Assignment #2

I think the network law that I most agree with is Reed’s Law. Reed’s Law deals with Web 2.0 and the power of social networks and social media. It states that the utility of a network with n members increases exponentially (or by 2^n). Although I don’t necessarily understand the math behind this rule, I think the concept of it is true.

Social networks and social media have so much power and influence because of the vast number of people who use them. The more people that use them; the more connections that are available. The more connections that are available; the more content is shared and distributed. Basically, Reed’s Law means that the power of a social network is exponential, which means it grows very rapidly as more and more members start to join.

This is especially important for advertisers in the media industry. Advertisers must make sure they harness the power and utility of a social network in order to get their name and product out there in the market. Advertisers should be primarily interested in using social networks that follow Reed’s Law. Otherwise, they would wasting time and effort in social media that haven’t reached their full potential utility and power.

I think in five years from now, the way that people get their information will definitely be different than the way things are today. However, it’s also important to not get too far ahead of ourselves. I’m not sure it’s realistic to say that in five years, we will all have microchips in our brains feeding us information. I also think that it’s important to understand that traditional (or “old”) media like newspapers, radio, and TV will still be relevant in the communication world. In my opinion, the biggest change in the next five years of communication will be about current technologies evolving. In other words, I think we’ll be getting information in a more advanced way than we do now.

For example, I believe people will continue to use smartphones and tablets to get information on the go. However, these smartphones and tablets will be technologically advanced beyond what we are capable of creating today, in 2014. I also think people will continue to use newspapers, TV, and radio. However, these will have to evolve and grow with the needs and habits of consumers. I think newspapers will move to online only, TV providers will move to stream more on-demand content, and radio will become more personalized and local. Finally, I think people will start to trust citizen journalism (such as Twitter reports) more than corporate news organizations.

Do you agree or disagree? Let me know!

My Thoughts on "Why We Blog"

It was interesting to read "Why We Blog." This article written in 2004 was an investigation into the mainstream use of blogging on the internet. The study interviewed several regular bloggers in order to investigate their blogging habits and see why they were truly interested and invested in the blogging world.

The study found that blogs were used for several different reasons. Some used blogs as a way of expressing themselves emotionally. They found it easy to "sort out" their emotions and deal with those emotions in a public forum. Others used blogs as a way to practice their writing skill and prowess.

Many of those surveyed said that blogging was a great way to update their lives so that family, friends, and work colleagues could read about it (of course, this was in an age before Facebook, Twitter, and other social media that are ways of keeping connected). Still, others found blogs to be a great place to grow, improve, and network in a professional sense.

 Overall, the authors concluded that blogs were a growing mainstream way to use the internet that was being widely accepted and use in a variety of ways. I would have to agree - blogs are still quite popular and personally, there are several blogs that I read on a weekly basis. Blogs are like a new type of broadcast media, and it's nice because you can read them at your own convenience.

Still, I think the entire internet landscape has drastically changed since this research was done and this article was published. I would be interested to see if/how blog usage is different now in 2014. I think that overall, blogging might be different because of the social media we use everyday.

Washed Out - Feel It All Around

One of my favorite musical performers, Washed Out.