Collaborative groups with an interest in promoting electronic commerce have also established Web sites. CommerceNet has a membership of more than 500 companies and organisations throughout the world. The group examines electronic commerce issues from a multidisciplinary perspective encompassing technology, business processes and regulatory policies. The World Wide Web Consortium has more than 300 members and aims to develop common protocols and promote the evolution of the World Wide Web. Interest groups have also been developed or supported by government.
Most government organisations work in partnership with academic or private sector partners.
Collaborative groups have also been established to provide information and a forum for discussion for academics and practitioners. The two leading groups, ISWorld Net and the Association for Information Systems, formed an alliance in 1998. Both of these groups were originally established by academics and they have an emphasis in sharing and disseminating knowledge. The ISWorld Net site probably has the most comprehensive worldwide listings of past, present and future conferences and workshops available on the Web. Two other collaborative groups have an academic emphasis.