Social Networks' Influence on the big players

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This article talks about the influence social networks like MySpace and Facebook have had on Google and Yahoo. Yahoo and Google have decided to give up on creating social networks in the U.S.

I think this is a wise idea. Instead, they plan on utilizing Web 2.0, and to gradually introduce ways for their users to interact with one another. As long as they don't try to do too much, I think they will have success. If I can use google for my news, email, and a toned down version of a social network that would be really convenient. Personally, I think MySpace has way to much fluff and garbage I don't need, and facebook is starting to do the same. I think it's fair to say that a lot of people are waiting for a better alternative to what is currently widely used.

Social Cameras....not going to happen

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This guy has an idea to have cameras that can seamlessly share photos with those around them through bluetooth or wifi.

This idea just would just never work in practice. I don't know about you, but I think the photographs I take are personal, and I like the ability to selectively share them with who I want to, when I want to. Some things are not meant to be shared with everyone, or at least not right away, and photographs is one of them. Even with privacy settings this product would still be headed for disaster, as we all know having privacy settings is not a cure-all by any means.

Aside from privacy issues I just think theres no need for the product. First of all, how often do you send picture messages from your camera phone, especially the iphone which already serves this purpose to begin with? Also, there's enough photo-sharing web sites out there that allow you to share your photos quickly and easily, with whom you wish.

GPS on our mobile phones...I sense a backlash

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GPS technology on our mobile phones is becoming more prevelant and cheaper to produce. At first glance, this seems like great news. Who doesn't want to be able to see where they are?

However, this technology can bring dangerous consequences. This article in BBC news talks specifically about Targeting advertising. Basically, advertisers can potentially have access to where you are and create ads based on this. The scary part is this could be used in combination with social networking sites. I don't know about you, but I don't trust advertising agencies. Someone is going to cross the line and there will most likely be a huge backlash. People have already been revolting against MySpace and Facebook for this reason, and it's only going to get worse. Combine that with knowing your exact location? I just don't think people are going to be comfortable with that.

Does the internet politically divide us?

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After reading an article about this issue, I have to say I disagree with the author. I believe that overall, the internet serves to inform us, and therefore allows us to make better informed decisions. This way, people aren't basing their opinions from their parents or certain traditional mediums, such as the newspaper or cnn. This may end up contributing to a nation already polarizing itself, but it certainly is not the cause, or root problem.

I think the reason our country has been so divided for the last number of years has been because of political reasons and the decisions our leaders have made, not the internet. Yes, the internet is a medium for political opinion, however I believe the this country would be just as divided with or without the internet.

Technology Links fans to march madness

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March madness....my favorite time of year. Ever filled out a bracket? I do every year. I used to fill them out on a sheet of paper and give them to my friend who was running the competition. When is the last time you've seen someone's bracket on hard paper? I don;t think I have seen one. These are done online these days. The games are watched online now too.

In this article, it is mentioned how people are watching the games online and trash talking to each other with web cams over the internet. Now peopel are using PDA's to track the status of their brackets and pools as well. The internet is changing how we watch these games. How do you follow march madness??

Open Source News....Reliable?

Open Source news is an interesting subject. Theoretically, the more people that contribute to a story, the more informative it would be right? We'll see.....Wired News is attempting this. I think this idea is a good one, however it requires A LOT of filtering. To the point that it might be too much. Everyone has an opinion, or what they believe to be the truth. Everyone's motivations for contributing are different, some of which are not based on good journalism. I don't believe open source is a good idea for something like news. It has had success with tech projects because often the only people interested are those that are truly interested or want to help.

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Telepresence.....it's really cool

I was in San Francisco last week and was lucky enough to visit Cisco Systems national headquarters. I got to check out their tele-presence technology first-hand. It was really cool. Honestly, for most routine meetings, it is definitely sufficient, and it allows you to project documents and power-points, etc. When you look at someone they know it, and so does everyone else. If you look at your phone, everyone can see you, its crazy. Cisco even had a virtual secretary that greeted us on telepresence. Cool huh?

I asked an expert what kinds of issues different cultures had with this technology, as you must be sitting down to use it. Turns out the Japanese for example have issues with it because they stand often in meetings. These virtual technologies will adapt to different cultures as well as other needs that come up. Overall a really cool product. FYI it costs $300,000 to equip a room with it.

LinkedIn is overrated

I understand why LinkedIn exists and believe it has its benefits, but there is definitely way too much hype surrounding it. I think its major issue is that its not selective in any way. There's way too man people on LinkedIn. A friend can invite anyone. I think this takes away from its credibility. Perhaps if only those with verified jobs could do the invitations this problem would be ameliorated. From an employer's point of view, I would think a certified universities' career center and web portal is a preferred method and has a stronger pool of applicants.

As a side note, LinkedIn is growing so fast that Barack Obama is using it to fuel his campaign....

Can we bury our past?

The internet has changed everything. People complain about facebook and myspace because they violate privacy. I don't use MySpace, and last time I checked, theres no law that says it must be used. The same applies for Facebook. Also, as far as I know, Facebook has made it possible to completely remove yourself from its server, although the process could still be easier. But for most people, the amount about them on the internet is completely up to them. You wouldn't just leave your personal diary on a park bench would you? If you want something to be completely personal, DON'T POST IT ON THE INTERNET ANYWHERE.

The people I do feel bad for, are celebrities or anyone who has ever been in the spotlight. Mark Cuban wrote about this in his blog. I have a friend who was on American Idol last year and compromising pictures from high school surfaced on the internet. Surely, this would not have happened had she not ended up in the spot light. Ten or fifteen years from now she could have a child who googles her name and sees these pictures. As Mark Cuban said, it is impossible to completely bury anything in your past with the internet.

