Sunday, November 30, 2008
The MySpace Verdict
Guynn,Jessica- November 26, 2008. In the wake of MySpace verdict, could social networks do more to protect consumers?
Lori Drew, 49, now faces up to three years in prison and $300,000 in fines but was acquitted of the most serious charges.
The broader issue here is whether these social networking sites are doing enough to protect their users and what is computer fraud? If these verdicts or the charges were allowed to stand it would mean that the Terms Of Service Agreements on websites and software would become laws, laws that were decided and composed by anyone running a website, rather than by the elected legislature. These would be laws that at best are vague, unclear, overboard, and vary from site to site. It would also mean that every one on MySpace that say they are of "athletic build" but are really 30 pounds overweight is committing computer fraud.
No parent should assume a social networking site is 'safe' for their children. That's no different than assuming they can send their young kids off to the mall, and not worry about their safety.
"A federal jury in Los Angeles delivered a disordered verdict in the MySpace cyber-bullying case, convicting a Missouri woman of three misdemeanor charges of computer fraud for creating a phony account on the social networking site that prosecutors said drove a teenage girl to suicide."
Lori Drew, 49, now faces up to three years in prison and $300,000 in fines but was acquitted of the most serious charges.
The broader issue here is whether these social networking sites are doing enough to protect their users and what is computer fraud? If these verdicts or the charges were allowed to stand it would mean that the Terms Of Service Agreements on websites and software would become laws, laws that were decided and composed by anyone running a website, rather than by the elected legislature. These would be laws that at best are vague, unclear, overboard, and vary from site to site. It would also mean that every one on MySpace that say they are of "athletic build" but are really 30 pounds overweight is committing computer fraud.
No parent should assume a social networking site is 'safe' for their children. That's no different than assuming they can send their young kids off to the mall, and not worry about their safety.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Comericals 2 Go
Unfortunately I could not find one article that notes the new hulu commercial forum. So I will compile two different articles to explain the significance of watching programs with only moderate interruption. Hulu is a website which allows the viewing of your favorite programs buy local internet access, thus you can use any laptop or desktop, rather than being a slave to cable. Hulu is a free website that is commercial sponsored. But even though it is sponsored by brands does not mean that you are constantly watching commercial. The commercial you are forced to watch last as long (if not less) then the time it would take you to fast forward on a DVR. Thus a revolutionary use of advertising if they cannot force you to watch the breaks on cable facilitated programming then why not offer it on the net with shorter times. One average a watcher will view roughly 12-15 min. Of commercials in their favorite program. Hulu commercials are a mere 2 min for the same program.
"88% of Hulu viewers are opting to view a two-minute advertisement in exchange
for no ads during the rest of the show."
In this instance less will defiantly cause more people to watch internet TV and thus actually watch their commercials rather that cable with their long 16 min commercials that can be fast forwarded past.
Traditional Commercials vs. Branded Entertainment
You are watching your favorite t.v show on cable and it goes to a commercial break. How many people actually still watch the commercials? I know that I usually go get something to eat in the kitchen, talk on the phone, or turn to something else. However, I know that commercial breaks are usually for about four minutes, so that is when I will switch back to my fav show. Companies of different brands are realizing that traditional commercials are not working. Michael Grebb informs us that,
"The trend in the last five years is to integrate
brands into t.v and movies in a more organic
way."
This is a smart idea because now brands are promoting their products with in a t.v show through the characters. Thus, the comsumer is forced to view the product and see all of its' features.
"The trend in the last five years is to integrate
brands into t.v and movies in a more organic
way."
This is a smart idea because now brands are promoting their products with in a t.v show through the characters. Thus, the comsumer is forced to view the product and see all of its' features.
Monday, November 24, 2008
The office of the Future.
"Visions of the office of the future burn brightly inside the research labs at technology and office-equipment companies. Among the heady ideas: sensors that detect when you get to the office and cue software to alert colleagues you're available to talk; microelectromechanical systems that render super-sharp images on displays the size of a wall, working in tandem with tablet computers that network to a shared-team display; and business software that learns the relationships among the words and phrases people use. Find out what's coming into your cubicle."
-Aaron Ricadela (Newsweek)
The offices of the future are here, we already see a rise in telecommuting to work. Many jobs offered today are done right over the internet. For instance if you have a Cell Phone, a Laptop and WiFi internet access, you might be in business. Employers are taking great steps to keep their employees happy (the smart ones anyway) When the employee is happy he is proven to work more productlively and focus more on the tasks at hand. He is shown to be more relaxed and at peace with his purpose in the company (only if this is done right). New startups are taking this concept a step further and developing not only the feeling of productivity but also making it a visual experience as well. Offices of the future are now being developed almost like a living area you would find in a home without the traditional cube style. In London they are currently testing out such a system and integrating each employee with WiFi access around the office. They are letting the employees socialize with each other on broader levels through teleconferencing from home to the office. In the office they have access to outside quarters where they might feel more relaxed in the sun sitting in a comfortable chair taking in some fresh air while working on their laptop. It is all about making everyone comfortable. Some employers are actually taking their offices of the future to whole new levels which include 'Going Green' to maximize electricity. If you want to know more about how this can concept for employers can have an impact on their employees just take a look at Google's business culture and see for yourself.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Amazon's New Payment Service
In an article by Brad Stone in the NY Times this past July, we are informed that Amazon.com unveiled a new payment service called "Checkout By Amazon" that offers other online retailers the opportunity to use on their own sites as well. Currently, 81 million customers are already part of Amazon.com, and have supplied them with their payment details (credit card numbers, shipping addresses, etc.). These same customers will already have that information on Checkout By Amazon and do not have to deal with re entering it.
