Week 16

Photoshop for democracy 

Much like the stupid e-mails our parents forward to their friends and hilarious YouTube videos we post on each other’s walls, forwarding this video allowed people to reaffirm their belief in change and brought them closer to taking action. People can follow these links back to the original site and become followers. They actually wanted NBC to sue them for media coverage. 

They want to bring the realm of political discourse closer to everyday life experiences.

It’s not only that we “have” to reinvent our institutions to utilize these new technologies to “keep up with the times”. It really does help all ages connect and relate to one another by having similar shows and shared technologies to apply a sermon to. 

The diversification of communication channels expands the range of voices that can be heard and challenged. Pop culture allows people to be able to find each other, collaborate, and take action together. For example,  my church wanted students to become involved in/attend the annual “Winter Retreat” where high school students take a weekend to hang out and reflect on the year and grow closer to God. First Church of Christ shares a love for The Office and this parody of our Youth Pastor as Dwight, intrigued them to find out more information and sign up. Forget love, humor is the international language.

Out of all of the careers/business- politicians blogging to people and having that real-time relationship with the people is definitely a smart move. 

Conclusion 

Oh Al Gore... "Our aim is to give young people a voice, to democratize television" (251) This reminds me of this stupid new show on MTV called "College Life". They give real college kids camera and they document their lives. I see where they're coming from, being skeptical of Corporate America and wealthy men issuing independent filmmakers the right for their voice to be heard. EXCEPT, who cares if it's basically a public access station. What's wrong with  trying something different? If it fails, it fails. But you can't fail without trying. His idea to diversify the content on tv and connect news to people experiencing it so that we can discuss things differently and more openly doesn't sound like a complete disaster. Jenkins busted out this rhyme: "The public will not rethink their relationship to media content overnight, and the media industries will not relinquish their stranglehold without a fight".  After reading the conclusion I was thinking... all of this talk of knowledge communities and participatory culture is the now and the future, right? It's suppose to expand our ability to speak up and join the conversation and yada yada yada. But aren't we all going to end up being controlled  and watched by the government eventually after technology really takes hold of our society? All of this talking and speaking out will only get us thrown in room 101. Be careful what you wish for! :)

Week 15

Oh the joys of blogging on your birthday. Well! Great chapter for me to have to read on my birthday. My two favorite things in the world. Education and religion.

I really enjoyed the turn the book took in this chapter. Not just because Harry Potter trumps Star Wars and the Matrix, but because it promotes literacy and education. This little thirteen year old girl who hadn’t been in school since the first grade is leading this online newspaper site for this fantasy world. She encourages all of the 102 kids sending in articles to read and submerge themselves in these books and write something creative about it. Most kids won’t even do this in school, let alone in their free time! "Children use stories to escape from or reaffirm aspects of their real lives". 182. Another outlet that Harry Potter gives children. They don't like their own reality so they create one of their own. They make up detailed background information up the wazoo. No one can tap into their minds and change it or take it away from them, and that's the beauty of it. Until Warner Bros. and JK Rowling put restrictions on what fans can create based off the world she created. The fans of Stars Wars got away with creating a movie, why can't kids write fan fiction? What's the harm? I mean, I remember the first story I ever wrote. A Young Author's Book in third grade. The entire book was the story of Zenon: Girl in Space (the absurd Disney Movie with thirteen year olds in spandex). I didn't get sued. My teacher's encouraged me to write about it because I thought it was interesting. It's not like we're competing or trying to be JK Rowling. 

I love Jenkin’s line about not assuming someone is literate if they can read but not write and media literate if they can consume but not express themselves 176

Harry Potter is obviously a great example of convergence culture, people pulling their ideas/knowledge together and creating something like The Daily Prophet newspaper online. Kids being able to join together through the internet and not under adult control. They're doing this by themselves, acquiring skills by themselves. It's because of this "affinity culture" of pop culture that we actively participate. I enjoy how there is an "Anime Angels" groups. Haha. I didn't really know there were Christian fantasy groups. How cool!

Going to get icecream! 

