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New research on web sites from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including using the Web as a competitive advantage, the competitive threat of online retail platforms, and how different management skills may be required online.
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Is the 'Experimentation Organization' Becoming the Competitive Gold Standard?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP: Digital experimentation is gaining momentum as an everyday habit in many organizations, especially those in high tech, say James Heskett's readers. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Ideological Segregation among Online Collaborators: Evidence from Wikipedians

by Shane Greenstein, Yuan Gu, and Feng Zhu

This study analyzes the dynamics supporting or undermining segregated conversations. Among the findings: In spite of their great differences, contributors on Wikipedia tend to move toward less segregated conversations. Contributors’ positions become more neutral over time, not more extreme. In addition, the conflict resolution mechanisms and the mix of informal and formal norms at Wikipedia play an important role in encouraging a community that works toward a neutral point of view.

Airbnb Hosts Discriminate Against African-American Guests

by Carmen Nobel

Experimental research by Ben Edelman, Michael Luca, and Daniel Svirsky revealed widespread discrimination against African-American guests on Airbnb. Now the researchers have created an online tool to mitigate it. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

When Hosts Attack: The Competitive Threat of Online Platforms

by Carmen Nobel

Online retail platforms like Amazon are great for the third-party businesses that use them—until the platform’s owner decides to start competing with them. Feng Zhu looks at the factors that turn hosts into predators. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Can Applied Economics Save Homeless Puppies?

by Carmen Nobel

At a startup she co-founded while pursuing a doctorate in economics, Christine L. Exley is rescuing dogs with principles of market design. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

Why Are Web Sites So Confusing?

by Andrei Hagiu & Bruno Jullien

Just as bread and milk are often found at far-away ends of the supermarket, Web sites that match consumers with certain products have an incentive to steer users to products that yield the highest margins. The result: a compromise between what users want and what produces the most revenues, say HBS professor Andrei Hagiu and Toulouse School of Economics researcher Bruno Jullien. A look inside the world of search. Key concepts include: "Search diversion"—strategically complicating the search process—began in the brick-and-mortar world. The digital economy provides many more subtle ways to divert search. If an intermediary helped consumers find what they wanted more quickly and efficiently, it would lose valuable potential revenues. On Google, the 11th objective search result might be more relevant than any of the sponsored search results displayed on the right—yet it will be displayed on the second search page only. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

Is MySpace.com Your Space?

by Sean Silverthorne

Social networking sites such as MySpace.com have demographics to die for, but PR problems with parents, police, and policymakers. Are they safe for advertisers? A Q&A with Professor John Deighton. Key concepts include: Social networking sites such as MySpace.com are emerging as powerful advertising platforms reaching millions of desirable consumers. They will be advertising rivals to established Internet sites such as Google and Yahoo. Although MySpace has been the subject of some community criticism, MySpace advertisers don't seem frightened off. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.