Google vs. Viacom: Money over morality?

In class we recently read and discussed an article that laid out the current scuffle between Google and Viacom. Viacom is suing Google for placing material on their YouTube site without permission and without any sort of compensation. Google is arguing however that they have the fastest response time when it comes to removing media that Viacom demands be deleted. They feel that it is the job of Viacom to monitor their material, and that they are not committing any crime. The heated case is just a small portion of the issue that has plagued the media industry for several years. The public is getting their entertainment through different means now, and those means, the internet, are difficult to regulate. An additional article I read, found here, exemplifies this fact. It states how Viacom should be more open to the postings, because it is doing wonderfully in terms of viral marketing, stating "recommendation is the new marketing".

The bottom line is that no matter if Viacom wins or loses, they, along with other media giants are going to have to figure out a way to work with the internet. It by no means is going away or becoming less influential, it is here to stay and here to make a lasting impact. This point was already made in recent years with the music industry. You can't stop the public from downloading music, but rather you have to work with them, and reinvent your industry in order to make it beneficial to you and consumers.

VALS survey

In class this past week we talked about the VALS survery, which stands for Values and Life Survey. The survey is a personality test that is used to understand the changing habits and lifestyles of consumers. It is used in the field of marketing and consulting as a tool that helps marketers worldwide to develop and execute more effective marketing strategies.

The survey segments consumers in the marketplace based on personality traits and defines these segments on the basis of those traits that affect consumer behavior in the marketplace. Consumers who take the survery are put into 1 of 8 segments based on the responses they provide. The two main dimensions of it are primary motivation and resources. The eight segments are : thinkers, believers, achievers, strivers, experiencers, makers, innovators and survivors.

I think it is fun and interesting how they go about categorizing you according to your consumer behavior patterns. I visited the site and complete the survey myself here . I was labeled as a "Striver/Experiencer" which by the descriptions seems to fit me fairly well. Here is the information the site provided for me based on my analysis:

Strivers:
Strivers are trendy and fun loving. Because they are motivated by achievement, Strivers are concerned about the opinions and approval of others. Money defines success for Strivers, who don't have enough of it to meet their desires. They favor stylish products that emulate the purchases of people with greater material wealth. Many see themselves as having a job rather than a career, and a lack of skills and focus often prevents them from moving ahead.Strivers are active consumers because shopping is both a social activity and an opportunity to demonstrate to peers their ability to buy. As consumers, they are as impulsive as their financial circumstance will allow.

Experiencers:
Experiencers are motivated by self-expression. As young, enthusiastic, and impulsive consumers, Experiencers quickly become enthusiastic about new possibilities but are equally quick to cool. They seek variety and excitement, savoring the new, the offbeat, and the risky. Their energy finds an outlet in exercise, sports, outdoor recreation, and social activities.Experiencers are avid consumers and spend a comparatively high proportion of their income on fashion, entertainment, and socializing. Their purchases reflect the emphasis they place on looking good and having "cool" stuff.

Weird NJ wiki

I have just made a wikipedia edit to Weird NJ . When reading through the article there seemed to be a lot of substance missing. It mainly concentrated on the creation of "Weird NJ" and its growth and did not seem to have any specifics. All of the "weird" stuff about local legends, unexplained phenomena, and hauntings was missing. This prompted me for my edit. I decided to add a "Local Legends" section to the page to disuss some of the actual strange sites and happenings. Under it I decided to start with an entry that discusses "The Devil's Tree" because it is a site in my home town. I figured that since I have experienced it personally Iit would be a good place to start. I discussed the tree's history and all the legends of weird and spooky incidents. Hopefully others will follow and make additions about other local legends.

gCensus

I just read a blog posting on John Battelle's Searchblog about Google's next big project. Imran Haque has developed this new innovation by combining Google Earth with Census data to form gCensus. gCensus uses Keyhole Markup Language (KML) to create different colors and shapes that combines with the census data. This program allows the user to create maps that display demographic information over the geographic information that is currently provided by Google Earth. For instance a user can generate an overlay of population, age, race, and/or family size distributions.

This steps the world of GoogleMaps and Earth up to a whole new level. Not only will this be useful for the everyday, at home user but it will prove to be beneficial in the business world as well. It will bring previously difficult to obtain information to the world's fingertips. It will allow marketers to create the appropriate promotional mix in specific areas instead of mass marketing which we have been trying to slowly step away from. For instance they will be able to segment by demographics much more efficiently by the use of this visual tool. In addition, another benefit is the cost cutting aspect. Large amounts of time and money will no longer have to be put out on marketing research.

RFL wiki edit

I just made an edit to the Relay For Life wiki. I noticed there was information missing referencing ways to help out so this is what my edit dealt with. Due to this, I added a section entitled, "Get Involved". In this I listed the different ways people can get involved with the program. I also provided a link to this portion of the American Cancer Society's website so that people could go and get more information.

Seatbelts fastened...we're approaching turbulence

I have just read a post off one of the course required blogs, "Global Neighborhoods". The article , Jet Blue: There's a Problem With Your Audio Channel , discussed Jet Blue's recent bashing concerning their poor customer service. Once promulgated as "America's favorite airline", Jet Blue has taken a nose dive in recent weeks as the case heats up. In its mere seven years of existence, Jet Blue has compiled quite a list of complaints, leading them to a guilty verdict in the case of committing the "1st lethal sin of large organizations" - not listening to customers.

Their customer service problems stem from their inability or rather lack of heed when it comes to listening to their customers. Jet Blue does not stand alone when it comes to this issue. Most companies send you on a wild goose chase to find a customer service e-mail address or number. Then once hunted down you find yourself on the phone for endless minutes...hours listening to an automated voice droning on. Helpful? I think not.

It has been suggested that Jet Blue make better use of its blog. The current set up is geared towards coroporate and does not allow comments, thus preventing much customer contact through this channel. If set up properly however, I feel a blog could be of great benefit to the company by opening up a line of communication between them and their customers.

Jet Blue had, and still does have a lot going for them. They just need to open their ears.