Brian McManus - Under Armour

I definitely enjoyed each of the presentations this semester, but my favorite presenter was Brian McManus from Under Armour. Part of the reason that I chose Brian as my favorite presenter is the fact that he works for Under Armour, which made the discussions more interesting on a personal level since I am a UA customer. Also, I found it more engaging to hear from a professional who works for an organization that I am familiar and can identify with. I realize that all of the presenters work for highly reputable companies, but the only company that I can actually remember while writing this blog is Under Armour. I think that familiarity made it easier to identify and understand the subjects that Brian presented in class.

One of the main points that Brian discussed was regarding brand recognition. I found it interesting to learn how much time and resources the company dedicates to researching consumer buying patterns online. Under Armour has certainly embraced Web 2.0 technologies as evidenced by their interactive website. However, I think that one of the most beneficial aspects of their business, besides offering great products, is how they have successfully established a presence on multiple sales platforms. By offering their products in stores, online, and through catalogs, Under Armour has covered three of the major channels to attract consumers to purchase their products.

Something that Brian McManus said during his presentation peaked my interest enough that I had to check out Under Armour’s website when I got home. Brian spoke about a new interactive technology available on their website that allowed users to create a personalized workout routine, and watch videos that gave detailed instruction on how to perform the various exercises. I think this feature is a great way to utilize Web 2.0 technology to attract people to the UA website. Many other websites offer workout routines that are created by trainers or enthusiasts, but UA has created a unique advantage in allowing their users to customize a workout routine to fit their own personal goals.

Another point of Brian’s presentation that I found very interesting was the detail to which Under Armour tracks customers as they click their way through the UA website. It is obvious that UA dedicates a significant budget to researching online trends and optimizing their website accordingly. For example, I recall that the most popular UA advertisements, or those that were most likely to be clicked on, were positioned in a place on the screen that was most efficient given the tendency of how our eyes scan the screen.

Web 2.0 Apps for Loyola

One concept that I’ve heard repeated multiple times in this class is the importance of incorporating Web 2.0 technologies in the business environment. In his presentation, Mike Abbaei reiterated this fact and described in greater detail the development cycle associated with implementing a Web 2.0 application. One of the major points that Mike emphasized was that all new products must go through the same development cycle. This is especially important considering that many Web 2.0 applications are created by software technology companies then sold to individual businesses for implementation. The potential danger in this process is that companies run the risk of implementing Web 2.0 apps without first completing the necessary ‘requirements’ and ‘analysis’ phase of the development life cycle. Web 2.0 apps can certainly help a company to cut costs or increase revenue, but they should not be used as a shortcut or implemented without performing due diligence.

I thought it was beneficial to hear Mike’s presentation at the end of the semester because he wrapped up many of the ideas and concepts that were introduced in previous presentations. However, I think that Mike spoke more about the importance of the ability to share information throughout an organization than the other presenters. I think that the ability of an organization to share information in real time has been one of the primary struggles for many companies in today’s marketplace, and Loyola College is a prime example. I found the exercise of listing all the desirable Loyola College web apps to be very interesting, and it provided a sense of just how large of a scope Web 2.0 apps can provide.

Web 2.0 applications can be a very advantageous aspect of today’s companies which operate in an economy that thrives on technology. As important as I believe technology is to an organization, I think it’s always more important to first understand the business model and the needs of the business. Having a solid understanding of the business from both an operational and technology perspective will help the organization to create value when developing new products.

Social Networking from the Workplace

I recently read an article which discussed the security issues around accessing Web 2.0 technologies from the workplace. The article focused on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, and explained how these sites can allow viruses to infect a company’s corporate network. The author also raised the question that if companies are blocking access to social networking sites, will that affect the type of people who want to work for that firm? I found this to be a very intriguing question as the article identified young professionals in particular, who have already established an online social network prior to beginning their professional career. So, would the fact that a company blocks access to certain social networking sites influence a candidate’s decision to accept a job offer? And if the answer is yes, is restricting access to these sites the right thing for a company to do?

The younger generation can be identified by their acceptable and borderline obsession with social networking sites. Many young adults habitually view sites like Facebook and MySpace multiple times throughout the day, including while at work. Although the primary purpose of social networking sites is to stay connected with family and friends, they also offer a network of people who are willing to provide their assistance when called upon. I think that most companies could actually benefit by allowing their employees to access social networking sites from the workplace.

The advantage of social networking sites is that they provide a broad range of personal resources. These are the type of resources that can be beneficial, even when relied upon in a corporate setting. I realize that social networking sites can make a company vulnerable to viruses and malware, but they can also provide their employees with a pool of additional resources. In addition, by the time current students are ready to enter the corporate world, online social networking will be so ingrained into their culture that a work environment which prohibits these sites will seem completely unattractive. Therefore, companies have several ways to view this dilemma. First, from the perspective of maintaining security around their corporate network. And second, from the perspective of their employees, current and potential, and how they view a company that is committed to block access to social networking sites. Hopefully, a company can find a compromise somewhere in between.

http://securitywatch.eweek.com/virus_and_spyware/is_anybody_watching.html

Offering Web 2.0 Technolgies

In response to Dwight Gibbs’ presentation last week, I thought it was interesting how much emphasis he routinely placed on the customer. Dwight made it a point to discuss the various channels that companies can utilize to reach their customers. However, he also stressed the importance of allowing the customer to choose how they want to access the information. Different channels of information can include a website, blog, e-mail, social network, mobile updates, etc. Considering all of the available Web 2.0 technologies, it is not realistic to expect customers to rely on just one. Therefore, in order for companies to be successful in today’s market, they need to have a presence in all of the Web 2.0 technologies.

I think it’s important for any start-up company to develop a business model that incorporates multiple channels of Web 2.0 technology. Refusing to adapt to new technology is the reason that many established companies are going out of business. The economy is experiencing a shift in thinking that is now focusing more on the needs of the consumer. For many consumers, the advancement of technology means more convenience for them. And convenience is something that companies must cater to or pay the price later. Convenience can be in the form of simple features such as online help manuals or online representatives who answer questions in real time.

