Exponential Advertising: Social Media

After Monday's lecture on social media, the power of social media was starting to become more clear to me. I knew that millions of people used Facebook and MySpace and Youtube, etc. but I never really thought about how information is spread through the use of those channels. One image that stood out to me from the lecture was this:

This image demonstrates how quickly and exponentially information, advertisements, ideas, etc. can be spread by utilizing social media. It is also a great depiction of how a Youtube video can go viral, propelling its creator to fame, even it is often short lived. When applying the concept to business, it is clear how a good business idea such as Starbucks receiving customer suggestions and ideas can spread so rapidly. A good idea will spark interest and interest will lead to sharing. With so many users on sites such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter, the sharing occurs at an incredibly fast rate.

I've also noticed lately that a lot of television commercials have moved from including a company website such as "www.statefarm.com" to a link to a social media site such as "facebook.com/statefarm". Another interesting thing I noticed on TV the other night was that on the new Comedy Central show with Norm Macdonald, there is a #sportsshow constantly in the corner in an attempt to spread word of the show using Twitter hash tags.

Privacy Invasion!

So last week I created a Prezi describing a breach in security for the Google's Android Marketplace. It is estimated that about 50 applications were affected by malware known as DroidDream. The malware carried the capability to send sensitive information from infected phones to remote servers. Obviously, this was a major invasion of people's privacy. However, Google took quick action once the malware was discovered by the smartphone security company, Lookout. The first thing Google did was identify the users responsible for uploading the infected applications and discovered that the developers used the names Kingmall2010, Myournet, and we20090202. After they identified the developers and the applications, Google quickly removed the applications from the marketplace. Since the applications were downloaded by many users and not all of them could be notified of the breach, Google began remotely removing the applications from phones after several days. While they appear to have the breach under control, it raised a big question to me: If Google can remotely access and alter data on your phone, how do we know that they are not invading our privacy? While this question may cause a lot of concern for some people, I personally choose to trust Google, because I don't see a motive for them to put their business in jeopardy like that. It is very interesting to thing about, though.

Disruptive technologies - How the DVR killed the VCR and changed the way we watch TV

A disruptive innovation is defined as an innovation that disrupts an existing market. Disruptive innovations are the driving force behind technological advancement because if there were no new products to replace older, obsolete ones then technology would never change. The 1970s saw the release of the videocassette recorder or VCR which enabled people to record television programs onto a VHS tape to watch later. It allowed people to do other things during live TV without having to miss the program. VCRs made a good run and controlled the market for nearly 30 years. Then, in 1999 the DVR was introduced to the world. The digital video recorder performed the same task as a VCR, but had greater capacity and quality and boasted an extensive amount of extra features. The most popular early DVR was the TiVo, which allowed users to schedule recordings, store many hours of programs in one place (compared to around a 4-hour max for each VHS tape), and to pause and rewind live TV. As TiVos and other DVR devices gained popularity, cable providers began to offer their own DVR boxes as well as On-Demand services for added monthly fees. With this introduction, people no longer needed to conform to the schedules of broadcasters. Now if you can't watch a TV show you can just DVR it with one click, and if you for some reason can't DVR it then you can just watch it On-Demand whenever you please.

Showdown: GoogleDocs vs. MS Office

Will cloud computing be the way of the future? How long can Microsoft hold on to its large market share of document processing software? It's hard to tell at the moment but Google is certainly going to make Microsoft rethink their strategy. GoogleDocs gives people the option for a free, online office suite to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Other than being free, Google's other advantage is that they offer storage space so that your saved files can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection. Add in simple to use features, real time collaboration, and peace of mind knowing you won't lose your files and GoogleDocs seems like a great alternative to dropping several hundred dollars on Microsoft Office. Microsoft isn't going down without a fight though. They introduced the Live Workspace a couple years ago that allows users to upload their files and store them on the cloud. However, this feature of Office doesn't allow for online collaboration and lacks several other features that GoogleDocs offers. Ultimately, I believe Office will reign supreme for several more years based on that their software has such extensive features that most businesses and institutions will continue to purchase large license agreements from Microsoft. However, the average user who cannot afford or does not require all the features of Office will move towards GoogleDocs and its free services.