Week 14

Eric Foreman, of That 70s Show, mirrors the millions of grown men who still wear light saber whitey tighties and play with space ships in their basements. Brad mentioned Star Wars Revelations early on in the semester, which is again another great example of the lengths that the fandom of Star Wars have reached.

Right after I read this chapter, a friend of mine had free tickets to the soon-to-be classic film “17 Again” starring Zac Efron. In the movie, Zac Efron’s “dad/brother/friend” is a giant nerd/kid. He fights Zac Efron with a light saber. His bed was from Star Wars: New Hope. He has Jedi helmets and Yoda stuffed animals. Star Wars is embedded into TV Shows and Movies almost naturally. The Jonas Brothers generation is now able to experience Star Wars thanks to these references, and so on and so forth. The film even referenced Lord of the Rings, complete with elfish speak, elf ears, and elf sex! Terrific for the up and coming prepubescents getting into the role-playing scene.

This leads us into the jokes based on Popular Culture references in movies. The “Joan Rivers” character in Shrek 2. The Matrix-like scene with Fiona and the attackers in the forest. I don’t really know what “intergalactic idol” is but it’s incredibly smart to remake/mimic the success of American Idol, and the Apprentice, and of course “Moulin Rouge”. Honestly, the entire purpose of transmedia storytelling is to reach audiences of different backgrounds/interests. Just by the mention of Moulin Rouge, I was actually intrigued to read more in-depth. And honestly, I don’t really care much for Star Wars…. Yet. I’ll give it a chance, but my current nerdiness hasn’t had the chance to reach that level yet. I just got patronized for this fact at dinner by someone who wants to change his middle name to “Ash”. I need to rewatch the two or three that I’ve seen because I have an extraordinarily bad memory when it comes to movies I saw when I was thirteen. Because of the Ewan McGregor reference, though, I learned an interesting fact about a music video playing to my favorite song in Moulin Rouge. It’s a win-win, folks! 

Week 13

Transmedia storytelling: telling the story through different mediums (comics, video games, novels, anime, and even movie posters)

Redundancy in a franchise=death. To keep fans loyal, new levels of insight and experience come into play. The Matrix is a perfect example of the “horizontal integration” of media. He uses a metaphor a tree having it’s roots reaching in all different directions. These roots will reach various and diverse markets. Limiting the franchise to comics may attract a different following than using novels. But using both, upon many other platforms, will increase the spread of the fire.

Because the movies are so darn cryptic, the Wachowski brothers have created an everlasting cult phenom. The appeal of the movie is so widespread, (Jenkins lists different Christian elements, pop elements, carshing helicopters, etc.) and so many clues are hidden throughout the film. People want to “get it”, and the film creators want you to “get it” in your own way. “If people have to work for it, they’ll devote more time to it and they give it more emotional value” (105)

            Some critics say that a movie should be something people don’t have to do their homework/research before they watch. This is true to some extent. Box offices movies want to make money, so they appeal to movie-goers who have never read the comic the movie is about and people who were dragged to see the Matrix because their boyfriend had been IMDBing it for months. I think everyone can say that the appeal of a movie heightens after reading the book/comic first or researching it for a while. The excitement is built up, you’re invested and the experience is better.

By having video games that correspond with the film, fans take a dive into this universe of the film and can experience it in a different way. They can see different sides of the story and relate with the movie. A world is created. Jenkins talks about the older concepts of pitching a story for a film before pitching a character. Now, we pitch characters who can adapt to different story lines and even Worlds (like the Matrix world). 

Jenkins comments that Blair Witch was a success and The Majestic was a “spectacular” failure.  Just want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the Majestic and would watch it before the Blair Witch any day. But yes, the build up of Blair Witch was intense and a genius marketing campaign.

