rachel CAUSEY

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Authoring 200000 Books?

2008-04-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, well, maybe not an "idiot." Actually, not an idiot at all--a presumably extremely wealthy computer genius, to be exact. Philip Parker, the self-proclaimed "most published author in the history of the planet," has developed computer algorithms that essentially make the computer compile information and transform it into book format. He has "written" on everything from acne to Indian bathmat sales, and maintains a job as professor of management science. Parker's collection is not initially distinguishable as something that is computer generated, but he does concede that those familiar with the Internet are not his intended readers--the information can essentially be found through online searches, and in keeping with this, the content is frustrating to the cyberspace savvy. The idea is apparently highly profitable, as he has managed to sell hundreds of some books--and keep in mind, he has written 200,000--especially to information-mongers like medical libraries. I'm interested to see if anyone else tries to beat this record-- half a million, anyone? Anyone?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/14/business/media/14link.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

New legislation?

2008-03-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

It is common knowledge that, over the past ten years, the Internet has, for lack of a better word, exploded. The immediacy of the medium has made it a staple for people worldwide, and because of the available users, it has also become a new medium for advertisers, one that they are learning how to embrace and use more and more each day. Advertising has become such a presence that it is garnering attention for the lengths that advertisers will go to in order to obtain consumer data, which has sparked a huge controversy.
The core of the issue with online advertising and collection of consumer data comes down to an issue of privacy, something that is tied in very closely with the invasiveness of advertising. Because the Internet is ever changing, the ways in which ads are placed have changed as well, something that is new to consumers. Television has commercials and infomercials, print media has print ads, and radio has commercials, all of which can be avoided—you can turn the page or the channel to find one without an advertisement. Internet, however, does not provide this option. Websites, with few exceptions, all feature advertisements: Flyers, banner ads, pop-ups, surveys, and a host of other types of advertising make it virtually impossible to escape.
The current controversy with online advertising is the collection of consumer data. This issue has recently been brought to light by New York assemblyman Richard Brodsky, who is attempting to pass legislation that would make it a “crime for certain Web companies to use personal information about consumers for advertising without their consent.” The issue is proving problematic because, although it is gaining support, a law passed by the New York Assembly would apply only to residents of New York, and so laws would likely have to change nationwide to protect all U.S. citizens from having their data sold or used by online agencies for specific targeting. The issue has the potential to severely hurt the online advertising industry, but due to the lack of federal regulations for Internet enterprise, the direction that the case takes is still very much to be determined. The Internet giants have differing responses: Microsoft is supporting the potential regulation, although Yahoo is resisting regulation, as they technically own the online territory that they are using data from. The advertising industry is also against the regulations, as it could put an end to a lot of their online practices. Internet advertising currently focuses on the use of targeted advertising, and online advertising becomes a great deal less appealing to advertisers if they are incapable of reaching their most desirable audience, particularly when it is a luxury that is already being enjoyed. A decline in online advertising has the potential to dramatically change the Internet landscape once again.
Although I disagree with the selling of consumer information without the consumers’ knowledge, I think that the issue becomes one of consumer understanding and how much knowledge online users can be expected to possess, something that changes drastically with each person. I know that when I enter my information on a website, for instance, setting up an email account, that by clicking “Submit,” I am willingly giving my information to whichever company owns the website I am on. This knowledge is not, however, universal, as it is such a new technology still that many people, especially those who did not grow up with it, are having a very hard time adjusting and are at times not as well informed on the issue. I do not know how much control the government can manage to maintain over the internet, but I am certainly interested as to how the FTC might handle such an issue, and what this could mean for cyberspace in the next ten years.

References: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/technology/10privacy.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/business/media/20adco.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

More wireless competition?