The Nerd Effect - Famous nerd from history

So I was going to write this blog about a famous nerd from history. The problem is, I can't really think of a famous nerd. The fact that Google returns almost no useful results for a search of "famous nerds in history"speaks volumes about the "Nerd Effect". Most people who aren't nerds tend to stay away from nerd culture and ignore those individuals that they consider to be nerds. This could partially explain why it is difficult to find a nerd from non-recent history. What I really want to talk about though is why it seems that nerds have such a tough time fitting into normal social situations. When I think about some nerd activities the first things that come to mind are: video games, computers, and the Internet. These are all things that I personally enjoy using too, though I do not consider myself a nerd. Why then, do nerds who like many of the same things as everyone else nowadays not fit in? Nearly every college student seems to have a smartphone and a laptop that they rely on for everyday tasks. Why is it then that nerds have the same interests but still don't fit in? My opinion is that the difference between nerds and non-nerds is not so much their interests but rather their personalities. Nerds just don't have the desire to be socially accepted or wear trendy clothes. They are kind of like hippies in that they have their own separated group and culture, only they are very interested in technology and knowledge instead of hugging trees. Either way, I believe the trend in this country is moving towards nerds who are also capable of interacting with other people in the workplace and society due to the growing popularity of technology use.

Google

For a company that was started by two graduate students roughly 13 years ago, Google has become the leader in internet searches and technology. Google owes much of its success to the business philosophy that they follow. There is a list of ten things on Googles corporate page that make up what can be described as the Ten Google Commandments. Two that popped out to me were: "Focus on the user and all else will follow" and "You can make money without doing evil." The first is probably the biggest contributor to Google's success because of its similarity to Web 2.0 theories. By pledging to not do evil, Google looks much better in the eyes of its users and businesses are more likely to advertise with them because of their fairness. Although Google now has many different offerings their search algorithm remains at its core. By building around the success of the search engine with PageRank and AdSense Google has generated billions of dollars of revenue. A groundbreaking company like Google continues to innovate and encourages creativity from its employees by allowing them to have fun and enjoy being at work. Pictures of Google offices will probably make you feel like a little kid again. They have everything from indoor slides to gondola offices. Needless to say, you would have to be crazy to not want to work for Google

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E-Commerce

This week provided me with an opportunity to talk about a business that I helped create. Several years ago while snowmobiling with my father, he began tracking all the trails we had ridden on around the state using a handheld GPS. I told him it could be a great business opportunity to collect GPS maps of the whole state and sell them to other snowmobile riders in New England. He continued to collect data for a couple years and in 2010 created a website, www.gpstrailmasters.com. The website targets a niche market of riders who use Garmin GPS units while snowmobiling, and is restricted to the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont for the time being. The site takes advantage of both B2C and B2B strategies. The B2C end comes from selling digital copies of the trail maps to consumers. There is also incentive for customers to submit unmapped trails in exchange for an extended "upgrade period" in which the customer will receive free copies of updated maps. The B2B aspect comes from the opportunity for local clubs to submit data for their trails in exchange for localized maps for use exclusively by the club. Trail services such as gas, food, and lodging are also encouraged to have a GPS waypoint added for their locations. I believe this business model is viable because the current system of paper trail maps for recreational vehicles is outdated and inconvenient. Digital maps that incorporate a uniform legend and an all-in-one package are increasing in demand along with the use of GPS units on recreational vehicles. Since the business also harnesses collective intelligence through tail submissions, the maps will continue to get more accurate and include more local trails and services.

Green IT

A lot of PC users see the act of using computers as a "greener" alternative to using paper, but how can computers be utilized in such a way to minimize their impact on the environment? There are a lot of options an organization can choose to help improve their green status. One idea that many banks and credit card companies take advantage of is issuing digital statements via e-mail or online. This obviously reduces the amount of paper consumed by the organization. Another approach a business can take for Green IT is to use energy-saving technology. Most companies that manufacture computer components are continuously trying to improve their energy consumption. Furthermore, enforcing policies on power saving and when to shut down computers and network components can help a business reduce their power consumption. Possibly one of the biggest issues related to going green related to computing is what to do with old computers. A business can minimize the waste by working to keep the technology up and running for as long as possible. This can be achieved by maintaining the computers and updating components only when they are no longer capable of running business applications. Much can be done to implement green IT in almost every company.