In a statement from Mark Stabingas, Vice President of Amazon Payments, he said:
In a statement from Mark Stabingas, Vice President of Amazon Payments, he said:
"Customers will be coming through an experience that is really similar to Amazon’s. People will like the familiarity and the comfort associated with that".
Checkout by Amazon is a response to other online retailing sites and their use of payment sites, such as PayPal.com for eBay purchases and Google checkout for purchases through Google. The advantages of these sites, including Checkout by Amazon, is that it calculate sales tax and shipping costs, and allows for customers to track the shipment of their purchases.
Amazon’s new payment system is part of its attempt to offer the best Web technologies to other Internet retailers and businesses. Amazon also offers online storage and computing power to many Web start-ups. Retailers can also use Amazon’s network of warehouses and shipping facilities to store and ship their own products.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Small Town Shops Making Big City Money
In the article, Small Town Shops Bulk up on the Web, Keith Schneider discusses the convergenge of the world wide web and shopping. Schneider states,
"The internet is allowing small stores, here
and around the country, to develop niche
products that shield them against big boy
retailer."
These small town shops now have access to gain national attention. The company cooks corner is located in Manitowok, which has a population of 34, 000 people. Last year five times their total population visited their online store. These small town stores are now able to reach a larger audience and instead of sending costly brochures or newsletters, they can email and advertise online. The world wide web has created a world wide market place that attracts millions of digital consumers.
"The internet is allowing small stores, here
and around the country, to develop niche
products that shield them against big boy
retailer."
These small town shops now have access to gain national attention. The company cooks corner is located in Manitowok, which has a population of 34, 000 people. Last year five times their total population visited their online store. These small town stores are now able to reach a larger audience and instead of sending costly brochures or newsletters, they can email and advertise online. The world wide web has created a world wide market place that attracts millions of digital consumers.
How to shop safely online
The holiday season is coming and many people are going to choose to shop online. shopping online can be very fun, easy, and even cost effective. I enjoy shopping online. Sometimes i shop department stores online to avoid long lines and annoying customers. However there are some dangers. So shoppers be ware! Many people will be looking online for coupons, discounts and special offers. it is important to know how to protect your personal information. Also what to do if you suspect something.
1. When shopping on the web be sure you see https:// ( the s stands for "secure)
2. Use anti virus software and tools.
3.secure your wireless network always use a secure password combining different numbers and letters
4. Make wise decisions and choices if it seems to good to be tru it is!
5. If you suspect identity theft, take immediate action. contact your credit car company and financial institution. close any fraudulent accounts. change all passwords of any online accounts and keep a log.
1. When shopping on the web be sure you see https:// ( the s stands for "secure)
2. Use anti virus software and tools.
3.secure your wireless network always use a secure password combining different numbers and letters
4. Make wise decisions and choices if it seems to good to be tru it is!
5. If you suspect identity theft, take immediate action. contact your credit car company and financial institution. close any fraudulent accounts. change all passwords of any online accounts and keep a log.
Labels: A.I.
Fresh Christmas Trees Go Digital This Season
This year the staff at Coyote Hills Christmas Tree Farm in Oregon, are helping the environment by implementing digital christmas tree shopping.
You can browse through their selection of pine-needle trees that are still growing in the fields, so you actually see the tree before buying it and not just off a truck. Their goal is to conserve our natural resources by avoiding pre-cut trees going to waste if not sold by the end of the season.
Each acre of Christmas trees provide the daily oxygen for 18 people. With 1 million acres of Christmas tree nationwide, this translates into oxygen for 18 million people each day.
Owner of Coyote Hills Tree Farm, points out that buying a real Christmas tree is the way to go for environmentally conscious Americans and buying your Christmas tree this way also guarantees the freshes tree possible!We must also note that after the holiday season, most metropolitan areas offer programs to take Christmas tree and turn them into mulch ofr playgrounds, gardens and other lanscape needs, espcecially because they are 100% biodegradable they do not contribute to landfill and waste management problems.
In my opinion it seems like a pretty cool idea, to shop for your christmas tree on-line, pick it out before it's cut down and get it shipped right to your door step, what a perfect example of how the digital world has changed the way we celebrate our holidays. This new way of shoping online does makes me wonder what will happen to the nursery's for instance? All the garden centers that sell real christmas tree during their off season, how bad would online christmas tree shopping effect their business? Will nursery's be able to stay in business or will they too have to start selling plants online. I just can't picture buying plants without actually seeing and touching them. Virtual shopping is just not the same.
Just as a side note; from an environmental perspective wouldn't it be better not to cut down the tree at all!
Keep it in Your Second Life....Please
article chronicles the problems that occur when second life flows into real life marriage. Amy Taylor decided enough was enough when she caught her husband’s second life pants down one too many times. Her husband was continuously visiting second life prostitutes throughout their marriage.
"Last year Ms. Taylor suspected her husband's avatar was cheating and hired a
Second Life private detective to catch him in the act. The divorce went through
the Second Life legal system in May. It's now filed in actual courts and will be
finalized next week, Ms. Taylor told the press."
