Using Converging Technology to Bring Social Networking to Commerce

ldquoConvergencerdquo in information and computing technology usually refers to the way in which devices which formerly had a particular use (a telephone or a computer system) become ldquounifiedrdquo: so a mobile phone is also an Internet terminal, a camera, a personal computer and data storage device. In this paper, we argue that methods of business and social interaction - once very different in tone and character - have also converged with increasing use of formerly ldquosocialrdquo techniques in business interaction. This is not to be resisted at all costs; there are significant benefits from adopting collaborative working practices. However one barrier which may prevent this is the need to control where information is shared, with whom and on what terms. To address this, we propose a mechanism which will offer many of the benefits of collaborative information sharing, whilst preserving the very real need for oversight of information access.