Blog Post 6

Convergence culture is the merging of technological, industrial, cultural, and social changes in our culture. Social media plays a big part in convergence culture because it makes things so accessible. Want to know more on the latest Nicholas Sparks movie? Hashtag it on twitter and see what comes up. Aren't sure about a toaster you plan on buying? Check out the reviews on Amazon. These reviews and insights are a part of the social culture we are in. Today, the access to so many reviews and opinions are so easy to come by that endorsers are not even needing to endorse, the public does it for them. Creative engagement is a way for people to participate in non-traditional ways. An example would be voting live for your favorite top model on America's Next Top Model. This allows the public to engage with just a couple of thumb taps, which in America, is about as much effort as people would like to put forth. Having the audience of your market participate makes them feel in control to whatever it is you're marketing. Which in turn, gives you more exposure because the followers will feel more inclined to give publicity when they feel acknowledged.

Blog Post 5

The long tail theory, although a little confusing to understand, seems to mean the ability to find all kinds of items that wouldn't be found in stores, through the internet. These items can be placed under "the head" meaning they are common, popular items, or "the tail" which would be niche or harder to access items. Sites like amazon and ebay allow people the accessibility of purchasing items that would normally be impossible to find. For example, I was trying to find my mom a tiny gold monogrammed signet ring. I have no idea where I would purchase something like that in stores unless it were from a jewelry store and I would end up paying way more than I could afford for it. With the help of google I was brought to hundreds of different sites that allowed me to narrow my preferences to exactly what I wanted in the ring. I decided on etsy, which I think is a perfect example of how a long tail works because all of the items they carry are hand made from individual vendors and can not be found anywhere else. Going along with this example, I see myself, as a consumer, to be a bargainer. I searched at least 25 different websites looking for the exact ring I wanted at a price I felt suitable. As the consumer I feel as though nobody should settle for a product they are searching for when the internet offers so much variety and options when it comes to online purchasing.

Blog Post 4

Ultimately, it is up to the user how much privacy or personalization they prefer. Depending on what the individual finds most important, that is how they determine what kind of privacy settings they choose. Everyone has different opinions on what kind of information should be accessible to websites or even on your own personal computer. These opinions are described as being privacy fundamentalists, privacy concerned, or privacy pragmatists. With the internet today, it seems as every move we make is being monitored. From our social media accounts being scattered with adds based on our recent searches to our Netflix homepage suggestions due to our latest show choices. Although these preferences are used to make our lives easier it's hard to trust it all when our computer seems to know more about ourselves than we do. As most of us know it is not smart to disclose any type of financial or very personal information onto any website but what about basic info such as lifestyle or demographics? According to Kobsa, research has found 63% of people have provided false information due to privacy insecurities. And I will openly admit to doing this as well. One question I have about privacy is, where does all this information go and where is its final destination? How is it filtered and monitored and when will personalization finally come to a reasonable stopping point. Is the information I give out really only going to the specific website like they say, or is it accessible to a much broader interface? I never feel totally secure putting my information on the internet because I'm always unsure where it's floating around but in today's society it seems inescapable.