When a film's followers are “breaking, dislocating and unhinging” the movie, they’re quoting “Tina, you fat lard. Gimme back my tots” and wearing “Your mom goes to college” shirts. But when asked what the movie is actually about the answer is “A kid with a mental disorder?” and “there was a plot?”. Cult “artifacts” must have more than one central idea. Napoleon Dynamite’s basic plot was helping Pedro win class president and defeat Hilary Duff’s sister while getting the puffy sleeved girl at the end. But what do you remember from the movie? Lafonduh? Numchuck skills? The liger? Which of these are essential to the plot? Exactly. Fans have taken these and created their own fantasies (exactly what the book says). My friend even bought me a Napoleon Dynamite devotional for my birthday called “Taming the Liger: Unexpected Spiritual Lessons”. This market reached so many different kinds of people, my dog probably likes this movie. I’m by no means saying I enjoyed it or disliked it- just saying that it’s an example of transmedia storytelling. We got involved with the story when we wore our “Vote for Pedro” shirts.

Jenkins wraps up the chapter by explaining that he is part of this knowledge community, not an expert. He explains that Pokemon is something "you do" not just read or watch. The knowledge that kids (aaaaand "adults" :) ) have about cartoons like Pokemon and anime creates a culture. Some people "actively seek out new information and new products and, crucially, engage with others in doing so" (133) And by listening, you become part of the culture too. Because we should all be into anime, right?

We really do learn most of our information by conversing with others on the topic. I've learned a great deal from my friends about film (who have IMDB set as their homepage or their laptops attached to their hands) and then I share that with other people. If you like to share your knowledge about film, join the discussion.

Week 12

Ch 2 Buying into American Idol

This chapters takes a look at how reality TV is “sold” to an audience. 

American Idol has helped the phone companies push Text Messaging. During the summer months cable tv declines 8-10 percent and has even reached 30 percent in 2002. Reality tv competes with Show time and HBO during the summer because of the low cost of the show.

Have you ever been so into a show that when your parents or siblings change the channel on commercial break you ask them “What’s your problem? I was watching that!”?  Many viewers feel the same way with reality shows regarding fierce competition like America’s Next Top Model and America’s Best Dance Crew and of course the classics: American Idol and Survivor. This dedication allows for a certain level of comfort for the advertisers, knowing their target audience is a young and dedicated one. These loyal fans are more prone to buying their product. These marketing agencies, like the producers of American Idol, want their audience to have a “long term relationship” with their product and become their own “loyal fans”. A great example is the nation of Coke drinkers that simply refuse to drink Pepsi at the fountain.

Have you ever felt passionate about a product to go to the extent of mentioning it in a class, Twittering about it, or something to that extent? Just the other day I was mentioning to friends that I actually miss the “How do you eat your Reese’s?” commercials after I cut mine up with a fork and knife. That’s taking action and that’s when companies know they’ve acquired a following. 

Companies long for this security and demand accountability from the networks that their product will be exposed. They make sure Dunken Donuts cups are sipped by the judges on America’s Best Dance Crew and Coke cups on American Idol. The emotional association with the judges the viewers have effects their willingness to drink what they drink.

How many of you have “I don’t really watch much tv… but here’s a couple of my favorites” listed under TV on facebook or myspace? You’ve become a Loyal to these shows, buying them on DVD, watching them on the Internet, and some even race home to view the program at it’s actual airing time. Statistics show that you are more likely to remember the ads shown on this program because you’re more invested. Although you may not “watch much TV”, advertisers think differently. They target you because you are a “loyal” to these specific programs.

And, although, I would like to say I’m a loyal to Scrubs- I’m actually a loyal and casual at times. Like right now, I am doing this homework with Scrubs on mute.

We not only watch media but we share it with one another. I know one of my favorite shirts is my Dunder Mifflin shirt. Over spring break I went hiking in Arizona on a random peak and I was stopped at least 6 times by people commenting on my shirt. Media reaches us EVERYWHERE. Eeee! Our friends, once their passion has been created for a product, will share it with us nonstop. This passion is what companies need. They think they can do this by a “convergence” strategy, making the consumer come into contact with the product over and over again, giving them a greater love for the item.  Being able to incorporate the item into the hit show is ingenious, i.e. The Apprentice. The entire episode revolves around pitching and selling the product, and people watch this loyally!

