Another Technological Gizmo -- at my fingertips

Just when I thought technology could do me no wrong, my LG ENV2 phone screen dies on me.

Great...without a cell phone, the whole world seems to be moving a lot slower. And what's worse is that the front panel buttons on that phone hasn't worked for months. After frantically calling the nearest Verizon stores, I called my parents to tell them the not-so-fun news. It's time for a new phone.

Luckily, my dad said that with the 2-for-1 deal currently happening with Verizon, the company is offering two phones for the price of one. But with new activation. As I trudged home to Arcadia (of course, in the pouring rain), I was just fortunate to get anything that would function.

After all the discounts, upgrade credits, and mail-in rebates, my dad purchased the Droid while I received the Droid Eris. As my first smart phone, I'm really excited to see all of the functions it has. I must admit, I have to get used to the touch-screen pad, because my fingers were so used to the flip phone keys instead. Although none of these new technological features such as e-mail, Facebook, and web browsing are new, it still blew my mind probably because it was directly applicable to me this time around.

Changing settings have never been easier, yet I'm still trying to get used to it. I'm especially excited to get GPS with this phone since it's so useful around Los Angeles. It's rare when a car full of people are lost and not one person has a smart phone. The possibilities are now endless, but it might even be a distraction.

Let's just hope I don't drop my phone as frequently as I did before. My dad and I are still contemplating whether or not to invest in the insurance policy. At $5.99 per month plus $75 deductible, I'm not sure if it's worth it. However, the store manager highly recommends it. It makes logical sense, but why wouldn't he say that, anyway? It's just another sale and money going into the company.

So far so good! I like the features and the shape of the phone over the Droid, even though the screen is smaller. I hope I still feel the same way in 30 days!

Update: I left the phone charger at home in Arcadia...

Another Social Network Down and Out

As Facebook rises in power, another one falls victim.

With FriendFeed, this was no exception. Yet another social network crumbles due to the popularity of the enviable Facebook. When FriendFeed's site crashed for over an hour on Thursday, February 25th, the buzz wasn't large. In fact, only about 50 people on Twitter found it worthwhile to tweet about it. Sadly, some of the tweets were repeats from the same users.

So out of the tens of millions of Twitterers, less than 50 of them showed enough care about FriendFeed's well-being. Even though it wasn't huge, FriendFeed still had a relatively large following. The infamous 500 Internal Server Error made the site look abandoned; what one might call: outdated.

That means that of all the tens of millions of people around the world on Twitter, a full 50 of them care enough to tweet when FriendFeed is down. It’s hard to imagine any other service that got to the size FriendFeed did (which, granted, wasn’t huge), only getting 50 tweets if it goes down. Many old FriendFeed employees now work for Facebook, almost like a cross-town rival.

Could this be the end of FriendFeed? When it finally does recover from it's "major power outage", maybe people won't even notice. Maybe even a tweet will require too much effort.

For all you Apartment-Hunters: a Craigslist rival?

Especially around these months for college students, the drag of finding a place to live has had a strong presence.

Finding an apartment or a place to live in a great neighborhood for a low price can get, needless to say, very stressful and disappointing. However, the new start-up website, Naked Apartments, helps hopeful home renters and landlords find each other quickly and efficiently. The site's mission is to help qualified to-be home owners with landlords by processing their needs through search criteria.

First, renters sign up using anonymous profile accounts that ask for statistics such as annual income, preferred monthly rent, preferred apartment size, and preferred move-in date. As a further incentive, Naked Apartments will provide a free credit check to figure out the renter's credit score. Landlords and brokers can then search through these profiles and contact the renters who satisfy the requirements if they wish.

But how is this site monetized? The brokers and landlords have to pay $2 to contact a renter. This is a good catch, because landlords typically want to contact as many potential buyers as possible. Contacted renters can then choose which apartments are of interest to them. Ideally after the renters interact with the broker, they will write reviews of their experience regardless of the outcome. That way, other members will know which people to trust and search.

Naked Apartments also allows searchers to be proactive by allowing them to contact landlords about specific details on properties. So far 2,000 renters have found their dwellings through Naked Apartments with 100 brokers and landlords out of 13,000 total apartment listings for rent. The concept of Naked Apartments is solid in theory, but it still runs the risk of losing business to established sites such as Craigslist and Zillow.

The theme of the day: Corporate Branding and Communities.

POM Wonderful...and how wonderful it is!

It’s always such a pleasure to hear from past APOC students who have made it in the professional world. Especially with the economic recession, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Jeff’s position as the Director of Marketing keeps him responsible for managing everything online for POM Wonderful. As a huge pomegranate fruit and juice fan, I was immediately interested and invested in his advice. With the biggest transition occurring last year to focus on building a community instead of a website, the time could not have been better. I perused the POM Wonderful site prior to the class lecture, and it does exactly what Jeff aimed for it to do: build a community. While some of the interface applications and content deals with the product, most of the homepage focuses around the community.

Even though POM Wonderful is off-season (defined by when the pomegranate fruits are sold and harvested), the campaign online still exists and must thrive. Just off the home interface, one of the major tabs is labeled “Community” with an easy-to-sign-up option to the right of the button. Below, it labels community activity and shows what people are posting about POM and its products. With an opportunity to see what fellow fans are twittering, how many other fans joined the Facebook page, and the stories people can share about their love for POM, the community has definitely and successfully been engendered.

Under the POM Community and Engagement, the interactivity and targeting is there. And it’s apparent on its easy-to-use interface. Customer testimonials and even contests centered around POM cleverly give viewers motivation to get involved. And it has been ingrained in our mind that the biggest, most die-hard product fans can serve as the best marketing. Word spreads like wild fire and one tweet can reach tens of thousands of people.