2008-03-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

In order to provide customers with the best possible networks, cellular giants like Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint focus on acquiring spectrum licenses to expand their network. A recent auction of almost 1,100 of these licenses that took place in Colorado has resulted in helping what may become a new national network: Frontier Wireless, a subset of EchoStar, which until recently also owned DISH Network, spent $711.8 million to acquire spectrum licenses in almost 200 cities nationwide, which puts them in the running to potentially enter into competition with the current front-runners. Because they owned DISH Network, I feel as though the company may have enough clout to really get some attention. I'll be waiting to hear what comes out of this, it could be interesting... I'm just sad they don't own DISH anymore, that could really have worked to their advantage.

Source:
http://mobile-voip.tmcnet.com/topics/mobile-communications/articles/23527-frontier-wireless-compete-with-att-verizon.htm

TextMarks

2008-03-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, I attended the Edelman Digital Bootcamp hosted by the PR Campaigns class. It was decidely a long day, but I definitely took a lot away from it, which I feel is also going to help with the project for Capstone. Not much was mentioned about communicating through mobile media, although at the end of the day, the topic was discussed briefly. I learned about a website called Text Marks, and it essentially deals with the idea of a cell phone list-serve, if you will. Text Marks owns the number "41411" and users go to them with a key buzz word-- for us, it could perhaps be "PPSA." So interested parties text "PPSA" to 41411 and whenever the user updates or comes up with a new message, everyone who has subscribed receives updates. Users only pay for the number of texts that are sent out, and subscribers only pay standard text messaging fees determined by their cell phone providers. The website is also tied to a shirt printing company, so that users see that they have an opportunity to spread the word even further by putting their information on shirts that people can wear around and therefore expose a greater number of people to the message and therefore hopefully increase the size of the list-serve. I think that this can be especially useful for our intentions in Capstone, especially DURING the event so that updates may be sent to the participants.
Hopefully this can be of some use; if not, it's really just an awesome idea!

No more HD DVDs?

2008-02-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

According to this article that popped up on my iGoogle homepage (my most excellent discovery of the week), Toshiba won't be selling HD DVDs. Blu-ray is taking over the market, and that kind of makes me sad. I'm into tech toys and all (I'm about to get an iPhone), but I still watch some movies on VHS. Sad, I know. I'm really not looking to buy a Blu-ray compatible DVD player--that is, until they go WAY down in price), so I'm going to stock up on regular DVDs as their prices get slashed. Maybe in a few years, I'll make the switch. We'll see.

Watch out, Second Life

2008-02-03T10:59:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I don't have an Avatar. Aside from Facebook and email, I don't really spend that much time online. But I was interested to read about another social networking site, Kaneva. It was started by Chris Klaus, the (34 year old!) founder of Internet Security Systems, or ISS, a corporation that he sold to IBM for $1.3 billion. Klaus incorporated his internet security background into the development of the site, making it more secure in the eyes of some users. Kaneva is like an interactive version of MySpace, where people can make friends with other Avatars. Overall, I found the article interesting, as I thought that Avatars were exclusive to Second Life (or at least that the name was). I still have to wonder, though--even though you can probably get into less trouble this way, haha--is this going to become the future? Because as nice as it is to sometimes stay at home, I feel as though I'm always going to choose a night spent with "real" friends over a a chat session with virtual ones.. But if this article is truly revealing the direction in which society is traveling, maybe that's just me?
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2008/02/01/kaneva_0203.html

Digital Election?

2008-01-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

According to AdAge Daily, the internet (come on, YouTube debates, are we really surprised???) is well on its way to becoming the prominent means for getting information on both candidates and elections. Granted, the internet is, of course, the go-to location to access a world of information (yes, corny, i know), but with the sharp rise in popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace since the 2004 elections, the way that we are interacting with candidates is changing as well. I could go to MySpace and "friend" the candidates, information about which would be linked from their campaign home page. I could also find them on MySpace and link to their campaign homepage. I think that the levels of potential involvement are helping make this feel like a more interactive election, and I personally hope that the numbers from the polls will show this in November, too.
http://adage.com/campaigntrail/article?article_id=123398