This incorporation of products in TV shows reminded me of this: The Truman Show. It's a picture of Laura Linney holding some product and "subtly" advertising it without Truman realization. She does this throughout the whole film, it's fantastic.

There’s a new marketing theory that seeks to understand the emotional underpinning of consumer decision-making. When the research shows the shifting from certain ethnic groups or age ranges- the television industry comes to wait on us hand and foot. It’s almost like a personal board executive working for us up in TV Land. Well, that is… only if your social economic group’s value is at a certain level, otherwise you simply don’t matter to them.

It’s really up to us, as a whole, to use our viewing time as a bargaining structure. It’s up to the normal guy who watches the Tube in his apartment, parent’s house, or friend’s basement. As long as we participate, we can alter the outcome.

The only criticism I’m giving this book so far is this: 1. I feel like I understand the chapters within the first 20 pages and the rest doesn’t hold my attention and isn’t really necessary. 2. Focusing on one show can be a good thing to stay consistent with certain points, but I (as I’m sure others in the class) really have no interest in American Idol so the chapter kind of fell through at the end because of the consistency with the one show. :/

Week 11

Ch. 1

“No one knows everything, everyone knows something” 27

     When you belong to a community, you share a common interest and you can belong to more than one at one time. In communities, knowledge about the common interest is being shared and discussed while unanswered questions are creating tension.

     The entire chapter sums up this idea of knowledge communities with the example of the die hard survivor fan base. These fans gather their knowledge and collaborate on predicting the outcomes of the shows. Everyone brings their own inside info to the table. I believe Levy is correct in saying that the true listening and sharing of knowledge within knowledge communities will improve democratic societies and become a utopia. The collaboration of the people is what democracy is all about ideally.

     "Play is one of the ways we learn" 29. It’s not that American’s are uninterested or bored with political issues; we just tackle them in different ways. Even if it takes us gathering our information from Jon Stewart on a daily basis as opposed to CNN and talking about it. People learn how to distribute their knowledge and “power” onto others in a fun and interesting way to them. www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml

     Young and old can now discuss and debate issues on the economic crisis easier than before due to the different mediums of information. Debates and potential solutions can be combined to fix serious issues and not just deciding who the last Survivor may be. 

     In the chapter Jenkins discusses the various road blocks and downsides to believing people who attempt to bring up "facts" that will allow fans to dive into the game before it's even aired. The notorious "Chillone" throughout the chapter, essentially ruins the game with his posts. "Wezzie" however, works with Dan Bollinger (who partners with IKONOS and obtains satellite images from the rumored islands) and has access to people and puts all of the info together. If you release inaccurate information, your head will be chewed off. This causes the Group to believe your facts as “core knowledge” when it's false. These misconceptions skew groups into believing something untrue, potentially hurting the amount of viewers the show has and losing its following. Potential "Brain Trusts" were discussed in the forums. People believed that secret societies should be formed (with only the smartest posters) to determine the outcome of the game. The chance of this happening is quite slim, but that game within the game becomes addicting and interesting (almost like gambling) People not within the brain trusts believed that these people had made up Chillone to discredit others and give themselves credibility. 

     The fans believe spoiling the spoiler is a game. There’s a set way spoilers go about their tasks, a process. Giving up the locations, then list of names (of which some have already been guessed). Spoiling, although fun to challenge the initial spoiler, is quite upsetting when they’re actually right. Chillone ruined Season 6 for most. Before, everyone felt like they had a stake in the outcome by deciphering the Exec Producers posts and the drastic change in the contestants appearances. College students like this because there are no clear “experts” on the subject, just collaboration of minds and info. When a member of your community is chosen to appear on survivor, you become central to the quest.

     “There are no fixed procedures for what you do with knowledge” I definitely agree with this, and when he talks about all the knowledge becoming disorderly and unruly. Knowledge that comes from real life experience is highly  valued over formal education. Knowledge communities are alive because of the social process of acquiring that knowledge. You have to go through different realms, people, sites to finally find what you want. Then you must share what you know, how you found this out, and basically your story. You wait for other people to reply on your common interest.