But who knew that 1,200 blogs posted specifically about POM Wonderful? But the new pills, bars, and concentrated product shots will give Tweeters something to Tweet about. Seeing POM focus on grassroots blogging and low cross-product promotion gives them a great avenue to move forward.

I’m sold. And now I’m more prompted to actively seek and try their other products. After all, POM is building a community, one member at a time.

This is What Google Would Do

What Would Google Do? Perhaps one of the most sought out questions to date...

Similarly to Google, Jeff Jarvis has successfully pervaded the internet world. With his BuzzMachine blog, creation of Entertainment Weekly, and multiple articles for The New York Daily News (just to name only a few of his innovative successes), Jarvis uses his journalistic skills to introduce his readers to the Google mindset.

Sure, we all know what Google is and how successful the company has grown. But do you really know how this Fortune 100 Company rose in the ranks to the top? Jarvis delves deep into Google’s mission statement, marketing techniques, and ideals on the future in an attempt to help us succeed in our own start-up businesses. Even though his advice makes sense, it’s easier said than done. Accomplishing even just a couple milestones that Google has achieved is noteworthy in itself.

I can honestly say that I judged this book by its cover and felt genuinely intrigued by the title. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read about Google and its multi-faceted corporation? And without fail, my preconceived notions deemed accurate and I feel excited and privileged to be able to share a piece of Jarvis’s insight. I really lucked out with this book.

What Would Google Do? outlines its topics into different categories and describes them in further detail with helpful sub points that were fascinating and informative with every turn of the page. With limited technical jargon to explain his easy-to-understand examples, Jarvis wrote a book that everyone in and out of the technical world can benefit from. After all, who isn’t affected by the web these days?

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The three main takeaway points that Jarvis makes are all packed with obvious points, but the level of success with which Google has perfected these techniques…wow. Find me a suitable rival and I will be more than impressed. For all of you aspiring to start your own business online, or any website at all for that matter, follow these “simple” guidelines:

1. When people are in control, they will be your best friend
2. The business model to success – digital, niche, and free
3. Advice for future start-ups: stay up-to-date

Let’s take a deeper look into each one:

1. When people are in control, they will be your best friend:

Give the people control.

There is a reason that Jarvis wrote about this in the first section of his book. Everyone wants to be in control, right? Right. Especially big companies who have operated with a top-down model for the past few decades. And of course, it’s worked so far. But times are currently changing, my fine, corporate friends.

With the dawn of the internet age, the World Wide Web allows “regular people” and “regular browsers” (like you and me) to form ourselves into organized groups, spread valuable information, and challenge the norms. In a nutshell: to take control.

However, if you don’t give people control, they will let it be known. One person, no matter where they are in the country and as long as they have internet access, can make or break a company. You’ll be surprised as to how impacting one negative comment can be. First it starts off with one, then that person can start a conversation, and the next thing you know, an online community has formed with the intent to take that company down.

Google would advise to listen and listen with open ears, never shying away from criticism.

Case in point: Jarvis vented about Dell’s products and customer service in a not-so-nice blog post. After people swarmed to Jarvis’s blog to show support, Dell scrambled for damage control. Luckily, Jarvis outlined tips that Dell should take for PR, and now they directly contact complaining customers and seek feedback on their ideas forum. And with that turn-around, rather than spreading bad PR, customers are continually impressed with Dell’s attention to detail and emphasis for customer satisfaction. For Dell, Jarvis could have caused its demise. Instead, he was mercifully the best thing that ever happened to them.

2. The business model to success – think digital, niche, and free:

Google has made very smart, calculated moves to reach the status it’s at today. But many people don’t realize that free is actually a business model. That’s right: FREE is a business model…and a successful one at that.

Jarvis begins this section of the book stating that Free is difficult to compete against. Who doesn’t like free? According to Google, a free marketplace is the most efficient one and money just makes things difficult for both the sellers and the customers. But the obvious goal for any business is to make money.

But Google’s model to make money requires no ownership of the assets, meaning that Google wants to be JUST a search engine. They believe that knowledge should be free online so Google can freely organize it to their advantage.

For example, putting old magazine content online for free instead of through subscriptions would enable Google search to send loads of traffic and ads, of course, to that site. Because nothing deters customers more than signing up and paying. As with Blogger and Gmail, Google keeps storage and accounts free, while the biggest advertisers come running to them because of its powerful search organization.

When Jarvis states “Atoms are a drag,” he starts to reprimand the importance of physical “stuff” and emphasizes the smart shift toward digits and clouds. For companies selling commerce, online transactions require little, if any, storage, no retail rent, no sales clerks, and discounts of purchases in bulk.

Companies, such as Amazon, found great success in digital content delivery through (free) reviews, recommendations, and branching from physical goods to digital music and video. Customers can trust and connect with other like-minded customers all the while boosting Amazon’s brand and mission – again, all for free. And with practically unlimited content ready to be purchased and resold, niches finally rival the mass market. Of course Harry Potter, The Dark Knight, and Avatar will prevail as mainstream content, but consumers will gladly pay for a hard-to-find book from the 1960’s. Look no further.

3. Advice for future start-ups: stay up-to-date

When Google preaches, start-ups should listen.

Join a network. The internet, and companies like Google, provide a powerful network that we can join. According to the brilliant formula, the more we search, the more we click, the more content Google can organize. The smarter Google gets, the better the search results become, and the more we want to use Google. Advertisers then flock to Google (or maybe your own) site because it’s just so darn attractive. Finding anything within seconds can’t get much faster – and 4.4 billion searches per month in 2008 is quite impressive to say the least.

