My Term Project Discussion

The Internet.  Exactly how vulnerable to this medium are we?  As many would like to suggest we could survive independently from the Internet’s resources, in reality, we are virtually addicted.  The ease and availability of the Internet makes it possible to use it in nearly any situation.  Although it does not encompass new media’s entirety, the Internet has generated about three dimensions of communication old media lacked.  Specifically, new media has introduced us to the notions of instant knowledge, digitalization and interactivity.  Although new media has impacted the resources for, and communication of advertising, the main goal for marketers has remained unchanged: attract your consumer and deliver value.

Although the area of advertising is becoming increasingly technology-driven, old ways of doing business will not die overnight.  Many traditional ad agencies simply do not have the budget to allow for much digital experimentation, and yet others are merely reluctant to embrace the unknown.  The radical new approaches to advertising culture have both  demanded and inspired innovative techniques of attracting attention.  “It has forced marketers to stay on their toes and think of thousands of small great ideas instead of one great big one,” (Clifford 1).

New media has affected advertising in various ways.  The major lesson acquired, though, has been that change does not have to be a negative concept.  Until the Internet, advertising required heavy research at the front and back ends; millions of dollars went into television and print ads, so advertisers had to ensure they had the right idea before they could produce anything.  Additionally, determining the effectiveness of those ads was just as complex.  Beginning an advertising campaign was an undeviating process that required commitment and patience, and above all, a little luck.  TV commercials used to be booked months before a season premiered, and if was show flopped, there were no ways of aborting their plans.

Today, the daily newspaper is yesterday’s news and the brilliant 30-second commercial is skipped over in the blink of an eye.  The advertising that will survive today will not only embrace new media, but it will take advantage of and conquer it.  “The species that are superior at adapting to change, those are the ones that will carry on,” (Friedman and Friedman 8).  No one has ever gotten ahead by being a step behind, it is as simple as that. 

References

Clifford, Stephanie. “Put Ad on Web. Count Clicks. Revise.” The New York Times 31 May 2009. 5 June 2009 .

Friedman, Linda Weiser, and Hersey H. Friedman. “High Impact Areas of the New Media Technologies: A Review.” Management Online Review (July 2008): 1-8. 24 June 2009 .

Our Class Wiki - So Far

In correlation with my blog, 

I titled my Wiki:

"A New York State of Mind" 

as well.

*Being new to the city provides me with numerous things to research (i.e. entertainment, transportation, food & beverage, etc...)

*Therefore, I focused my Wiki page on all the things I was learning about my new city.

*To enhance the presentation of the site, I added pictures, color, different font styles and sizes, as well as inserting internal and external links to allow for easy navigation for viewers.

*Wikis are what you make of them.  They allow users to organize and display whatever kind of information they want to as creatively as they choose to.

The Next New Thing

Allow me to introduce the notion of 

 .....MORPHING.....

(the next stage of convergence)

So this is how it will play out:

You have one gadget.

• First "disguise" -- ALARM CLOCK.  Set up the night before to fulfill the purpose of waking you up.  Upon success, you turn it off and morph it into your cell phone.
• Second disguise -- CELL PHONE.  Check messages.
• Third disguise -- WRIST WATCH.  Snap it on, go to work.
• Fourth disguise -- LAPTOP.  Put the gadget on your desk, push a button and watch it morph into your personal PC.
• Fifth disguise -- iPOD.  Hit the gym without having to store all your valuables in a public locker.
• Sixth disguise -- CAMERA.  Take a picture of a restaurant on your way home and wirelessly send it to someone as a dinner suggestion.

This morphing gadget will allow for consumers to have ONE "tool" to perform almost everything.  All that will be left are credit cards and keys!  But who knows, perhaps we can combine those into the morphing gadget as well.

The best part is that not only will this be completely wireless, but it will be eco-friendly as well, as it will recharge through solar power.  This will also help with the ease and reliability of using the device, as it will never die on you.  The drawback: Now you'll have to literally turn it off if you need a break from reality...

Advice to Baruch College

As a temporary student of Baruch, it is hard to highlight their flaws.  However, as with any other college, I think the most beneficial addition to the classroom would be the implementation of social networks as an educational tool.

College students live very unique lives, packed with numerous activities and engagements.  Not only does this affect the time they have available for school, but limits the number of resources they can utilize for coursework and classroom communication  as well.

Social Networking could allow for a central location for students and professors to find information about the class, as well as an accessible tool to contact anyone with questions and concerns about the class.

OLD vs. NEW

In general.....

OLD MEDIA: Anything that wasn't initially available on the Internet

NEW MEDIA: Forms of communication made available because of the Internet

Specifically....

OLD media has to seek out your attention.

NEW media is always and already there.

You have to find OLD media. 

NEW media finds you.

OLD media pushes you.

NEW media is pulled by you.

Examples....

OLD media: Newspapers, Radio, TV  (ONE-WAY communication)

NEW media: Blogs, Podcasts, YouTube (Interaction, TWO-WAY, or more, communication)

Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds

WELCOME TO A VIRTUAL BOARD MEETING....

These new technologies allow "employees separated by thousands of miles [the ability] to mingle, interact and share ideas in the virtual world before their first day on the job," (Frauenheim, 2006).

Virtual Worlds create an atmosphere that users can feel completely comfortable in; "You're on your own computer, in your own room, your own space," (Saidi).

Not only do you receive the benefit of feeling relaxed, but it differs from "video-conferencing" in that you get to create an "Avator," which is a virtual representation of yourself. These can resemble the way you look in real life, or have fairy wings attached!