If companies do not offer their customers the conveniences that they desire, then they risk receiving negative feedback that could be detrimental to the company. In the past, unsatisfied consumers did not have an accessible outlet to voice their disappointment. However, now that consumers can utilize blogs and social networking sites, it has become very easy to post experiences about a company or product for the entire Internet population to read. For this reason, companies are focusing on customer service now more than ever. Because what’s better than a company promoting their own exceptional customer service…having satisfied customers blog about their positive experiences.

Of course people are more likely to post about their negative experiences than positive ones. To combat this fact many companies dedicate resources to scour the Internet searching for potentially harmful posts about the company. Once a negative post is discovered, the company has the opportunity to contact the dissatisfied person and offer them personalized customer service to amend the situation.

Blogs

So many people have personal blogs these days, but who really has the time to follow all these blogs? I can certainly understand following blogs of interesting people like athletes, musicians, actors, politicians, CEO’s, etc., but what about following ordinary people? I mean, how much do we really need to follow the lives of other people? Even if my family and friends write blogs, I’m probably not going to read them on a regular basis. If something spectacular happens (i.e. engagement, baby, promotion, etc.) in your life and you want all of your friends to hear about, then send a text message or e-mail. Personally, I’m a thousand times more likely to read your text message then your blog. Now that I’ve addressed the point of who’s reading blogs, who has the time to continuously update their blog? I know that I don’t live the most interesting or demanding life, but even I find it difficult to find the time to post two Web 2.0 blogs a week. With the growing popularity of Facebook and Twitter, blogs should become obsolete in the not-so-distant future.

So, that’s why I dislike the idea of blogging, but here’s why I can still understand why people continue to blog - to get paid. Specifically, Google AdSense is a program which allows bloggers to handpick advertisements to display on their website. AdSense was one of the very intriguing ideas that Eric Bosco presented in last week’s class. Realizing the potential for blogs to make money helps me to understand why regular people sustain blogs - for the advertising revenue. Who wouldn’t want to get paid for summarizing their daily life on a website? That’s what I like to call easy money.

The advantage of Google AdSense is that it allows users to choose ads relevant to their website’s content. Money is earned any time someone clicks on an ad from your website. Therefore, for any blogger with a loyal following it seems like a no-brainer to take advantage of AdSense. AdSense is a free program and it grants users access to all of the advertisements available through Google’s network. I still don’t advocate blogging unless you qualify as one interesting people as defined above, but if you’re determined to blog then at least try to make a quick buck by posting advertisements through AdSense.

Banner Ads

In response to Eric Bosco’s presentation last week, I’ve been considering just how effective online advertisements really are. The easiest way for me to evaluate the benefit of online ads is to monitor how often I’m inclined to click on them. Granted this is not a significant sample size, but it should prove a point for my personal analysis. I have one general rule which is very simple to follow. Don’t click on any suspicious or unfamiliar banner ad, period. Of course there are exceptions to this rule. But for the most part, I associate clicking on banner ads to making impulse purchases while standing at the checkout line of the grocery store. Some people will fall victim to an impulse buy every time they go shopping, while other people can control their urges to buy impulse items. In this sense, I like to be in complete control my urges and temptations to click on banner advertisements.

There are several reasons that I rarely choose to click on banner ads. The primary reason is that if I don’t know the source, then I don’t trust the source. The majority of online ads seem too good to be true. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve seen a banner ad that congratulated me for being the one millionth viewer or somehow an instant winner and all I have to do is click on the ad to claim my prize. These ads certainly seem too good to be true, and as a result don’t ever merit a click to claim my reward. Now, this makes me wonder just how many people are actually clicking on these banner ads to make them profitable enough to exist. In addition, does anyone ever collect on the prize?

Given the reasons that I don’t click on banner ads, there are some cases when I just can’t help myself. Let me preface this by stating that I’m only inclined to click on an advertisement of a company that I’m familiar with, such as Under Armour or Nike. These banner ads quickly attract my attention because I assume they are more legitimate than the ‘click here to win a free flat screen TV’ advertisement. If clicking on an Under Armour ad does not direct me to the UA website, I’ll abandon my search immediately. I think that most people have become cautious of online advertisements because of the countless horror stories about people having their identity stolen, credit card information compromised, or computer infected with a virus.

E-filing Tax Returns

E-filing your taxes isn’t exactly a Web 2.0 technology, but it’s so much more convenient than manually filing paper returns that it deserves some recognition. Before I get into everything that’s great about e-filing I found an article that focused on a problem related to e-filing, which is the issue of IRS compliance. Currently, only a low level of compliance is required for tax preparation software, like TurboTax, TaxCut, and TaxAct. Yet it wasn’t surprising to hear that nearly 60 percent of all tax returns in 2007 were filed electronically. So, the potential and demand for improvement certainly exists for tax preparation software.

There are some obvious advantages to filing your tax returns electronically as opposed to manual paper returns. In doing some quick research I discovered that electronic returns have a higher accuracy rate than manually prepared returns, take half the time to process, and are cheaper to process. So, it seems that they benefit the individual as well as the government.

Currently, the IRS is pushing to increase compliance regulations for tax preparation software. Under the existing regulations, the IRS only requires tax software to pass the Participant Acceptance Testing System, which is a fancy way of saying that everything must add up correctly. The hopes are that by next year’s tax filing deadline a formal system will be implemented to monitor compliance and the accuracy of software guidance for users.

This year tax preparation software ranged from $25 to $150, so we may experience a price increase if the IRS requires stricter compliance within the industry. I could potentially view this as being a good or bad change. It’s good in the sense that increased compliance should mean more accurate tax returns. However, it’s bad in the sense that consumers really don’t have a comparable alternative to purchasing the software packages. In other words, I’m likely to pay whatever price TurboTax decides to charge for their product/service, because the alternative is completing my tax returns manually, which I’ve never done before and never intend on doing.