Think distributed. Back in the good ‘ol days, companies expected customers to come to them. Marketing budgets focused on centralization. But Google thinks distributed and is visible wherever and however it can. Through the search boxes, nifty API’s, and range of content, Google is the company sought after without having to lift a finger (but that may actually be difficult when operating a keyboard). Google is not the end, but rather the means to directing customers to where they want to be without an inundation of ads on their simple home screen.

Make mistakes well. While most companies fire their employees for making mistakes, Google encourages its workers to challenge themselves because change is good. If a mistake is made, fix it well and fix it fast. There, no harm done. To return to the Dell example, if the customer service representatives had addressed Jarvis’s dilemma adequately, no damage would have been done. And the time span to respond and fix a problem must be instantaneous. If Amazon suffers from mailing issues, address the problem with the customers and track it down immediately. Fixing customer mistakes personally can even lead to a lifelong brand loyalty that could extend to friends, family members, and future generations. Learn the hard way, because life isn’t always easy.

Be honest and transparent. I have no doubt that the majority of the successful companies do not strive to create a manipulative or evil image. So why not embrace bluntness? Be direct, straightforward, and to the point – there is no incentive to read your blog or browse your website if you’re just feeding lies. With dozens of links to click on that page and millions of web pages to peruse, the attention span is quite limited. Especially for online websites, be open about your mission statement, position, “about us” section, and business relationships. Tell us your background, what have you got to lose? Secrets just push valuable eyes away. Google even launches different products before the finished versions in order to generate ideas from others in an open, collaborative way.

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In the latter half of the book, Jarvis also discusses how Google could implement their business strategies in different industries and essentially dominate the world. From utilities, to retail, to public welfare, Jarvis knows exactly how to tactfully approach the world Google-style and help these fields.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!

There aren’t many books out there that get audiences genuinely excited about business models. I’m so glad that I found this book, ironically on the recommendations list at Amazon.com. Who would have thought that that really works? What Would Google Do? is a delightful read that I am excited to share with anyone who will listen. Rather than resort to the Golden Rule, some of us can now just ask “What Would Google Do?” I’m pretty sure the results will still yield positive results.

Questions for the Speakers

It's not everyday that we're allowed to ask questions to employees of established companies.

One of the most rewarding parts about the APOC Program is that we can interact with these executives. Here are some of the questions that I have for businesses such as POM Wonderful:
1. What is the most profitable month for POM Wonderful?
2. How do the online and print PR strategies differ?
3. How does POM Wonderful deal/contact people who complain about their product?
4. Is there a way to contact the CEO directly as a consumer?

Questions for Teleflora:
1. How emphasized is the PR for flowers during months outside of Valentine's Day and Mother's Day?
2. How has the economic recession affected flower sales?
3. What has been the biggest obstacle in attaining your position at Teleflora?
4. How is management structured in this organization?

There's so much to learn, which is amazing especially at this age. I'm looking forward to hearing from all the speaker this program offers!

Owyang, Starbucks, and Jarvis have the Same Idea

What do Jeremiah Owyang, Starbucks, and Jeff Jarvis have in common?

They all highly value customer feedback. At first, I disregarded who wrote the assigned reading article about Starbuck's ideas garnered from customers. As I finished the end, fascinated by how much power customers have with large business corporations like Starbucks, I realized that the style of writing and perspective seemed oddly familiar.

Then the light bulb clicked and I made the semi-obvious connection. My book report book for this class, What Would Google Do?, is also written by Jeff Jarvis. I just finished reading a chapter about how valuable customers will be to any company, from start-ups to already-established enterprises. Starbucks and Owyang undoubtedly agree.

I was fascinated by Owyang's article that articulated how company websites should be transformed to being communication and transparent-friendly. It's true, most people do not enter a corporation's home site because they get inundated with all the biased, glittery goodness of the product. Most of the time, they enter and search with a pre-conceived notion of what to expect and the likelihood of what they will purchase. CEO's should all step down on the hierarchy, even if temporarily, to interact with customers. With the Dell incident, they should all know that one person could be the downfall of a company's rigorous PR system. That's right, just one. And that one person could be you.

In the Starbuck's article, it was interesting to see the different ideas stemming from the public. After all, a million heads are better than...oh, let's just say 40-50 (that was a complete estimate). Coffee ice cubes, bathroom shelves, and sipping plugs are all great ideas that, although not 100% economically feasible, corporate probably would not have thought of otherwise. Change is good and that's what customers are bringing to the table.

And the "pre-ordered" order on a card, shorter lines, and online requests are all something the company should mull over. Even if they don't directly use that idea, dozens of other solutions could stem from it. Knowing that a CEO is listening is not only flattering, but will also generate customer loyalty to your brand. That, as we all know, carries a lot of weight and spreads through the online realm faster than we can say "grande iced vanilla mocha latte with no whipped cream."

These posts and authors are all successful in the online world for a reason. Customers are #1, they're always right, and if you don't listen, that will be your downfall.

NBC Losing Fanatics Over Coverage Delay

Aside from the good news that America has been dominating with the Winter Olympic medals (20 to date), there has been some grumbling from audience members on the West coast.

NBC is making Internet viewers crazy and causing much frustration over the tape-delayed coverage of the Olympics until prime time.

Twitter especially has been the source of significant spoilage. On the Twitter surveys, called Twitter Sentiment, 68% of users tweeting about the Olympics is negative. Specifically, people are upset that the Olympics are delayed because fans have to watch old footage that they already know the outcome of.

Social networks, such as Facebook, also give away results through statuses so there is no need to watch the Women's Downhill race when you know which American has been disqualified. In fact, I think this is a detriment to NBC, because viewers may not tune into the program since the news is old. Been there done that you might say.

It's always been a struggle to be excited to watch taped sports events. Many people argue that it should always be live, especially for an event as momentous as the Olympics. Otherwise, the hype dies and that's the last thing NBC should want.

