Here are just a few pointers for how I will be grading your blog submissions. If you have any comments or are unsure of anything, please feel free to email me.
Criteria for Grading Blogs:
1)Focus on the issue (does your blog deal with a well defined topic or is it too unfocused)
2) Evidence (does the blog support its position with adequate data and well thought-through opinions or are you just making conversation with nothing of substance behind your words)
3) Coherence (does the argument hold together and move the discussion forward in a way that someone might be tempted to respond to your blog)
4) Scope (does it deal with all important aspects of the issue, not in an overly detailed way but in a way that convinces someone that you have carefully thought about the issue)
5) Originality (do you have an original point of view)
What you should see from the above is that blogging is not about shooting from the hip. It means that you need to get close to your subject matter in order to understand it better. After all, you are writing a critique of an article, not a summary. You may have to read outside the article that you are blogging about in order to build up your understanding. As a teacher, this is the great thing about blogs. It creates what educators call non-linear learning which means that students read something and then go off in a million different directions to try to figure something out.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Using IT differently
http://blogs.forbes.com/edsperling/2010/11/22/using-it-differently/
Ed Sperling interviews Dan Salisbury, CIO at Cadence Design Systems, questioning on how an IT company tries and updates its technology. Questioned on whether they add servers to a company, or cut down, Salisbury mentioned that they have cut down on server usage by a large majority, close to 10,000. In this economy, employees with highly specific jobs are being cut off from tech companies in order for employees with a wider range of skills. Another big field for tech companies is the idea that security needs to be advanced as much as possible. For this, the need to ensure cyber security is very important for a tech company
Ed Sperling interviews Dan Salisbury, CIO at Cadence Design Systems, questioning on how an IT company tries and updates its technology. Questioned on whether they add servers to a company, or cut down, Salisbury mentioned that they have cut down on server usage by a large majority, close to 10,000. In this economy, employees with highly specific jobs are being cut off from tech companies in order for employees with a wider range of skills. Another big field for tech companies is the idea that security needs to be advanced as much as possible. For this, the need to ensure cyber security is very important for a tech company
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Southwest plans for Wi-Fi
Southwest has decided to put Wi-Fi on every airplane that are owned and operated by them. The reason they have decided to do this is to gain more market share than they already have or that is so they say on their websites and other press releases. Southwest after recently acquiring Airtran decided to catch up to all the other airline companies and start providing Wi-Fi on their planes. The reason that Southwest was amongst the last of the airline companies to put Wi-Fi in their airliners is because they decided to focus on other areas. Although this might have been a wrong strategic move for Southwest they have enough of the market share and the cheapest prices due to a locked in 20 year gasoline contract that is cheaper than any of the competition that they due not have to worry about bringing customers who want Wi-Fi on their trip running back to Southwest as soon as this service is installed.
The price is going to range anywhere from five to ten dollars per flight for Wi-Fi. Although many research companies have projected on one out of fifty customers to use Wi-Fi on airliners it is more about brand loyalty for Southwest. Southwest has always tried to be better and cheaper than the rest of their competition and Wi-Fi is just another service they want to offer to their customers
This is a great idea for airliners to do but Southwest is a little late in starting this procedure. Although this will not really effect them in the future it is probably effecting them right now as they are trying to set it up while other companies have it up and running. One way they can find a boost in sales is by making a service like this for free. What this will do is boost ticket sales, which will boost profit by more than what one in fifty Wi-Fi users will. If they provide free Wi-Fi than I believe that Southwest can own most of the market share and have a competitive advantage over the rest.
IBM's Cloud computing
On Monday, IBM unveiled the newest part of a long-term project in Dubuque Iowa. IBM will monitor three hundred volunteer households who consume water. IBM is not building any of the hardware for this, a company, Neptune built the low-flow water monitors that all Dubuque residents are having installed in their homes. These monitors take more readings than normal, about once every fifteen minutes. What this does is it gives the homeowners valuable information about water usage or leaks.
IBM benefits from this service they are providing because they can test new cloud-computing software that crunches numbers for water and electricity consumption from a real community. Also the people who they are testing this long-term project on will give IBM feedback on the service.
This is a great idea but the way they implement this new technology is very important to how well it does on the market. IBM has a three-tiered cloud strategy. First, comes individual consumers who want to watch how much money they spend or check for leaks. Second, IBM plan to offer this service to the government; they will come out with a product soon that will let government officials look at data to see whether the policies they put in place actually work. Third, IBM wants to make a version of the software for utilities companies and larger corporations.
This project has the possibility to become a cash cow for IBM. IBM is trying to push its image as a cloud-computing leader. This new technology will be needed and will be offered by other companies and that is why IBM is trying to get a head start on it. Another reason that IBM wants to get a head start on this is because they offer an array of intangible consulting work. This new IBM cloud computing technology can give them a better image as a service provider that can produce and effect tangible change.