Conficker Virus

What do I love about April Fool’s Day? The practical jokes, of course. What do I hate about April Fool’s Day? Practical jokes in the form of a virus that can infect my computer and launch an attack on other computers world-wide. I’m not someone who really keeps up-to-date on the latest computer viruses, but lately I’ve heard from friends and new sources about the latest virus. It’s called Conficker and it basically gives the creator of the virus complete control over your computer. Recently I’ve heard news reports cautioning people that the Conficker virus can be launched from infected computers and instructed to attack other computers all over the world…on April Fool’s Day, of course.

This topic peaked my interest, so I read a few articles about computer viruses and the Conficker virus in particular. It’s apparent that viruses have always been around almost as long as computers, and Conficker or a form of the virus has been in existence for the past several years. The interesting aspect of this virus is that your computer could be infected and you may not even know it. The Conficker virus has gained notoriety because it can sit dormant until it’s instructed to attack the host computer. At that point you’re in trouble.

Reports have estimated that the Conficker virus has infected between 5 and 10 million computers worldwide. Furthermore, the virus was expected to launch an attack from infected computers on April Fool’s Day…which never happened. Yet another unfulfilled computer threat, much like the Y2K bug. The Conficker virus is only a danger for Microsoft operating systems, and is not a threat to Mac or Linex. However, it appears that Microsoft was not amused with the Conficker April Fool’s Day joke. Microsoft has issued a $250,000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest of the virus author.

The articles also provided some common sense tips to avoid having your computer infected by a virus. Most importantly, they suggested keeping your computer current with its operating system (i.e. Windows) updates. Also, don’t surf around unknown sites or open messages or attachments from unknown addresses. Because if you do, you’ll open yourself up to viruses and jeopardize the security of your computer.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_thompson_nicola/barrierestarjournal/news/42034547.html

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/04/confickers_april_fools_fizzled.html?wprss=securityfix

Get A Job

Social networking sites have become a lifeline for many people looking to find employment in today’s economy. While face-to-face networking isn’t always available, people are turning to online networking from websites such as LinkedIn. LinkedIn offers users a convenient way to network with other business contacts and reach a wide audience when searching for employment. A recent article (see below for link) provides data which shows a significant increase of users on LinkedIn over the past year. Apparently, many of the people being laid off by automobile manufacturers and financial firms have turned to LinkedIn to find work.

LinkedIn is not just a social network for people looking for jobs, but also for recruiters looking to find qualified candidates. However, to be successful on LinkedIn it’s still about who you know. Without a network of business contacts, how is one going to find a job? I think this issues places recent graduates at a distinct disadvantage when trying to navigate the online job market. Other social networking sites can be just as useful when looking for employment. For example, Twitter and Facebook allow users to post messages about what is currently happening in their life. A simple post saying “got laid off, looking for new start” may be all it takes to solicit a job lead from a Facebook friend or Twitter follower.

Although unemployment is an issue for many people today, online social networks provide a new outlet to reach more potential employers than ever before. Another benefit is that most job leads which originate from LinkedIn or Facebook will likely have come from a friend. So, that contact can give a prospective candidate a foot in the door, rather than going into an interview completely cold. Knowing more people and building online networks are not just a source for social activity, but also a way to gain business contacts in the professional world. You may not have the need to rely on your business network today, but you don’t know what could be waiting just around the corner. For that reason, I think many people have subscribed to the LinkedIn community, if for nothing more, as a precautionary measure. Should you ever get laid off, you know that you already have a strong network of business contacts and potential future employers.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-linkedin30-2009mar30,0,7095088.story

Kids Living Online

During our Second Life class last week, a question was posed asking if we would be comfortable with our child using Second Life as a social outlet. I think this is a realistic question that many parents face, especially in today’s world of online social networking. An important question for parents to ask is what is the appropriate age to allow children to begin using the Internet as a social outlet? In addition, should children be allowed to explore social websites before being permitted to experience social settings in real life? Obviously, potential dangers existed online as well as in real life, but there may be some advantages to introducing children to the Internet first. I think the questions posed above will be answered differently by every parent. However, it’s important for the parents to realize that predators exist on the Internet, and to address the potential dangers with their children before going online.

Through my experiences with Second Life I have never encountered anyone behaving inappropriately towards me. Not even an invitation to take a walk. In my opinion, social activity on the Internet is always going to be safer than real life because if things get out of hand the computer can always be shut down. However, if things get out of hand in real life, it’s not as easy to escape the problem. Part of this decision as a parent will also depend on the child. It’s hard to believe that any child/teenager today is disconnected from the Internet, but there are those people who are not attracted to MySpace and Facebook. However, t case certainly represents the minority of the population. In fact, I think that so many kids are involved in social networking sites because their parents won’t let them interact in any other social settings.

When kids have the desire to act socially but are considered too young to live independent social lives, their alternative is online social networks. This is one huge difference between my generation and the generation of today’s teenagers. By the time the teenagers of today enter college they will be experts on social networking sites. The younger generation is living in an online culture that allows them to establish a lifestyle of living through multiple online social networks. By the time I was introduced to online social networking it seemed much less attractive to me as a 25-year-old, compared to had I been 13-years-old. Social networking sites will continue to be popular among the younger generation, and it’s the parents responsibility to inform their children of the potential dangers of living an online life.

Online Gambling & Twitter

Online gambling is becoming very…convenient. Recently, I read two articles that discussed some of the changes and new technologies that will help to promote online gambling. In the past, I have used online sites to place sporadic sports bets or engage in an occasional poker game. And I’ve routinely heard the same argument from friends who remain skeptical of online gambling sites. Their argument always involves the fact that you don’t know who you’re playing against; or at least, you can’t look the person in the face. Is it possible that other people at the poker table are conspiring against you, or the card distribution isn’t completely random? Well, sure I guess it’s possible. But these are also two problems that can exist in casinos. For casinos and online gambling sites alike, it’s to their benefit to prevent illegal behavior from occurring within their organization. If illegal action is occurring the results would reflect poorly on the organization’s reputation.

The current status of online gambling websites states that they can not operate within the United States. This is a law that was past at the end of the Bush administration and has created difficulties for individuals who wish to fund their online gambling account from within the US. Fortunately for the online gambling industry legislation is in the pipeline to allow such websites to operate in the United States. Potentially, this could mean more money flowing through online gambling websites and less revenue for the brick and mortar casinos.

