Long Tail Theory & Online Consuming Behavior

1. The Long Tail Theory is very important in understanding distribution and can offer a unique look at the way we see consumption and popularity. After watching the video and reading further about the topic, one thing that came to mind was iPhone sales when a new model is released. When the day finally comes that a new version of the iPhone or iPad is released, customers line the blocks waiting to be one of the first to get their hands on the new technology. This frenzy causes a radical boost in sales, almost all at once, because people see value in being the first to own a product like that. But after time, the popularity drops off dramatically since people either already have the product or do not plan to buy it. The Long Tail Theory works in the same way where there is a huge spike in popularity or consumption followed by a dramatic decrease that becomes smaller and smaller over time. This suggests, at least for the example that I used, that this theory explains why sales can be so high then be so low and never regain strength. Overall this theory is very interesting and can be applied to any number of situations.

2. When talking about the different online consuming segments, the one I most closely identified with was the entertainment user. I mostly use the internet for following my favorite sports teams and television shows which is what makes me feel closest with this segment. While other people might be more interested in shopping or gaming, I choose to spend my time on the internet doing things like playing fantasy football, following sporting events and teams and watching television shows. That is why I would classify myself into that category.

Blog Assignment 3

AT&T Gives Ad-Tracking Discount

This article discusses AT&T's new idea to begin charging customers less if they agree to sharing their cookies online. This allows for targeted advertising and gives AT&T the power to track what you are doing while online. Only in Kansas City, MS will customers be able to select two different internet plans, one for $99 and another for $79 depending on the amount of access they choose to give AT&T. This plan is a reaction to Google's rise to power in the internet domain, and it allows them to both get information and make more money. I personally think this was a great move and shows innovation that needs to happen with all the new changes that come with the advancement of internet technology. If you can offer people a choice that allows them to further customize their internet experience, then it makes sense to take advantage and try to maximize profits. Also, in the internet marketplace companies are more competitive than ever so its important to stay relevant and favorable among other companies. Furthermore, it is becoming more and more important that people value their privacy in a world where almost everything is public so giving people a chance to pick the level to which they would share information is very appealing. I believe this will catch on more and more and eventually become the norm for people when picking internet services. People want the choice to pick, and this is a great way to allow people who need to save money to catch a break, or cater to people who value their privacy more than others. This will change internet communication by allowing people to have control over their information more than ever before depending on what price they put on privacy.

Blog Assignment 2

The law that I found myself agreeing with the most would have to be Sarnoff's Law. This law states that the value of a network increases linearly with the number of people added onto it. When trying to make sense of this law, I imagined it in terms of a television network that broadcasts college sports games. The games with lesser-known teams playing will have far less viewers than a major college program, so more advertisers will be willing to pay more for those big games. The same can be said about the Internet when looking at social media networks. Obviously businesses will be more excited about posting an advertisement on Facebook than MySpace. This law made the most sense to me and I was able to put it into terms I could understand and communicate. I think this law will continue to hold through even with the quick progression of technology these days, and I am excited to see how it is shaped in the future.

I think the way people will get their information five years from now will be similar to today. It's nice to dream about flying cars and robots, but I think there will be little difference. With that said, I do think the way we will communicate will be somewhat different. I believe text messages and social media will still dominate the market, but the way we use them will be different. With the recent surge of wearable technology like glasses and watches, it is becoming more and more clear this trend will not go away. Instead of texting someone on a iPhone, people will communicate through their wearables. Once this technology can be perfected, I believe it will be the end of cell phones and the start of communicating without hands. Beyond that, I do not see much more change since we will already have everything we need to communicate. After a certain point, people will become content with technology as it is and efforts will be focused more towards other technological areas other than communication. One idea that comes to mind is that the medical and environmental fields that could quickly take over our technological efforts and we could see more breakthroughs there. Especially with the Earth changing the way it is with global warming and the growing need to medically treat a expanding population, communication will take a back seat. Of course all of this is just opinion, but from the evidence I've seen, these are very possible outcomes for our future.

"Why We Blog" Discussion

The "Why We Blog" article brought up many good points about the interesting world of online blogging. Blogging has become a great resource to share ideas, discuss topics, and connect with people that have similar interests than you. This allows people to explore and learn about all kinds of things and brings people of similar interests together. Many people use blogging to share stories as well, in order to bring to light situations you cannot read about in a book. I think this article really brought to light the overall importance of sharing ideas and thoughts in blogs by proving that it can be used for so many different things for so many different people. Whether you are a cancer patient just looking to share and connect with others, or a sports enthusiasts wanting to tell your take on the big game, blogging can help almost everyone. I look forward to seeing blogging evolve over the years and the different places it will take us as technology continues to advance.

My First Blog Post