Ross Yates, Manager Online Solutions, Educational & Online Technology, Information Services, Curtin University of Technology. PO Box U1987, Perth, [HREF16], GPO Box U1987, WA, 6845. r.yates@curtin.edu.au
university, web, internet, management, risk, content management, devolved model
Whilst early writers such as Sterling (1993) described the Internet and, later, the World Wide Web, as a medium that could be neither regulated nor controlled, recent legal findings have dispelled the notion of a utopian cyberspace, free of legislative constraints. Of particular significance is the focus on the breach of laws related to web content, and the accountability of organisations who provide the supporting technical infrastructures. Cases such as Gutnick v. Dow Jones and Barrons (2000) and Sony et al. v. three prominent Australian universities (2003) have foreshadowed the potential for actions in defamation and copyright infringements. At the same time, the great value of the Internet is its openness and inherent usability for self-publishing. With organisations becoming more aware of web-based risk factors, the interplay between technology and usability has challenged contemporary publishing methodologies, and invoked new thinking on the key elements required for a more sustainable web management model.
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