A Japanese woman killed her virtual husband in the game maplestory because he broke of their relationship. This caused the congregation of neglected spouses to ban together.
"Spouses neglected by their partners' constant video-game or Internet use have
banded together, calling themselves "cyber widowers" or "gamer widows." Cyber
spying is also common"
In my opinion if you are single and go into second life meet someone and have sex with them just keep the relationship virtual. Don’t take it into the real world cause you are just asking for trouble.
***************I Want My T3!!!!***********
Cable currently advertises as being the fastest internet connection. However there is a faster internet connection called T3. T3 lines are commonly used by businesses they operate at 44.6 Mbps. while High speed cable connections can reach up to 20Mbps. That means that T3 runs more than double as fast as high speed cable. This is quite a shock, for those of us who pay $44.00 a month to the cable compnaies in order to play second life or download from limewire as fast as possible. Unfortunately T3 connections are only availible for business and costs more.
"In terms of cost, T1 and T3 are definitely premium services, so they can be a bit pricey. You’ll pay more for these connections than you will for standard cable or DSL. However, what you’re getting in return is an extremely high-quality, state-of-the-art communications service. Productivity can easily increase as well and broadband Internet access will be extremely fast and easy to use. "Amazon, still on top...
Amazon, like many other consumers have been very shaky about business within the past months due to the economic recession, but apparently it's revenues have grown 41% despite the cold feet consumers have been having about shopping. "Even if people are buying less overall, Amazon is benefiting." says Jeffrey Lindsay, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein.
Jefferey P. Bezos, the chief executive at Amazon explains, sales have gone up due to on Amazon's end due to the rising gas prices. Customers much have rather shopped online as oppose to driving to the stores, and luckily Amazon had no issue with that. Revenue rose 41 percent, to $4.06 billion, from $2.89 billion in the year-ago quarter. Excluding the benefit of exchange rates, Amazon’s sales would have been roughly $3.9 billion.Amazon, has been making considerable enhancements to its offerings in recent months, in search of new revenue opportunities.
In April, it announced a new service, called TextBuyIt, that allows customers to shop for products via text messaging on their cellphones. Who would have known that shopping could get as easy as a press of the "Send" button. Along with TextBuyIt, it also announced a movie-streaming service called Amazon Video on Demand and a servive for TiVo users to buy the products they see advertised and promoted on talk shows.
Amazon profits even more from printing
In an article written by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, Amazon.com 's new policy is that "...publishers who print books on demand that they will have to use its on-demand printing facilities if they want their books directly sold on Amazon's Web site." This fast printing technology is much easier and fater to print books then printing large quantities. The publisher can now print copies of books that coincide with people's requests from customers to retaliers. A profesor who studies the book industry at the Fordham Graduate School of Business, Albert N. Greco, states that :
"You can print and bind a 256-page paperback with a cover in under ten minutes, which means publishers can replenish their inventory within a few hours versus going to a traditional printer that might need weeks to prepare the same order."There are already a number of printon-demand companies that haveare now competting with Amazon and their prices.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Digital Shopping
Amazon.com sells mostly CDs, DVDs, and books and has thirty distribution centers around the world but they are shifting into selling music, movies, and books through the internet. “Digital is where the growth in music is, and other industries are likely to follow,” said Bill Rosenblatt, chief executive of GiantSteps Media Technology Strategies, a New York consulting firm. “Amazon needs to position itself to capture that.” They opened a digital TV and movie store called, Amazon Unbox in the fall of 2006 and also opened an MP3 music store last fall. The MP3 music store really took off with all four major record labels signing on and they are now the number four source of music sales in the United States. Amazon really is shifting ito digital shopping and is one of the first companies to do so. “We wake up every day thinking about digital,” said Mr. Kessel, senior vice president for worldwide digital media, who reports to Jeffrey P. Bezos, Amazon’s founder. “Jeff once said he couldn’t imagine anything more important than reinventing the book. I think that sums it up really well, if you think about that across all our media products.”
TiVo Innovates Advertising
Stone, Brad. (2008, July 22). TiVo and Amazon Team Up. Retrieved November 19, 2008, from New York Times.
In the New York Times, Stone explains how TiVo is trying to come up with a new way to conduct advertising. They want TV viewers to be able to purchase products as presented to them during commercials and even alongside product placements during live shows. They are an advertising innovator that is trying to develop advertising technologies for the television industry. TiVo is different from all other businesses trying to offer this service because they allow viewers easily return to their program after their purchase. They do not have to be discouraged because Tivo records the programs and after the purchase the viewer can rewind and catch what they missed as if they had stopped time.
Thomas S. Rogers, chief executive of TiVo, stated, “Our goal now is to work with the media industry to come up with ways to resist the downward pressure of less advertising viewing and create a way for advertising on TV to become more effective, more engaging and closer to the sale.”
In my opinion TiVo has a big opportunity and the upper hand over other businesses because it offers a service that others do not. If I was a viewer I would not want to purchase a product because than I would miss my program. Having the option to return to my program allows for better customer satisfaction. The only problem with TiVo is that it needs to expand to more cable operators. If the majority of people do not have TiVo than it would be less profiting for companies like Amazon to advertise their products on TiVo because they would not be reaching nationally. Therefore it is TiVo's job to reach out to more cable operating companies so they can really innovate and make an effect on advertising technology.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Anything is possible in your Second life.