Some of the online gambling websites are stepping up to incorporate social networking capabilities into their gambling community. Gamblingplanet.org recently announced that they will begin a Twitter news feed. The Twitter news feed will allow its followers to receive up-to-the-minute news and updates relating to Gambling Planet. Subscribing to Twitter seems to be a popular way for any organization to break into the mainstream. Twitter is also a way for online gambling websites to remind users of upcoming tournaments, offer bonuses or incentives tied to funding accounts, and market to potential new users. If the anti-gambling regulations of the Bush era are repealed, I think we can expect to see a significant jump in online gambling revenues, and a push into the social networking communities.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/650c5afa-f249-11dd-9678-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

http://eon.businesswire.com/portal/site/eon/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090323005762&newsLang=en

Food Network - TV and Online

The Internet is a wonderful resource, but what I really love about it is how it makes existing aspects of my life even better. I’m not going to lie; I’m a diehard TV junkie. The amount of time I spend watching TV far exceeds the time I spend online. However maybe there should be a third category here – the time I spend online due to watching TV. At this point, nearly every television network has a corresponding website dedicated to the shows that can be watched on TV. I’m not really one who reads sitcom blogs, however some the network websites have a practical use and my favorite is the food network.

About 95 percent of the time that I spend watching the food network is purely for its entertainment value. The other 5 percent I’ll see a recipe that looks intriguing and may feel the need to test my culinary prowess to reproduce the recipe. In case you’re wondering, this usually turns out to be a bad idea. Now, pre-Internet times I have no idea what someone in my predicament would do. I know the food network or other cooking shows were around before the Internet, but seriously what did people do when they wanted a recipe from the cooking show? Were they watching TV with a pen in hand, taking notes? That requires enough work to make me forget about wanting to cook in the first place.

The fact is that today when I see a potential recipe on TV I can easily find that exact same recipe on the food network’s website. Their website offers recipes that can be searched by date aired, host/chef, or main ingredients. The search results can also be sorted by the difficulty of each recipe and its overall user rating. Once you click on an appealing recipe, you are directed to a web page containing the actual recipe along with other recommended recipes for related appetizers, side dishes, desserts, etc.

The food network website also allows users to submit their own recipes, which can then be rated by other users. The food network is just one example of how our routine to watch TV is being utilized to incorporate our use of the Internet. There is really no defined line between what belongs on TV and the Internet. These two channels of entertainment and information are merging in a collaborative way. The Internet provides a way to bring an interactive sense to simply watching our favorite TV shows.

I Watch March Madness at Work Like Everybody Else

March Madness is officially upon us, and for me that means countless hours of watching college basketball. It also means filling out tournament brackets to compete with friends and coworkers, mostly for fun but more importantly for bragging rights. The first round of the NCAA tournament is always played on Thursday and Friday, and some sports nuts at every office will take time off or call out “sick” to stay home at watch all 32 games. That’s fine if you’re one of those people who are going to watch first round match-ups like Gonzaga vs. Akron or Missouri vs. Cornell. While every game offers the potential for an upset, I’ll choose to skip those games. For the rest of us who do not schedule vacation time around sporting events, how are we going to watch the games that we do care about? Fortunately for us, every game of the NCAA tournament is broadcasted live online, however unfortunate for employers. Isn’t technology great?

I have blogged about the inconvenience of my workplace blocking popular social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube. However, either someone in IT department is a huge college hoops fan or they don’t realize that virtually every man (and some women) will be watching a streaming broadcast of college basketball for the better part of two days. Perhaps therein lies the issue for our IT department. Many sites will be streaming live college basketball come Thursday, March 19th, so how can a company effective block all of the sites? I guess they can’t, for now. Again, good for me, but not so good for the company. The NCAA tournament is just a current example, but streaming live sporting events is also common with the Olympics, World Cup Soccer, etc. So, is it possible for a company to block websites that offer streaming video of live sporting events? I would say the answer to that question is if the technology is not currently available it will be in the near future.

I wrote a previous blog about new software that allows organizations to pick and choose not only which sites they want to make available to their employees, but also which specific features of each site. So, while I plan on sitting in my cubicle and intently watching the Maryland vs. California game on Thursday afternoon, I cringe to think that the day may come when I won’t be able to watch March Madness at work. If that’s the case, I’ll be taking a two-day vacation. Go Terps!

Law Enforcement 2.0

In an effort to find some new Web 2.0-related issues to blog about, I searched through a number of articles and found an interesting one about “Law Enforcement 2.0”. As you may have guessed, the topic of the article was about how various public and private agencies are using the Internet to share information pertaining to crimes and criminals. The web is providing a resource for these agencies to coordinate their efforts in solving crimes and catching the criminals who commit them. Before law enforcement turned to the Internet, different agencies ran the risk of pursuing the same suspect without being able to share information about the investigation.

At first, law enforcement agencies didn’t exactly have a sophisticated system to share information on the web. In fact, the article offered an example of a police department that posted surveillance images on Facebook. These images led to several tips and the suspects were eventually arrested. Using Facebook to catch criminals?! Is that even legal? Isn’t there some kind of privacy protection?

Well, to circumvent these issues raised by the Facebook arrest, web services has been developed for the specific purpose of law enforcement agencies sharing information. One such web service is called CrimeDex. Honestly, I think it’s about time that law enforcement has decided to utilize the Internet to aid their investigations. What better way to catalogue information and share tips relating to trends in crimes and individual criminal activity.

However, the development of a criminal database like CrimeDex also creates some sensitive issues for the potential suspects. For example, with the ability to share information across various agencies all over the country, if incorrect information is entered by one agency it can affect the action taken by every other agency. Hopefully, there is some sort of validation process before a suspect is officially entered into the database. If not, the CrimeDex application runs the risk of fostering police corruption or the arrest innocent suspects. The later could likely lead to a lawsuit relating to breach of civil liberties. Considering these pitfalls, the goal of online crime databases is to effectively reduce the occurrences of criminal activity. If applications like CrimeDex prove to be a valuable resource, and possible deterrent, I think this is one step in the right direction for virtual law enforcement.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/technology/08stream.html?_r=1

Using Social Networking Sites at Work

Just last month my work blocked Facebook. MySpace and YouTube were the first to go; probably over two years ago, now Facebook is the latest victim to get the axe. I can understand why a company would want to block social networking sites. For one reason, the use of these sites probably has a direct correlation to employee productivity…in a negative way. Second, malicious software can be unknowingly downloaded onto the company’s servers through social networking sites. However, in today’s technology-driven environment many companies have a legitimate business need for sites like LinkedIn or Facebook. A company called Aladdin Knowledge Systems has developed a way to allow companies to provide employees with the essential functions of social networking sites, while blocking the potentially hazardous aspects.