Gift Cards as Good as Cash

I love gift cards. Some people think they're either border-line tacky or an easy-way-out present. But let's face it: everyone loves them and it's just as good as cash...pending the gift card is for an actual store that you go to.

And that's where CardPool comes in.

For those who just got married or turned a milestone age, people often receive gift cards as the default present. But what do you do when you're stuck with a card for a business you never utilize?

Trash it? No. The value would be wasted. Re-gift? Maybe. But you run the risk of yet another tacky encounter. The solution now is to sell your cards back to CardPool for a profit. Even though this concept is not new, CardPool is different. Auction-like online marketplaces, such as Plastic Jungle, Rackup, and even Ebay, allow members and users to buy and sell gift cards directly to each other.

But CardPool's twist is that the company will buy and sell the cards immediately for you without the hassle of communicating with others. CardPool buys your unwanted gift cards at a smaller value and sells others at various discounted rates.

CardPool prides themselves in their fair pricing model, because they determine the buyback and selling rate by how desirable the card is. For example, a highly desirable Forever 21 gift card would be sold for 90% of the original dollar value. On the other hand, you can purchase a Forever 21 gift card at 5% off the value. For less popular gift cards, discounts can hit up to 30%! As I sit here typing about these gift card discounts, I realized how convenient and beneficial it'd be for people who plan ahead or anticipate purchasing gifts at unlikely places.

In addition to the attractive discount and buyback rates, CardPool allows a 100-day return for cards, which differs with other leading competitors. CardPool also won't sell gift cards that have expiration dates or other initiation fees to be fair. Their main source of revenue comes from the money made off buying and selling cards.

Amazingly, this start-up company has a small staff with the two co-founders running the site. But they are looking to create partnerships with larger corporations, such as Barnes and Noble and Best Buy, to sell gift cards and discounted prices. Who knows? Success could also stem from our APOC class sooner than we know it.

I’m a fan of the site for a few reasons. The plus about CardPool is that it allows returns for cards for up to 100 days, and many of its competitors don;t have an expansive of a return period. Also, CardPool won’t sell gift cards that have expirations or fees. CardPool makes money off the spread between buying and selling cards. The startup is lean, with its two co-founders running the site, keeping overhead low. The company is also looking into forging partnerships with retailers like Barnes and Noble, Best Buy and others to sell their gift cards at discounted prices from CardPool.

Facebook and PayPal Unite!

For the last approximate 12 months, Facebook has tried to increase its monetary credit system -- and why not?

For a while, the only items that credit cards could purchase consisted of only virtual gifts...what were they good for anyway? Now the options are endless...but not really. Users can purchase real gifts, songs, and download different applications that charge fees. As if we that were too inconvenient, Facebook has paired up with PayPal so we can buy Facebook credits more willingly and often -- at least, that's Facebook's hope.

This partnership also incorporates Facebook's other payments so that PayPal can work in conjunction with Facebook Ads. Simple? Yes. Beneficial for both companies? Absolutely.

PayPal has striven to grow in the micropayment field with Facebook for a while. And it makes sense, since it doesn't look like Facebook is going to stop growing for a while, nor does it have any intention to. PayPal's 81 million users can easily purchase ads and credits that will, no doubt, be ingrained more and more as the site continues to expand. The other payment options that currently exist include individual credit cards and mobile phones using "Zong."

This joint partnership could not have come at a better time, especially since Facebook Connect has become increasingly pervasive on the net. Facebook plans to extend payment options by letting people "Pay with Facebook." Now, PayPal can take a piece of that pie.

The only time I've ever considered payment options on Facebook was when I was running for Undergraduate Student Government Vice President. However, no credit card was necessary because a promotion allowed $100-worth voucher for free advertisements. I guess this "inconvenience" did not necessarily apply to me in the past. Perhaps I'll find it useful in the near future.

Charging for TV Shows Online - It Has Arrived!

Out with the old ideas, in with the new!

Rumors were floating around in January that Apple was going to formulate a deal with various TV networks about possible iTunes subscriptions to shows. ABC and CBS reported that they were highly interested, though others didn't share the same feelings. Possibly because they don't want to ruin the delicate relationship they have with cable companies. Well, a few weeks after word leaked out...and it's still not here. Round 2?

The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that Apple is delving down a new path. The solution? Apple will undergo a trial period of charging $1 to view U.S. TV shows this year. Coincidentally (or not), the release of this strategy is supposed to correspond with the new launch of the iPad. As of now, Apple sells shows off iTunes for $1.99 in standard definition or $2.99 in high definition.

Unfortunately, the $1 shows will be in standard definition, but there's something about the $1 gimmick that has an enticing ring to it. Especially since the price is cut in half, Apple employees are going to monitor the sales spurts to see if this temporary service should continue long-term. And Apple is still not giving up on the idea of an iTunes show subscription.

The author of the TechCrunch article, MG Siegler, did not hide his unbiased viewpoint about the major cable operators. He fully supports Apple's endeavors, because he accused the cable companies as controllers of the industry who force us to pay outrageous, unnecessary fees.

Another major advantage with the purchase of television shows is that you wouldn't have to occupy megabyte upon megabyte of storage if the data is online. Buying all the shows will undoubtedly take over your hard drive and it would not be practical to just keep buying more space. Instead, it just offers another incentive for iTunes to move toward the cloud.

Will cable companies take a huge hit? Probably. Will this change come soon? Possibly. Will this service broaden different opportunities for consumers? Absolutely.

What's the Latest Buzz?

So what's the buzz about Google Buzz?

