Challenges and opportunities that social media networks offer

Challenges and opportunities that social media networks offer The availability of digital media such as satellite and mobile phones, the digital television and most importantly the internet, as a means for communication makes Internet Marketing (IM) very different from the Conventional Marketing. McDonald and Wilson (1999) elaborately highlighted the key difference between traditional media and new media. With particular emphasises on IM the authors proposed what they call The 6 Is of e-marketing mix. The authors posit that the relevance of the 6 Is are twofold (i) they draw emphasis on the practical aspects of IM such as direct response and personalization and (ii) provide an understanding of strategic issues such as restructuring of the industry and the changes in the integrated channel communications. The 6 Is of e-marketing mix Interactivity In the case of traditional media the marketing message is predominately broadcasted from a company to its target audience, thereby implying the existence of a push factor. This process of communication provides little scope for interaction with the customers. However, on the Internet, contact is initiated by the customer who, in most cases, is seeking information, implying the existence of a pull factor (Deighton, 1996). Figure 1.13 pg28 Intelligence The internet renders itself as a cost effective means of conducting market research. The internet is an especially useful tool in gathering information about customer perceptions about the product/ service. Individualism (Fig 1.14) pg 30 As illustrated in the diagram above, new media forms allow marketing communications to be tailored to the individual that the message is meant for, unlike in the case of traditional media wherein communication is mass media and the same message is disseminated to its audiences. (Lasswell 1984, Katz and Lazarsfeld 1955) Further, the inherent feature of personalisation that new media forms offer to marketers is an important building block in managing relationships with customers. Integration (diagram: A New Marketing Paradigm for Electronic Commerce) The conventional marketing communication model witnesses a fundamental alteration in the presence of a hypermedia Computer-Mediated Environment (CME) like the internet (Hoffman and Novak 1996). The internet enables an increased scope for an integrated marketing communication. The CME communication model provides a platform for consumers to interact with each other, the medium and the company itself. The most drastic departure from the traditional media is the opportunity for the consumers to generate content onto the medium. Hence, in the CME model the primary relationship is with the receiver and the CME, and not between the sender and the receiver, which is the case in traditional media.( Hoffman, 1996) The active role of the consumers makes it imperative for marketers to integrate their communication messages. Industry restructuring. Concepts such as disintermediation and reintermediation (Chaffey et al, 2003) are important considerations for companies that operate in a CME. Disintermediation refers to the process of eliminating conventional intermediaries such as agents and brokers, who previously linked the company to its customers. Reintermediation is the process of creating new age intermediaries between the company and its customer, given the presence of the internet. These new age intermediaries are often referred to as cybermediaries (Shankar et al, 1996) and include virtual communities like forums, fan clubs and user groups, search engines like Google and Bing , virtual resellers like Amazon and eBay. Independence of location The internet provides the possibility of an increased reach of a companys marketing communications to the global audience. This can often translate into reaching international markets and audiences. Social media networks: AN INTRODUCTION Social media networks, though a relatively new terrain for most companies and brand managers had its humble beginnings when Open Diary was founded in 1950s with the intent to create a community of diary writers. A few years later, Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis introduced Usenet, letting its users post articles to its groups. (Kaplan et al, 2010). Dating sites that enabled its users to create profiles and even update pictures and online forums, which were the more user friendly and sophisticated versions of BBSs (Bulletin Board Systems), are all building blocks of the social media networks as we know it today. With the passage of time and the technological developments that . SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS: OPPOTUNTIES AND CHALLENGES Social networking sites: Social networking sites like face book, my space, twitter and orkut are platforms for Internet users to create individual profiles with personal information, make new friends and connect with old ones and even for business networking, in some cases. Users can use certain applications which help them connect to each other through instant messaging and sending emails between each other, creating personalised profiles for themselves which can be accessed by colleagues and friends etc. Such applications are known as Social networking sites. Personal profiles are highly specialised as they are suited to the users needs. He/she can upload audio files, videos, blogs as well photos into the profile which can be shared to other friends. Facebook is considered to be the largest social networking site and it is interesting to note that it was originally founded by US based Mark Zuckerberg who wanted to stay in touch with his friends in Harvard Unviersity. Myspace is also another example of a social networking site which has over 250 million users worldwide. SNS are being used for market research with regard to netnography as well as creating brand communities by different companies. SNS have also been used especially well for promoting movies for example when film makers create a fan page of their movie which allows user to access information such as trailers, photos and download games for free. Similarly companies sponsoring football clubs have used SNS such as Myspace to allow fans to feel closer to the teams they support. Apart from marketing their products through SNS other companies go to the extent of using SNS as a distribution channel for their products for example 1-800- flowers a US based florist has allowed facebook users to send virtual flowers to whomsoever they desire or send the real ones by directing users to their company website.

