advertising Research is the property of Warc LTD and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

Reconsidering Models of Influence: The Relationship between Consumer Social Networks and Word-of-Mouth Effectiveness. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258847135_Reconsidering_Models_of_Influence_The_Relationship_between_Consumer_Social_Networks_and_Word-of-Mouth_Effectiveness [accessed Dec 27, 2015]. Show less

This Strategic Analysis Report provides and picture of the IT worker of the future so that enterprises can better understand how these individuals can contribute to the enterprise. The IT worker of the future has more to contribute than his or her counterpart just a few years ago. These individuals can play key roles in the success of the enterprise, but only if they are understood and given the support and training then need to succeed.

Strategic Analysis Report R-09-7784 Gartner Group

IS labor-related costs constitute 20 percent to 35 percent if Total Cost of Ownership. Here we discuss factors that enterprises should consider about the cost of different IT worker types.

Decision Framework, DF-08-7621, Gartner Group

Good methodology and high levels of technical expertise do not assure successful IT project management. Several often-overlooked worker attributes can improve outcomes.

Strategic Planning, SPA-08-7617 Gartner Group

Perspectives on boosting retention through understanding worker motivation

Strategic Planning, SPA-08-7616 Gartner Group

This paper investigates the value of story in computer-based adult education. Story elements including genre, conflict, and character were used to create the basic structure of a 32-hour multimedia self-study business processes course. The educational impact of story was considered in terms of memory for content, learner motivation, and cultural context. An analysis framework was developed to categorize the survey and structured interview data. Learners were able to construct detailed memory of… Show more

This paper investigates the value of story in computer-based adult education. Story elements including genre, conflict, and character were used to create the basic structure of a 32-hour multimedia self-study business processes course. The educational impact of story was considered in terms of memory for content, learner motivation, and cultural context. An analysis framework was developed to categorize the survey and structured interview data. Learners were able to construct detailed memory of the course content. Additionally, learners reported high levels of interest in the course and were able to formulate course outcomes that followed story flow. Learners perceived various cultural qualities of the story and often compared their experience of the course to personal experiences. Refinement of the analysis framework and assessment of long-term impact of story are suggested. Show less

The present study focused on the development of a procedure to assess perceived self-motion induced by visual surround motion--vection. Using an apparatus that permitted independent control of visual and inertial stimuli, prone observers were translated along their head x-axis (fore/aft). The observers' task was to report the direction of self-motion during passive forward and backward translations of their bodies coupled with exposure to various visual surround conditions. The proportion of… Show more

The present study focused on the development of a procedure to assess perceived self-motion induced by visual surround motion--vection. Using an apparatus that permitted independent control of visual and inertial stimuli, prone observers were translated along their head x-axis (fore/aft). The observers' task was to report the direction of self-motion during passive forward and backward translations of their bodies coupled with exposure to various visual surround conditions. The proportion of "forward" responses was used to calculate each observer's point of subjective equality (PSE) for each surround condition. The results showed that the moving visual stimulus produced a significant shift in the PSE when data from the moving surround condition were compared with the stationary surround and no-vision condition. Further, the results indicated that vection increased monotonically with surround velocities between 4 and 40 degrees/sec. It was concluded that linear vection can be measured in terms of changes in the amplitude of whole-body inertial acceleration required to elicit equivalent numbers of "forward" and "backward" self-motion reports. Show less

The eye movement response to earth vertical axis rotation in the dark, a semicircular canal stimulus, can be altered by prior exposure to combined visual-vestibular stimuli. Such plasticity of the vestibulo-ocular reflex has not been described for earth horizontal axis rotation, a dynamic otolith stimulus. Twenty normal human subjects underwent one of two types of adaptation paradigms designed either to attenuate or enhance the gain of the semicircular canal-ocular reflex prior to undergoing… Show more

The eye movement response to earth vertical axis rotation in the dark, a semicircular canal stimulus, can be altered by prior exposure to combined visual-vestibular stimuli. Such plasticity of the vestibulo-ocular reflex has not been described for earth horizontal axis rotation, a dynamic otolith stimulus. Twenty normal human subjects underwent one of two types of adaptation paradigms designed either to attenuate or enhance the gain of the semicircular canal-ocular reflex prior to undergoing otolith-ocular reflex testing with horizontal axis rotation. The adaptation paradigm paired a 0.2 Hz sinusoidal rotation about a vertical axis with a 0.2 Hz optokinetic stripe pattern that was deliberately mismatched in peak velocity. Pre- and post-adaptation horizontal axis rotations were at 60 degrees/s in the dark and produced a modulation in the slow component velocity of nystagmus having a frequency of 0.17 Hz due to putative stimulation of the otolith organs. Results showed that the magnitude of this modulation component response was altered in a manner similar to the alteration in semicircular canal-ocular responses. These results suggest that physiologic alteration of the vestibulo-ocular reflex using deliberately mismatched visual and semicircular canal stimuli induces changes in both canal-ocular and otolith-ocular responses. We postulate, therefore, that central nervous system pathways responsible for controlling the gains of canal-ocular and otolith-ocular reflexes are shared. Show less

Migration planning often inadequately estimates workforce resources, We provide an approach for evaluating workforce resources, change capacity and forecasting.

Strategic Planning, SPA-08-7618 Gartner Group

In weightlessness, astronauts must rely on vision to remain spatially oriented. Although gravitational down cues are missing, most astronauts maintain a subjective vertical -a subjective sense of which way is up. This is evidenced by anecdotal reports of crewmembers feeling upside down (inversion illusions) or feeling that a floor has become a ceiling and vice versa (visual reorientation illusions). Instability in the subjective vertical direction can trigger disorientation and space motion… Show more

In weightlessness, astronauts must rely on vision to remain spatially oriented. Although gravitational down cues are missing, most astronauts maintain a subjective vertical -a subjective sense of which way is up. This is evidenced by anecdotal reports of crewmembers feeling upside down (inversion illusions) or feeling that a floor has become a ceiling and vice versa (visual reorientation illusions). Instability in the subjective vertical direction can trigger disorientation and space motion sickness. On Neurolab, a virtual environment display system was used to conduct five interrelated experiments, which quantified: (a) how the direction of each person's subjective vertical depends on the orientation of the surrounding visual environment, (b) whether rolling the virtual visual environment produces stronger illusions of circular self-motion (circular vection) and more visual reorientation illusions than on Earth, (c) whether a virtual scene moving past the subject produces a stronger linear self-motion illusion (linear vection), and (d) whether deliberate manipulation of the subjective vertical changes a crewmember's interpretation of shading or the ability to recognize objects. None of the crew's subjective vertical indications became more independent of environmental cues in weightlessness. Three who were either strongly dependent on or independent of stationary visual cues in preflight tests remained so inflight. One other became more visually dependent inflight, but recovered postflight. Susceptibility to illusions of circular self-motion increased in flight. The time to the onset of linear self-motion illusions decreased and the illusion magnitude significantly increased for most subjects while free floating in weightlessness. These decreased toward one-G levels when the subject 'stood up' in weightlessness by wearing constant force springs. Show less