The Online Dating Game

More and more relationships are started online these days. Industry frontrunners such as eHarmony and Match.com offer personality tests that will match you with a compatible mate, but many online dating sites take advantage of a long tail business model. For example, WealthyMen.com has found a niche market that only allows men with salaries over $85k a year to join. One very unique attribute of the service is that they verify your profession and income to prevent men from lying about just how wealthy they are. The home page for the website displays several pictures of "people currently searching" that include mostly beautiful women. However, once you create an account and start browsing you find that most of the women are not that attractive. This website leverages collective intelligence by having women compete for men based on their salaries and pictures. At $20-$35 a month, this service doesn't come cheap. However, since most users  are wealthy anyways, it is probably worth the expense for them. Another dating service utilizing a niche market is GreenSingles.com. This website attracts users who are passionate about the environment, vegetarian, animal lovers and people with other similar interests. One unique feature is that you can register, search and contact other members for free or choose to upgrade your account and pay. This website leverages collective intelligence because users upload information about themselves that other users can search by criteria for. GreenSingles provides great value because of the fact that you can search and contact for free. This allows users to explore the website a little bit before deciding if they would like to pay for upgraded services.

Web 2.0

In recent years, the Internet has been changing in significant ways. Social networking sites, blogs, YouTube, and Google started to become the most popular things on the web. The term Web 2.0 came about due to these changes and the affect they had on the internet as a whole. Many e-businesses have changed their business models to take advantage of Web 2.0 and found great success. One way that businesses have taken advantage of Web 2.0 is by utilizing Google AdSense. AdSense will place advertisements on your website based on factors such as content and location. In this way, Google can generate revenue for every click on the advertisement. Businesses can use this to their advantage by targeting the customers most likely to buy their products and not waste money on advertisements geared toward somebody not interested. Other ways Web 2.0 can be utilized would be following in Amazon's footsteps and allowing users to rate and review products, and group similar items together to give customers recommendations on other products. A lot of businesses could take advantage of Facebook and blogs to connect with their customers and learn about their consumption habits. The possibilities for Web 2.0 are endless, especially with the capability to create iPhone and Android apps that provide cross-platform functionality.

Pervasive Networking

From my understanding, pervasive networking is the ability for many computers or digital devices to work together to improve the usefulness and abilities of the device. Essentially, it is the fact that instead of there being one device per user there are now a network of "invisible" devices networked together in order to deliver information to one user. Good examples of pervasive networking would be BitTorrent. This technology works by having many different users sharing small parts of a whole file. Many simultaneous connections allows the file to be downloaded bit by bit until the downloader has the entire file. Pervasive networking also includes the means by which all of these devices communicate together, such as routers, WiFi, or Bluetooth. Connecting a mobile phone to a computer or two computers together via Bluetooth to share information between the two would be a small scale example of pervasive networking. The further development of pervasive networking will allow more and more devices to connect and share information and make everyday life more seamlessly integrated together digitally. It is hard for me to imagine how much more can be done since it seems like everything can already be networked together from cell phones to video game consoles and televisions, but like all technology it will continue to improve and become faster.

The effects of networks

As I sit here thinking about how networks have affected my life it is hard to imagine life without networks. My cell phone is constantly connected to a mobile network, syncing e-mails and delivering the days weather to the palm of my hand. When I want to relax and play a video game what do I do? That's right I connect to Xbox Live, another network connecting millions of people around the world so they can play Call of Duty against each other. If I want to check in on how my friends from home are doing I often log on to Facebook a.k.a. "the Social Network" to see whats new. The more I think about it the more I realize how much I depend on networks for nearly every part of my life. I use to networks to talk to friends and family, to stay up to date with my schoolwork, to play games, to look up information, to watch movies and download music. Just about every use I have for modern technology only exists because of networks. I have often pondered how people got through school or had a social life back before computers and cell phones because I rely so heavily on technology. However, I do sometimes think that the wealth of information readily available to us all nowadays has somewhat eliminated the need to actually learn. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe not, but I am certainly grateful I don't have to search through a book for information anymore.