The technology is called eSafe AppliFilter and it allows a company to determine which aspects of social networking sites will be available for their employees to access. The purpose of such technology is to reduce the amount of data leaked onto the web and protect the central servers from potentially harmful files. I know that most employees, such as myself, would be much happier with limited access to social networking sites rather than no access at all. This technology will likely be the most popular with recruiting agencies. The HR/recruiting industry has the most obvious need for social networking sites as relating to their job functions.

I imagine that not all employers will have use for a Web 2.0 technology like this one. For example, I work for a financial firm and I’m not really encouraged to visit social networking sites while at work, and for the most part I don’t. I think part of the deterrent comes from the fact that many companies keep a record of every website visited, and I don’t want to have to convince anyone that I’m using Facebook to research markets volatility.

I think the eSafe AppliFilter is a good example of how Web 2.0 technologies are advancing to the next level. We are beginning to surpass the stage of using social networking sites purely for personal use. Now these sites are being integrated into the business world. Aladdin has realized that businesses are accepting Web 2.0 sites as beneficial fixtures for their company, and they have developed a new technology that may bring social networking sites inside more companies in the future.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29505766/

No More Newspapers

It has become apparent that online news is steadily taking the place of traditional newspapers. One of the reasons for this transition is the cost factor. Why continue to pay for your news when you can get it for free online? And why wait for the newspaper to be delivered when you can power on the computer and get up-to-date news from all around the world? For these reasons it is understandable that the newspapers we grew up with are slowly being phased out completely. The Internet has taken over as our primary source for news, that’s the reality.

So how long will the newspaper industry continue to hang on? Many local newspapers are filing for bankruptcy because they can no long compete with the growing popularity on online news. I think it’s time for the traditional newspaper companies to consider transitioning their business to the web. People don’t want to read about yesterday’s news; they want the most current news possible. So what niche can the traditional newspapers fill online? For starters, many papers carry a strong reputation and following within their community. Newspapers already have an established customer base that can be used to promote the initiative to transition to the Internet.

If I want to read about local news, I’ll visit www.baltimoresun.com. The Sun has been a news staple in Baltimore ever since I can remember, and they have embraced the channel of online news. In reality, online news may be the only way for traditional newspaper companies to retain their existing customers. Unfortunately, if these companies refuse to grow in response to the advancements of technology, they will soon become extinct. This is a simple case of being able to change at the pace of technology, or get left behind.

It’s a certainty that the Internet isn’t going away anytime soon. However, the web isn’t the only other channel to receive news. Handheld devices like the iPhone and Blackberry, also offer alternative ways to stay informed in today’s mobile world. News has become more accessible than ever, and while some people still prefer to sit down with a newspaper in hand, that generation is fading away and the next generation of tech savvy consumers is taking over.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/28/earlyshow/main4835656.shtml

Virus-Infected E-mails

Unfortunately, I missed the guest speakers in class last week, so this blog is loosely based on my reaction to Ray Gabler’s power point presentation on Blackboard. It seems like one of the themes of his presentation was about security issues and how they affect Web 2.0 technologies. It’s easy to accept that with the evolution of the Internet, security threats have evolved as well. This is why antivirus software can be a very lucrative business. Since viruses of different types are continuously changing, antivirus software must release periodic patches or newer versions to fight the most current threats.

One particular part of Ray’s presentation that I found to be very interesting involved our online “friends”. I would say that “friend” is a relatively loose term because when you have hundreds of friends on your Facebook or MySpace page, how many of them do you actually know and interact with…in the real world? The fact that many of us are so willing to accept new “friends” leaves us vulnerable to security attacks. One of my previous blogs discussed the ease at which hackers can create fake profiles to befriend unsuspecting people on social networking sites. Once the hacker gains access to someone’s personal information the security barrier is breached and identity theft becomes a realistic possibility.

Several times a year I receive e-mails on my work and school account from the IT administration warning everyone of a potential virus. The potentially virus-infected e-mails usually possess the same characteristics. One, the sender may be a friend or coworker. Two, the e-mail contains an attachment. Three, the subject line or attachment name will be something friendly to peak your interest, something like “hey, you gotta check this out!” Normally, I can tell when I receive one of these corny e-mails because they are not inline with what I’ve come to expect from my friends. However, some people can’t tell the difference between an authentic e-mail and a bogus one. For this reason, the entire company or the entire student body and faculty receives a warning e-mail from the IT administration, telling us not to open any unfamiliar attachments or e-mails with “open me J” in the subject line. That’s sound advice.

Hulu

Please, please don’t take Hulu away. Actually, just don’t start charging for access to the site. Hulu.com offers a huge library of TV show clips and full episodes, all for free (and movies too). For me, Hulu is the perfect outlet for when I need to take a break from work and want to watch something that will make me laugh. Such as anything from Family Guy, SNL, It’s Always Sunny, or Arrested Development. However, it looks like Hulu make face some hard times in the near future.

Hulu, an NBC affiliated company, recently pulled its distribution feed from competitors Boxee and TV.com (CBS-owned). These sites were in agreement with Hulu for the right to stream Hulu content on their sites. Hulu is currently the most popular source for watching TV shows on the web, so why would they want to help out their competition. It looks like the move made by Hulu is an attempt to solidify their place as the most widely used website for TV entertainment.

