Debates by Category: Internet

February 7, 2012

Mobile Banking Is More Secure Than Online Banking

Accessing your bank’s mobile website or using your bank’s mobile application to access your account is much more secure than conducting traditional online banking on your computer. Pro or con?

January 23, 2012

Social Media Sites: Employers Should Block Them

To prevent hackers from stealing private information, companies should make sure workers don’t access social media websites on office computers. Pro or con?

January 5, 2012

Reputation Insurance Is a Wise Investment

Businesses and individuals at risk of being maligned in online forums, social media, blogs, and websites should look into buying insurance specifically intended to guard their reputation on the Internet. Pro or con?

October 13, 2011

The Internet Creates a Misinformed Electorate

Inaccuracies, lies, and innuendoes racing throughout the cyberworld give voters a false sense of knowledge about political candidates. Pro or con?

September 30, 2011

E-Hoarding Is Unhealthy

Psychologists are right: Workers must organize and delete their e-mails—or risk cluttering their mental space. Pro or con?

August 15, 2011

Virtual Training Beats In-Person Training

Technological advances in online employee training will make most in-person classroom learning a thing of the past. Pro or con?

August 8, 2011

Crowdsourcing Teems with Promise

For quick and cost-effective solutions, organizations are wise to turn to crowdsourcing. Pro or con?

May 6, 2011

Cloud Computing Is for the Birds

For data security and safety, it’s better to stick with hardware. Pro or con?
Watch the video—then scroll down to read the debate

May 2, 2011

Shoppers Deserve Free Wi-Fi

All retailers should provide free Wi-Fi service for customers in their stores. Pro or con?

February 17, 2011

Twitter Isn’t Journalism

Tweets can recite facts, but Twitter doesn’t qualify as a journalistic vehicle. Pro or con?

January 7, 2011

Do Not Track Me

The Federal Trade Commission’s proposed Do Not Track system is justified in that it would block intrusive marketing and ad campaigns and protect consumer privacy. Pro or con?

December 23, 2010

Online Shopping Is Overrated

Data security problems and pesky online forms make Internet shopping a pain. Pro or Con?

December 17, 2010

Employers, Get Outta My Facebook

When considering job applicants, prospective employers have no business poking around their profiles on social networking sites. Pro or con?

November 5, 2010

Crack Down on Cyberslackers

Businesses should crack down on workers who visit recreational Web sites—such as Facebook, Fantasyfootball, and Twitter—on company time. Pro or Con

Editor’s Note: This is an update of a Debate Room that originally appeared in 2007

October 13, 2010

Millennials: Protect Your Privacy

All the images, personal information, and conversations that young people share via the Internet pose threats to their personal safety and financial and job security. Pro or con?

September 15, 2010

Give Us Net Neutrality or Give Us Death

The absence of net neutrality will spell the end of the Internet. Service providers should not be allowed to slow down certain data flowing on their networks. Pro or con?

August 5, 2010

Workers Need Online Complaint Forums

It’s wise and just for websites to allow ticked-off workers to rate their supervisors, complain about their bad behavior, and name names. Pro or con?

July 14, 2010

Trust Kids to Make Online Purchases

Tweens and minor teenagers are sophisticated consumers. They should be allowed to have credit cards of their own or use prepaid vouchers to buy e-tail merchandise. Pro or con?

May 13, 2010

School Kids, Axe the Social Networking

For students, social networking sites have no educational value due to the inherently truncated, shallow nature of communication on them. Pro or con?

April 25, 2010

Tweets Alongside the Gettysburg Address: So Wrong

The Library of Congress’ plan to keep a digital archive of every public tweet—messages of 140 characters or fewer—since the microblogging site Twitter was launched in 2006 is silly. Most tweets are better forgotten. Pro or con?

October 14, 2009

Cloud Computing: Not Just Fluff

Governments should embrace cloud computing as a means to strengthen and liberate their IT infrastructure. Pro or con?

January 27, 2009

Virtual Meetings Will Erase Face to Face

Forget hauling your briefcase on a no-frills airline flight to attend a stuffy convention. Online events are the best, most cost-effective places to exchange information and meet and greet. Pro or con?

January 20, 2009

Obama: Hang on to the BlackBerry

Security concerns notwithstanding, Barack Obama is right to keep his trusty BlackBerry as he assumes his responsibilities as President. Pro or con?

December 31, 2008

The Print Media Are Doomed

Surpassed in convenience and economy by online content, printed magazines and newspapers will dry up in the next decade. Pro or con?

September 9, 2008

Twitter Distracts and Annoys

Not all Web 2.0 applications are advances. Twitter encourages self-absorption and rude behavior in business settings. Pro or con?

August 27, 2008

Internet Ads: Irritating and Ineffective

The advertisements that appear on Web sites are a nuisance for readers and a false economy poised to fall to Earth. Pro or con?

August 6, 2008

Scrabulous, Facebook, Hasbro: A Bad Breakup

Hasbro should have just let the beloved, Scrabble-like online game remain on Facebook. Pro or con?

April 1, 2008

Social Networking, Blah, Blah, Blah

Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and other networking Web sites that young people find so appealing are weak substitutes for making and cementing real business relationships in person. Pro or con?

January 11, 2008

User-Generated Content Is Junk

The UGC media revolution is a myth when it comes to YouTube and other Web 2.0 sites. Most valuable content is professionally made. Pro or con?

January 1, 2008

Internet Gambling Deserves a New Chance

The U.S. should heed the wrath of the World Trade Organization by making betting games legal on the Web. Pro or con?
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