The likelihood of buying a product increases when I find a review that comes along with it. I learn of a product from what I see online and on TV, their advertisements and the information in their website, but what really helps me make a decision on what is best for me are the reviews posted online.
Formal marketers will only tell us of the best features of the products, they will never tell us about their flaws. In fact, advertisements and information provided by the company will sometimes exaggerate of the product’s excellence to persuade us to buy the product. Most of the times I can’t trust this information. On the other hand, the reviews tell me the real strengths and weaknesses of the product and whether or not I’ll be able to live with them. I trust them because they are posted by people like me, consumers who have nothing to win or lose by promoting or discouraging the use of the product. Further, I trust these sources because I have a variety to choose from. There are many reviews about the same product; so, if I don’t trust one I read the next one.
Therefore I really believe what was said in the article, when they say businesses should facilitate the creation of the user generated content as it is not only free advertising and marketing research but also a way to increase trust and confidence when a consumer is about to buy a product.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Not everybody is like that....
When we watch the news we see that people in Iraq are terrorists, that Iran makes nuclear weapons and that there is genocide in Darfur. That sometimes misleads us to think that everyone in that region is mean, supports their government or are doing the wrong thing. That leads us to create a stereotype.
Not everyone in that certain country is like that. There are many people who oppose what is going on, but the media doesn’t tell us that. As I read in the article Online Activism: Media Stereotypes And The Rise Of Smart Mobs, media wants to sell, and people like stereotype, terror and death. Therefore, generally they'll tell us the bad things, but never the good or the boring ones. They'll always tell us about the terrorists but not of the people in that country who oppose it.
Blogging gives individuals the opportunity to show the world who they really are and what they really think. They tell us that even if there are bad people and bad decisions in their region, they are not part of it. In addition, it allows us to voice our opinion and help change a situation. It lets the world know that someone is opposing what is going on and it puts pressure on governments to try and make a change.
Before, it was hard to voice these opinions. It was hard to let people know what you felt and who you agreed with. The internet and blogging has really eased the process up. However, I do believe that it is not total freedom.
There are countries where people go to jail and suffer hard consequences when voicing their opposing opinions. Countries like Iran and Cuba have very limited freedom of speech and when they say what they feel, they end up in jail to set up an example to prevent other people from doing it.
Overall the internet provides more freedom than any other media to show inidivual perspectives and opposing views. But this only happens in countries where there is freedom of speech. We should really work so that this works all over the world and not only where people are allowed to talk, because in the end, every one has something to say and they should be allowed to do it.
Not everyone in that certain country is like that. There are many people who oppose what is going on, but the media doesn’t tell us that. As I read in the article Online Activism: Media Stereotypes And The Rise Of Smart Mobs, media wants to sell, and people like stereotype, terror and death. Therefore, generally they'll tell us the bad things, but never the good or the boring ones. They'll always tell us about the terrorists but not of the people in that country who oppose it.
Blogging gives individuals the opportunity to show the world who they really are and what they really think. They tell us that even if there are bad people and bad decisions in their region, they are not part of it. In addition, it allows us to voice our opinion and help change a situation. It lets the world know that someone is opposing what is going on and it puts pressure on governments to try and make a change.
Before, it was hard to voice these opinions. It was hard to let people know what you felt and who you agreed with. The internet and blogging has really eased the process up. However, I do believe that it is not total freedom.
There are countries where people go to jail and suffer hard consequences when voicing their opposing opinions. Countries like Iran and Cuba have very limited freedom of speech and when they say what they feel, they end up in jail to set up an example to prevent other people from doing it.
Overall the internet provides more freedom than any other media to show inidivual perspectives and opposing views. But this only happens in countries where there is freedom of speech. We should really work so that this works all over the world and not only where people are allowed to talk, because in the end, every one has something to say and they should be allowed to do it.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Be Careful with What You Ignore!
Online recruiting is something that may come in handy nowadays. Employers save time and effort and the process of hiring has become somewhat easier and faster. In addition, it is now faster to find people from other parts of the country, so it is a more diverse and talented workforce.
However, I believe that it also has its consequences. First of all, this is something mainly practiced in the United States; many people in other countries don’t even know of the existence of these sites. Therefore, it puts these candidates in disadvantage and it may cause recruiters to ignore talented people who could greatly contribute to the company. Not only for their talent, but for their knowledge of foreign cultures and practices. In addition, it may also cause recruiters to overlook qualities of a candidate that can only be seen personally and not through the internet.
