Marketing = Social Networking?

Source: http://www.marketingvox.com/almost-half-of-marketers-use-socnets-046443/

We all know how powerful social networks are and how addicting they are. Personally, I know I use Facebook, Twitter and other social networks to find out what is going on, catch up and gossip. But in recent months corporate America has joined the bandwagon. With 8 out of 10 marketing firms using social networks into their marketing plans. With such a growth in the number of users on both Facebook and Twitter last year alone, no wonder why marketers are signing up. I found this interesting because no all do we talk about this in my COM 493 class but I learned about it at my internship. With the number of users growing by the day, marketers have found that social network is where all the people are. But can we really blame them. Let’s face it; it is a great way to advertise and get your name out there. Let’s think about it, where else can you get your name out to the public, in such a fast and huge population. If I worked for a marketing firm I would be already on board with this fast and growing network. There are millions of people on these social network sites, and why no advertise to such a huge audience.

Welcome To Google...TV?

Source: http://www.blogs.com/2010/03/09/coming-soon-to-your-tv-google.html

Just when we think Google has taken over the Internet,it will be taking over our TV's too! I thought it was a good idea to do my blog on this, since I wrote my blog about 4 weeks ago about how Google is often compared to God.(In a non-religious way) Google is the main stream way to search the last news on Kate Gosslin to the daily lottery numbers or even how to boil an egg. Everything you need to know, is on Google. Good or bad, right or wrong, it is on there. Google is launching and testing a new TV network that will allow you to search the satellite for your favorite shows. Much like you can search for anything on Google.com. And of course this means more advertising for Google doesn't it? If they can increase their ad revenues with service providers (which will be hard) they can do anything. So if service providers can benefit from this and share more information then they do now. There may be a future with Google TV.
Personally, do I want to see this. Not really. I am a huge Google fan so I may be more likely to try it out then your average person, but does Google need to be on TV? I am leaning more towards no. I personally think they shouldn't branch out into the TV world, unless it is totally apparent that it will be a good thing for our viewers. One thing I can not stand is when companies branch out or get to big for their shoes. Get settled, test it and research it, and then MAYBE we can talk Google TV.

What is this? Vevo...I just want to watch the video!

Source: http://paidcontent.org/article/419-vevo-pulls-videos-from-youtubes-api-partys-over-for-third-parties/

So you want to hear the latest music or see the video to your favorite new song? Well, what does any typically human being do? You Youtube it! But as of December, Youtube is now in partners with vevo. And now you watch music through vevo. So something that was commercial free and just played your favorite song or video, now is played with vevo. Vevo now pulls from Youtube's API system (application programming interface) and plays the music through this channel on Youtube. But old sites we were using vevo at some point, have now lost vevo. All contents were short lived and removed from the site. The 3rd party, Muziic, lost all sponsors from Goolge and vevo.
Honestly, as a Youtube daily user, I personally do not want vevo. I try to click on other videos so I do not have to watch it via vevo. A quote directly from Youtube "Content owners on YouTube can choose where they want their videos to appear, including on mobile devices, IPTVs or even on YouTube.com itself. Our goal has always been to provide content owners with the tools they need to make informed decisions about where and how their videos are viewed.” Vevo just makes things more complicated, but sometimes you simply can't avoid it. It may be annoying, but could vevo be the new Youtube?

We Live In a Facebook World!

Welcome to Facebook how may we help you? Let’s face it ladies and gentleman, Facebook has taken over everything we know it. From receiving messages via Blackberry’s to fan pages to advertisements, Facebook is everywhere. The world we live in today is so fast paced and on the go, people do not have time to sit down and write snail mail or to pick up the phone can call. And yes, I am a victim of Facebook. But who isn’t? I often try to explain Facebook to my mother or father and they always look at me with a troubled look on their face. And let’s just get to the point here, Facebook is great. But with every great thing that has every come about in our world, there is its draw backs. From the peoples misuse to stalkers and even advertisements, and yes I said it, advertisements. I am walking a thin line here, and although I do agree with both sides, I also see faults. When you sign on to your Facebook, what do you want to see? Who is having a party this weekend, who wrote on whose wall, and the relationship status updates. We all want to know what is going on in other people’s lives. We want to be noisy and prowl around till we find something new. On every screen there are advertisements on the right hand side of the page that “encourage” us we won a new pair of Uggs or $50,000. But we normally do not click on those pages. Recently companies have been getting smarter and they too have started their own pages on Facebook. They have set up pages just like you and me, with pictures, style tips, and advertisements for that week’s sale. And now you can even become a fan of that page and you get regular updates about that site. It is just another way for companies to get there name out there and promote their product. So not only do you get your friends updates on their page, you now can get your favorite store. The down side to this “fan page” is, people like me, personally do not care, and flat out do not care. I log on to Facebook to see what my friends are doing or to catch up with an old classmate; I do not go on there to look at Macy’s fan page. But do I count for all Facebook users? Certainly not, I only count for a small percentage. Most people “join” fan pages because they want to know what the hottest trends are or to receive coupons. So I really honestly do not blame companies for joining the trend of Facebook. Why not have a free fan site that hits over 9 million users daily. Where else can you get that kind of advertising.



Blog: http://leighhouse.typepad.com/advergirl/2010/01/brand-experience-on-facebook-is-back.html

That Will Be .99 Cents Please!

Source: http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/whats-the-magic-price/

When I first read the blog, I thought that I was too short. But after I thought about it, I really have a bone to pick with this blog. First of all, why does a 14 year old have an iPhone? Come on here people, what happened to the basic phone you start out with and then upgrade in 2 years? That part really got under my skin. I see my young little cousins playing with their parent’s phone or iPod and they are 8. But I guess it is really bad when my 2nd grade cousin calls me on his CELL PHONE. A 2nd grader has his own cell phone. What does he need a phone for? Doesn’t he have to go to bed or do some homework? The technology these days is crazy and it is getting a little out of hand.

