ONLINE MARKETING

Online marketing is defined as “a set of tools and methodologies used for promoting products and services through the Internet”. Online marketing has also been referred to as Internet, web, digital, or search engine marketing. There are several differences between traditional and online marketing. First, the cost of online marketing is significantly lower than that of traditional marketing, which includes tactics such as newspapers, magazines, billboards, etc. Because traditional marketing is typically print media, there is limited exposure of the product or service being marketed. If an ad is placed in a newspaper or magazine, it will only be around for a certain amount of time, whereas if it is put on the Internet, it would be there for awhile, if not archived forever.

Another difference between traditional and online marketing is the ability to reach certain audiences. Traditional marketing tends to do a slightly better job of reaching a more specific target audience than that of online marketing. If you are hoping to reach an older audience, it may be more beneficial to market through a newspaper versus if you are targeting a younger audience, it might be a smarter option to use the Internet as your strategy.

Online marketing also is a much quicker option in terms of producing content and publishing it on the Internet. With traditional marketing, it is a longer process from start to finish. Also, because the Internet has a wider range of channels and options for marketing, it becomes easier to track how many and what types of people are viewing your advertisement, video, etc. Overall, online marketing has become a much more popular and reliable option for marketers, but traditional marketing still has its charms and benefits.

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/26363/online-marketing

GIRL TALK AND FAIR USE

When it comes to Girl Talk and copyright laws, the conversation gets cloudy and confusing. The mash up connoisseur is known for sampling small portions of big songs and layering them altogether into one huge remix. The samples he uses and the way he places them together transforms them into something that is original and unique. So we ask the following questions: Is he breaking copyright laws or is his work protected under the exceptions of fair use?

Girl Talk’s Greg Gillis argues that he has transformed the copyrighted materials enough for it to be protected under fair use. It seems as if his argument would fall under the third portion of the fair use criteria, which states the following: the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole. While Girl Talk is using pieces of copyrighted material, his argument of fair use is a strong one. When listening to his music, you do recognize samples from other songs, but his work is so unique that you get lost in the originality of it.

If Girl Talk had decided to go through and get the licenses of all the samples he used in his albums, it would take him endless hours to do so and cost him thousands and thousands of dollars. More than likely, he would not even be able to get through the entire process and ultimately would not be able to make his albums a reality.

To date, no one has sued Girl Talk for copyright infringement. His case for fair use is obviously working, and until otherwise contradicted, it seems he should continue to stand with his case.

Interactivity Article

Article: Taxonomy of Interactivity on the Web

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.198.4493&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Internet communication and interactivity go hand-in-hand. If a website is set-up with interactive elements and the site user is engaging with these elements, then communication is happening. The site is communicating something to the user and the user is responding by interacting. In this article, Taxonomy of Interactivity on the Web, author Kumiko Aoki gives an in-depth description of interactivity including a look into the different types along with their effects on users, site quality, marketing, etc.

According to Ha and James, Interactivity is defined as “the extent to which the communicator and the audience respond to, or are willing to facilitate, each other’s communication needs” (1998). This definition shows just how directly related internet communication and interactivity are to each other. The article talks about five dimensions of websites including playfulness, choice, connectedness, information collection, and reciprocal communication. These dimensions parallel with the two aspects of interactivity which are interactivity with the web and interactivity through the web. In interacting with the web, media richness and personalization are key factors for success. In interacting through the web, being able to easily communicate with the site publisher along with other users of the site is very important. 

This article also talks about ways to measure this interactivity on the web. Aoki states that “ the most common way of measuring interactivity is to count the presence of interactive tools and features on the website”. Basically, the greater amount of interactive tools equals the greater chance for more user interactivity. It is also mentions that the degree of interactivity between the site publisher and site users can be measured “by the volume of information presented and the frequency of updating the content of the website”. In terms of interactivity among multiple site users, Aoki states that this is measured “by the number of tools and features that enable this type of interactivity and the volume of messages exchanged among the users”. As interactivity becomes more and more of a necessity for successful websites, the more opportunities there will be for better measuring its success. 