Second life is a place where you can create anything do almost anything. If it has always been your goal to be a vampire or lose 10 lbs it can be so in second life. You can do everything in second life that you do in your real life. Go to clubs be invited to parties by email. For example here is an email I received:
"Second Life - Group notice: KEVIN M THOMAS at THE SHELTER at 6PM"
You can even go virtual shopping and buy virtual clothing, virtual hair that floats as you move, virtual Barbie doll faces, just use your lindens or metacard to pay for anything to your heart or mind wishes it is so in second life content. Lindens are second life money which is in real life the equivalent of roughly 31 cents per linden dollar. A Meta card is similar to any real life credit card. Many people in the real world are making real money by creating items for purchase in the virtual world. Jennifer Grinnell once a furniture delivery dispatcher now creates virtual clothing. In second life you can spend and make money similar to the real world. If you’re interesting in real estate why not create and sell land. Anything is possible in second life is you have the money in real life.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
You Are Now Friends With Barack Obama
In an article by Farhad Manjoo in Slate Magazine, he details the importance of the technological campaign put together by new President elect Barack Obama and his staff. Obama's team recognized the potential that the Internet has to attract and organize volunteers which helped Obama to achieve victory in the democratic primaries as well as this month's presidential election.
One of those important internet technologies Obama's campaign utilized were social-networking sites, which enabled them to raise enthusiasm towards his campaign. Obama was registered to many different social networking sites, but also created their own social networking site, http://my.barackobama.com/, which encouraged supporters to connect with one another to launch their own voter registration drives, phone banks, door to door canvassing and other means of campaigning.
Democratic Web expert Joe Trippi believes that the White House Web site will be utilized byObama simlar to a social networking site, or as Trippi calls it, "A Facebook for citizens". If used correctly, Trippi believes the web site can become a place where people can learn about Obama's policies and then work toward passing whatever is on the Presiden't agenda. There is reason for optimism for this to be a success because of the positive impact Obama's social networking site had on his campaign. Trippi adds,
"I think it's going to be one of the most powerful presidencies we've seen since FDR, and maybe even more powerful. Even the best presidents have never had a way to connect directly with millions of Americans—Obama will have that".
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Tech Slump
From Cisco to Twitter the digital economy is contracting. The New York Times reports that the even the go-go tech sector is feeling the pain of the recession. Demand is collapsing, cuts are being made, stock prices are falling and jobs are being lost. Even Google's stock is dropping. This sudden down turn shows that the tech sector is not immune from the pain of the rest of the economy. According to the Times:
"the tech sector finds itself at the mercy of a double-barreled slump in both corporate and consumer spending caused by the housing decline and the economic crisis on Wall Street. Technology companies are also feeling the effect of frozen credit markets as business and government customers struggle to finance computer and software purchases that can run to millions of dollars."
William T. Coleman III, "a Silicon Valley veteran who founded the software maker BEA Systems and is now chief executive at a start-up called Cassatt," is quoted as saying that the industry "never seen anything like this in history." Some are comparing it to the Dot Com crash of 2000.
Despite the downturn, the giants of the tech sector as still flush with cash when compared to Wall Street firms. According to Coleman the difficulties faced by smaller competitors will provide an opportunity for mergers and acquisitions. The big will get bigger and the weak will be consolidated: According to Coleman: “The guys that aren’t as strong will be good pickings."
Labels: digital economy, tech
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Facebook will kill Myspace
The article discusses MySpace vs. face book. The author gives the reader a bit by bit explanation as to why face book is better than MySpace. If I was interested in going on face book or MySpace I would ultimately choose the site the author wants me to choose. He states:"PC World named MySpace the #1 worst website ever in a list of the 25 worst websites of all-time.....Facebook does not have problems like this because it does not allow its users the freedom that MySpace does. With Facebook, you cannot write in HTML or CSS. This prevents the MASSIVE amounts of errors that happen when using MySpace....Facebook is growing at a far more faster rate, and it has opened its API (application program interface) to basically allow any developer to write widgets within Facebook. From games, trivia, quizzes, to a unique Trip Advisor where it keeps track of everywhere you've been in the world,the freedom of this is nearly limitless. Facebook is simply better. "
Thus if one were to read this article one would definitely choose face book.
However face book does not allow the anonymity that MySpace does. So who to choose if I want to mysterious?
Teachers diciplined for Facebook postings
In the article Teachers disciplined for Facebook posting by Ann Doss Helms from http://www.charlotteobserver.com/ states teachers from Charlotte-Mecklenbur Schools are being suspended for posting on her Facebook website:
"teaching chitlins in the ghetto of Charlotte" and drinking as her one of her hobbies.
The Superintendent's decision to hire her is not final because teachers have a right to appeal.
This is a very common accurance occuring across the country, but what I don't understand is why haven't these teachers made their webpages private and picked the option of blocking public viewing. We have very little privacy left within this new era of the digital world and the little privacy we can control, we don't use it, is just doesn't make sense to me!
"teaching chitlins in the ghetto of Charlotte" and drinking as her one of her hobbies.
The Superintendent's decision to hire her is not final because teachers have a right to appeal.
This is a very common accurance occuring across the country, but what I don't understand is why haven't these teachers made their webpages private and picked the option of blocking public viewing. We have very little privacy left within this new era of the digital world and the little privacy we can control, we don't use it, is just doesn't make sense to me!
NING THE NEW SPOT!!