Although this project seems to be like a great service for people and a profitable project for IBM, I feel like it could be too much of a luxury for people to pay extra for. In this time of very high unemployment and recession people may not find this new technology a must have in their homes. IBM should keep testing this new service and release it into the market when economic times get better in the United States. Another way they can release it into the market and still find it to be profitable for them is by switching there three-tier strategy to releasing it to the government first and when economic times get better they can release it to the general public.
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/10/07/how-ibm-is-using-water-to-learn-the-cloud/#more-39297
Fayek Bseiso
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Facebook Enters a Whole New World of Advertising
It took Facebook a mere two years to reach an audience of 50 million people. Now with a user base that exceeds over half a billion people it is unlikely to meet someone you cannot find on Facebook. This is what makes Facebook such a prime target for advertising.
Among the half a billion people that use Facebook, 200 million people now use Facebook on their mobile phones also, whether it be on a Blackberry, iphone or Andriod. This is what makes Facebook’s new application ‘Places’ so effective. Facebook is basically the same as Foursquare, which I blogged about a couple of weeks ago. Like Foursquare, Facebook Places is a geolocation service that allows people to check in to different stores and restaurants who use this application and get special deals and coupons.
It is free for a business to use Facebook Places just like Foursquare. But the advantage that Facebook has over foursquare is that Facebook is starting with a huge audience. They can use that as a draw for businesses to advertise on Facebook that they are offering deals through Facebook places. When Facebook offers a new application, millions of people are quickly informed through the social network about it. Foursquare, on the other hand, needs to start from square one and build its audience. Facebook’s ubiquitousness is going to make it very hard for new geolocation services to compete with it.
Gap is one of the first big companies to work with Facebook places. “The company outlined a campaign offering a free pair of jeans to the first 10,000 users who check into their local Gap store using Facebook’s mobile application” (Worthman). This is one example of the way companies can reach out to existing and new customers. Another model is one that might be used by a company like Starbucks, who has expressed interest in this. Not only can Starbucks offer a free latte but they can leverage the social network aspect of Facebook as well. That is because on Facebook places when you check in to one of the participating companies your location updates on Facebook place, your friends news feed and your wall. This will allow your Facebook friends to be informed where you are and what places are offering deals, reaching an even greater market. Starbucks is hoping that this product will take the virtual social network to the next level and make it an actual social network where people are sitting at a table, talking face to face, drinking a latte in Starbucks.
The incorporation of cell phones and social networks and their ability to bring people together brings a unique opportunity for marketers and also for the people themselves, who may just get a free pair of jeans or find their new favorite hang out. On the other hand, the convergence of cell phones, social networking and targeted advertising, also has a dark side. While it may make you feel like the world is actually designed just for you, it is only able to do this by knowing where you are, what you like, and who you want to be with. In this world, the idea of privacy is an illusion and everything that is known about you is used to create your day-to-day experience. We may soon find ourselves living in a world where we will have to be suspicious of every seemly random event and whether in fact it is really random.
Facebook Unveils Mobile Deals Service
When I began using Facebook a little over five years ago, it was a very different website. Creating a Facebook was the “cool” thing to do, Facebook had just expanded to high school networks and you had to be “invited” by another kid from your network to sign up. People barely checked their facebooks once or twice a day and the coolest thing you could do was “poke” someone. Today everything has changed people access Facebook from everywhere including work, home or even from their mobile phone. It’s also not just teens and college kids anymore, now every including adults and senior citizens are online. With people spending so much time on Facebook, its not surprising that Facebook has involved and become a prime space for advertising.
According to this article in the Wall St Journal Facebook Inc. as taken it a step further. Before mobile Facebook users, could use the website in similar ways to they could on a computer however now, users can check in to locations and be rewarded. There is currently an application called foursquare that allows user to “check in” using their facebook account. The difference with the new service from Facebook, is merchants will offer incentives to “check in”, such as a discount. A person using the Facebook places app on their mobile phone can look up nearby business and it will show if they are offering any promotions for checking in. This application allows consumers to use their Facebook account as loyalty cards as well as allowing merchants advertising opportunities to attract business. I think this is a great tool for businesses to use. Examples listed in the article, included discounts such as half off a cup of coffee, or a free appetizer. I think that these deals will help bring customers in because they don’t have to do anything. There are no coupons or signing up for emails, they are already “enrolled” by having a Facebook.