Paying for Popularity

2008-01-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

In this article from Ad Age Digital, I read about the new social network Badoo, based in Great Britain, that has recognized our disdain for the high volumes of advertising present in the "standard" social networks, like MySpace and Facebook. Badoo offers a service called "Rise Up," charging $1, 1 pound, or 1 Euro depending on your location, per access, and has banned advertisements. I personally feel as though it shows the power of advertising--sure, you have a way of opting out of them, but then you tend to realize just how much of an effect that they truly have. Badoo would charge me a dollar per time I accessed it. If I used it as much as I use Facebook now, that could run up to $10 on a really slow day at work. I get irritated with ads sometimes, but I haven't found the ones on Facebook to be so intrusive that I would seriously consider an alternative. I'm curious to see where they'll be and how much profit they can get--in other words, how much people are affected by ads...

Even Electronics are Going Green

2008-01-08T17:27:00.001-08:00

In keeping with the ever-popular "Go green!" movement that has recently been gaining momentum, the EPA is now working with cell phone manufacturers and service providers. An estimated 150,000,000 phones are replaced each year, an astounding amount of waste considering that many are still operable and potentially hazardous if dumped in land fills as well. Three major service providers (AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile) have joined forces with the EPA as they launch a public education campaign striving to raise awareness and get more cell phones recycled. They're primarily targeting 18-34 year olds through lifestyle and technology publications. The campaign is further targeting this demographic by creating a podcast, and the EPA is making a list of drop-off drives available as well. Sprint is also going so far as to offer customers credits on their bills for as much as $50 when they turn in their old phones to the store.
Given the target audience and message that the EPA is working to put out, in addition to their big name partners, I think that this movement will catch on and end up helping the environment. And with over 250 million cell phone customers, it has the potential to have a truly substantial impact.

Google Earth: The Next Level

2007-11-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

If you've ever wanted to get as close to the full experience of doing something without ACTUALLY doing it, this is your chance. In this New York Times article, I learned that a website has been launched called EveryScape that gives virtual tours of the insides of stores. As this is obviously a tedious project, the focus thus far has not left Massachussetts (only Cambridge and Lexington, to be exact), in terms of virtual tours of the towns. Other stores can get EveryScape to give customers inside tours for a price ranging between $250 and $2000. While it's cool that we have the capacity (and computer space) for such an innovation, if I'm going to see the inside of a store, I'm going to get the real-life experience. Unless of course EveryScape created a virtual way to avoid Black Friday...

Thinking Pink

2007-10-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

Because October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, many technological companies have come out with special products (in pink, naturally) in recognition of the goal of the month. Microsoft's Zune has teamed with Ford Motor's Warriors in Pink (a campaign endorsed by the cast of "Grey's Anatomy," too) and released a pink Zune, 100% of whose profits are donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. There are several other products, including a pink Sony VAIO and Target's special edition of the iPod Shuffle.
Although there's no new technology involved, as the daughter, niece, and granddaughter of a breast cancer fighter and two survivors, respectively, it's gratifying to know that so many others are helping the fight.

Nike has just done it

2007-10-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

In Dr. Shamp's 2020 class last fall, we learned that Nike had combined their easily recognizable shoes with Apple's iPod, which is getting more and popular by the day. My initial impression was something along the lines of "you must be kidding," but come to find out, they definitely weren't. In this article from the New York Times, I learned that there's actually a website that is attached to the rest of the offerings from the product. People can interact with each other online, discuss their runs, and maybe even get together and hang out, if they so choose. The fact that this has come from what appears to just be a pair of tennis shoes is a little incredible to me, and as I keep reading on, I'm discovering that I would like a pair, too. There's a sensor in the shoes that connects with your iPod, sending a workout rundown to the MP3 player that you can view when you dock it. This is just one of the ways that the company is branching out, and inevitably away from traditional advertising vehicles.
As an ad major, I'm a little concerned about that, but definitely a lot happier to be studying new media.

Email-free = Casual?