Today you can everything and anything. You could even create your own site. Ning is a company that "creates a platform for creating your own social network on any subject that you love." Ning is a network creator that allows people to create their own site about anything and everything. Even celebrities use it and once they use it attracts many more people adding more and enlarging the networks number. Gina Bianchini CEO of NING mentiones in Susan Bratton's interview that she "thinks that one of the things that you see when a MySpace or a FaceBook get to two to three percent of the total internet traffic is that they start to sort of flatten out. In part because at a certain point in time you are not a member of an exclusive club it is sort of a general one size fits all experience." There whole concept is to make a social network where people can allow themselves to make there own concept and expression and invite friends to join THEIR network. It's the new thing even here on campus our dorms have a site that TUBMAN and MARSHALL staff created. Check it out its www.tubmanmarshall.ning.com! Take a look and maybe you can join someones social network. FOR MORE INFO AND TO BECOME A PART OF THE NING NETWORK VISIT http://www.ning.com/
Do you Myspace?
In the article Do You Myspace,? Alex Williams informs us that myspace is a unique social network that converges everything that young people like to do on the internet onto one site. Williams states,
"Mr. Anderson's idea was to expand the social networking model
into one stop web spot, incorporating elements from other sites
popular with the young: the instant message capabilities of
American Online, the classifieds of Craiglist.com, the invitation
service of Evite.com and the come hither dating profiles of match.com."
This intelligent idea attracted millions of people. Since you can do everything on this one site. Myspace is a place where everyone seems to be. From promoting parties to just viewing pictures. Myspace entices all and has even created some celebrities.
"Mr. Anderson's idea was to expand the social networking model
into one stop web spot, incorporating elements from other sites
popular with the young: the instant message capabilities of
American Online, the classifieds of Craiglist.com, the invitation
service of Evite.com and the come hither dating profiles of match.com."
This intelligent idea attracted millions of people. Since you can do everything on this one site. Myspace is a place where everyone seems to be. From promoting parties to just viewing pictures. Myspace entices all and has even created some celebrities.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Social Networking: Be My Friend
Myspace and Facebook are social networking sites. They allow people to create profiles and put up pictures and information about themseleves. On both sites you can add friends and most young people have them but on facebook many older people are starting to join too. It is a great way to catch up with new and old friends or keep in touch with relatives. according to Wikipedia, "MySpace.com attracts 230,000 new users per day." and facebook "currently has more than 120 million active users worldwide." Although these websites are very popular right now, who knows if they are just a fad. It seems like everyone from the ages 12 to 35 have a myspace and almost everyone older than 13 have a Facebook. Even I have a Myspace and a Facebook.
Myspace Popularity
Williams, Alex. (2005, August 28). Do You Myspace? Retrieved November 11, 2008, from New York Times.
In this article Williams explains why Myspace has become so successful. Why is Myspace so popular? With its many different applications and nearly 27 million members Myspace has become an eye for many teenagers. Researches believe the popularity is because of the imagination for teenagers to have a home away from home. On Myspace they can simulate their own bedrooms by adding posters and photographs. They can have music blasting on their page and also their friends listed in their top 20 friends.
Myspace is more popular than Facebook or Friendster because of it's incorporation of other websites applications. Myspace users feel as if they could come to Myspace and get all their favorite applications on one website that is easy to use. I also think Myspace is popular because it is becoming more than just a social network but a place for people conduct their businesses. Businesses or the average self-promoter can save their cost on printing fliers or using ads in newspapers. Instead they can promote via Internet. It is faster, less expensive and reaches a massive amount of people in a speedy time.
In this article Williams explains why Myspace has become so successful. Why is Myspace so popular? With its many different applications and nearly 27 million members Myspace has become an eye for many teenagers. Researches believe the popularity is because of the imagination for teenagers to have a home away from home. On Myspace they can simulate their own bedrooms by adding posters and photographs. They can have music blasting on their page and also their friends listed in their top 20 friends.
"Mr. Anderson's idea was to expand the social-networking model into a one-stop Web spot, incorporating elements from other sites popular with the young: the instant-message capabilities of American Online, the classifieds of Craigslist.com, the invitation service of Evite.com and the come-hither dating profiles of Match.com."
Myspace is more popular than Facebook or Friendster because of it's incorporation of other websites applications. Myspace users feel as if they could come to Myspace and get all their favorite applications on one website that is easy to use. I also think Myspace is popular because it is becoming more than just a social network but a place for people conduct their businesses. Businesses or the average self-promoter can save their cost on printing fliers or using ads in newspapers. Instead they can promote via Internet. It is faster, less expensive and reaches a massive amount of people in a speedy time.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Myspace: its your life
According to Alex Williams in the article "Do you Myspace?",there about 27 million members that use myspace compared to facebook and friendster in 2005. Users of Myspace spend an average amount of an hour and 43 minutes searching the site. Myspace came out of the blue and has surpasses hits on google pages and has a 400 % growth from the start of the year. On the site you can make a page and customize it anyway you want but no vulgarity or pornography is on the site. Many teens are attracted to Myspace then other friend making sites because of the customization and how easy it is to make friends and add them to chat. Myspace was very innovative with their customization aspect. you could put any picture you want in the background and make certain fonts, different things you can add like when the cursor is over something it change color. Myspaces' tag line is "A place for Friends" which is very true. Many High school children make a page just to add friends and beef up their page.
