MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #8

For my final project, I am looking into microblogging, specifically Tumblr, and whether or not Tumblr can monetize their content and avoid the same fate as many dot-com bubble businesses. After working on my project, I now see the challenge that exists with social media and monetizing the content without aggrevating the user base that keeps your website alive. It's hard to tell at this point whether or not Tumblr can create a business model that balances monetization and user-friendliness, but there seem to be investors willing to throw their money at the idea. It will be interesting to see if these investors will get a return on their investment or if they will be the next victims in a long chain of investors putting money into businesses operating online.

MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #7

My favorite module was probably the module about the dot com bubble. I had never studied about this topic, and I found it to be quite interesting, particularly when you look at it in the context of many websites today. I found it interesting that so many investors were eager to jump on the Internet bandwagon, even when the websites weren't necessarily making profit from their content. I think this goes to show that good content, while important, does not make a company successful unless it also had a business plan to back it up. No business, whether in the media industry or not, is able to stay afloat without revenue being brought in from it's product.

MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #6

I have learned a lot from this class, and I would certainly recommend this class to others who may be looking for an interesting course in Media Management. I have learned quite a few things, including a lot of information I didn't know before about the dot com bubble (which I had never looked into with any depth before this course). Also, I have learned a lot about how businesses and media organizations utilize modern media in their marketing efforts, which will certainly be of use to me, as I'm a marketing major as well as a media management major.

I believe this course is a great course, and I honestly do not know how it could be changed to be made better. I enjoy the discussion board posts, as I believe interaction with others allows new ideas to be shared in a way that takes advantage of the online format. I do sometimes wish this was an in-person class rather than an online class, as I think personal contact with others might add to the learning process, but I believe the course is still an interesting one even when done via the Internet.

MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #5

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-10-25/living/money.tips.social.media_1_social-media-twitter-and-facebook-tweet?_s=PM:LIVING

This article addresses the concerns that many businesses have with using social media in their marketing efforts. It also provides some suggestions on how a business can monetize their social media presence.

MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #4

While it is clear that online businesses are thriving and have many advantages, I also feel that brick and mortar stores are still going to be a mainstay in the marketing world. It is certainly tempting to establish an online business due to the lack of expenses such as rent and utilities, but I feel as though pigeonholing all businesses as being better off in an online setting is a bad idea in the marketing world. There are also advantages to brick and mortar stores as well, such as the ability to create an atmosphere in your stores and the possibility of face-to-face interactions. Also, many individuals simply don't prefer to shop online, and would rather have their goods in-hand at purchase.

If I were to operate a business, I would try to take measures to optimize the business to tap into both the online and brick and mortar markets. Many businesses have been successful in doing just this. For example, Apple products can be purchased online and in Apple retail locations. I feel as though this allows Apple to tap into the online shopping market with the ability to order and customize your product from your living room, but they also do a great job taking advantage of the things a physical location offers as well, as their retail stores are the epitome of great branding. If I were to run a business, I would follow suit and try to appeal to both business models.

MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #3

If I were to redesign my blog to make it more marketable, I would try to make my design look more professional and business-related, as I am both a business and media student. In the future I will be searching for a place to start my career, and as we all know, a person's online presence is becoming an important part of the job search process with the ease of searching out someone online during the interview process. I would be sure to include a professional image of myself wearing clothing appropriate for the job I would like to be considered for (and possibly overdress for the job). Also, I would be sure my layout, content, and messages on the blog were professional in nature and were related to the field that I would like to start a career in. The more I related the blog to my career goals, the more likely it would be that the blog could serve as an asset in marketing myself to potential employers. I would also be sure that my blog is highly organized and easy to navigate, as common sense tells us that easily navigated websites are more likely to keep visitors enthused than one that is confusing and hard to manage. As we have seen with many of the top blogs we examined in Module 3, organization and navigation are certainly key in the success of a blog.

MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #2

As an example of a business who has shown the importance of online marketing, I have chosen Angie's List, which takes advantage of the marketing concept that states that information and referrals gained from our peers (word of mouth) can be the most powerful tool for researching a business. Angie's list focuses on the experience someone has with a particular business and sharing it with others who are potential customers for the same business. This shows that online information, whether good or bad, can have an impact on the purchases of consumers and can be a very powerful tool in marketing.

MDIA 4902 - Blog Post #1

1. How many social networking sites are you using.

I am currently using 2 social networks regularly (Facebook and LinkedIn), one every so often (Twitter), and others I browse every so often.

2. How often do you use them?

I use Facebook every day, LinkedIn once a week or so, and Twitter is only used at random times.

3. What is your favorite and why?

My favorite is Facebook, simply because I use it the most often and it is the most useful to me. I like to connect with my friends, and it also serves a professional purpose as well. I'm the Promotions Director for the All-Campus Radio Network (ACRN), and Facebook allows me to contact performing artists and other people in the local music scene in order to promote and organize events for ACRN.