Epilogue: What have you had to “unlearn” (i.e. that only phones are for having conversations) in the past 10 years due to technological change?
I guess the thing I had to unlearn is that social media websites such as Twitter can actually be a good way to brand yourself in a job market. I was so against the idea of Twitter because if an employer Googled you, every "tweet" you ever made would be public knowledge. However, now that social media networks have become such a huge part of society today, I realized that you can start using these websites to your advantage. Call me old fashioned, but in the job market today there are so many things you may need to do in order to be prepared for a job interview. For example, be up to date with important bloggers such as Seth Godin in the Marketing industry because he has a lot of influence over others. Another thing I had to unlearn is the fact that cell phones are not ONLY for conversations anymore. The development of smartphones has allowed even the basic cell phone to become a camera or an instant messaging tool.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Many online merchants today, such as eBay and Amazon, use rating systems empowered by its customers. Is this adequate for determining which products to buy, or which users to trust? Cite examples from these two merchants that support your opinion (whether it is good enough, or inadequate).
I think that the rating system on both eBay and Amazon are adequate for determining which products to purchase online is trustworthy because the consumer has the opportunity to read through past customer comments. While this places a significant amount of trust on past performance, it is known that that past behaviors are a a good indication of future behaviors. For example, someone left this as a customer review of eBay, "I have been an eBay Member for several years and have always told others of their responsiveness and the ease of getting a hold of customer service. I even sold my car on EBay!" On the other hand, there are always going to be those sellers and buyers on eBay that are below average and upset the normal flow of the website.
I think that the rating system on both eBay and Amazon are adequate for determining which products to purchase online is trustworthy because the consumer has the opportunity to read through past customer comments. While this places a significant amount of trust on past performance, it is known that that past behaviors are a a good indication of future behaviors. For example, someone left this as a customer review of eBay, "I have been an eBay Member for several years and have always told others of their responsiveness and the ease of getting a hold of customer service. I even sold my car on EBay!" On the other hand, there are always going to be those sellers and buyers on eBay that are below average and upset the normal flow of the website.
Researching Information on Social Networks
James Surowiecki’s book mentioned in this chapter outlines four elements to create a so-called “wise crowd,” one that can make decisions better than experts. These include “diversity of opinion” and “independence.” Since social groups online seem to form crowds of many like-minded people, what caution would you give someone using information they find from a socialized website or resource?
I would caution someone using information they find from a socialized website because the information will most likely be biased in one way or another. When a group of like-minded people come together over the World Wide Web there may also be a lack of credibility considering it is just a group of regular people instead of a group of experts who have actually done research. I would advise a person using social media, such as blogs, to put in the extra effort and research the opposing side of the argument. This way the information you read will have illustrated both side of the issue.
I would caution someone using information they find from a socialized website because the information will most likely be biased in one way or another. When a group of like-minded people come together over the World Wide Web there may also be a lack of credibility considering it is just a group of regular people instead of a group of experts who have actually done research. I would advise a person using social media, such as blogs, to put in the extra effort and research the opposing side of the argument. This way the information you read will have illustrated both side of the issue.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
FOAF -style Network
What professional benefits do you see by investing time into a FOAF-style network?
Friend of a Friend style networks have become increasingly popular throughout the years. There are social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace that all use this FOAF style network. For example, when you sign on Facebook in the upper left hand corner they suggest friends for you that your friends are friends with. This could be professionally beneficial on sites such as LinkedIn because you can upload your resume and professionally network that way instead of attending a conference. An example of how this may be professionally beneficial comes first hand from one of my marketing professors. She decided to follow a woman at the local newspaper on Twitter, when my professor had to go out of town she asked the woman from the newspaper to come in and talk to our class about press releases and additional PR. If it weren't for Twitter these people would have never professionally met.
Friend of a Friend style networks have become increasingly popular throughout the years. There are social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace that all use this FOAF style network. For example, when you sign on Facebook in the upper left hand corner they suggest friends for you that your friends are friends with. This could be professionally beneficial on sites such as LinkedIn because you can upload your resume and professionally network that way instead of attending a conference. An example of how this may be professionally beneficial comes first hand from one of my marketing professors. She decided to follow a woman at the local newspaper on Twitter, when my professor had to go out of town she asked the woman from the newspaper to come in and talk to our class about press releases and additional PR. If it weren't for Twitter these people would have never professionally met.