Comparing Symbols and Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery :: comparison compare contrast essays

Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors, Shirley Jackson and Nathaniel Hawthorne, both frequently use symbols within their stories "The Lottery" and "Young Goodman Brown."   Symbols are utilized as an enhancement tool to stress the theme of each story. Hawthorne uses names and objects to enhance the theme, and Jackson mainly utilizes names to stress the theme, although she does have one object as a symbol of great importance to the theme.   The stories both contain symbols describing evil. The majority of Hawthorne's symbols describe religion (both good and evil), but Jackson's symbols reflect the evil nature within society as a whole.   There exists symbolic acts in each story.   The short stories both share the use of symbols, but the symbols are   used to express different thoughts in ones mind while reading them.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The stories "Young Goodman Brown" and "The Lottery" both use names as symbols.   Hawthorne uses the names Young Goodman Brown and Faith to portray nice, descent people.   The name Faith alone implies a faithful and Christian individual as stated  Ã‚   "And Faith, as the wife was aptly named," (211).   Jackson uses the name Mr. Graves throughout her story, he is the coordinator of the lottery. She needs not give any explanation to the name, as it speaks for itself (a symbol of death).   Various other names are used as symbols within each story, however, these mentioned are the most significant names to the theme.   The stories each contain names, objects, and acts as important symbols.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawthorne uses the names to stress good people, but relies heavily on objects to portray Satanism.   The object of obvious Satanism   is the staff (a cane) mentioned throughout the story.   It is clearly identified when the old traveler throws it down in the sentence "it assumed life, being one of the rods which its owner had formerly lent to the Egyptian Magi" (215).   According   to the Bible. sorcerers with magic powers change their rods into serpents.   Jackson uses the black box throughout her story as a symbol of   tradition not to be changed as stated "Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without

Admissions for dental hygine

One book that has greatly influenced my philosophy in life is the Autobiography of Malcolm X: As told to Alex Haley.   I feel that this book has changed my perspective on a lot of things in life, particularly on the value of education.   Malcolm X, while known as a great spokesperson and an influential historical figure, battled against all odds to become the great person that he is today.The sacrifices that he made in order to make the world a better place to live in are greatly appreciated by today’s society.   All of that, he accomplished because he was able to educate himself in his later years.I was at one of the lowest points of my life and everything seemed so bleak.   I had given up on a lot of things in my life and was about to give up my schooling and pursue an alternative career instead.   I realized that Malcolm X was right.There is so much more that one can learn in life and there is no limit to what one can be as long as one approaches things with an op en mind and an eager attitude.   It was this same thinking that led me to pursue my education and the same thinking that brought me to the challenges that I soon had to face.The pursuit of education has never been easy for me.   Having decided that I was going to pursue my education, I had to come to grips with reality and face the responsibilities and challenges of studying.   Places, histories and events were usually destinations for Malcolm X as he read almost every book that he could find.For him, his homemade education had changed his life and he was certain that it could change the lives of others as well.   â€Å"I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life.†Ã‚   This is what has inspired me in the pursuit of my career and my education.Having been working as a Dental Assistant for the past 4  ½ years, I have come to realize realize that as the world continues to change and the workplace becomes more and more challenging and competitive, it becomes imperative for anyone looking for a successful career to not only have the drive to succeed but also the training and expertise to do so.I am not saying that I do not have the training and expertise at the moment but I do believe that there is still room for more.   The rich and diverse academic community at (insert name of school) will definitely be the perfect place for me to learn and be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.That is why I believe that this course is a crucial step for me.   My success and my accomplishments here will herald the beginning of the fulfillment of my personal and professional goals.   It is said that the one thing that nobody can ever take away from you is your education and that is the one thing that I plan to not only gain for myself but for others as well.Perhaps, one of the most influential events in my life that have pointed me in the direction of Dentistry is my passion for Dental Hygiene.   As such, this has prompted me to continue my studies in this field and eventually enter professional school and pursue a career as a dentist.   I feel that my direction in this course also has to do with my character and my strengths.My most important character strength, in my opinion, is my ability to adapt, accept and learn.   My drive to succeed has been fueled by the experienced that I had early on in life.   Growing up without many benefits in life, I was inspired by the perseverance and dedication that my parents showed.   This provided me with a closer view of what I need to accomplish at an academic level before venturing into private practice of my own, particularly in this highly competitive field.Pursuing my career in Dental Hygiene is just the first step in my plan.  Ã‚   I would like to have the opportunity to take a bigger role in making the world a better place to live.   My main philosophy in life is to lead by setting an example. I cannot expect others to do what I m yself would be willing to do but that does not mean that I cannot hope that others will see the example that I have shown them.This philosophy is one of the many forces that drive me to pursue my dream of pursuing this career and of becoming so much more in life.   The chance to help those who are less fortunate in life, the chance to help people like myself, the opportunity to be of service to humanity; these are the reasons why I have selected this as the profession that I will pursue; for, as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, â€Å"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