So if Hulu wants to remain the first option that bored business people jump to, it doesn’t make sense to change a fee for access. However, more competition lurks just over the horizon. Cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner may try to build their own streaming video sites to compete with Hulu and TV.com. The cable companies hold one advantage in the fact that customers are already paying to receive cable in their homes. So the cable companies can try to leverage this into a package deal that includes home cable and web cable all for one sweet price. That sounds like a deal, even if it’s not, and people love signing up for a deal. If the cable companies manage to enter the online market, Hulu will be faced with a new strategic problem. Right now, Hulu makes money off of ad-supported content, but if customers prove willing to pay for this type of service, why not charge them?

Of course, I’m in favor of keeping online entertainment sites, like Hulu, free of charge. But this article makes me wonder; just how much longer will we be able to enjoy these sites for free? While more competitors are constantly entering this arena, free sites may become a luxury of the past.

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Is-Hulus-Heave-Ho-First-Salvo-in-Digital-Content-War-66259.html?wlc=1235170561

"Facebook Owns You"

Still not on Facebook, but here comes another blog about just that topic. It seems the power of the people is enough to make Mark Zuckerberg change his mind, for now. Facebook made headlines (again) yesterday for their decision to revert back to their old terms of use. You may recall that several weeks prior, Facebook amended their terms to exclude the portion stating that users could remove their content at any time. In addition, they added new language stating that Facebook would retain users’ content after an account was terminated.

The blog “Consumerist” reported the Facebook terms of use change by saying “anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later.” First of all, who regularly reads the terms of use to even notice a seemingly minor change like this? In protest, some Facebook users created online groups to oppose the changes. The attached article cites that “thousands” of people commented on the change. So, what percent is that of the 175 million users worldwide? Less than 1%. Were any of those concerned Facebookers going to terminate their accounts because Facebook wants to use their personal information to sell to marketers? I can’t answer for everyone, but the impression I get from friends who live on Facebook is no. Honestly, they couldn’t care less about Facebook changing their terms of use, and the only reason I found out is because the article was one of the top headlines of the day. People protested because that’s what people do in our society. I think it’s doubtful that this change would have had any major lasting affect on Facebook.

Could Mark Zuckerberg steal everyone’s information and get away with it? Probably, but he didn’t. I’m guessing he decided to promptly apologize and withdraw the change because it made him look bad in the media. After watching his interview on dateline or 60 mins it was obvious that he’s an intelligent person. I’m confident that Mark Zuckerberg will come up with a new way to own every piece of information on Facebook and have everyone love him for doing it. Genius.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/technology/internet/19facebook.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=facebook&st=cse

Pirated Music

Web 2.0 technologies have led to many online applications and communities that make our daily lives easier, more convenient, and much more entertaining. Most of these technologies operate within the legal guidelines of our society; however, one does not. Downloading pirated music. There are an infinite number of websites dedicated to downloading copyrighted music illegally. Basically, any music that is downloaded without being paid for is considered illegal.

I would agree that retail CD prices are unreasonably priced, usually around $15-18. In fact, it’s much easier to stay home and download pirated music than drive to the store and dish out $15 per CD. In the past, I have heard friends justify pirated music with the logic that they only buy a CD for one or two songs that they like. Therefore, why not just download the two desired songs, and save the $15 CD cost. Well, that makes sense.

Hello iTunes. Now it is possible to purchase individual songs online for only $0.99. I have been a satisfied customer of the iPOD generation for the last five years. Before iPODs were introduced I can’t remember how music was purchased on the Internet. However, I can remember downloading music and not paying one cent for it. Now that I have access to iTunes, it almost seems criminal to download pirated music when I have the option to buy my favorite songs for only $0.99 each.

I still have issues with paying $15+ for a CD, although I find paying for music much more reasonable through iTunes. I imagine that others feel the same way that I do, and that the emergence of iTunes has led to a decline in pirated music. There will always be those people who refuse to pay for music when there remains a way to get it for free. But I think that iTunes is an acceptable alternative to stealing music. The only current deterrent to downloading pirated music is the threat of a lawsuit. Although to my knowledge, no one has been arrested yet for downloading a few songs on the weekend. Not a very successful deterrent. Perhaps the only other deterrent is the threat of downloading malicious software when you think you’re getting a music file. That’s a mistake that should make people think twice before downloading pirated music again.

Orbitz, Expedia, & Travelocity Bank on You Not Doing Your Research

What’s the number one thing that I consider when searching for online airfare? Sure, I like early flights and non-stop travel is great, but the number one thing is usually cost. I think that any moderate traveler will agree that the most cost-efficient airlines to fly are Southwest, AirTran, and JetBlue. I don’t really have a strong loyalty toward any particular airline, so I usually search around for the cheapest ticket when making travel arrangements. Since the emergence of Web 2.0 websites have been created to assist the customer in finding the cheapest airline tickets online. Websites such as Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity were designed to search airline ticket prices, and return the available tickets given the customers flying criteria.

Sites like Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity seem to provide the customer with an added convenience by taking all of the leg work out of finding the lowest-priced ticket. However, I have recently discovered that this convenience comes at a price. A ticket price for Southwest quoted on the “travel” site was actually higher than the ticket price on Southwest.com. This circumstance was a little perplexing since I always imagined if there was a price difference between the travel site and the actual airline site, the travel site would be lower. Not the case. From this experience, I would warn other consumers not to be fooled when travel sites claim that the airline and hotel industries give them a discounted rate for any vacancy.

It has been my experience that if you want to find the lowest-price ticket to travel, you are safest to book directly from the airline or hotel provider. This is not to say that Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity are completely useless. In fact, it makes sense to begin your travel research with one of these travel sites. At the very least, they will provide you with a list of the cheapest airline companies from which to begin your search. I would just recommend using caution when booking through a travel site because they may inflate the prices that are quoted, or include an additional “processing fee”. Plus, it is usually worth checking the individual airline websites as they frequently run promotions that are only available when booked through their site.

Slapped in the Facebook

Social networking sites have raised huge concerns regarding how safe our personal information really is. Sites like MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter encourage members to create and update their personal profiles, so members can search for others who share their same preferences. Although these sites offer some degree of a personal privacy setting, you can allow members accepted as “friends” to access your personal information. In the article titled “Slapped in the Facebook: Social Networking Dangers Exposed”, an experiment was conducted to prove just how easy it is to hack into a “friend’s” profile.

