A reflection,.. Business Web Innovation...

Business Web Innovation was like a movie, it started slow in the first act, we were introduced to the setting and characters, it picked up speed in act 2 and climaxed in a hurray in act 3.

I think it's maybe becuase I engage with social media so much trying to promote I felt as if I knew alot of the stuff already, but it's only upon reflection do you realise you've gained knowledge that you didn't think you would. The parts at the start about Facebook, Second Life(which I still hate) etc. were mostly common sense and obvious to me, not realising gradually I was learning more and more to build up to the finale. Last few lectures, jam packed with information and rounded off the whole course. I feel confidently set up to complete the essay upon looking back at the way information was seeped into our minds. And I've already started paying closer atention to my use of web 2.0, adapting different a different way of thinking now that I'm more aware of the ins and outs.

This class won't really benefit me in looking for a job (cause I'm a lazy media bum), but it'll damn sure help me promote my comic until it becomes my career. Oh and check out www.orcomics.com!

Roll credits.

The Plot Thickens Yet Again...

Heading towards the end of the semester and we've really got into the meat of things! It's getting to a point where there is so much to wrap my head around I don't know what to write. Err.. I like ROI? I feel as if I can't simply say "I liked this" and "I agree" when it delves into complicated business works with graphs and all that scary stuff...

BUT it is interesting to see how it is measured, and the ever growning importance of Web 2.0

On a more fun note I really enjoyed the presentations in the lab, was a good idea to get the students to participate and grade each one. I apologise to my team mates for my absence when I had to do my talk, thankfully they were very nice about it, and even when I offered didn't reducce my percentage of contribution.

Much thanks guys!

Wow... Wish I was there

Looking over the notes from being absent last week I really wish I could have made it in. Looks like a vast indepth lecture about numerous relating topics! I don't think I can fully grasp a thought or insight based on how much information there actually is in there. I'll need to look it over and study much more, but it's so much, I can't think of anything particularly profound to say!

Overall its good to learn these things of what may seem as basic (everyone knows what HTML and stuff is, right?) - well not in such a detailed way, and its good to have a look at the building books and potential future of web. Beyond 2.0???

Enterprise 2.0 is interesting, the "flattening world" as everyone is becoming do-able all in the one package with mashups. It shows an evolution of the internet from the basic html stuff to where we are just now.

Now to re-read and more to fully digest...

And I look forward to doing the assessment! That sounds sad but I feel rather unchallenged in the whole semester so far, mostly because in college I was up to my neck in making magazines and all sorts. Okay, it's good because I was so stressed out, but I do like the gratification at the end of the effort. Bring it on.

Bookmarking, Tagging and Podcastin'

I hear tagging, I think Facebook.

In Facebook you can tag in posts and tag people in pictures, and of course in Twitter you can tag people into mentions, and then they see it aswell.

But I didn't know about this kind of tagging, even though it's kind of the same thing.

When used in the above context, when you tag, other people can see it and find it easier in other places. A friend wants to see a picture of him on a night out. Never mind searching a profile, his other friend will tag him. I guess that's how it works with the business.

Tag the business, get better chance of search results and visitors. I liked Delicious, I can see the handiness of it and the easiness to search tags and find relevant information. It could be great for a business to use, and if people like your business, they might bookmark you and tag it with the relevant buzz words! It seems like a simplified social network, just "I like this, here's what its about" - bookmark and tag. The best result in my opinion is the prominence on the web list, you want your site to be top of that google search!

podcasts are good, but business ones sound dull. Still, getting info from podcasts through a directory to help your business sounds good, but then again there's good ol' fashion articles for that? Maybe it's my lazyness, I doubt I'd make a whole podcast dedicated to helping people out. I'd only do it for a show or entertainment. But that's the media student coming out!

Second life - bluergh

I hate it. I can see it's practical appliance for businesses and appreciate that people have made business purely out of it, but in honesty I see the entire thing as a waste of time from a personal viewpoint.

Wandering around a fictional virtual environment "socialising" with people and doing activities all within this walled off fictional fantasy is beyond bizarre. Make real friends. Play them at games that are infinitely better designed and crafted by dedicated people. At least World of Warcraft is fantastical and intended for play and entertainment, not just some isolating representation of some sort of near reality where people go around and do mundane things you can do in the real world.

Perhaps the most shocking thing is people spending real life money on outdated blocky polygon skins for characters and environment designs. It's great for businesses, making money for practically no cost - Nike can count the Linden Dollars rolling in thick and fast from people literally spending money on nothing.

I suppose the point is to see it from a business point of view. A bunch of people willing to spend money on nothing, promote your real world business while selling them pixels. Sounds good! But even for promoting your business, Second Life holds nothing in terms of users compared to the social networking sites such as Facebook.

I can't comment much on this as my tendency is to rant in a Charlie Brooker-esque fashion. But this is for Uni and I'll reserve until summer.

I'm going to delete Second Life off my browser and go back to playing Half-Life. Having the meetings around the world in the environment is kind of cool mind you.

Social Networking

A class on something no doubt everyone in the class if familiar with, Facebook and its other social networking counter parts is a huge presence on many people's lives when it comes to interaction with friends and planning. Having a party? Use Facebook. Going out with someone? Isn't official until your Facebook profile says it is. It's become a strange extension of social etiquette and life.

But what about businesses?

I already have some experience using this service for business as I try to promote my comic on Facebook using links, pictures, reviews and interaction on its official page. The "tail end" being the most important stuck out most in the lecture as it put a name to exactly what I try to do on a daily basis - get the word out of my comic to people who aren't my friends. The people who don't know me personally are the ones who will genuinely become interested and leading to word of mouth advertising of our comic. Most of my friends don't even like comic books but will still support the page out of supporting me.

What I perhaps need to do is dabble more in the apps available on Facebook to further promote the comic, perhaps with interaction using polls etc. I also post on Twitter and Tumblr to keep getting the word out there, with varying degrees of success. perhaps the best untap feature of facebook is the ability to put up pay per click ads and you can define your target audience. But then paying for that would maybe negate the point of using social networking as a free awesome publicity tool?

Also found it strange to see social networking high on the formality scale for the 4 C's. It is within a structure, but there are some people on my friend list who would test that theory...

Time to crank on with the group project, what's great is researching the pros and cons of Facebook and Twitter will be helping me too! Muhahaha.

Last Class... Software Services....

I think the most pivotal point for me is the fact that I'm attempting a small business with my comic book production. Granted what we aim to do is get published and let them do the hard work, but just know we still must use marketing, PR, a website and everything to promote us.

I knew of RSS feeds, and one on our site just now is pointless, news updates aren't that often, and convincing people to subscribe to unknown creators is a hard task. I never thought much of RSS until the class and the advice that it could be used for the dissertation. Such a fantastic idea! I'm weirdly a person who likes to see updates actually on the site, even videos posted on Facebook I have to open the link to youtube and not simply watch the embedded video on the feed. Weird.

I think I know a lot about computers and software and using it for business purposes. I didn't realise service software was a thing and it's such a good idea. Software packages can be so expensive (looking at you Adobe) and the idea of online renting is really appealing.

I had actually used it before without realising, my cousin and I edited a script using google docs. It was good seeing it done in real time, which was much better than the annoyance of Wiki's. Waiting for updates, saving, not seeing actual dual editing being done live.

The idea of mashups was rather cool, but seemed to toot its own horn a bit. okay the employee can do this and that and help out IT, but really they're just taking widgets and packing them together on the one page. Didn't seem that amazingly revolutionary to me.

Maybe IT should stop being so lazy. Take that!