     You do run the risk of learning more than you want to know, which I feel this chapter is mostly concerning. All you can do (if you're a producer on the show) is counter things with misinformation, people get mad at you for it. Crews betray you and talk. Fans find it impossible not to hear about spoilers. These "Communities" are voluntary people that will leave when the interest is not there anymore, which you will run into after shows go off the air or begin to fail.

Week 10

Intro  

     The book is about convergence of audience and media. How the audience behaves and reacts toward the media. The example of an innocent icon like Bert ending up in a political terrorist movement couldn’t be any more effective, to me.  It makes you think about what Bert represents and what Bin Laden represents. You wonder "how in the world could someone associate the two?" The direct answer to this is, well, anything is possible with media mediums!

     Consumers are seeking out information and making connections. Media producers and consumers have different roles. Corporations just have more power than the individual. Disheartening, but true. Unless you are an elite customer coming to the company with large wealth, you’re not effective. To be effective, the consumer gathers a knowledge community with the same interest and personal experiences and creates a group that might have a chance at power. These communities, like those in Chapter 1, dominate the discussion boards potentially create dents in the production and continuation of popular TV shows. At the New Orleans Media Experience, companies realized when owning up to their anxieties and doubts, that the consumers are the ones who really drive the convergence.  

     Creative opportunities open up with combining the thoughts of film producers with gamers, creating an experience for fans of TV shows and action packed movies. But to merge and converge, human minds must work together. The statement is simple, but the reality of it is difficult. 

He makes a point early on about the need for a phone that has the basic function of every piece of technology you already own, in one plastic device. He also jokes about having many “black boxes”. We are forced to keep buying into these different hardware devices. Our advances in technology are fantastic; everything becomes smaller and more enclosed to one unit where we receive our entertainment and information. But it really does depend on where you are when you use your technology. When you’re on a plane, whip out the iPhone. In the comfort of your home, you want a bigger screen you can gaze at on the couch complete with nifty surround sound. Phones will never be just phones anymore. He says this decreases the ability of the device to serve its original function but really, is dialing a friend on your Blackberry/iPhone hard to do? Not at all.  But why want this? Convenience? To talk to your community and friends about how much you love your device and share interesting new apps together?  

    Media is everywhere. Companies are trying to sell their products across every media channel possible which is the purpose of the convergence. Mediums (delivery devices i.e. 8-tracks and MP3 players) enable communication. It alters our every day life. How we consume and take in the media is evident when we are listening to music on the computer with the TV on in the other room while we're blogging about this book and texting our friend back in response to what they just said on twitter. It’s interesting to me, in my Mass Media class last semester- our professor lectured on the rivalry of radio and television. The competition is there, but eventually they learn to coexist with one another. They play off one another and their functions being to change. Once, we received our daily news from the paper. We then turn on a knob on the radio and heard it from the little brown box which quickly turned into a larger “picture box” with images to go along with our stories.  But the radio hasn’t died and neither will television, even with the popularity of the Internet.  The need for these different mediums gives us options and freedom. Here's a good example of what happens when companies such as Macintosh try to dominate every type of medium. :) www.youtube.com/watch

Week 7

"I am not a company, I am a human being"

The final chapters of Cluetrain finally arrive, leaving us with some insights and final thoughts (or statements) regarding businesses expecting recommendations on how to manage the web and their "company". The web has no manager, it’s self organization at it's finest. Basically, companies can't think of themselves as companies. They will most likely never realize the point this book stresses over and over. To succeed, to make everyone happy (costumers and employees like) make mistakes, listen up, treat people like people, and just talk. It’s so strange… corporations are obviously made of us, of people. So why can’t they stand to be human?  “Become looser associations of free individuals” 182

Locke and Weinberger argue that we don’t believe what we say at work, we've become programmed. Also known as “volunteer slavery”. Their philiosophy is very interesting… What if there were no “bogey man” waiting to punish us for “being human”. 

