Welcome to the Second Issue
This issue marks the second publication of the SIGecom Exchanges newsletter and the beginning of what we hope will be our first complete annual cycle. We hope to publish four issues this year.
In this issue you will find that we build on the strong technical content of the first issue. We have two papers on e-commerce systems. The first describes CrossFlow, a workflow management system to support the creation of virtual enterprises. The second describes a "one-stop window shop" system and discusses the infrastructure required to present a single interface to multiple vendor sites. As a simplification, the second paper assumes homogeneous databases. The third paper in this issue complements the previous by examining the likely problem of integrating heterogeneous ontologies. This paper, like the paper by Ng, et al. in SIGecom volume 1.1, examines the complications that arise when integrating divergent product ontologies. The fourth paper in the issue examines the multi-unit auction problem in a situation in which the items are sold in multiple simultaneous auctions and the bidders demand multiple units. The fifth paper in this issue is a review of the recent ACM Conference on Electronic Commerce. This review is unusual in that it is actually enjoyable to read, filled with wit, wisdom, and alliteration.
The articles included in this issue were selected from a set of twelve submissions. I would like to thank my associate editors who helped me review and select the articles to include, and who provided valuable feedback to the authors. We hope to continue this good work, and continue to look for qualified volunteers.
You will notice that two of the community features on the left are thriving. The Events & CFPs is updated on an ongoing basis by myself, and the education listing is ably maintained by Bob Caviness. If you find these features useful, or have something you would like posted, let us know. It is my intention to get two more features off the ground during the next publication cycle. If you would like to help, please send me e-mail.
One thing I would like to see improve is the coverage of conference reports. A quick look at the Events & CFPs feature will reveal many e-commerce related conferences and activities. So far, we have had reports from only two of these events. If you are planning to attend an e-commerce related conference, please consider writing a report for our readers.
Thank you,
Peter R. Wurman, Editor-in-Chief
|