Many people use Myspace to connect More with people like the artist fro the article, "Keith", posts about where he is playing and people log on and check where to go see him play. This is very convenient for people to click and find what they need instead of finding some site that has a list or flyer's, or even find out from a friend last minute. Now more people can know where something is going on and when with just logging into Myspace and looking at someones page.
Currently, I see Myspace as being for high school kids more then teens and adults.
Since 2005 I personally have switched from Myspace to Facebook because more of my friends are on facebook more often then myspace. Facebook is more for college students and schools because you can look up which school you are looking for and find a friend that way.
Myspace has opened up a world for people to become friends that are in totally different areas of the world. Many people are "bored" and want something to do, therefore they go online and find sites that connect you to people that have the same idea. On myspace you can search your favorite band and for free, listen to a few songs as well as write something on the artists page. Even if you are an unknown artist you can search for a genre and find some new music to listen to. Many people are on Myspace for long hours instead of going out into the real world. This may in turn ruin peoples lives because people will be cooped up in their room all day and they aren't getting out to see the world.
Google is a Tween
In "Google at 10: Searching Its Own Soul," New York Times reporter Miguel Helft quizzes Google CEO Eric Schmidt about the future of his "advertising company" in these troubled economic times.
Obama has promised to appoint a chief technology officer (CTO) for his administration. Eric Schmidt claims not to be interested. Google's CEO did endorse Obama and will now serve on Obama's economic advisory board for the transition period. Miguel Helft quotes Schmidt's economic advice for the President-elect:
Schmidt predicts that Google will survive the recession even if advertising revenue drops. Growth will slow but not stop. CEO Schmidt is confident that Google advertising is a superior product because:
Obama has promised to appoint a chief technology officer (CTO) for his administration. Eric Schmidt claims not to be interested. Google's CEO did endorse Obama and will now serve on Obama's economic advisory board for the transition period. Miguel Helft quotes Schmidt's economic advice for the President-elect:
"The strongest position I have taken from an economic point, with Senator Obama, now President-elect Obama, has been to try to solve all of our problems at once. And the easiest way to do that, at least in domestic policy, is by a stimulus program that rewards renewable energy and over time attempts to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. The Google calculations, which we announced about a month ago, indicate that over a 22-year period, you can save a trillion dollars by investing in these technologies, including plug-in hybrids, and thereby reduce our reliance on oil."
Schmidt predicts that Google will survive the recession even if advertising revenue drops. Growth will slow but not stop. CEO Schmidt is confident that Google advertising is a superior product because:
"We have a product that is more measurable, more targetable, and we are the innovator in the space. At some point, people need to sell products, and at some point they realize that the best advertising is measurable advertising, and they conclude that we do that."
Labels: Google
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Google Wary of Behavioral Targeting In Online Ads
In an article by Eric Auchard during the summer of 2007, it appears that Google Inc. is looking for ways to enhance their online advertising by finding the ideal target audience for those specific ads based on their google searches. This is quite significant because Google earns over $15 billion+ in revenue from advertisements.
Google is trying to find patterns in searches for specific users by tracking various words being typed during a given search session. This has inevitably brought up the issue of violation of privacy. As a response, Google Vice President of Product Management for Advertising Susan Wojcicki states,
"That is not something that we have participated in, for a variety of
reasons... We believe that task-based information at the time (of a user's
search) is the most relevant information to what they are looking at. We always
want to be very careful about what information would or would not be used."
Aside from the issue of a potential invasion of privacy, Google is also a bit wary of varying searches by users at any given time. In an effort to attempt to pick up on user tendencies, Google has been intentionally placing ads on pages of users based on their current and previous search as sort of a test run.
Google is well aware of the issues at hand for this process, as Wojcicki acknowledges that Google has been hesitant about drawing too many conclusions about users from search terms at anytime.
Google is trying to find patterns in searches for specific users by tracking various words being typed during a given search session. This has inevitably brought up the issue of violation of privacy. As a response, Google Vice President of Product Management for Advertising Susan Wojcicki states,
"That is not something that we have participated in, for a variety of
reasons... We believe that task-based information at the time (of a user's
search) is the most relevant information to what they are looking at. We always
want to be very careful about what information would or would not be used."
Aside from the issue of a potential invasion of privacy, Google is also a bit wary of varying searches by users at any given time. In an effort to attempt to pick up on user tendencies, Google has been intentionally placing ads on pages of users based on their current and previous search as sort of a test run.
Google is well aware of the issues at hand for this process, as Wojcicki acknowledges that Google has been hesitant about drawing too many conclusions about users from search terms at anytime.
Google and Privacy
Mills, Elinor. (2005, July 14). Google balances privacy, reach. Retrieved November 5, 2008, from CNET News.
This article talks about the security and safety of people information online. Google, like other search engines retain your personal information after visiting the website. Google states that this is to better service the customers. When the person comes back to search on Google, Google already know the type of content they are looking for. The article gives reasons why people should trust Google.
"Google uses the log information to analyze traffic in order to prevent people from rigging search results, for blocking denial-of-service attacks and to improve search services," said Nicole Wong, associate general counsel at Google.
"Personally identifiable information that is required for consumers to register for and log in to Google services is not shared with any outside companies or used for marketing, according to Google's privacy policy, except with the consent of the user."