“Life is free” and humanity can’t be controlled. Workers realize management is dumb. They can boss us around but unless they've had our job, how can they even attempt to "manage" something they haven't experienced? Controlling other is identical to controlling ourselves.

Companies still care very little about their employees' ideas. They pay the executives the big bucks for their thoughts, the ones so out of touch with how things work and what's really going on. I’ve never seen companies take polls or have a friendly suggestion box lying around that they intend to send to Corporate. A "recommendation" for companies is to search out people in the organization who know what’s going on and really listen to their perspectives. What's so great about a company succeeding if you're not attributing it to every individual, every human who helped along the way? 

The questions we ask don’t predict the future.. They create the future. 166

How will we be smart in a world where it’s easier to look it up than to know it?

Personally, I have selective hearing and I rarely listen to professors talk or speakers at an assembly or tour guides unless they let a buzz word slip. I usually look info up online later unless they say “Alright, you should be writing this down”. It's unfortunate, but I think we're all guilty of it. I feel like a hypocrite blogging about the necessity of people listening when I'm not very good at it myself. However, in one on one meetings Iistening is my forte. Maybe it's a disconnectedness from the professors who wear suits and never make eye contact. Then they wonder why students never utilize their office hours.

Answer to heartfelt questions are conversations

"Getting it right isn’t enough anymore." 172

I definitely agree with this and his point about learning from mistakes, it’s the only way we can figure out how things work. Our class Wiki has various  instructions on “How to” do this and “Where to” find that. Thank goodness for that, because I’d be lost. But without the “ epic fail”, we learn nothing but how to read a list. We can’t grasp how things work without screwing them up first, in all honesty. It works the same way in human relationships. There are no self help books on how to live your life correctly or how to be a good friend. It’s human nature to figure it out for ourselves, much like using the web.

I enjoyed that this book was blunt, upfront, honest, humorous, and human.

I had to... www.youtube.com/watch 

Week 6

The beginning makes a great point about the levels of knowledge, or arrogance even, that the web helps to connect. At a local store you’d feel intimidated by the associates you ask for help with something, and they may enjoy feeling superior. “The Web’s frailty makes it more human, less threatening” (153) On the net, it’s really all about collaboration. When anyone can see what you’re writing, they may chime in and call someone out for presenting inaccurate facts or just give their two cents. When it’s a one on one conversation at Best Buy, the customer really has no other option but to listen to the employee who may thinks he knows more than he really does. You have to be willing to be wrong or you’re not having a conversation. The web allows us to be equals.

I really liked “the company provides me with information I need to make good decisions. This information is selected to support a decision in which I have no investment.” (117) With businesses, there is always a manual on the correct way to operate, whether it’s as a manager or associate. Sometimes you may agree with the decision, other times you’d like to express your disagreement to the customer but cannot tell because your boss is five feet away. Most associates aren’t prone to lie to you and there’s more of a level of connection between them than the management positions because there’s a lesser consequence.

If I were a manager, I would definitely impose deadlines! You cannot let your job depend on the people in a lower position who either do not necessarily need the job like you do or do not really respect your authority because you don’t provide them with this “goal” or consequences for not reaching the goal. Things will not get done; you will be fired. If you “trust” your employees, why not reward them or positively reinforce them once the deadline is met? (Even though it’s their job in the first place and they’re getting paid to do it…)

Deadlines increase productivity and help business move forward. I mean come on, if we weren’t given the Wednesday deadline every week for Wikiposts, no one would think twice about doing them until maybe mid semester and no one would be on the same page. If I were the Chief Operating Officer of this guy’s company I probably would have stolen his lunch money. If your team is productive and functional then don’t “beat them with a club” to move faster. But there’s no way teams are going to be productive without a deadline reminder.

     Although they make valid arguments/points, I agree with Dakota’s comment on the lack of solution to these problems. I suppose just getting companies to actually read Cluetrain could potentially stir up some change, but it’s just the way companies function. However, they do address that this book really isn’t about answers; it’s about posing the questions. Honestly though, without structure, deadlines, goals, and people making sure the goals are accomplished, how else would they function? What can you do? Pay someone to be on the clock and observe conversations of those off the clock to find some insight?