Sex in Second life....

Ok so I've been checking out second life and I have to say its pretty cool. You can do anything in it! But shouldn't there be a line? I read this article which talks about the presence of sex in Second Life. I guess this should be expected, since it is a common/basic activity. However, this just seems weird to me. Virtual escort services exist and people are making money off this stuff. I mean come on..........Usually the sex occurs through chatting or even skype, in "private" areas of the game. In case your wondering users can purchase private parts as they don't come default, along with many other props. To me, something is off here. There has already been some legal issues and so far Second Life has prevailed. The creator sees it as a positive, which I can understand, but still. I could see myself doing this in a game as a joke, but not seriously as many seem to be doing...I think this kind of virtual sex is an interesting progression and I wonder how far it will go....How far is too far?

Instant Messaging......How has it affected us?

Ah instant messaging. Where would we be without it right? After reading the speech by nobel prize winner Doris Lessing, it got me thinking. Although I think some of her statements are ridiculous, I immediately started thinking about the internet's effect on our generation.

The first thing that popped into my head was instant messaging. Although it certainly makes us faster typers, has it made us poorer writers? With all of the "lol's" and "brb" and various other ways of getting our thoughts as fast as possible (afap). See, I made my own acronym up! Granted as a student, I switch into a different mode when writing. However, it's hard to tell sometimes if some of these habits acre crossing over. I came across an interesting article on the subject. There seems to evidence supporting both sides of the debate. What do you think?

Sharing ideas in business

Sharing in business is key, and I agree with Steve's blog on this issue. Interestingly, software that enables the sharing of information seems to be evolving. Microsoft recently came out with Microsoft Groove as well as Sharepoint.

Online customization

Customization.........it's what we all want isn't it? Nike certainly believs so. They have had a lot of success with thieir Nike ID shoe customization system. Frankly, im surprised by this. I assume Nike must be getting it's loyal customers. Shoes are just one of those products I always assumed would be preferred to be bought in the store due to shoe sizes, comfort, etc. To me, online ordering pre-made products such as books or electronics always made the most sense. I visited Nike's web site www.NikeId.com and I have to say, it's pretty sleek. Seeing your customizations come to fruition in front of your eyes is a delight.

Perhaps customers aren't thinking about the fact that their shoe could be the wrong size or fit because it's so much fun making your own shoe. Perhaps it is more about the experience, than the end result itself. It's not like Nike is offering a discount on these shoes, in fact it is more expensive. I stumbled across a informative and humorous video on YouTube...



Companies should be taking note, online customization could be the key to online sales. The key in my opinion is doing what Nike has done, make a flashy looking web site in which users can see their customizations.

Blogging, A new l@@k

After reading the excerpt from Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Isreal , and about Firefox, as well as Newsweek article on the subject, I now became aware of the powerfulness of blogs. If blogs can be used correctly, they can be a unbelievable marketing tool. If you think about marketing pushes that business do they often come off as annoying. Think about emails you receive, newsletters, ads, etc. Then think about stumbling across a blog that an average/random person wrote. This takes away the bias you receive from the business themselves or whomever is trying to market the product or service. A good real life example of this is that your more likely to go to a restaurant from a friends recommendation than an ad you see in the newspaper. After reading how Firefox became famous solely through blogs, I was interested in the credibility of blogs and came across this article:
How Blogs are Changing Business Journalism for the Better.

At first, one wouldn't think of blogs as a reliable/objective source of information. However, some bloggers are more trusted than reviews/articles written by news agencies. Why is this? I believe it is because bloggers can be in fact, more under the microscope than journalists are. Blogs are an open forum, and anyone in the world can comment about the validity/content of what has been written. In the article above, there is a good example of this concept. Many people trust one man, Hank Greenberg than MarketWatch. What does all this mean? I believe blogs will continue to gain popularity, and that business will have to pay more attention to what people are saying in blogs as they become more and more powerful.

A Practical Guide to Social Networks

This article was taken from the Harvard Business Review and gave an overview of the three different types of social networks, along with real examples and insights. Specifically, the article outlined the three most common types of networking; Customized Response, Modular Response, and Routine Response.

I I found this article to be very informative and useful. The main point I gathered is that although networking is vital in business, one must be careful not to abuse it. Sometimes time and money can be wasted by trying too hard. Networking should be in line with the company's goals, and should be implemented with a purpose. t seems too many companies today are implementing networking technologies that do not improve productivity or the creation of ideas.

I liked how the article pointed out that often informal relationships and networks often lead to new and creative ideas. Overall, the main point I will remember is that companies should establish and maintain social networks that fit their goals.

Six Degrees of Lois Weisburg

At first, I really liked this article. It gives real-life examples of how one can be connected with so many people, and seemingly rule the world. However, this article became repetitive to me. Aside from the repetitiveness, the article did get its point across. I found it pretty amazing how one meeting, or completely random event that occurred by chance can completely change everything.

What I actually found most intriguing was the mention of how "six degrees of separation" came about. Although it is a good start, I don't believe that Milgram's study is conclusive. What it does show however, is that often a select few provide the links to many, as occurred in the stock broker example. In society, it seems that there will always be a hierarchy of contact. As explained in the article,

"It means that a very small number of people are linked to everyone else in a few steps, and the rest of us are linked to the world through those few."

My first blog

Hello!

This is my first blog. I am a junior student attending American University and will be using this blog for my Social Networking and Business class. More blogs will follow!.

On my honor, all posts on this blog are my own.

David Rodriguez