The article cites several examples of how personal information can be obtained through these social networking sites. The authors also provide ways to prevent your personal information from being compromised. Many of their tips involve knowing who you are accepting as a friend, and not arbitrarily accepting friend requests. Hackers have discovered that they can create fake profiles to befriend people on social networking sites and gain access to their personal information. Sites like MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter allow anybody to create a new profile using only a valid e-mail address. These sites do not validate any of the personal information that members provide to update their profile. With this knowledge, hackers can easily create profiles under an alias using a well-known name.

Social networking sites are a great way to keep in contact with friends, family, and business associates. However, you should never assume that everyone utilizing these sites is doing so with trustworthy intentions. Once your personal information is infiltrated, hackers can use that information to access all of your Web 2.0 sites. Perhaps social networking sites should increase their privacy policies to better protect their members. These sites should invest more resources in determining which profiles contain false information, and prohibiting the existence of false profiles on their site. On way to accomplish this would be to require members to provide valid credit card information before their account is activated. Many of the social networking site members are under the age of 18 and do not likely have their own credit card yet. For children looking to create a profile, a parent’s credit card would have to be used to establish the account. Hopefully, this policy change would also encourage parents to monitor the Internet activity of their children.

http://www.csoonline.com/article/479824/Slapped_in_the_Facebook_Social_Networking_Dangers_Exposed?page=1

"Warning! This site may harm your computer"

Google never stops developing new ideas, and here’s one of their latest. Google’s search engine now offers a warning message located above any resulting website that Google has determined to be potentially harmful to your computer. The warning label states “This site may harm your computer”, and it identifies the websites that may install malicious software on your computer. However, the warning message is just the first line of defense against harmful sites. If you click on the website a warning page will open instead of the potentially hazardous site. This warning is impossible to ignore and it includes a link to a site dedicated to preventing badware.

I think this is a fantastic feature to have on a search engine. With the heightened awareness of privacy issues and identity thefts that occur online, people are extra careful about the websites they visit and where they reveal personal information online. I commend the fact that Google is investing their resources in fighting the security problems that plague the web. In addition, this feature may help to extend the average life of computers.

Many people choose to use the Google search engine over Yahoo! and others because search results are returned faster and the most relevant sites are listed according to the search criteria. The new warning label does not increase the time of a search, but it does add an extra step to access a website that is deemed harmful. Clicking on a harmful site will not immediately direct the user to that site, but rather require them to confirm their choice after an automatic warning window pops up. Does the added security measure provide enough benefit to justify an extra step to open a website, and the time that it takes? I guess it depends on who you ask.

In recent news, last Saturday Google’s warning message experience a little glitch. For about one hour the result of every Google search returned websites that were all tagged with the harmful warning. Google explained the incident as a human error, and it was quickly corrected. This glitch did not have a lasting affect on Google’s search engine as it continues to account for about 70 percent of all Internet searches.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j4Sn-ehiL1W52Xn6UoqhUx2AQ_tw

Facebook & MySpace Apps on Cell Phones - Comes Standard

Just how popular have Facebook and MySpace become? Well, in the words of my mom, “What’s a Facebook?” Normally, I try to avoid bringing up “new” technology, or anything mainstream related to the web when I’m around my parents. So, what prompted her to ask “What’s a Facebook” – her new cell phone. Over the weekend, my mom purchased a BlackBerry from Verizon to replace her old cell phone. The BlackBerry comes standard with a handful of menu options, and surprisingly under the Internet icon was an application for both Facebook and MySpace.

After explaining in very general terms, what a Facebook is, I realized that Facebook and MySpace apps are now a part of the standard package on some PDAs. I wonder how many customer service calls Verizon receives from the Baby Boomer generation to ask what a Facebook is? I found it interesting that now, as consumers, we don’t have the option to add these social networking apps to our own BlackBerry or iPhone – they come standard. So, if I don’t want a Facebook app on my BlackBerry, I have to take the time to delete it. Not really a big deal. I realize the Facebook community is huge, about 150 million people world wide, but only around 40 million users in the US. Could this be a trend that we’ll see mimicked on other products? Will the next computer I buy come equipped with Facebook and MySpace applications right next to the Internet browser?

I can probably guess why cell phone companies decided to add Facebook and MySpace to their PDAs. The obvious reason would be to sell more products. Cell phones and PDAs have the capability to perform more functions than ever before, so why would they want to restrict an application that many people find useful? I think a secondary reason can be attributed to competition. For example, if the iPhone offers standard Facebook and MySpace apps on their product, but BlackBerry does not, then they can create an immediate competitive advantage.

My main point here is that websites like Facebook and MySpace have become so immensely popular to our generation that it is affecting how other retailers market their products. I never thought five years ago that when I turned on my cell phone I would have a menu consisting of recent calls, contacts, messaging, setting & tools, and MySpace. Well, believe it or not, that time has come.

Chris Hansen is my Idol

How have chat rooms and online communities transcended the web and landed on prime time television? In four little words, “To Catch a Predator”. Any kid with access to a computer should be forced to watch an episode of this show to give them a real life perspective of the potential dangers that lurk online. For anyone who has never seen “To Catch a Predator”, the premise of the show is about catching sexual predators who chat online about having sex with a decoy posing as an underage teen, then show up to meet at an undercover house. Once the predator enters the house, Chris Hansen reveals himself and proceeds to interview the pedophiles in what can only be described as an embarrassing, pathetic, yet entertaining interrogation.

One of the goals of the show is to urge parents to closely monitor their kid’s online activities. Young teens may be naïve enough to fall victim to this sort of predator, but parents need to be aware and take a proactive approach in educating their children about online sexual predators. “To Catch a Predator” brings to light two very important points associated with web technology. First, as previously discussed, the Internet has become the latest haven for sexual predators. In fact, the web can provide a cover and false identity for predators to hide behind, which makes it more difficult to prevent these types of crimes and catch the offenders. Second, on the more optimistic side, the web provides law enforcement new ways to trap such sexual predators, and lure them into situations, like “To Catch a Predator”, where they can be arrested.