Opportunity to Fail
Think back to your experiences in middle and high school. How many opportunities were you given to experiment and “fail” in solving a problem? How could a school work today where students were regularly offered such opportunities?
Our whole lives we are given the opportunity to experiment with the idea of failure and success. On the very windy road to to success we all trip over the bumps in the road and fail. In middle school and high school we learn to communicate socially with others but we are also given the opportunity to find out who we are. Throughout the academic process we are given challenges and we are encouraged to do our best even if we do fail, but this is what makes learning so special. If we did not fail, we would not be as motivated to succeed. If a school or university were to work in this kind of manner I would abolish the grade system. As a students we are so afraid to fail because our grade and our future depends on it, however, I feel that if we did not feel so afraid of getting an F we would be able to think more outside of the box and take more risks with our education.
Our whole lives we are given the opportunity to experiment with the idea of failure and success. On the very windy road to to success we all trip over the bumps in the road and fail. In middle school and high school we learn to communicate socially with others but we are also given the opportunity to find out who we are. Throughout the academic process we are given challenges and we are encouraged to do our best even if we do fail, but this is what makes learning so special. If we did not fail, we would not be as motivated to succeed. If a school or university were to work in this kind of manner I would abolish the grade system. As a students we are so afraid to fail because our grade and our future depends on it, however, I feel that if we did not feel so afraid of getting an F we would be able to think more outside of the box and take more risks with our education.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
eBay and Prisoner's Dilemma
Considering the Prisoner’s Dilemma in this chapter, provide your own insight on how sites such as eBay “work” for most participants of this popular online auction site. Do they really work? Or is there too much risk?
Despite eBay's similarity to the Prisoner's Dilemma Shirky described in the book, I think that eBay works. The system works because unlike the Prisoner's Dilemma you have the option to play it safe by placing a maximum price you are willing to pay for an item. In addition, the seller benefits from selling items on eBay, especially when bidding wars occur. The seller could end up selling the item for more than they bought it for. Unfortunately, there is always the down side to placing items on eBay, some people will place low bids and the seller might end up selling an item for less than they bought it for. Personally, I've never had a problem with items I've purchased on eBay. This may also be due to the fact that eBay has put in place a rating system which makes the company more credible and more dependable.
Despite eBay's similarity to the Prisoner's Dilemma Shirky described in the book, I think that eBay works. The system works because unlike the Prisoner's Dilemma you have the option to play it safe by placing a maximum price you are willing to pay for an item. In addition, the seller benefits from selling items on eBay, especially when bidding wars occur. The seller could end up selling the item for more than they bought it for. Unfortunately, there is always the down side to placing items on eBay, some people will place low bids and the seller might end up selling an item for less than they bought it for. Personally, I've never had a problem with items I've purchased on eBay. This may also be due to the fact that eBay has put in place a rating system which makes the company more credible and more dependable.
Online vs. Print Media
While younger people today may not make distinctions between online and real-world friends according to Shirky, do you make distinctions between online vs. print media? Why or why not? Is there an advantage to one or the other?
After some consideration I realized that I do not make a distinction between online and print media when it comes to credible news sources. The internet gives online news sources an advantage because it is readily available at the click of a button where as print media takes longer to publish. There is also the cost difference between online and print media. Reading the news online is free, where as print media usually comes with some form of cost because you have to purchase it. When it comes to social media i tend to make a distinction between online and print media because anybody can blog about whatever they want to but it does not necessarily mean it is the truth. This does not mean I believe everything gossip magazines say anyway but I tend to think they are more credible than online sources.
After some consideration I realized that I do not make a distinction between online and print media when it comes to credible news sources. The internet gives online news sources an advantage because it is readily available at the click of a button where as print media takes longer to publish. There is also the cost difference between online and print media. Reading the news online is free, where as print media usually comes with some form of cost because you have to purchase it. When it comes to social media i tend to make a distinction between online and print media because anybody can blog about whatever they want to but it does not necessarily mean it is the truth. This does not mean I believe everything gossip magazines say anyway but I tend to think they are more credible than online sources.
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