I also believe that one of the greatest disadvantages is what Shapiro said in one of the articles, If you don’t have something that your competitors don’t have, then everyone will be looking at the same thing. In addition, like it was said in another of the articles, it also becomes a problem when you have a thousand applications to look at. It probably becomes overwhelming and recruiters will end up forgetting about the talented candidates.
Therefore, I do believe that this has its benefits but its disadvantages are greater for the time being and it may end up hurting the company for small things that can be forgotten or ignored in online recruiting.
However, I believe that it also has its consequences. First of all, this is something mainly practiced in the United States; many people in other countries don’t even know of the existence of these sites. Therefore, it puts these candidates in disadvantage and it may cause recruiters to ignore talented people who could greatly contribute to the company. Not only for their talent, but for their knowledge of foreign cultures and practices. In addition, it may also cause recruiters to overlook qualities of a candidate that can only be seen personally and not through the internet.
I also believe that one of the greatest disadvantages is what Shapiro said in one of the articles, If you don’t have something that your competitors don’t have, then everyone will be looking at the same thing. In addition, like it was said in another of the articles, it also becomes a problem when you have a thousand applications to look at. It probably becomes overwhelming and recruiters will end up forgetting about the talented candidates.
Therefore, I do believe that this has its benefits but its disadvantages are greater for the time being and it may end up hurting the company for small things that can be forgotten or ignored in online recruiting.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Friends & Business
Earlier in the class I said Social Networking is fake, and sometimes it can be. But then today I read an article where the author said that when it comes to business you can also make it a monetized relationship in addition to friendship. I guess then, relationships become less fake, as long as you keep friendship in mind. Nowadays, I find myself easily relating to these topics.
When I started looking for jobs, the first thing people told me to do is think about my friends that were already working because they would be able to give me a hand. And so I did, I looked up all my friends that have a job, contacted them and gave them my resume. As it turns out, I now have people reviewing my resume in different cities and it has eased my application process a lot.
In the same manner, my mom just started a new magazine back home. She’s both the writer and editor. I was talking to her last night and she was telling me how being friends with very different people has helped her perform her job faster and easier. She interviews doctors, politicians and sport players very easily because she knows them outside of work in a social way and so they answer her questions and collaborate with her as friends.
Therefore, I realized that SN is not fake. The people I talked to are my friends. I go out with them, have lunch and talk to them, but they were also able to give me a hand in the business world. I guess that it works like that for many other people in the business world. I've been doing social networking almost all of my life, with out even realizing. Like I said before, where I come from it is a given, not something we study and pay particular attention to.
When I started looking for jobs, the first thing people told me to do is think about my friends that were already working because they would be able to give me a hand. And so I did, I looked up all my friends that have a job, contacted them and gave them my resume. As it turns out, I now have people reviewing my resume in different cities and it has eased my application process a lot.
In the same manner, my mom just started a new magazine back home. She’s both the writer and editor. I was talking to her last night and she was telling me how being friends with very different people has helped her perform her job faster and easier. She interviews doctors, politicians and sport players very easily because she knows them outside of work in a social way and so they answer her questions and collaborate with her as friends.
Therefore, I realized that SN is not fake. The people I talked to are my friends. I go out with them, have lunch and talk to them, but they were also able to give me a hand in the business world. I guess that it works like that for many other people in the business world. I've been doing social networking almost all of my life, with out even realizing. Like I said before, where I come from it is a given, not something we study and pay particular attention to.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Online and lonley
It is hard for me to picture this virtual world with which companies are now involved. In Ecuador, and other parts of the world, we are not yet so technologically advanced. Most of the things are still done face to face. We have a meeting room, we still take a plane when we need meet a client or a partner, and definitely our teams meet in person and not in the virtual world.
Although it’s hard for me to imagine it, I believe that this is great for businesses. It saves time, money, space and countless other things. In addition, things are more effective and fast, the time previously spent in a plane is now spent online, discussing or creating ideas. So in that sense I believe that these new technologies have really come in handy, specially at this point in time where everything is so globalized.
However, it also scares me. I can’t really judge because I haven’t yet seen it work but I personally believe that it is better to meet face to face. While it really helps businesses, I think this harms societies. Now a days, there is no need to meet face to face with anybody. I think that people need that interaction, not only because it helps them know the person better and get to know what their strengths are, but also because there is a certain satisfaction from sharing real time with people. It scares me to think that in a near future we won’t have the need to leave our desks. Everything will be done online, and times in the office are going to become sad and lonely.