Biography of Walt Whitman, American Poet

Walt Whitman  (May 31, 1819–March 26, 1892) is one of the most significant American writers of the 19th century, and many critics consider him the nations greatest poet. His book  Leaves of Grass, which he edited and expanded over the course of his life, is a masterpiece of American literature. In addition to writing poetry, Whitman worked as a journalist and volunteered in military hospitals. Fast Facts: Walt Whitman Known For: Whitman is one of the most famous American poets of the 19th century.Born: May 31, 1819 in West Hills, New YorkDied: March 26, 1892 in Camden, New JerseyPublished Works: Leaves of Grass, Drum-Taps, Democratic Vistas Early Life Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, in the village of West Hills on Long Island, New York, approximately 50 miles east of New York City. He was the second of eight children. Whitman’s father was of English descent, and his mother was Dutch. In later life, he would refer to his ancestors as having been early settlers of Long Island. In 1822, when Walt was 2 years old, the Whitman family moved to Brooklyn, which was still a small town. Whitman would spend most of the next 40 years of his life in Brooklyn, which grew into a thriving city during that time. After finishing public school in Brooklyn, Whitman began working at the age of 11. He was an office boy for a law office before becoming an apprentice printer at a newspaper. In his late teens, Whitman worked for several years as a schoolteacher in rural Long Island. In 1838, he founded a weekly newspaper on Long Island. He reported and wrote stories, printed the paper, and even delivered it on horseback. By the early 1840s, he had broken into professional journalism, writing articles for magazines and newspapers in New York. Library of Congress Early Writings Early writing efforts by Whitman were fairly conventional. He wrote about popular trends and contributed sketches about city life. In 1842, he wrote the temperance novel  Franklin Evans, which depicted the horrors of alcoholism. In later life, Whitman would denounce the novel as â€Å"rot,† but at the time it was a commercial success. In the mid-1840s, Whitman became the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, but his political views, which were aligned with the upstart  Free Soil Party, eventually got him fired. He then took a job working at a newspaper in New Orleans. While he seemed to enjoy the exotic nature of the city, he was apparently homesick for Brooklyn. The job only lasted a few months. By the early  1850s  he was still writing for newspapers, but his focus had turned to poetry. He often jotted down notes for poems inspired by the busy city life around him. Leaves of Grass In 1855, Whitman published the first edition of  Leaves of Grass. The book was unusual, as the 12 poems it included were untitled and were set in type (partly by Whitman himself) that looked more like prose than poetry. Whitman had written a lengthy and remarkable preface, essentially introducing himself as an American bard. For the frontispiece, he selected an engraving of himself dressed as a common worker. The green covers of the book were embossed with the title â€Å"Leaves of Grass.† Curiously, the title page of the book, perhaps because of an oversight, did not contain the authors name. The poems in the original edition were inspired by the things Whitman found fascinating: the crowds of New York, the modern inventions the public marveled over, and the raucous politics of the 1850s. While Whitman apparently hoped to become the poet of the common man, his book went largely unnoticed. However,  Leaves of Grass  did attract one major fan. Whitman admired the writer and speaker Ralph Waldo Emerson and sent him a copy of his book. Emerson read it, was greatly impressed, and wrote a letter to Whitman: I greet you at the beginning of a great career. Whitman produced approximately 800 copies of the first edition of  Leaves of Grass, and the following year he published a second edition, which contained 20 additional poems. Evolution of Leaves