Google Buzz has been buzzin' around the internet and online communities as the latest social network brought by the one and only Google. Circulating and collecting data amongst Google Profile pages, Buzz offers a one-stop shop for status updates, access to pictures, and new links and videos from friends. Similarly to Facebook, you can also show your support of featured updates with a "like" or comment option. Through API's, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, and Google Reader updates can also easily streamline through Buzz. An innate algorithm will even recommend similar interests based on your friend's activity.

Regardless of your individual perception of this new feature, Buzz has gotten off to a great start. The original goal of Buzz was to share content, but the problem was a matter of inconvenience. Users had to copy URL's and then copy and paste it onto the Buzz pages. Now that is no longer a problem.

In fact, Google Buzz is erring on the side of utmost convenience. In the footsteps of Twitter, Facebook, Digg, and Yahoo buttons, what kind of a name would Google establish if it didn't have a competitive button as well? Of course, for developer Andy Brett, this was a simple, speedy process incorporating just a bit of code. Luckily, if you have Google Reader, Google Buzz is already hooked up to your account.

How's that for convenience? Social and academic facets intertwined in one.

The Iran Ban

Even though Google has seemingly pervaded every online sector internationally, Iran is making an exception.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Iran has officially banned Gmail in their country. Instead, Iranians are only allowed to utilize a state-sponsored national e-mail service in its place.

With the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Republic quickly approaching, the government hopes that the ban will prevent mass protests and riots from exploding in the public sphere. Those who are both for and against the regime no doubt have their opinions, and censorship is the first action to prevent controversial speech. Since history repeats itself, the Iranian government is taking notes from last year's election. In anticipation of mass protests, Iran banned FriendFeed, a social network available to its citizens, as well as Facebook and other communication media outlets.

Luckily, the citizens resorted to Twitter to disseminate information quickly and accurately. But the next question is: is Twitter next? The government has taken the extra step to also monitor text messaging and ban Badoo, another popular social network.

It's interesting that Gmail was the first to go. With the success of Twitter in Iran and its growing popularity, I would have guaranteed that Iran would be threatened by the 140 character statements. But only time will tell.

Mobile vs. Desktops - The Facebook Frenzy

So, we all knew that Facebook was popular. But who would have thought that Facebook mobile subscribers would outnumber desktop memberships?

That's right, Facebook mobile has facilitated ways for people to join conveniently everywhere they go right in their purses and pockets. From SMS messaging to web-based mobile access to applications on smartphones, it has never been easier. To date, about 100 million Facebook users are signing up...and FAST. Just four months ago, in September, the number hit only a "measly" 65 million.

Facebook mobile growth has sped up in the race against new membership subscriptions. In September, Facebook had 65 million mobile users and 300 million total active users, which equaled 21.7% users using Facebook mobile. But today, 100 million out of 400 million total Facebook users are mobile, about 25%.

In fact, Facebook posted notes about the constant redesign of mobile websites such as m.facebook.com and touch.facebook.com specifically for optimal smartphone use. Perhaps we should all go check it out and provide feedback. The site is so massive that 80 operators from approximately 32 countries monitor text message responses.

Being a non-smartphone user, I, unfortunately, fall into the 75% category that does not use Facebook mobile. And it's probably safe to say that that number is slowly going to diminish.

A False and New Alarm with MySpace

Just when we thought Jason Hirschhorn was stepping down from the position of MySpace's Chief Product Officer, it's actually CEO Owen Van Natta who is packing his bags.

Instead, new co-Presidents Mike Jones and Jason Hirschhorn, will be taking over Van Natta's spot after representing the company for about 8 months and providing no indication of dissatisfaction that would cause him to leave. Abandonment, perhaps?

So if ex-Chief Product Office Hirschhorn isn't leaving, why the mix up? Supposedly, rumors say that News Corp digital chief, Jon Miller, and Van Natta had a continuous disagreement because Van Natta did not have the authority to fire Hirschhorn. Talk about team playing...

All three aforementioned executive officers joined MySpace in April 2009, and we're definitely seeing a shift in power. In the words of Heidi Klum, one day you're in, the next day, you're out.

But it seems as if Jon Miller and Owen Van Natta settled their differences...or at least, feigned civility in the press. Miller says that Van Natta successfully worked to revamp MySpace with positive financial boosts as results to prove it. However, personal and professional priorities helped make the decision for him: it's time to leave.

With the reigns in hand, Hirschhorn and Jones both agreed that they're going to redirect the company with specific goals that can easily turn into a reality.

Netflix Expansion with Indie at the Top

Good news for Netflix users: 300 more Indie films are being added to the on-demand list from multiple independent film distributors.

After investigating statistics on last week's earnings, Netflix revealed that nearly half of the subscribers watch movie streams online. This means that nearly 12 million people, for less than $9.00 per month, can instantly watch movies and TV episodes through Netflix devices on TVs and computers nation-wide. Among some of these devices include: XBox 360, PS3 from Sony, Blu-ray disc players, TiVo digital video recorders, and more.

Not only did Netflix add a significant number of Indie films, but it's also dedicated to expanding options from every genre from multiple distributors. And in order to apply what we learned a couple weeks ago from class, it's typically better to receive income from subscription fees, rather than from online advertisements alone. Netflix is smart by employing this dual-revenue stream that people seem to enjoy and benefit from. At least...I can speak for numerous college students.

Lucky for us, that means we get to gear up for more 500 Days of Summer in the near future!

Bigger is Better -- or is it?

As if FarmVille didn't have enough users, Zynga is looking to plant the seed of success with the joint partnership of MSN Games.

Microsoft's casual gaming portal will feature Zynga's first game on this site with many more to come on MSN Games and Windows Live Messenger in the close future. But surprisingly, gamers will have to operate the game on either Internet Explorer or Firefox. Google Chrome and Safari for Macs will not suffice, even though FarmVille functions adequately on every other browser when hosted by Facebook. Most likely the blame stems from MSN's set-up.