Although it’s hard for me to imagine it, I believe that this is great for businesses. It saves time, money, space and countless other things. In addition, things are more effective and fast, the time previously spent in a plane is now spent online, discussing or creating ideas. So in that sense I believe that these new technologies have really come in handy, specially at this point in time where everything is so globalized.
However, it also scares me. I can’t really judge because I haven’t yet seen it work but I personally believe that it is better to meet face to face. While it really helps businesses, I think this harms societies. Now a days, there is no need to meet face to face with anybody. I think that people need that interaction, not only because it helps them know the person better and get to know what their strengths are, but also because there is a certain satisfaction from sharing real time with people. It scares me to think that in a near future we won’t have the need to leave our desks. Everything will be done online, and times in the office are going to become sad and lonely.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Drawing a Line between Personal and Professional Lives
There is too much information available out there, it is overwhelming! Some of that information is private. We upload it to share it with friends and family, to remember good and fun times. However, it seems that privacy is no longer there. Everyone has access to information that should not concern them.
I find it upsetting to see that people are granted or denied jobs based on their pictures and profiles in facebook or myspace. I think that a line should be drawn between professional and personal lives. As long as a person is able to behave professionally in their jobs, what they do in their spare time or the past should not concern employers.
It is unbelievable that the past can haunt you for so long. A position should not be denied to a person because of their personal lives. A beer or a frat party should not determine whether I am capable of performing a job or not. Basing a decision on a profile could lead the employer to overlook more important details that affect the performance in the job more directly. It could lead to a company losing an extremely valuable person because of their past or private lives.
Therefore, I believe that it should be illegal to look up your personal information online. However, I find that more difficult to control, so we should at least clean up our profiles and even if there are bad things posted online, we should make sure that there are more positive things to counter balance it.
I believe that these new emerging companies who manage profiles are going to be very profitable in the future. We don’t have the time to find our negative information and I believe that we aren’t even sure of how to begin looking for it.
I find it upsetting to see that people are granted or denied jobs based on their pictures and profiles in facebook or myspace. I think that a line should be drawn between professional and personal lives. As long as a person is able to behave professionally in their jobs, what they do in their spare time or the past should not concern employers.
It is unbelievable that the past can haunt you for so long. A position should not be denied to a person because of their personal lives. A beer or a frat party should not determine whether I am capable of performing a job or not. Basing a decision on a profile could lead the employer to overlook more important details that affect the performance in the job more directly. It could lead to a company losing an extremely valuable person because of their past or private lives.
Therefore, I believe that it should be illegal to look up your personal information online. However, I find that more difficult to control, so we should at least clean up our profiles and even if there are bad things posted online, we should make sure that there are more positive things to counter balance it.
I believe that these new emerging companies who manage profiles are going to be very profitable in the future. We don’t have the time to find our negative information and I believe that we aren’t even sure of how to begin looking for it.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Making the Best out of Technology!
Technology does just about everything nowadays. It’s freaky to think that people can know where I am not because they call me but because my cell phone is tracked down. It seems like little of our privacy is left. Our information has become public. Everybody can know who we are, what we do and where we are standing at that second. All these things can be overwhelming; I personally don’t think I could handle people knowing where I am at or what I am doing. However, I find other aspects of technology to be interesting and extremely useful.
Being able to sign up for a terrorist alert could save the life of millions. Further, allowing citizens to report on current issues with their own perspectives is a great step forward in journalism. News agencies have lost their credibility in the past couple of years. In addition, most of them are limited on what they report and most of the time they don’t tell the whole truth and entire story. Enabling citizens to report whatever they see how they see it is a great advantage. People can now see more of the truth than they do in regular news.
Therefore, technology can be overwhelming and misused sometimes. However, it can be used for good causes that will help shape the world differently and the way we see it. So I believe that instead of putting our efforts to be able to find each other through cell phone tracking we should put it in things that allow us to grow and change for the better.
Being able to sign up for a terrorist alert could save the life of millions. Further, allowing citizens to report on current issues with their own perspectives is a great step forward in journalism. News agencies have lost their credibility in the past couple of years. In addition, most of them are limited on what they report and most of the time they don’t tell the whole truth and entire story. Enabling citizens to report whatever they see how they see it is a great advantage. People can now see more of the truth than they do in regular news.
Therefore, technology can be overwhelming and misused sometimes. However, it can be used for good causes that will help shape the world differently and the way we see it. So I believe that instead of putting our efforts to be able to find each other through cell phone tracking we should put it in things that allow us to grow and change for the better.
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