In my opinion people are going to go with what they know. If they have been using Google for a long time and have retained brand loyalty to them than they would find it easy to trust Google with their personal information. Honestly the article states that most search engines are starting to save personal information so Google users might as well stay with them. Every time you get online and type your personal information in there is a risk of someone hacking in and stealing your information. It is the risk you take in using the Internet. My theory is if you don't want to be put in a situation where your personal information may be vandalized than do not insert it on the Internet.
FCC Opens White Space to Wireless Internet
The Federal Communications Commission has ruled that the parts of the broadcast spectrum known as "white space" are going to be made available for wireless Internet applications. These white spaces were once used for broadcast television but with the advent of digital television the broadcasters don't need as much bandwidth. There was a major battle of the corporate lobbyists over this issue pitting the new media technology companies like Google and Microsoft against the old media giants and people who use wireless microphones.
Check out this New York Times report on the decision.
Check out this New York Times report on the decision.
Labels: Access, FCC, Google, Wi-Fi
The Google Revolution
Google was started in 1998. It is an internet search tool. You can look up anything from information to pictures to news and Maps. "Every month more than two billion people rely on Google for fast, reliable answers to their search queries. Google's innovative revenue model, which uses keywords to match relevant advertising to search results, has helped it become one of the most profitable businesses in history." Google was co-founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Does Google have the right to record what we search?
According to an article from the http://www.chron.com/ "Fear of uncheckded power could limit Google" by Rachel Metz states Google is being criticized over our privacy issues.
Google released a new browser called Chrome. A platform where web-based software applications run. This is a direct challenge to Microsoft, but the concern here is that the Chrome is a consumer WATCHDOG!
The way it works is: as the consumer types in the navigation bar and then Chrome relays their keystrokes to Google even before they click enter. Letting Google track you and the information you search.
Google's states it just logs 2% of the information to improve the feature and it is anonymously done by stripping off the last four digits of the IP address associated with the query.
Is lawmakers and the Justice Department giving Google unchecked power? How would you feel if Google knew every search you conducted on their browser?
Google released a new browser called Chrome. A platform where web-based software applications run. This is a direct challenge to Microsoft, but the concern here is that the Chrome is a consumer WATCHDOG!
The way it works is: as the consumer types in the navigation bar and then Chrome relays their keystrokes to Google even before they click enter. Letting Google track you and the information you search.
Google's states it just logs 2% of the information to improve the feature and it is anonymously done by stripping off the last four digits of the IP address associated with the query.
Is lawmakers and the Justice Department giving Google unchecked power? How would you feel if Google knew every search you conducted on their browser?
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
2018: Life on the Net: Lessig, Ito, Rosedale
Watch an edited version of this discussion about the future of the internet on Tom Formeski's Silicon Valley Watcher
The "2018: Life on the Net" panel from Fortune Brainstorm featured:
Lawrence Lessig (Author, Stanford Law School)
Joichi Ito (Creative Commons CEO, Six Apart)
Philip Rosedale (founder Linden Labs, Second Life)
Moderator: Quincy Smith (CBS Interactive CEO.)
The "2018: Life on the Net" panel from Fortune Brainstorm featured:
Lawrence Lessig (Author, Stanford Law School)
Joichi Ito (Creative Commons CEO, Six Apart)
Philip Rosedale (founder Linden Labs, Second Life)
Moderator: Quincy Smith (CBS Interactive CEO.)
Labels: Internet
Digital Campaign Blog: techPresident
A great resource for those of you trying to figure out the impact of the net on the Presidential campaign: TechPresident
For example, check out this chart which compares how many friends Obama and McCain have on MySpace.
Or this list of text messages from the Obama campaign received by a reader (sjxylib) who posted them to Tech President:
"8:30am - Let me know the polls are open in VA and the times
9:05am - "people who love their country and change it" tell everyone you know to vote for Barack
10:25am - "our moment is now" tell your friends to vote
12:12pm - "Thanks for all your hard work today. It is critical we stay knocking on doors until 7pm"
12:52pm - "Every vote matters. people who love their country and change it"
2:25pm - "our moment is now" if you are in line at 7 they must count your vote.and
3:18pm - "we can make history today if we get out the vote""
For example, check out this chart which compares how many friends Obama and McCain have on MySpace.
Or this list of text messages from the Obama campaign received by a reader (sjxylib) who posted them to Tech President:
"8:30am - Let me know the polls are open in VA and the times
9:05am - "people who love their country and change it" tell everyone you know to vote for Barack
10:25am - "our moment is now" tell your friends to vote
12:12pm - "Thanks for all your hard work today. It is critical we stay knocking on doors until 7pm"
12:52pm - "Every vote matters. people who love their country and change it"
2:25pm - "our moment is now" if you are in line at 7 they must count your vote.and
3:18pm - "we can make history today if we get out the vote""
Labels: Digital Politics
Remix Culture
DJ Spooky (Paul Miller) on Remix Culture (UNCChapelHill, 2008.)
DJ Spooky @ Google on Sampling & Remix (August, 2008.)
One Mashup DJ:
DJ Shadow
DJ Spooky @ Google on Sampling & Remix (August, 2008.)
One Mashup DJ:
DJ Shadow
Lessig on Google @ Google
Lawrence Lessig was invited by Google to speak at their Authors@Google series. Instead of discussing his book Code 2.0 he decided to discuss the impact of Google.