(My thoughts are really all over the place, sorry) 

I do agree that office buildings are a bit of a waste of space in certain businesses, though.

I thought it was interesting how he explains not being able to attribute your success entirely to yourself. The individual comes from a group. To succeed you MUST, must, must, be able to admit you don’t have all the answers and be able to learn from others. You have to admit you're wrong and good things will come of it. “Mistakes give us something to talk about”  (155) This is quite the mountain to climb for some people…

 “Conversations are where ideas happen and partnerships are formed.” 123

Stop. Collaborate. And listen.

I admit, I hadn’t really thought about who I blame when the internet breaks (okay not breaks, when my connection is screwy) or who to thank when I find the information I need. I guess I’ve always considered the Internet it’s own being, which is odd. But it’s really many, MANY beings. I also liked the HyperTime comment about surfing the web in your own time and “not having to find a parking space or go to the end of the line” when you step away. (126)

An expert is not someone with all of the answers (for that is impossible) but someone who knows where to find them. You must be hyperlinked to be an expert. Basically hyperlinking is branching out, going outside of you and directing people to where you learned the knowledge you have. 

    I  think the reason most businesses don’t grasp the concept of this is because they’ve forgotten that the only reason they have a company is because a young person is trying to make sense of their life and find a place they can be in society; a purpose. The teenager at the bottom of the totem pole or the “leaf” at the bottom of the org chart is why your company is here.  The appreciation is often diminished. The management receives pens for succeeding but passes down the criticism when they fail.  

We get it. The web is a conversation. I honestly cannot believe how these guys wrote so much about the Internet. 

But hey! Here's a link about just how far conversations can go and who they can reach. It's very uplifting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GZcS4HuwZM&NR=1

Week 5 

( my thoughts on Marketing is Conversation)

Product of mass marketing is the message

Biggest problem: There is no demand for messages.

Businesses have to persuade consumers to buy their message. How do they do this? They tell them that their brand represents a lifestyle.

In my Pop Culture focused English class last week, our professor asked us to do an exercise on advertisements. He asked the question “What do you buy magazines for?” There was no answers for awhile until I chimed in with “Well, not the advertisements. That’s for sure”. However, we expect magazines to have them. We go in knowing that they are most likely over 3/4 of the magazine’s content. Indirectly, I believe we do want to hear the message. Our eyes focus on the ads as we picture ourselves in those bright yellow Nikes. Everything is an ad.

“Advertising masquerades as education”

Basically he’s saying marketing fails because it’s not the producer and customer engaging in conversation (face to face) on shared interest. I disagree with this. Do you enjoy telemarketers? Do you hide behind your couch when an unexpected door-to-door salesman approaches? Yes. And yes, marketers are out to get us but without them marketing their products, we’d have no way to know what fits our tastes. We can take their approaches however we want. We basically think one of two things: “ew, that’s so not me” or “I could really use that… I’d look pretty nice with it, too.” Marketing is the connector between products and human identity.

Word of mouth is the fuel of consumerism and the web has given us a more “real” sound of the human voice. Through our experiences we share our opinions. When companies speak this way, they gain our trust.

Without managing and controlling Linux, it becomes a dream machine, allowing people to change it to what they want.

The rest of the chapter becomes a bit repetitive in it’s main point with different focus on PR and advertising.

             Companies are sticking to advertising on search engine sites. Dunkin Donuts attempts to stop the indestructible conversation of the web by suing the angry customer and monitoring their site comments. However, dunkindonutssucks.com is proof that the web enables conversation to happen.

The book touches on MP3s and the obvious problem of Record Companies and musicians not being paid for their work. He makes an argument they should care more about the “value of their work than it’s price.” They should make the music free online because it’s a good marketing technique for selling CD’s and concert tickets.