2007-10-07T05:54:00.000-07:00

According to this article in USA Today, "Casual Friday" is trying to, in fact, be more professional. Email has become the top method of communication for businesses, and many companies are trying to cut back on it a little bit and encourage more face time with clients, and just co-workers in general. Some go so far as deleting their inboxes on Fridays. While I appreciate the more personalized approach that face-to-face meetings offer, I do not feel that email should be shunned so completely. With gas prices up, it is more of an inconvenience to attempt to handle everything face to face. Although Friday is just one day, there are generally about 5 of them in a month, which can still add up over a long period of time.
I feel like email is probably the greatest innovation to hit offices since the computer--at my job, it is something I use as much as possible. Conversations through email are saved and it's so much more efficient than faxing (which, yes, we still do). If we're getting rid of things on Fridays, I'm game for doing away with work all together.

Starbucks + Apple = Domination?

2007-10-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

Apple is going one more step farther into taking over the world as they take over our coffee shop. Beginning tomorrow, people with iPhones and/or iTunes on their laptops will be able to download songs playing over the speakers in the store for the normal $0.99. Although they aren't the first ones to do this sort of thing (Verizon has been offering it for about a year), they seem to have the best chance of catching on, as they are latching onto the quintessential components of their target audience's life: coffee, convenience, and technological gadgets. Combined. They seem to want to rule our worlds, and it's pretty safe to say they're on the right track.

Kitchen Technology

2007-09-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

I found this article and I think it's awesome. We've never so much as had a TV in our kitchen, but (and this is sad, I guess), I think that this would be the way to go. When I have my own house, I would definitely want something like this computer in the kitchen. It seems as though it can provide a whole new level of connection, whether by the fact that it can bring people to the kitchen (and out of their respective rooms) but also because it keeps everything organized. It is, admittedly, a little extraneous, but at the same time, I feel as though it would be about as cool to have as a Kitchen Aid mixer and a lot more useful.

"Finger-painting" Music Makers

2007-09-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Yamaha has developed a small, hand-held digital instrument for those interested in creating techno music. It's called the Tenori-on and it is a handheld keyboard that allows the user to create songs with the touch screen. In terms of digital sound recording, it's really very advanced--you can "visualize" the music as you're creating it with the LED lights in the display, and you can hook up a digital MIDI keyboard to it to add to the 253 different sounds built in. Although it's not coming out in the US yet (it's from Japan), the UK version is going on sale soon and if it does well, Yamaha will release the $1200 product on this side of the pond, too.

New iPods

2007-09-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

From the story, I learned that there is yet another generation of iPods slated to be released. This generation's golden child is the iPod Touch, which is only a SIM card away from being like the iPhone on steroids, if you will. They are cutting a deal with Starbucks, which involves a connection to the Wi-Fi, and eventually, the song playing at the coffee shop will broadcast over your headphones when you enter the store. Apple CEO Steve Jobs called it "one of the seven wonders of the world," and from what I read, I have to agree with him.

Text messaging

2007-09-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2007/09/04/att0904.html
I found this story on AJC. It deals with cell phone text messaging charges and offers parents a way to keep tabs on what features their kids are using on their cell phones. I'm actually surprised that this hasn't come about sooner, but I think it's a useful piece of technology for both parents and kids who lose track of the minutes and texts that they have used and don't want to be punished. I just wish that Verizon would get on board, too.

iPhone Hacker

2007-08-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

According to the story, a kid spent 500 hours figuring out how to unlock the iPhone so that it was not just compatible with AT&T services. While I think that, financially, it was smart for AT&T to have a monopoly over the product line, I wonder if Apple wouldn't have been better off marketing their new product to all of the service providers (or at least the mainstream ones like Verizon, T Mobile, and Sprint). AT&T must have put forth a LOT of money to accomplish that.
As for the kid in question, I think that it makes sense to try and use an iPhone with a different service provider, but I don't know that it's worth giving up an entire summer when you're not 100% positive that your goal is attainable.