Though founded on good business sense, business alliances often fail as they neglect relationship fit at conception and later struggle to transform partnerships agreements into effective working relationships (Kelly, Schaan & Joncas, 2002). At present, these partnerships are increasingly being formed and managed on virtual platforms, as these technologies support communication, collaboration and the maintenance of relationships across geographical and organisational boundaries. However, such forms of computer-mediated interaction radically alter and create fundamentally different workspaces when compared to physical work environments and add an extra challenge to ensuring that alliance relationships are successful.

The growth of the Internet has been accompanied by an increasing concern that excessive use is associated with the development of what has been termed ‘Internet addiction’, ‘Internet addiction disorder’ and ‘pathological Internet use’. However, some scepticism exists around the conceptualisation of such mainly due to the inconsistency among practitioners’ views and operational definitions for the condition (Shaffer, 2004). Regardless of those professionals who ignore the idea, there is evidence within theory and empirical support for the destructive effects of Internet addiction in the workplace (Snapshot Spy, 2008).

In most workplaces today the Internet has become somewhat indispensable. It can be considered as a focal point for communication where for example it aids collaboration among employees and also as a productivity booster reducing the time taken to perform many tasks. However, on the flip side there is also the growing concern that some employees abuse and misuse this resource. Find out more about what is called cyberslacking, who the usual culprits in your organisation are and their motivations.

As much as you would not continue to throw money at a bad investment, constantly building, modifying and later recreating your company’s website or other online tools without a significant return on investment can be as disastrous for your profitability. After your company has just completed its website, launched an email or banner ad campaign, mobile site or app, what is next? How do you justify these investments or know that they are fruitful? Do you really understand the people who are interacting with your company online? Are they satisfied?

The Bigwig Syndrome is a common problem that occurs in organisations. It is when the person with the most authority makes integral decisions that they are not qualified to make on their own and others support them, even if they disagree with the decision. Though this syndrome is usually present in the wider organisation, it is prevalent in departments that have responsibility for the organisation’s efforts online. These passionate leaders are often intense and follow through with their personal convictions. They have a preference for blue instead of pink for the site’s background colour or have some extra money in their budget to run five email campaigns a month instead of just one and so it will be, whether or not that whim is justified. Plus, with the absence of data, who is to say that they are actually wrong?

I had the privilege of attending a panel discussion organised by the Optimist Clubs of Barbados on Internet Safety. It was both timely and very helpful in empowering those who were there to be critical thinkers and safe promoters of the Internet. It began with a brief video presentation on eSafety followed by some very articulate secondary school students who shared their views about the Internet. The evening’s schedule was very tight and lots was discussed, however, due to time constraints I was not able to share my views on the matter then so I have posted my comments and some afterthoughts here.

As reported by the Barbados Nation Newspaper, the Minister of Education and Human Resources Ronald Jones announced that he would be moving towards banning the use of cell phones by students at all schools in the island at the start of the new academic year. Though perhaps a good move to stop the use of mobiles within schools along with all ‘wrong doing’ that was made possible with this privilege, what about when these young citizens and prospective employees are outside of school and equipped with such ‘evil’ technology? Is this ban really adequate?

Trust has been identified by many researchers as one of the most important issues for Internet users. According to Whitty and Joinson (2009) this can almost always be attributed to the degree of uncertainty and the element of risk that individuals experience online. As sites provide, request and gather information, and also try to influence behaviour, support and process online purchases, and even strive to form strong relationships that would result in favourable outcomes for the site owner, getting visitors to trust you and your site is of very high importance. Using research in the area I’ll offer some ways that you can ‘build’ trust through your website.

Coincidently as we’re now well into an ‘age of social media’ and several high profile research studies emerging from the field are concerned with social media, we can’t simply disregard cyberpsychology as being a case of supply and demand. Yes we are interested in these online services but cyberpsychology goes far beyond this.

Facebook has proven to be an efficient and effective communications platform for its users to connect and stay in touch with friends and family. However, its usage goes far beyond just satisfying communication needs in this sense. Here’s a simple way you can leverage the psychology of Facebook to engage your online audience.