Zynga has publicly announced its goal to expand their games outside of Facebook.com regardless of its success. In order to reach this, Zynga created a web portal last November specifically for FarmVille in order to exercise more control and distribution over the gaming experience. Although they generate much publicity through Facebook Connect, Zynga does not have as many rights with Facebook as they would with this separate website. To date, Facebook FarmVille users amount to 75 million per month, which equals 900 million per year. Impressive!

I, myself, have not been an avid FarmVille gamer, partially because I do not want to become addicted to a game on Facebook. But MSN Games has even changed the background of their site (noted in the picture above) to complement the launch. There's no escaping the tractors now!

Sexting for Kids? What does that even mean?

Parallel to our class lecture and discussion on Monday, children mixing with technological gadgets seems extremely risky.

According to the Pew Internet Project, kids who purchase their own cell phones are 4x as likely to sext (sex + text? at least that's what I assumed it to be). But TechCrunch's article defines "sexting" as any inappropriate images or texts sent to other kids. And for all the parents out there, some of the sexts prominently apply to the 3,000 reports that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children examine weekly.

The report polled 2,553 middle-aged participants ranging from 18-29 years old and 800 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 years old. 75% of these teens have cell phones and at least 15% of them have received at least one sexual image through their phones of someone they previously knew. And 4% of the teenagers have sent images similar to those.

Three out of every four teenagers in wealthier families own a cellphone, while only 59% of the teens in families with household income less than $30,000 have a phone. Here are even more surprising statistics:


- 55% of teenagers (18-29 years old) access the internet from a phone
- 75% of teenagers have a phone
- 93% of adults have a phone
- In 2004, 18% of 12-year-olds had a phone, while in 2009, 58% had a phone; and with kids becoming more technologically savvy and prices constantly on the decline, the number is bound to rise.

This article flooded back some nostalgic moments. I remember my first cell phone when I was thirteen years old. Before then, I never really found the need for a phone since no one else had one. Now it makes sense that kids would want and/or "need" a phone since "everyone has it". I could just hear that justifiable complaint to thousands of parents around the country.

I remember needing to get picked up from Foothills Middle School and calling my dad from a payphone to come pick me up if prior arrangements weren't established.

Either our society is becoming lazier, more dependent on technology, or more spoiled. Something tells me that the answer is: a little bit of each. What an unfortunate image to establish...

Schwartz's Way or the Highway

When I think of a resignation letter, Haikus + Twitter aren't usually the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe stealing office supplies or yelling at your boss all the pent-up energy you suppressed throughout the years would suffice.

However, Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems, a multinational computer company that hosts software, hardware, and technology services, utilized social networking systems at its finest to make a more than grand exit. He tweeted a Haiku and stated:

"Today’s my last day at Sun. I’ll miss it. Seems only fitting to end on a #haiku. Financial crisis/Stalled too many customers/CEO no more"

Since 2006, Schwartz has served as Sun's CEO and established his place as the company's COO before. After Oracle recently bought out Sun, Schwartz made it publicly apparent to the company that a resignation was soon to come.

But this isn't the first public discourse that Schwartz has invested in. At a time period when blogging for CEOs wasn't considered professional or appropriate, Schwartz threw caution to the wind and did it anyway. His latest post invited the public to follow him on his "openjonathan" Twitter account and reminded everyone to regularly check his personal blog for more updates.

It was surely a tasteful way to shamelessly self-promote.

Happy Birthday, Facebook!

Six years old with 400 million viewers? Talk about accomplishments! I know when I was six-years-old, I barely knew how to add.

But with technology these days, how could Facebook NOT reach 400 million users? What's even scarier is that Facebook's exponential growth doesn't look like it's slowing down any time soon. On February 4th, Facebook CEO and founder, Mark Zuckerberg, posted a note on Facebook in honor of the momentous occasion. The last 100 million users even signed up within the last five months.

And what's a better way to celebrate than with a party? A Hackathon party to be exact. But what is a Hackathon? All of Facebook's engineers will spend a whole night dedicated to coding sessions. In the past, Hackathons have produced Facebook Video and other features such as the HipHop PHP converter that, to be honest, I had never heard of before until now. The product launches that resulted were revealed live that same night.


Remember this? Back in 2005, when Facebook first launched, it didn't have nearly the same features that it does now. I still remember the days when college students got kicks out of "poking" their friends. Now, it seems like that feature is even obsolete. But my friends and I were just discussing about how slow the Facebook server is now. Maybe the insane amount of data and files that the company holds is making the whole server lag. Whatever the reason, personally I'd rather have a faster server, wallposts and pictures. It seems like those are the two features I pay the most attention to anyway.

I'm excited to see what 2011 has to offer!

Personal Assistants That Can Fit in Your Pocket

Who knew that personal assistants could be found in the form of iPhones applications?

A year of development and $24 million later, Siri has successfully created an iPhone application that can bring the services of a personal assistant right to your iPhone. Sound too good to be true? Siri brings numerous APIs (30 to be exact) to the iPhone with this one application that is distinct from others. With the conversational interface, it can perform a variety of tasks that you can access online.

For example, if you state into the phone, "find me a French restaurant in Arcadia, CA," it will do just that. Once you select one of their key searches and give permission to reserve your table, you're good to go! But it doesn't just end there. You can look up movie listings, order the tickets, book a taxi, find an address or business phone number, and much, much more. It can also set reminders, just like a real, personal secretary!

Siri turns your speech into text through language processing and semantic analysis and then filter your request to different services on the world wide web, such as Citysearch. Even though the text or speech may be misconstrued, the application seeks to offer only pertinent information based on context alone, your location, time of day, etc.

