Blog Assignment 6

1.  In the book review by Virginia Bailey, she gives us 4 elements that Henry Jenkins speaks of in his book.  These elements (technological, industrial, cultural, social) affect how our media spreads. Jenkins gives the example of "Survivor" and how the 4 elements are utilized with the participants of the media.  People look up spoilers online through social media by using smartphones, tablets, etc. (technological).  They converse with each other in comment sections on websites or blog about their ideas as well as tell the producers on Twitter how they felt about an episode (social).  It creates an environment that people desire to be a part of because it's popular and people feel that their input is important (cultural).  The corporations who create the show sell merchandise, have contests, etc. to get people excited and make more money (industrial).  All of this pertains to all television shows and even to websites, like Amazon.

2. Creative engagement is allowing for more diverse, creative methods of participation.  The review by Virginia Bailey talks of Jenkin's idea that companies should listen to fans in order to come up with more creative ideas for their media.  One example of this that I could relate to is the show "Pretty Little Liars".  The producers of this show are so smart in that they have the writers write as the show goes along and they research the audience's ideas for the show while listening to their feedback.  They heavily rely on social media so fans can tweet to the actors, producers, etc. and learn clues in order to solve the mystery.  Fans also create merchandise as well as letting them design the next season's campaign complete with fan art, commercial ideas, etc.  It's a really creative way to get the fans involved and give them what they like.

Blog Assignment 5

1. The Longtail Theory represents websites such as Amazon, Ebay, Hulu, etc.  All of these online sites sell large amounts of niche products.  Though these sites offer mainstream products, they also tailor to people's specific preferences.  An example of the Longtail Theory that I could come up with is YouTube.  Millions of small producers upload videos to YouTube and each channel is different while catering to niche audiences.  I've experienced this firsthand by religiously watching the Jesse and Jeana's vlog: BF vs. GF.  You all should check them out, they're pretty dope! (They also have another channel: Prank vs. Prank).

Here's the Links:
BFvsGF
PrankvsPrank

2. The "Bargainer" consumer behavior pertains the most to me in that I'm always looking for the best possible deal.  Just the other day, I searched sites like Amazon, Ebay, and Target to find a specific dress that I hoped they had in stock.  I compared prices to make sure that I could get the best deal, with taxes and shipping included.  Sometimes, sadly, I spend hours finding the best deal on a product.  I did that when looking for a specific Canon camera I wanted, and ended up getting a great deal.

Blog Assignment 4

Many people want their Internet experience personalized, but not to the point of compromising their privacy.  The article “Privacy-Enhanced Personalization” talks of others’ opinions on just how far personalization can go until it gets to that point. 

Different people have various privacy attitudes.  Privacy fundamentalists, according to the text, have big concerns about how their data is used and try not to disclose much information (Kobasa, 26).  Privacy unconcerned people have mild anxiety on the matter whilst privacy pragmatists pretty much don’t care (Kobasa, 27).  I would consider myself a privacy pragmatist because I’m willing to put certain information on the Internet, but I’m also hesitant to put important information about myself out there, especially because my name is not common and is easily searched.

When looking at the article, I was surprised to find that “80% of Internet users are interested in personalization” (Kobasa, 27).  I guess it honestly depends on what is being personalized.  I find it so annoying when I search for a product on Amazon and for the next month I’m shown similar products in every ad on Facebook or other websites.  However, personalization does have its benefits, especially on Netflix in my opinion, because it gives suggestions for future programs that you might enjoy. 

Another crucial point the article made was that people must trust a Web site in order to disclose their personal information.  Positive past experience is a good thing to have as well as a good reputation because more people can get on board with disclosing information if others recommend the site or say it’s safe (Kobasa, 29).  Those might sway me into trusting a website, but honestly I don’t have enough time to research that.  The first thing I do is look at the design of the Web site to see if I can trust it. 

The article states that the design and operation of a website can increase the users’ trust (Kobasa, 28).  We look to see if the website is professional in design, if there is possible contact information, etc.  Can we really trust that site just because it looks professional?  We have made professional looking sites in class and anyone has the tools to make it look convincing enough for people to trust. We all have searched for a movie online and looked through those “sketchy” sites that you can download movies or videos from.  We dig through the various sites until we find one that, just by how it looks, we think won’t mess up our computer.

After reading this article, I’m going to be more careful on the Internet because I don’t want to compromise my privacy.