Businesses can use these worlds in a number of ways. One easy way to implement this technology is through employee training; "the video game play adds a dimension of training because people don't perceive it as learning. That makes them more willing to take risks and be more flexible in their thinking," (Frauenheim, 2006).

**BeYoNd ThE cOrPoRaTe WoRlD**

Many people have already put these virtual worlds to great use.

For example, many toy companies have added online-codes to their toys that allow the consumer to not only play with the physical toy, but also play with other people's "virtual" toys online. Visit Webkinz.com to see for yourself....

Additionally, MTV has created several 3-D, Internet-based social networks that are virtual representations of popular cities, replicating everything from clubs to bars to delis to the weather! They are creating a realistic imitation of what the city looks and feels like, as well as everything it has to offer you (entertainment, food, lodging) if you plan to visit.

Furthermore, there are even virtual worlds for those with autism. Autism is "a range of brain disorders that can cause difficulties in social interaction, communication and behavior," (Saidi). Having this type of virtual resource center allows users to get "familiar with an environment before they actually try it out in real life," (Saidi).

As we all very well know, every great invention has a cynical twin.

So is this the case for virtual worlds as well? Sure, why not....Creeps are never going to stop creepin', this is yet another way for them to prove their skills.

However, most of these virtual worlds are "self-policing communities...users would likely be quick to report any behavior that seemed to indicate [if] users posed real-world threats," (Musgrove, 2008).  

With that being said, I believe that, sadly, the true evil counterpart of the virtual world is addiction.

If misused or abused, people have the potential to get too sucked into these virtual realities, and be led even further astray from actual human interaction than they were before.

The fact that people can become too comfortable in a video game-like setting to ever face reality again is both scary, but more so sad...

However, if used correctly, these Internet-based worlds can be extraordinary learning tools for an array of disorders, phobias, and so on.

Like everything in life, this technology offers plenty of gray areas and fine lines between it's benefits and harms.  And to be redundant, it will become exactly what you make of it.

These worlds offer much greater future benefits than threats anyway....

These can be successfully utilized in businesses, education, for boredom, and much more. Like social media, virtual media opens a door for boundless possibilities.

For instance, virtual worlds could be used for high school students during their college search.  In these worlds, they could meet potential classmates, and virtually move into their dorm room "early," and get to know their hall mates, etc.

Likewise, these virtual realities could allow applicants to explore companies, meet their potential  co-workers and discover if they fit in with the company's system and core values, BEFORE even applying for the job.

Lastly, this virtual media could benefit advertising by allowing buyers to virtually test out products to see how they would fit into their lifestyle, and/or if the product could offer additional benefits to their current living situation.

This technology can truly minimize geographical separations between people, beyond the way social networks can, and bring people from all over the world together quickly and easily.

And ultimately, it puts the control back into the hands of the consumer.  And Lord knows, we all love power!

References

Frauenheim, Ed. "IBM Learning Programs Get a 'Second Life.'" 17 October 2006. 16 June 2009.

Musgrove, Mike. "At Hearing, Real and Virtual Worlds Collide." The Washington Post. 2 April 2008. 16 June 2009.

Saidi, Nicole. "iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battles autism with virtual interaction." CNN. 16 June 2009.

Social Networking

Dear Corporate America,

If you have not woken up already, the time has finally time to conform. Social media can actually help, more than hinder, you.....for real!

Sincerely,

New Media

Ok business-owners, I am going to list a FEW benefits of New Media, and you tell me which ones you oppose:

*Saving paper (are you not trying to help the environment and go green?)*

**Ability to update content without any lag (do we really have extra time for delays these days?)**

***Centralization of data (c'mon, filing cabinet were so last season)***

****CHEAP (did I miss the economy boom?)****

*****No, or very little, user learning curve (yes, your Grandma could use it too)*****

(Goonoe, 2005)

So you are obviously convinced by now, so now I will tell you how you can implement these technologies to help your business run more efficiently:

1. Create a company INTRANET. All of the benefits above are combined in one Web-based application that anyone within the company will be able to access. This will allow for idea and data sharing, which in turn will provide an atmosphere of efficiency and equality, where everyone is constantly up-to-date on the company.

2. Allow social media to be a part of EDUCATION. Enabling students to have access to a central location where they can inquire about and answer concerns about their course work will provide both higher simplicity, as well as efficiency, inside and outside the classroom.

"The Dark Side"

Before you freak out, let's be serious, what technology or media doesn't have the potential of monstrosity? So what is different about New Media?

Yes, these new technologies can be very susceptible to Internet predators, but that is why someone needs to be put in charge; anything that has public access needs to be monitored. (Ex: a public swimming pool.)

As long as your choice of New Media (blog, wiki, social network, etc...) is under adequate supervision, there are endless windows of opportunity of improving the communication of your company.

Lesson to be learned: Don't be scared, just be aware.

~*tHe FuTuRe*~

Without my trusty crystal ball, I must rely on my psychic abilities....

With that, I believe that New Media and convergence are going to spread like wildfire. Somehow, "they" (the brains of these innovations) are going to find ways to connect everything.

The C's of this Convergence: Cars, Computers, Cameras, Cell-phones, Cable, Credit Cards, Clothes.....and who knows what else???

To continue the "C" trend, the future will provide CENTRAL CONTROL. Imagine, everything is one place. How? Well, that is up to the brains of this operation....

References

Goodnoe, Ezra. "How To Use Wikis For Business." InformationWeek. 8 Aug. 2005. InternetWeek. 10 June 2009 .