The application is now available for free in the App Store, but is only recommended for iPhone 3G models since it requires processing power that older iPhones are not as capable of. But an app for the older versions are reported to be released soon. How does it make money? Simple! Every time you buy something using the Siri Personal Assistant Application, Siri receives affiliate fees. Not surprisingly enough, the Android and Blackberry are working to incorporate this feature on their phones as well.

A Reflection on My Favorites

After blogging each week, I've started to really appreciate technology in a whole different light. Before this APOC Program, technology was simply a resource for me that I grew up and depended on to get through a crazy, busy lifestyle. I guess you could say that I took it for granted.

Now, it's a way of life. There are so many avenues to explore that I never knew existed. I learned, "Why make life difficult?" If you want something, technology can help you get there quickly, efficiently, and cheaply.

With blogging alone, inputting picture URLs and "bolding" words incorporated HTML. When I tried experimenting with the different options, I had no idea what the miscellaneous characters meant and decided to just delete them altogether.

I am a huge fan of the Google RSS Reader, and particularly my subscription to TechCrunch. It allows me to find exactly the types of articles I'm interested. And I must hand it to TechCrunch, their stories are simple, easy to follow, and very interesting. Although this is a general and relative statement, the articles adequately retain the readers' interest.

Even if you're not a big tech geek, this site is still useful for keeping up-to-date with current, social events in the technology world. We're all living in it, and every facet of life relates to technology in some way. So why not embrace it?

Another One Bites the Dust

And just when I thought that MySpace was starting an uphill trend, it seems as if it's taking another hit from the top of the social ladder.

Hason Hirschhorn, MySpace's Chief Product Officer, is leaving the company soon after he was hired in April 2009. After only 9 months, hired along with COO MIke Jones, Hirschhorn created the reputation for cutting products that didn't contribute to its mission statement. But since MySpace hasn't really changed all the much in the past, aside from superficial formatting differences, this wasn't necessarily a good thing.

But that was the least of the problems; rumor has it that the lack of chemistry amongst the executive officers and Hirschhorn was getting in the way of progress. The CEO, Van Natta, was hired by Murdoch, while Hirschhorn and Jones were hired by Jon Miller. This posed as a problem, since Van Natta had no say in hiring his two right hand men and all three were thrown into the ring at once.

After joining the APOC Program, I kept hearing about how the MySpace platform still has a ton of potential even after I discounted its popularity. I even thought it was interesting to even create an account when the mass population is starting to shift toward social networking sites like Facebook. And now that Facebook alumni, parents, and teenagers under the age of 18, why not join the best of the best? Or should I say, the most popular of the popular?

With the coming of a new Chief Product Officer, MySpace will probably take a turn for the better...or worse.

More Free Videos At Our Fingertips

So we all know that Hulu is nothing short of awesome, convenient, and entertaining; especially when we have so many things going on in our daily lives, videos without a bombardment of commercials whenever we want to watch them are, without a doubt, buzz worthy. But once your remove yourself from the United States, international access is only available once you hide your location.

The solution is here: TVGorge is a Flash streaming site that is exponentially growing. But is it legal?

According TVGorge, the website searches from third-party streaming websites worldwide that only compiles the highest quality files. It also does not store any of the video files on its own servers, which means the videos can't be tracked to this website. It only embeds the existing videos from outside sources such as TV.com, Hulu, and TVGuide.com. TVGorge claims that it respects the aforementioned companyies' property rights, but agreeing on its distribution seems hard to believe.

However, the variety and quality of videos and shows are reported to be quite impressive. And for the viewers, legal matters are the least of our concerns. Show us the video! For all the 24, Californication, 30 Rock, Heroes, Lost, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, and Simpsons fans out there, this site is for you. If not, there are 120+ to choose from so TV show addiction is always a possibility.

So remember the name TVGorge, because speculation has it that something this good won't last forever.

Who Knew Kids Could Be Such an Online Liability?

When discussing Online Community Management, never did I think that children would be such a risky target audience. In fact, it seems as if sites targeted toward children would have simple ideas and “easy-to-bring-to-life” concepts. However, today’s speakers definitely negated that notion entirely.

I did not realize that children’s ages were such a critical factor in legal terms online. Children 13 and younger have different ground rules compared to kids 14 and older. Even E-commerce restricts access to “adults” at least 18 years or older. Before I was 18, I remember wanting to sign-up for an online raffle, but I was not old enough and tried to entice my parents to sign-up for me. This last lecture thoroughly explained its purpose.

Erica’s stories about her job with Disney.com are such telling examples of the disastrous public relations possibilities. I had no idea that 99% of the children’s chat consisted of cybersex. Kids who manage to meet others via online software systems and websites actually encounter date rape, which completely horrifies me. Even though times have definitely changed since a decade ago and the relevant aspects that define “childhood” have moved significantly online, I can reflect on how ignorant I was as a child.

At 13-years-old, I would have been one of Mrs. Field’s customers who signed up for free cookies on my birthday. Although this may be naïve, I feel badly for Mrs. Fields, because their intent to distribute cookies as a basic promotional item seemed innocent enough. But then again, having e-mail addresses at the turn of the teenager years still boggles my mind.

This topic also reminds me of a concept I learned in Karen’s undergraduate class last semester. One of the speakers had a background in legal matters online and talked to the class about how policies worked. One of the biggest takeaway points: NEVER save a picture of a naked child online onto your computer. We were told that it is an automatic violation, so I can’t imagine the repercussions of showing a naked child on a website. And then we delved into the concept of naked anime cartoon characters and it just became a complicated mess.

Case in point: if you’re starting a website with children as your main, targeted niche, enter with care. Personally, the risk is too high and I’ll probably stand clear.