Information and Networks

1. I would say the network law that I most agree with would be Sarnoff’s law, which states that the value of a network increases linearly with the number of people on it. I like the simplicity of this law; being stated so plainly essentially makes it self-explanatory. For example, say CNN has 100,000 viewers in 2015. If their viewers increased to 200,000 in 2016 then they can say their value has indeed increased. This law is prominently used to explain traditional broadcasting channels such as television and radio. However, it can be used to better understand social media sites as well. As more and more people decide to use sites such as Instagram and Facebook, the more valuable they become to the users themselves and as a social medium overall.

2. In five years from now, I think people will attain their information much like we do now. So much of our communication is done through digital mediums, social media sites, and other networks that I believe this trend will continue as we move forward. As technology progresses, I believe information will only become more easily accessible to whoever wants it, whenever they want it. The more people are willing to share and provide information online, the greater the opportunity for other people to access and use your information. This can be both a positive and negative characteristic of advancing technology and communication tactics. While privacy may seem like an afterthought now, I believe it will only become more and more difficult to maintain and protect in the future. People like to be in the know and in constant communication with their peers, which in turn means more information will be out in the open as the years go by. I think in the future, if there is something you want to know, it will be readily available to you, even more than it is now, whenever you want it, no matter the time or location.

"Generation Like" Discussion Questions

1. Using examples from the documentary to explain these terms "engagement", "interaction", "reach" and "target".
engagement--if a fan or follower of a brand or product "likes" a post by the company, there has been    successful engagement between the consumer and the company
interaction--when someone likes something of Ian Somerhalder's that interaction could win him a prized endorsement
reach--Somerhalder posted an Instagram that reached 5.4 million people with 8.9 million views
target--an agency was working on a superhero movie that was targeting millennials

2. Explain what "Like"ing someone's post on Facebook means to you.
When I like someone's post on Facebook, I am "liking" it because I genuinely like the post and agree with the content. I don't like posts just to like them or because my friends or other people like them also.

3. Does knowing others "Like" what you "Like" influence you? Explain.
The people I follow on social media or am friends with on Facebook are mostly family and friends so oftentimes the things that they post and the things that I post are similar in nature because we are all involved in or like similar things. But as mentioned earlier, I don't typically "like" a post because someone else did.

4. Explain the concept of "influencer".
An "influencer" is someone who has a large following of fans and people who respect their opinions and will trust them when they talk about or endorse a product, service, brand, etc.
Influencer marketing "involves marketing products and services to those who have a sway over the things other people buy."

5. Explain how marketing Oreo along with a current issue helped the sale of Oreo.
People associate with different current issues, so when Oreo associates with those current issues too, people like that and are more likely to gravitate towards Oreo.

6. How do companies use social media to advertise?
"Like", "Tweet", and "Reblog" buttons are icons of this generation. When companies realize that kids who are "liking" or "following" something are labeling those things as important in their lives, then they can use social media to their advantage for promoting their brand, product, or service.

7. How are marketers using social media to build "brand trust"?
Marketers are building "brand trust" through social media because it promotes engagement and openness which invokes more trust.

8. How do celebrities use social media to advertise?
If a fan reaches out to a celebrity on social media, there is a chance that that celebrity might reach back to them. This motivates fans and followers to be more aware of the celebrity and feel like they are connecting with them on a more personal level. Celebrities who leverage a good social network can build their fame.

9.  What is Corporate Sponsorship?
Youtubers, social media celebrities, etc. receive free stuff from corporate companies as a compensation in order to have him or her share their product on their blog, channel, etc.

10.  Are marketers being transparent or invisible when using technology as described in the documentary?
As described by the documentary, it isn't quite clear whether marketers are being transparent or invisible. According to the owner of a social media agency in the documentary, he believes his company is rather "obvious and transparent". I think it varies based on the company or agency. Each situation will prove to be unique because of the different people working behind each company.

11. How is the Hunger Games plot a lot like advertising using social media?
In both instances, you're "placing yourself into an arena where you're forced to try and survive". In order to get sponsors, both in the Hunger Games an on social media, you have to make people like you. 

Just for Laughs...