Listen here:
Lawrence Lessig- Google NYC
Listen here:
Lawrence Lessig- Google NYC
Wal-Mart Undercuts Apple
According to the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart is aiming to maintan it's lead in the music retail market by launching DRM free. They will sell songs without the software. Mike Barris informs the reader that,
"Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has begun selling some of its online music catalog without anticopying software, stepping up its competition with Apple Inc.'s iTunes store. Wal-Mart will sell songs without the software -- known as digital rights management, or DRM -- through its walmart."
Some record companies and Wal-Mart feel that DRM with the software is often defeated and ineffective at solving digital piracy. Also, Apples DRM software locks owners of the ipod into only buying online at itunes. Record companies complain that this limits digital music sales. As a result, Wal-Mart will undercut apples prices and their new format will be compatible for many devices, including ipods and iphones. It appears that Wal-Mart alonfg with some record companies see DRM as anti-competitive because they are usually defeated.
"Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has begun selling some of its online music catalog without anticopying software, stepping up its competition with Apple Inc.'s iTunes store. Wal-Mart will sell songs without the software -- known as digital rights management, or DRM -- through its walmart."
Some record companies and Wal-Mart feel that DRM with the software is often defeated and ineffective at solving digital piracy. Also, Apples DRM software locks owners of the ipod into only buying online at itunes. Record companies complain that this limits digital music sales. As a result, Wal-Mart will undercut apples prices and their new format will be compatible for many devices, including ipods and iphones. It appears that Wal-Mart alonfg with some record companies see DRM as anti-competitive because they are usually defeated.
The Google Revolution
So the Google revolution continues!!! Google who paired up with T-mobile has come out with a new phone called the G1. This android-powered phones (Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications.) are set to compete with the iPhone, Nokia Symbian, Windows Mobile, and all the rest -- and the way I see it, it'll be in much the same way Google itself competed with AltaVista, Yahoo Search, and so on: quietly, but decisively.
When Google was still just a thought from a couple of guys in garage experiment, the very concept of guys in a garage creating a hit Web site was still hugely surreal.The infrastructure for doing such things was nothing like what we have now. Plus, there seemed to be no end of search systems, with little overriding reason to quit using them. But once people started trying Google, it quickly became clear that the Google way of doing things was just plain better. Keep the start page simple and easy; give people a good spread of relevant search results, quick on the first page; and so on. Before Google, many people may have used a search engine called Dogpile. After Google, everything else just seems redundant.
In the lifetime that is lived now, everything is accessed at a touch of a button or the press of a certain"keyword. When before, someone would have to go to an expert if they wanted knowledge of certain topics. In the year 2008, Google's secrecy about everything causes every small action to reverberate more than a press release, and causes Bill Gates and Microsoft to hold "secret" meetings they've entitled "The Google Challenge."By Google offering up for free what industry leaders have been squeezing consumer information about, the suppliers have every right to be nervous.
Business Week's Ben Elgin and Arik Hesseldahl have outlined a line-up of major players that Google appears to be a threat against. The list is a roster of companies about to have their own major issues if they don't play their cards right; this roster includes Microsoft, Verizon, Motorola, and eBay."In years past, Microsoft Corp. could freeze competitors and send investors scurrying just by uttering the name of a market it fancied. Today, Google Inc. is the 800-pound octopus that is filling potential rivals with dread and envy."
Everything anyone can possiblty ask for Google, seems to provide.Google offers email, instant messaging, telephony service, maps, Google Desktop, and soon, maybe horoscopes and chat services, as it makes its way to portal status. As Yahoo! strikes deals with Verizon and SBC to provide high-speed Internet service, Google is investing in Current Communications Group that offers broadband over power lines, sponsoring WiFi hotspots in the west coast, and quietly buying up "dark," or unused fiber-optic cable.
According to Sun Microsystem's Om Malik-"To some extent, Google is bringing back the architecture of the mainframe to render Microsoft obsolete. In the future, all computing devices, whether it be the PC, mobile phone, TV, etc., will simply be terminals that "plug-in" to Google's massive server grid and application services."
Monday, November 03, 2008
Facebook Founder Interview 2007
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg interviewed by John Battalle at Web 2.0 Summit, October 17, 2007.
Labels: facebook, social networks
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Digital Politics
Andrew Sullivan. May 25, 2008. Barack Obama is master of the new Facebook politics. Retrieved from Timesonline.com
The Obama campaign has been tinkering and tweaking with its technology infrastructure since it kicked off in February 2007, and today has the most sophisticated organizing network of any presidential campaign in history. Previous political campaigns have utilized the Internet — Howard Dean's 2004 presidential run. But Obama is the first to successfully integrate technology with a political organization that emphasizes volunteering and feedback on a colossal scale.
The Obama campaign has been tinkering and tweaking with its technology infrastructure since it kicked off in February 2007, and today has the most sophisticated organizing network of any presidential campaign in history. Previous political campaigns have utilized the Internet — Howard Dean's 2004 presidential run. But Obama is the first to successfully integrate technology with a political organization that emphasizes volunteering and feedback on a colossal scale.
There is only one real answer to Obama’s financial success: the Internet. WhatI think this new way of campaigning is of great benefit for the candidates and for Americans. It enables people to come together and become operative for their candidate and it invites a new younger demographic to become active in their country's future.
Howard Dean, a previous candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination,
presaged in 2004 - when he raised $27m online for his campaign - has come to
fruition only four years later with a candidate who is primed to take advantage
of web power and a generation that is now used to relating, thinking, talking
and meeting online.