GAP Inc is going to be one of the first partners and will be offering a free pair of jeans to the first 10,000 people to check into their store. Other companies that plan to participate include Starbucks, McDonald’s, Macy and Harrah’s. While Facebook is not charging users to take part in this application, they can still make money off on advertisement on their site, and many companies using this app will want to advertise it with Facebook. From the standpoint of Facebook I think this was a smart idea, because many other companies such as Google have created a location application and Facebook needs to stay ahead in its market. From the business stand point of other companies that would be using this application, I also think it will be very effective. This application allows businesses to access millions of Facebook users very easily and affordably, which would otherwise not be possible with this application. They can also reach a bigger audience all at once. Businesses save money on printing coupons and having to distribute them by using Facebook places. They can offer the same incentives to more people with less money, which will give them higher profits. This should be a business goal for any business. Another good thing about this application is companies in the service industry such as Harrah’s can use it, or retail businesses like Gap. I think the possibilities could be endless if a company utilizes the new Facebook places application.
Sources
Wanted: Social Media Sifters
Generation Y, also known as myself and my fellow students, are constantly Updating our "Status'" and "Tweeting" about what color shoes we're wearing today; who knew that our knowledge within this sector of the internet could lead to a possible career path? Companies are now realizing how important social media is in todays business world, especially within consumer products. If a customer is sitting on a delayed flight, they're more than likely tweeting about the poor service they are receiving; but if a company knows how to track this media they can deal with it and even get a chance to change that customers point of view. This is where social media monitoring and analytics comes in. Ryan Finn talks about this up and coming field, and how it is improving the way companies are getting the information they need quicker and directly from the consumer. Companies go to companies, like NetBase, and are using social media analytics software to find out detailed information that is floating around the internet. Finn talks about how a consumer products company wanted to find out why men wear stubble, the NetBase software was able to read, analyze more than 50,000 sentences; it then isolated what the company was looking for, categorized it, ranked in, along with reason in a matter of seconds. The NetBase software is used by major companies such as Coca Cola, Proctor and Gamble, and Kraft Foods; to get an inside look into the consumers mind. Companies are increasing their spending, by about 24%, in this field, this not only includes using the software, but teaching their employees on how to use these social media sites to better their businesses.
Today not only is the internet an expected part of most of the populations life, but so are the social media sites on it. Social media has become a part of Generation Y's daily life, and is quickly expanding to other generations. This makes it the perfect way to find for companies to find the opinions of their consumers, and also gives them the opportunity to find out how to change those opinions. It seems today that a persons life is published on the internet, it has become the new, and constantly updating, biography of the online population of the world. Making it the place to not only find out information on consumers, but a way to attract consumers. The many faces of social media on the internet are great ways to advertise a product, almost for free. As a member of generation Y I will admit to being on my Facebook, Twitter, and favorite blogs daily. So hearing about how social media monitoring is an up and coming field within the business world is very encouraging. As said in the article "We’re Not in Kansas Anymore – New Careers in Social Media for Gen-Y" by Tiffany Harrison on USA Today blog, social media monitors are not just people who understand the basic uses of these social media filters, but those who can get information from the sites. This, in my eyes, gives my generation an extra edge in the job market because we have been around this media for years, and have fully acquainted ourselves with what there is to know about these sites. So even if we don't go into the specific field of social media analysis we already know we will have another way to get information that other employees in our field may not.
The world of social media is something that companies will need to have a strong understanding of if they want to keep up with their customers in today's growing markets.
Sources:
Wanted: Social Media Sifters
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore – New Careers in Social Media for Gen-Y
Today not only is the internet an expected part of most of the populations life, but so are the social media sites on it. Social media has become a part of Generation Y's daily life, and is quickly expanding to other generations. This makes it the perfect way to find for companies to find the opinions of their consumers, and also gives them the opportunity to find out how to change those opinions. It seems today that a persons life is published on the internet, it has become the new, and constantly updating, biography of the online population of the world. Making it the place to not only find out information on consumers, but a way to attract consumers. The many faces of social media on the internet are great ways to advertise a product, almost for free. As a member of generation Y I will admit to being on my Facebook, Twitter, and favorite blogs daily. So hearing about how social media monitoring is an up and coming field within the business world is very encouraging. As said in the article "We’re Not in Kansas Anymore – New Careers in Social Media for Gen-Y" by Tiffany Harrison on USA Today blog, social media monitors are not just people who understand the basic uses of these social media filters, but those who can get information from the sites. This, in my eyes, gives my generation an extra edge in the job market because we have been around this media for years, and have fully acquainted ourselves with what there is to know about these sites. So even if we don't go into the specific field of social media analysis we already know we will have another way to get information that other employees in our field may not.
The world of social media is something that companies will need to have a strong understanding of if they want to keep up with their customers in today's growing markets.
Sources:
Wanted: Social Media Sifters
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore – New Careers in Social Media for Gen-Y
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