of Grass Whitman saw  Leaves of Grass  as his life’s work. Rather than publishing new books of poems, he began a practice of revising the poems in the book and adding new ones in successive editions. The third edition of the book was issued by a Boston publishing house, Thayer and Eldridge. Whitman traveled to Boston to spend three months in 1860 preparing the book, which contained more than 400 pages of poetry. Some of the poems in the 1860 edition referred to homosexuality, and while the poems were not explicit, they were nonetheless controversial. Civil War Getty Images In 1861 during the beginning of the Civil War, Whitman’s brother George enlisted in a New York infantry regiment. In December 1862, Walt, believing his brother may have been wounded at the  Battle of Fredericksburg, traveled to the front in Virginia. The proximity to the war, to soldiers, and especially to the wounded had a profound effect on Whitman. He became deeply interested in helping the wounded and began volunteering in military hospitals in Washington. His visits with wounded soldiers would inspire a number of Civil War poems, which he would eventually collect in a book called  Drum-Taps. As he traveled around Washington, Whitman would often see Abraham Lincoln passing by in his carriage. He had a deep respect for Lincoln and attended the presidents second inauguration on March 4, 1865. Whitman wrote an essay about the inauguration, which was published in The New York Times on Sunday, March 12, 1865. In his dispatch, Whitman noted, as others had, that the day had been stormy up until noon, when Lincoln was scheduled to take the oath of office for the second time. But Whitman added a poetic touch, noting that a peculiar cloud had appeared over Lincoln that day: As the President came out on the Capitol portico, a curious little white cloud, the only one in that part of the sky, appeared like a hovering bird, right over him. Whitman saw significance in the odd weather and speculated that it was a profound omen of some sort. Within weeks, Lincoln would be dead, killed by an assassin (who also happened to be in the crowd at the second inauguration). Fame By the end of the Civil War, Whitman had found a comfortable job working as a clerk in a government office in Washington. That came to an end when the newly installed secretary of the interior, James Harlan, discovered that his office employed the author of  Leaves of Grass. With the intercession of friends, Whitman got another federal job, this time serving as a clerk in the Department of Justice. He remained in government work until 1874, when ill health led him to resign. Whitman’s problems with Harlan actually may have helped him in the long run, as some critics came to his defense. As later editions of  Leaves of Grass  appeared, Whitman became known as â€Å"America’s good gray poet.† Death Plagued by health problems, Whitman moved to Camden, New Jersey, in the mid-1870s. When he died on March 26, 1892, the news of his death was widely reported. The San Francisco Call, in an obituary published on the front page of the March 27, 1892, paper, wrote: â€Å"Early in life he decided that his mission should be to preach the gospel of democracy and of the natural man, and he schooled himself for the work by passing all his available time among men and women and in the open air, absorbing into himself nature, character, art and indeed all that makes up the eternal universe.† Whitman was interred in a tomb of his own design in Harleigh Cemetery in Camden, New Jersey. Legacy Whitman’s poetry was revolutionary, both in subject and style. Though considered eccentric and controversial, he eventually became known as â€Å"America’s good gray poet.† When he died in 1892 at the age of 72, his death was front-page news across America. Whitman is now celebrated as one of the countrys greatest poets, and selections from Leaves of Grass are widely taught in schools and universities. Sources Kaplan, Justin. Walt Whitman, a Life. Perennial Classics, 2003.Whitman, Walt. The Portable Walt Whitman. Edited by Michael Warner, Penguin, 2004.