Obama Hits Digital

Since digital technology is the future, it’s only fitting that President Obama follows that lead. Last Tuesday’s State of the Union Address found much success not only live on television, but also live online. The total number of views amounted to about 48 million viewers, with at least 1.3 million of them on an official live-streamed feed. There was also a 1.544% increase in the amount of minutes viewed compared to past State of the Union Addresses. Even though this percent increase doesn’t seem significant, I have to remember that this is a worldwide statistic, making this “jump” quite impressive.

As a testament to Facebook’s spreading popularity, almost 50,000 people joined a Facebook chat with Obama’s administration officials who followed the speech. I did not even know this “official” Facebook chat feature even existed and I consider myself a fairly avid social networker on this particular website.

The rest of the article also revealed that thousands of people watched the Address through the White House iPhone application. This was extremely interesting because these iPhone applications have now grown to be so eclectic. Anything you can possibly imagine can be turned into an iPhone app, and this White House feature just reaffirmed that statement.

I just thought this article was extremely interesting since this just proves how effective the internet is. Now the question, “Will cable become obsolete in the near future?” seems very applicable. On the bright side, more viewers will be able to watch the whole, or parts, of the speech on their own time at their convenience. Taping the live speech is no longer necessary as long as the internet connection is functioning. Convenient, yet bad news for Nielsen!

The Speakers Have the Floor

On the third week of classes, the first series of speakers stopped by our class to talk about “Start-up Companies 101;” or at least, that’s the topic that I perceived the most. I was blown away by Kurtis, Josh, Ben, and Sean not only because of their creativity, but also their perseverance in this industry regardless of their monetary success.

I really enjoyed listening to Ben and Sean recount their experiences especially because they graduated from the APOC class and started so many business ventures that actually came into fruition. For example, when Ben started to explain his “5-second-movies” idea, my face lit up with excitement and I was more than intrigued. It was extremely fascinating to hear from the person who started that company, because my friends and I watched those videos on repeat from YouTube. The videos never get old and each time it’s still funny despite knowing the ending. My personally favorites stem from The Lion King, Titanic, and The Lord of the Rings. I even found myself bragging to my friends, asking them “Guess who I met today?” And their shocked reaction was exactly what I anticipated. To top it all off, knowing that he funded these videos out-of-pocket for a while and invested so much personal effort is truly inspiring. You can tell that passion is key.

Also, when Kurtis was explaining what it takes to be a great CEO, I told my friends that you have to live and breathe your company 24/7. If you don’t shamelessly make a plug for your website at every chance or meeting, you will lose so many great opportunities that someone could have benefitted from. It’s almost a scary –yet fascinating— thought to think that if I create a start-up website, the CEO position will automatically fall on me.

Sean’s Jewish dating site is also really impressive. In fact, I find myself talking about what I learned in class to my peers more often than I anticipated. I tried to explain that I learned from Kurtis that advertisements should not be someone’s main source of revenue because that steady stream is less dependable than actual subscriptions. It is extremely smart that the Jewish dating site charges subscription fees not only per month, but in blocks at a time – therefore, three months can be covered in one click! I hadn’t really thought of that before, because I thought advertisements were a sure way of receiving revenue.

When Karen and Clint asked the question, “If you could create your own website again, would you do it differently?” I really respected Sean when he said he prefers having his small, niche community. To me, that showed that he cared more about personal interaction, rather than succumbing to selfish, monetary motives. I can see how large, multi-faceted companies such as Facebook and Myspace can be extremely lucrative, but very risky in terms of liability.

I cannot stress how much information I learned from these speakers. I often think that personal experiences and learning from their mistakes definitely trump lectures because they directly apply to our current status as business-venture students. I’m so excited to see what’s coming next!

Finding Tomspace

Wow...I never thought that signing up for a Myspace account and trying to befriend Tom Anderson would be so embarrassing.

Needless to say, after I deleted my old Myspace account that my friend created for me (password and all) over four years ago, I felt so lost trying to navigate through the website pages. This website has gone through so many visual changes, that I was actually struggling to figure out how to not only upload a profile picture but to “friend” Tom Anderson. Luckily, I eventually distinguished the “real” Tom after weeding out the imposters.

Then I tried adding a comment to his wall and discovered that you need to be friends with someone before being able to comment. So after friend requesting, I became one of his 273 million+ friends and posted a question on his wall. I asked, “What is your favorite feature about Myspace? It could be anything from its purpose/function to a technological aspect.” I hope he gets the question and responds, because I posted the comment and refreshed the site to see if mine would show up. Strangely, it didn’t.

I tried to avoid asking an extremely personal question since I did not want to appear creepy. And it was a good thing I did. The site sent a notice that first warned viewers about posting inappropriate comments and even made me enter in a code to verify that I am indeed human instead of a computer.

I must admit that I felt really immature for trying to contact him, especially after reading some of the ridiculous comments already on his feed. The comments ranged from thanking him for creating Myspace to random girls wanting to be as popular as he is. On one of his disclaimer texts, he said that we must check his FAQ to see if any of the questions have already been answered. To me, it sounds as if Tom doesn’t exist and the people monitoring his personal profile are actually programmers with automated responses.

It’s also interesting that Tom’s picture has not changed over the last few years…or ever if that. I guess it’s a smart strategy, because people will be able to easily identify him. In another interesting occurrence, I checked my Myspace “notifications” and saw that a random guy named “John Overmyer” requested to be my friend. I do not know him at all and do not think we ever had any run-ins. I accepted it just to figure out how to interact with someone else aside from Tom.

Although I had my account created years ago, surfing this “new” Myspace is definitely bringing back memories. And though I’m biased, I still look at the features and compare them to Facebook. Overall, I think that Myspace is surviving solely due to its ability to freely market artists’ musical product and talent. But who knows what will happen in the next five years…