When I was reading this I thought of the Long Trail article that we had read 2 weeks before. I thought about how everything is related in technology and how no that Apple is charging for every popular app. You now want to download, it just shows the money making market out there. Apple caught on to the trend and decided to charge for it. They jumped on the band wagon on in “demand” market of popular apps. I recently took a trip to Alabama to visit my best friend, and she had just received a new iPod touch and she began to search for apps. But not just any apps., free apps. She was only going to download FREE apps. She was not going to pay for any. So is Apple pushing users away? Or do people really not care and they are willing to pay .99 cents? I think many users are willing to pay .99 cents, but not much more

Google...I Mean God.

Blog: http://mvbatiste.wordpress.com/

Before I start, let me ask you a simple question? How much do you Google? Personally, I Google everyday; I Google everything from the weather to finding clothes. You name it, I Google it. The blog that I have chosen to read and write a response to is called “The Supreme Marketing”-A reference from God, by Mike Batiste. The blog was written in reference to how people use Google, like God. Actually when you think about it, more people go to Google than to church these days. Everything you ever needed to know or cared to know is on Google. We live in a Google society. Google has all the information you ever wanted to know about and then some. It is a gateway to all access information.
In the article, Batiste comments on how people don’t turn to their faith or church anymore to find directions, they turn to Google. And when you think about that it’s actually true. When you need to know something about your health or how to do something, where do we turn? Google. Google has become a portal way of like. People are thinking that Google is the internet and that there are no other ways of finding information. How many times does someone ask you a question, and you simple say “I don’t know, Google it.” People are beginning to become memorized by Google.
Honestly, when you think about it. Google is on to something. We live in a society where everything is fast passed and we live for the moment. We want to know answers now; we don’t want to wait 2 weeks for a phone call back or a test result. And Google makes that happen. We can Google everything, and in 5 seconds know the answer. Where else can you do that? There is other websites out there, but Google has made it almost impossible to compete with. And now with the popular demand in Blackberry’s and iPhones, Google is mobile. Now with T-Mobile making Google have its own phone, we can finally take Google with us everywhere we wanted. Let’s face it, Google is at the palm of our hands.
Google is taking over our internet and search habits. But are we going to try and fight it? Of course not, because we would have to Google the answer to see how to stop it.
(I do not want people to think I am trying to say Google will take the place of God, because it won't, but I am using God as a reference.)

Long Trail

After reading the blog "Long Trail" I really got a since of what a blog was and why the media industry really is. There were parts of the blog where I was totally lost and then other parts I completely got. Over all the blog was interesting and it had some very valid points. I took notes will reading the blog and wrote down somethings that caught my eyes. The blog said that "an example of an entirely new economic model for the media and entertainment industries." He was describing the world we live in. We live in a world that is constantly always on the go and always looking to what is coming next. Our world and society is every changing. If I just look back at the 21 years I have been alive and how much things have changed, I can't even imagine what my parents or grandfather thinks. The point that I think that he was trying to get across was that our world now is a entirely new economic situation for our media industries. The way we purchase things and watch things is changing. Think about the world 10 years ago. If we wanted to watch a movie we would have to either go to the movies or wait till it came out on VHS and rent it from Blockbuster or Hollywood Videos. Now we don't even have to leave our house. We can simply stay in our house and order the movies from our cable provider or we can pre-order then from Netflix. The world is always changing and the traditional ways of doing things are changing into more convenient and easier ways for us. And then the retailers make it easier on themselves to. "Retailers will carry only content that can generate sufficient demand to earn it's keep." According to Long Trail, he believes that retailers keep content on their shelves that are only good for them and that will produce a income for them. But when you think about it, if Wal-Mart doesn't carry it, do we really need it? There are thousands of products that are carried at Wal-Mart. What other store can you go into and buy a Wii game and Milk? Not many others. Wal-Mart carrys everything from fabric to food to makeup and clothes. Everything a human being ever wanted, is on the shelves at Wal-Mart. But with our Media Industry changing, and people buying more and more entertainment off the internet, Wal-Mart needs to sell more products to keep them on the shelves. There just isn't enough time, shelf space, radio waves or channels to carry everything. So we need somewhere for the over flow to go to. Take Youtube.com for insistence,how many videos do you know that are posted on Youtube and now are a hit? Hits that everyone is talking about. Although some may be strange and not really that important. Youtube is producing stars and mega superstars. We would never know Justin Bebier or David at the Dentist. And what if you want to listen to your new favorite song or you want to see a new music video? We now turn to Youtube to find it. With online distribution we are entering a new state of greatness. We are taking the traditional ways of producing and viewing media, and changing them into a new world of abundance. People like things that are different. They like things that will make their life easier, and with the "Long Trail" of media, our media moguls are changing and will forever be changing. Internet media has changed our life. The internet has changed our life. Everything is at the click of a button. Everything is so simple and easy to find, that everyone is now trying to find room and places to advertise. "Long Trail" is good for the internet media. We are always on the internet and always clicking the mouse, so with time and space running out, Internet Media is a new way to produce things. With that being said, with only a certain amount of people paying attention to the media, internet advertising is a whole new way to get people to see things and explore their boundaries. Think about the typical average Joe, who works 9-5 and has no time to do anything. But he always checks his e-mail or uses the internet at least 8 times a day and he normally can care less about the entertainment and media world. But when he is on the internet, he is now open to a whole new world and he has just entered a new target audience for us to explore. He has feel into the trap of advertisement.