We were asked to do an e-market paper for class. The assignment was to select two websites that both target a certain online customer and provide an analysis of how the two sites responded to the markets they target. What factors account for one website being better than the other?
I chose the online book buyer as my customer and target market, and researched the differences between Amazon.com and Abebooks.com.
The paper was submitted by hand to Professor Boone if you care to read my findings you can obtain a copy from her or send me a request. I also wanted to provide you with a helpful tool for evaluating websites if you are having trouble finding research to validate your thesis. This evaluation sheet was provided to our class by Professor Booone.
http://infoacrs.com/nm/evaluatingwebsites.html
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Question #8
Question #8
Discuss how one international group (country, city, or group) uses the Internet or Internet technology.
I believe all city's around the world are using the internet to help boost their tourism. Even right here in Boston, as citizens we use these websites to gain information, find forms and search events in the calendar section. International city's are no different. Take the City of Venice Italy for example. The official website has information for locals providing news feeds and happenings, and offers a municipal portal to the city administration offices. http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/1
It also is heavily designed with the tourist in mind. There is an overwhelming amount of information for travelers who might want to make plans for a visit. The sites provide hotel information, restaurants, museums, libraries, concerts, movies, tours, transportation etc. All this information is extremely helpful in planning a trip if you are a town away or a continent away. Before this information was found in guide books that you either purchased, read at a bookstore or borrowed from the library. Now you can get most of this information for free from the comfort of your home. Plan your trips, sign up for email alerts with hotel deals, and airline tickets sales. The internet lets the city come into your home to explore and learn about. I am sure the tourism in Venice has profited from the ability to plan with the use of the internet.
Discuss how one international group (country, city, or group) uses the Internet or Internet technology.
I believe all city's around the world are using the internet to help boost their tourism. Even right here in Boston, as citizens we use these websites to gain information, find forms and search events in the calendar section. International city's are no different. Take the City of Venice Italy for example. The official website has information for locals providing news feeds and happenings, and offers a municipal portal to the city administration offices. http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/1
It also is heavily designed with the tourist in mind. There is an overwhelming amount of information for travelers who might want to make plans for a visit. The sites provide hotel information, restaurants, museums, libraries, concerts, movies, tours, transportation etc. All this information is extremely helpful in planning a trip if you are a town away or a continent away. Before this information was found in guide books that you either purchased, read at a bookstore or borrowed from the library. Now you can get most of this information for free from the comfort of your home. Plan your trips, sign up for email alerts with hotel deals, and airline tickets sales. The internet lets the city come into your home to explore and learn about. I am sure the tourism in Venice has profited from the ability to plan with the use of the internet.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Question #7
Question #7: Discuss how one brand or nonprofit uses online blogs and online advertising.
The New York Times online site has an amazing array of blogs from which to view and participate. http://www.nytimes.com/ref/topnews/blog-index.html
And from the look of it, people are utilizing them in a major way. One of my favorite blogs in by chef Mark Bittman. His blog posted today already has 319 comments at the time of writing this entry. There a media blog that has a reporter blogging his interview with the President of TLC on the Jon & Kate issues. Some of the blogs have a consistent contributor and some go out and get notable people you would want to hear from together blogging about certain topic of interest pertaining to a specific blog.
The blogs are a great way of advertising for the Time and you can sign up for RSS or ATOM feeds for as many as you like. Great portal of information and some is more user friendly than attempting to read the entire paper. Plus you get content on areas you are specifically interested in and I am sure many feel a sense of community being apart of the blogs.
The New York Times online site has an amazing array of blogs from which to view and participate. http://www.nytimes.com/ref/topnews/blog-index.html
And from the look of it, people are utilizing them in a major way. One of my favorite blogs in by chef Mark Bittman. His blog posted today already has 319 comments at the time of writing this entry. There a media blog that has a reporter blogging his interview with the President of TLC on the Jon & Kate issues. Some of the blogs have a consistent contributor and some go out and get notable people you would want to hear from together blogging about certain topic of interest pertaining to a specific blog.
The blogs are a great way of advertising for the Time and you can sign up for RSS or ATOM feeds for as many as you like. Great portal of information and some is more user friendly than attempting to read the entire paper. Plus you get content on areas you are specifically interested in and I am sure many feel a sense of community being apart of the blogs.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Question #6
Question #6: Find an effective use and an ineffective use of PR online.
I am not sure I understand your question entirely. Are you referring to PR in the sense of marketing and utilizing the web to self promote in a good light and by making yourself, business or product accessible to its users? Not knowing for sure, I will continue with that understanding and have found a website that provides many helpful topics for its both current and potential customers. The site I am choosing is Fidelity Investments https://www.fidelity.com/
It is user friendly, topic organized, easy to use for the common man as well as a more seasoned investor looking to access his personal account information or conduct a transaction. The website makes the user "feel" important, understood and part of the process. I would assume that this strengthens the Fidelity brand and is a win win for their image and customer satisfaction.
I am not sure I understand your question entirely. Are you referring to PR in the sense of marketing and utilizing the web to self promote in a good light and by making yourself, business or product accessible to its users? Not knowing for sure, I will continue with that understanding and have found a website that provides many helpful topics for its both current and potential customers. The site I am choosing is Fidelity Investments https://www.fidelity.com/
It is user friendly, topic organized, easy to use for the common man as well as a more seasoned investor looking to access his personal account information or conduct a transaction. The website makes the user "feel" important, understood and part of the process. I would assume that this strengthens the Fidelity brand and is a win win for their image and customer satisfaction.
Question #5
#5: Discuss one important policy issue for the Internet.
I often think that the problem we face with policy as related to the internet, is that the technology and access to the technology is so completely far ahead of any policies. Issues arise that most could not predict and thus we find most policy or laws being extremely reactive, as opposed to proactive. There are many obvious issues facing the internet right now, but I gave your question a great deal of thought, and think a critical issues we should investigate and discuss is How to handle hate speech. Can it be censored and should it be? The first amendment of the US Constitution prohibits the broad regulation of speech. However one can look for themselves, with very little effort, on the internet and see sites that claim the hollocaust was a fake, and blame the Jews for all that is wrong in the world with anti-semetic rants, or sites that claim that lesbians and gays are subhuman, or other racist sites that claim similar disgusting ideas to further hate. We see social networking sites posting innapropriate pictures of people and saying terrible things about others as a form of bullying. So if we are to uphold the ideas of free speech in America, how can we introduce policy that can help stop this spread of hate online without it being unconstititional or seen as sensorship?
Monday, June 8, 2009
Question #4
Find three examples of ineffective websites.
I must admit, it is not easy to find bad websites. The first one I would suggest is my office website from the MIT Career Development Center. Not only does it look terrible, even those of us who know what content it holds can not seem to find anything!
http://careers.mit.edu/
This one totes itself, self admittedly, as the World's Worst Website!
http://www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs/
And finally I found an entire website dedicated to "websites that suck". Who knew?
http://www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs/
I must admit, it is not easy to find bad websites. The first one I would suggest is my office website from the MIT Career Development Center. Not only does it look terrible, even those of us who know what content it holds can not seem to find anything!
http://careers.mit.edu/
This one totes itself, self admittedly, as the World's Worst Website!
http://www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs/
And finally I found an entire website dedicated to "websites that suck". Who knew?
http://www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)