EFFECTS OF WORD-OF-MOUTH VERSUS TRADITIONAL MARKETING: FINDINGS FROM AN

INTERNET SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE

Abstract: The authors study the effect of word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing on member
growth at an Internet social networking site and compare it with traditional marketing
vehicles. Because social network sites record the electronic invitations sent out by existing
members, outbound WOM may be precisely tracked. WOM, along with traditional marketing,
can then be linked to the number of new members subsequently joining the site (signups). Due
to the endogeneity among WOM, new signups, and traditional marketing activity, the authors
employ a Vector Autoregression (VAR) modeling approach. Estimates from the VAR model
show that word-ofmouth referrals have substantially longer carryover effects than traditional
marketing actions. The long-run elasticity of signups with respect to WOM is estimated to be
0.53 (substantially larger than the average advertising elasticities reported in the literature)
and the WOM elasticity is about 20 times higher than the elasticity for marketing events, and
30 times that of media appearances. Based on revenue from advertising impressions served to
a new member, the monetary value of a WOM referral can be calculated; this yields an upper
bound estimate for the financial incentives the firm might offer to stimulate word-of-mouth.

http://bear.warrington.ufl.edu/weitz/mar7786/Articles/Trusov%20et%20al%202009%20social%20network.pdf

CONSUMER HEALTH INFORMATION SEEKING ON THE INTERNET: THE STATE OF THE ART

Abstract: Increasingly, consumers engage in health information seeking via the Internet.
Taking a communication perspective, this review argues why public health professionals
should be concerned about the topic, considers potential benefits, synthesizes quality
concerns, identifies criteria for evaluating online health information and critiques the
literature. More than 70 000 websites disseminate health information; in excess of 50 million
people seek health information online, with likely consequences for the health care system.
The Internet offers widespread access to health information, and the advantages of
interactivity, information tailoring and anonymity. However, access is inequitable and use is
hindered further by navigational challenges due to numerous design features (e.g.
disorganization, technical language and lack of permanence). Increasingly, critics question the
quality of online health information; limited research indicates that much is inaccurate.
Meager information-evaluation skills add to consumers' vulnerability, and reinforce the need
for quality standards and widespread criteria for evaluating health information. Extant
literature can be characterized as speculative, comprised of basic `how to' presentations, with
little empirical research. Future research needs to address the Internet as part of the larger
health communication system and take advantage of incorporating extant communication
concepts. Not only should research focus on the `net-gap' and information quality, it also
should address the inherently communicative and transactional quality of Internet use. Both
interpersonal and mass communication concepts open avenues for investigation and
understanding the influence of the Internet on health beliefs and behaviors, health care,
medical outcomes, and the health care system.

http://her.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/6/671.long
 INTERNET-BASED E-SHOPPING AND CONSUMER ATTITUDES: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

Abstract: This paper analyses consumer attitudes towards Internet-based e-shopping. It aims
to provide a theoretically and empirically grounded initial reference position, against which
later research can explore and interpret the effects of changes in variables representing
consumer preferences and shifts in these preferences on the success or failure of B2C e-
commerce over the Internet. Because of the opportunity to sample at the outset and of ceteris
paribus conditions following from the tendency for other factors such as e-transactions cost to
remain small and constant, Singapore data were employed. Regression analysis shows that the
life content of products, transactions security, price, vendor quality, IT education and Internet
usage significantly affect the initial willingness of Singaporeans to e-shop on the Internet.
Generalising, we suggest that Internet-based B2C e-commerce can profitably be introduced or
promoted along similar dimensions in socio-geographically and technologically similar
situations.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378720600000720

FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER: REVIEW

AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

Abstract: This review integrates and critically evaluates what is known about family
characteristics associated with childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Evidence suggests that the presence of ADHD in children is associated to varying degrees with
disturbances in family and marital functioning, disrupted parent–child relationships, specific
patterns of parental cognitions about child behavior and reduced parenting self-efficacy, and
increased levels of parenting stress and parental psychopathology, particularly when ADHD is
comorbid with conduct problems. However, the review reveals that little is known about the
developmental mechanisms that underlie these associations, or the pathways through which
child and family characteristics transact to exert their influences over time. In addition, the
influence of factors such as gender, culture, and ADHDsubtype on the association
between ADHD and family factors remains largely unknown. We conclude with
recommendations regarding the necessity for research that will inform a developmental
psychopathology perspective of ADHD.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1017592030434