One of the confusing legal-related points of the show involves the actual crimes that are being committed and punished. I say this because although the men are guilty of making perverted comments to (who they perceive as) underage teenagers, they never actually follow through on the criminal act. I believe the majority of the offenders are charged with ‘soliciting sexing from a minor’, which for first-time offenders is only punishable by probation and mandatory registration as a sex offender. Of course, I agree with the ideals that are being enforced on the show, I’m just questioning how effective these prevention techniques are to deter chronic sex offenders from utilize the Internet as their means.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10912603

The Changing Environment of E-Commerce

The advancement of the Internet from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 has had a significant impact on the e-commerce industry. For many people, e-commerce is viewed as an ultra convenient and accessible way to purchase goods without having to leave the comfort of their home. However, in the early stages of e-commerce the benefit to the consumer heavily outweighed that to the online retailer. With the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies, retailers are now able to tap into customer preferences and buying habits unlike ever before.

Online consumers are usually prompted to fill out surveys relating to their spending preferences after an online purchase. Sometimes these surveys will even be linked to promotional offers as an added incentive to participate. In fact, most online shoppers will happily provide their personal information to a favorite online retailer, because they know that they’ll be the first to receive a notification of new promotions. In an article on Digitaltransactions.net (see below for link to article) the author supported the claim that the information sharing between online retailer and consumers is now a two-way street.

Web 2.0 technologies have fueled the expansion of online communities, blogs, and other open channels to share information. These channels of communication have helped retailers to differentiate themselves. In the world of Web 1.0 the competitive advantage in e-commerce was dominated by the lowest price offer. With the development of Web 2.0, online retailers now have the marketing tools to reach out to a specific target audience. In fact, many of the social networking services allow members to rate products and provide reviews and feedback. In this sense, e-commerce is shifting from a low-cost dominated environment to a customer-friendly culture.

Many of the social networking sites already include member profiles which contain useful marketing information relating to a member’s demographic and personal preferences. In the future, some of the major players in e-commerce may team up with social networking sites to provide selective advertising to a specific target audience. A relationship like this would make online shopping even easier for the consumer. No longer would we have to search through our favorite online retailers to find the newest items or hottest deals. Instead these types of promotions would automatically appear as the banner advertisements on our Internet browser.

http://www.digitaltransactions.net/newsstory.cfm?newsid=2038

Virtual 3D Worlds, Web 3.0?

Now that Web 2.0 is fully upon us, people are looking forward to term the next breaking technology as Web 3.0. The most popular candidate to take on the Web 3.0 label is the virtual 3D world technology. Second Life is the best example of an interactive virtual 3D world in which people can perform nearly every real world function as a self-created avatar. Second Life has transcended the world of video games to become a way to literally live a “second life”. For example, the currency used in Second Life, Linden Dollars, can actually be exchange for real world currency.

Some of the world’s technical savvy companies are pushing the limits and capabilities of virtual world environments. In an article on Infotech.Indiatimes.com (see below for link to article), innovative ideas are presented for how businesses can utilize virtual 3D worlds in their everyday operations. As more people begin to establish their second life identities, businesses will have an increased target audience to reach in the virtual world. The article cites several India-based companies that have built virtual stores in second life and advertise on the virtual platform. Unfortunately, no data was provided to link the virtual advertising to any real world sales or profits.

Companies can not only utilize virtual worlds to reach customers, but also to conduct business meetings, conferences, presentations, interviews, etc. One of the primary benefits of conducting business via the virtual environment is that employees from different regions of the world can be brought together for a relatively low cost. The cost is low compared to costs associated with the conventional means of travels, such as booking flights, rental cars, and hotel rooms. So, instead of incurring the travel costs to bring together a group of employees, a company can arrange to meet in a virtual conference room and attendees can participate from the comfort of their own homes.

I think that virtual 3D worlds offer a viable substitute to live real world meetings; however, they could never completely replace the need for personal contact. At least not yet. It remains evident that some people of the Baby Boomer generation have failed to embrace the technology advances of the past twenty years. I have heard similar stories from many companies of employees who still struggle to master the idea of sending e-mails. Until the few people stuck in this technologically-ancient generation are phased out, or step into the age of technology, we may have to wait to coin the term Web 3.0.

http://infotech.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4021928.cms

Web 2.0 Affects Business Culture

I don’t use many, if any, of the social Web 2.0 tools that are available today. This includes Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, LinkedIn, etc. However, I do frequently visit YouTube for both entertainment and educational purposes. I understand that individuals subscribe to the above mentioned Web 2.0 services as a means to tap into an online social outlet. In this sense, these types of companies provide a useful service in helping people to stay connected in an innovative and effective way. Some of the many services that these companies provide include instant messaging, file sharing, e-mailing, chat rooms, personal profile pages, search functions, etc. With all of this great technology being developed to advance our social networking, I wanted to discover what businesses are doing to incorporate Web 2.0 into their culture.

Web 2.0 companies have become a valuable resource to staying connected to our social circles with friends, family, classmates, etc. But have businesses also adopted the Web 2.0 technology to expand their multimedia power? I searched for online articles about businesses that are using Web 2.0 to enhance their social capabilities to answer this question. I found an interesting article on Newsfactor.com (see below for link to article) that outlines the top three reasons that companies integrate Web 2.0 technology into their business. The top three reasons according to their survey were to 1) build and promote their brand; 2) improve communication and collaboration; and 3) increase consumer engagement. About half of the companies surveyed reported using video, social networking, blogs, and online communities.

As evidenced by these survey results, it is obvious that many companies have already incorporated Web 2.0 technology into their operations. As individuals become more comfortable with integrating the Internet into their lifestyle, I would expect that companies will lean even more on web technology. At this point, I don’t think that people have truly realized the extent of the Web 2.0 technology that has been made available by various businesses. I think that there will be a gradual acceptance as people progress from simply paying bills and checking account balances online, to becoming active members of online communities.

This article proved to be a good example of how the potential of Web 2.0 technology will affect the culture of business in the future.


http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Companies-Becoming-More-Sociable/story.xhtml?story_id=011000QE1FBV