Blogs = Future Feedback?

One thing that stuck with me from Monday's class presentation was the potential that blogs have to affect the business world. Blogs are a communication device that are easy to produce and free of charge; two characteristics that allow the masses to write them. I believe this "free market" for blog-writers provides endless possibilities for individuals to get their experiences heard concerning products and services which they encounter.

Blogs therefore have the ability to become tools for international feedback. This feedback can help the company that produces the product because it will understand where changes may need to be made to improve the product, as well as potential customers who want to learn more about it. Allowing this unregulated form of communication can help increase sales of great but not well-known products as well as decrease the sales of unsatisfactory products. I believe people's abilility to write feedback about products and services is a great benefit of blogs and I hope to definately see more of it in the future.

~ Catherine Dinan

Sticky Blogs

One of the most important things I remember from Mr. Howard's presentation on BLOGS, is that we can write about ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING! It is actually something most people knew, but I always thought Blogging required a significant amount of research behind the argument the writer was making to his/her audience.

I had always thought about starting my own BLOG, but always put the excuse that I never had the time, nor tools to do so. I was proven totally wrong! It is fairly simple, and I plan to create one this Fall, and it will be about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING.

-Eric Rodriguez

The Market Will Correct Itself

I'm sorry to admit I cannot remember who asked the question about the "helpless" consumer, at the mercy of a company extolling the virtues of its product in a blog atmosphere, during class on Monday. I do not believe, however, that an Internet savvy consumer would in fact be led like a sheep to slaughter by such a company because, especially in a volitile environment such as the Internet, the market will inevitably correct itself.

--
Let's assume a situation: ACME Toy Company asks their IT department to set up a blog to promote their newest product, Spike, an interactive multimedia toy designed to teach toddlers and preschoolers about colors and shapes. Hoping to catch the attention of Gen X parents searching for information, ACME includes a post on the blog applauding Spike's ability to capture a child's imagination with his bright colors, affable charm, and the useful supportive material that accompanies the toy. Unfortunately, ACME fails to mention that Spike was secretly outsourced to China, and 3 of every 10 units will fall apart within days of purchase.

The moment Spike hits the market, he is an instant success due to the blog and an aggresive holiday-timed promotional campaign. Parents are rushing out to procure the newest gadget to help their child become a baby Einstein by New Years.

Joe Smith's son, Sammy, has asked his father for a Spike toy after playing with one at his friend Mike's home. Joe decides to do a little Internet research before making the purchase, as Spike comes at a premium. The ever-savvy blog culture, however, has caught up wth ACME's ploy with the speed that only this medium can handle. When he googles "Spike ACME," Joe encounters a blog of a parent whose child's Spike has fallen prey to shoddy manufacturing and most likely toxic materials.

Soon, post after post surfaces, complaining of Spike's obviously poor manufacturing and the screaming children he has caused. Nothing provokes a parent more than their child's dissatisfaction.

ACME soon sees its sales start to falter as more and more people hear about Spike's faults. CNN does an expose the day before the Thanksgiving holiday about Spike after one blog, parentsagainstspike.com, which has gained traction with the consumer watchdog community, demands action on the part of ACME to either recall Spike or compensate his dissatisfied customers.

--
Now, obviously all market results may not be as dramatic as in the Spike example, but the blog culture is full of innovators-- people quick to purchase the newest products on the market. And they are none-too-shy about their opinions, whether they be positive or negative. The iPhone, for example, not even on the market for 3 months, already has over 185,000,000 blogs or blog entries devoted to it. Just imagine how many entries include tyrades about Apple's recent announcement to lower the price of the iPhone by $200.

Companies will certainly put lots of effort into the promotion of new products and capturing customers through the Internet market. Bloggers are becoming, in many cases, a source of product information for many consumers, and can act as promoters or deterrents. The market does indeed correct itself.

Josie Zeiger

Blogging as a Valuable Tool

I really enjoyed Mr. Howard's presentation on blogging. The one thing that "stuck" with me is the widespread use of blogging in the business world. Recently, I have noticed that most of the websites that I visit has a link to that website's blog where visitors can go to comment on specific articles, products, etc. It is used as an interactive tool where people can have a "say" and provide feedback directly to a specific person or the company itself. I can definitely see blogging as a valuable tool used by businesses to get useful feedback, and it can also be used as a marketing tool.

I was surprised with how easy it is to create a blog. You don't have to be technology savvy to be able to create a blog or post comments. Popularity of this valuable tool is increasing in the business world, and Mr. Howard's presentation was very enlightening.

Joseph Morgan

Conversations

I was struck when Mr. Howard said he enjoyed the conversations that blogs create. As someone pointed out many of theses tools have the potential to cut us off from human interaction, but we instead use theses tools to reach out to people. It was striking that in such a technology driven era Mr. Howard was not struck by the “niftyness” of the new gadget but the conversations it spawned. He seemed fascinated by reaching people in a more direct issue specific way. Whether people are blogging about business, politics, or thimbles we are still interested in making a connection with another human. We want to know what others think. While the world around us is always shifting, we have not changed a bit.

--Eric Mund

What "Stuck"

Before this presentation, it never occurred to me that blogs are prevalient in the business world. Whenever I thought of blogs, I thought of a journal or diary one would write in whenever they had something to say or wanted to vent, etc... I now see blogs in a whole, new light and I just might start a blog of my own!

-Tara Subaiya

The End of Resumes?

We have all read reports that employers are "Googling" candidates ensuring no questionable values are displayed on their Facebook or other social network pages. And it was interesting to hear Mr. Howard say that web profiling is an integral part of his hiring process. So, I am wondering if the paper resume will eventually become a thing of the past?

Will employers prefer that our work experience, past performance, and accolades reside on unbiased third party websites rather than on a resume we create? Will the dreaded "permanent record" from grammar school actually become permanent?

Better not burn any bridges, you may get negative feedback!

-- Brian Danos