He talks about positioning, almost a word game. We associate Cheerios with "low cholesterol." But companies often need to change their identities. Listen to what the market says you are, if you don't like it, change.  I like how he states that "authenticity is rooted in it's employees". Number 6 in his list "Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of management." I've written about American Eagle before, but I can relate most points of the book to that job. Maybe it's just a human instinct to divert blame from themselves, but my manager would always tells angry customers "Sorry, it's AE's poilicy, not mine. There's nothing I can do. I think it's stupid as well." She sympathizes, apologizes, and customers come back for her. I never really knew that type of thing was allowed on the work floor. Outside, sure. But when you're on the clock, can you bag on your own company? Apparently... Althought he states "We can recite the right words- but they're not our own- we can't riff on them."

He actually talks about this later in Web of Voices. We're considered "communication channels", not representatives of the company. (so they're not liable) Although your managers tell you when you begin your job that you represent Best Buy so you must dress a certain way and act a certain way. Businesses can't control our conversation. Could you imagine not being able to tell someone where you work? It's just absurd and a death sentence to your company. Their "risk" is having the conversation stop, so why attempt to manage it?

In conclusion, Markets must listen!

Here's a link to a facebook American Eagle discussion board about having plus size models. Employees chime in with their knowledge and so forth. www.facebook.com/americaneagleoutfitters#/topic.php 

Week 4

Cluetrain Ch. 3

In phone conversations, and even face-to-face conversations, we can easily tell when we’re being victim to “Rapid attention switching” (50) Commitment is required to understand message forums and threads. It’s easy to tell who isn’t paying attention on the Web.

However, “Chat forces us to be human and fully present” (63). The advantage of instant chatting is a sense of genuine conversation; you have to be fast and real. E-mails are dwelled upon and reworded many times before you get the final product, which most likely won’t give you the desired personal connection with the other person and take hours to receive. We don’t always want “corporatespeak” , but a response from the heart.  I mean, “corporations are made up of fallible human beings. Just like us” (67). The book references Liveperson.com, where you can instantly talk to a representative online, breaking this barrier.

We want communication that is less formal. We’d like to feel as though we are on the same level, not thought of as simply consumers, but real people.

Have you ever heard this from your television set, “The people who build ‘em, buy ‘em”?

Kerry Toyota attempts to reach out to consumers by emphasizing that human connection. The web puts an importance on conversation, especially in businesses. Basically, without the “complaints, jokes, and other missives” of their employees, the company cannot function. Their instant communication helps realizations to be brought up and comments to be made.

The best example of what he means by “Talk is Cheap” is the free help that companies receive from their employees off the clock. The example of the Saturn employee commenting on the thread about the oil change is evidence. “The value of our voice is beyond mere words.”  (51)

After going to the Mac store in Kenwood, one of the “geniuses” allowed my friend and I to add him on Facebook and ask him questions about our product in his free time. Having that ability and letting customers “stare at evidence of their humanity”, allows for a better connection between Apple stores and their customers. Working at American Eagle, many friends/families and even complete strangers on my lunch break, would ask me questions about the sales and quality of the products. It’s almost innate for me to respond in a persuasive tone, becoming an “evangelist” for the company.

Talk is cheap, and we’re always talking.

www.cartoonistgroup.com/store/add.php 

Week 3

What I understood of chapter 2 and my notes-

We feel more at ease when our world is "managed". Managing our time allows us to have interests. Businesses can be run, but not really "managed". We play "grown-up" at our jobs, discussing only safe topics. With the exception of The Office. 

"However much we long for the Web is how much we hate our job". 

The Our Voice section really summed up our "longing" for the Web. Weinberger explains that our voices are being taken from managed businesses and we have become our parents. We do this "willingly". We don't want to shut up, we want to explore the other ideas and not bargain with our voice. 

Some questions from the lecture notes I've thought about-

Why do you use the Web?

What I use the web for can be broken down into two categories- finding information and socializing. I can be researching a culture for my anthropology class, or IMDBing movies. Both are information I'm seeking.

Why do we want our own pages to personalize? Why do we have personalized cases for our hardware? Why do we have ringtones? 

We desire an "authentic self", or unique identity. It's a way of having a voice and expressing ourselves.

Week 2

I just got back from Chicago

Week 1 

tada!