Kevin Kelly Response

In Kevin Kelly's "On the Next 5,000 Days of the Web," Kelly provides an optimistic view of the way the web has progressed over the past 5,000 days and where it is headed for the future. Kelly begins by making the statement that it was only 5,000 days ago that the web got its footing. 5,000 days seems like such a small number for the internet, which has become such a huge part of our daily lives. 5,000 days ago at the beginning of the web one could not conceptualize the idea of Web 2.0 and where we're at today. If told there would be social networking sites, user generated videos, and any information could be accessed using the computer and the web, you would think this is crazy. But for us today, this has become the reality. Our generation has more access to information, greater opportunity for having our voices heard, and far more complex social networks than any before us. Kevin Kelly sees these as some of the biggest accomplishments the web has had to offer us. Many of us today take the internet for granted because it is so common and we have known it for such a long time. In the next 5,000 days Kelly sees us moving toward a world where every facet of our lives is connected to the web. Everything we own, everything we do, will be supported by and connected to the internet. For Kelly this is a fantastic achievement for man to create something so powerful and so useful. But many others fear the growing presence of the internet may also increase our dependence and addiction. They also fear a time where we no longer control the internet, but the internet controls us. This is where Kelly's concept of the McLuhan reversal comes into play. Instead of the media being an extension of our senses Kelly states that "humans are the extended senses of the machine." in other words we are entering an age where humans are at the hands of the machine and technology is controlling us. Despite this concerning idea, Kelly remains optimistic about the future of the internet and the unlimited benefits it can provide us with.d

Beyond Web 2.0

Web 3.0 is a term that seems futuristic, derived from a science fiction novel. However, it is not far from our grasp and at the rate at which technology and the internet are advancing it could become a reality within the next few years. The articl "How Web 3.0 Will Work" by Jonathan Strickland provides a comprehensive look into what the future web might offer and how it will affect our lives. This article considers many opinions about the direction the Web is going varying from slight changes to the Web as we know it today, to drastic changes that one could imagine came straight out of a Sci-Fi Movie. I think some aspects of the article are accurate in describing the future of the internet. After reading this article and gaining more knowledge about Web 3.0, I think in a matter of years we are going to be faced with a Web that is more intelligent, omni-present, and has a much closer and more connected relationship with our lives. I think the Web is moving in a direction where it can personalize and familiarize itself with the user in order to provide more detailed and accurate searches that are relevant to the interests, needs, and wants of the user. It is not an entirely new concept of the Internet learning about the likes and dislikes, lifestyles, and habits of the user. Some sites like Facebook, Pandora. and Amazon already use information in order to personalize their sites to target the user. However these sites are limited in capacity and the Web is moving in a direction where its knowledge will not be limited and it will be able to provide us with more comprehensive and relevant results because it will not be limited to tags and keywords. In this respect we will be provided with greater access to information the we are looking for at quicker speeds making surfing the web less of a hassle. Also, with internet capabilities currently available on cell phones, televisions, and other household devices we are moving in a direction where we can have instant web access from any device making the web an omni-present force. This will greatly increase the role of the Internet in our lives and our dependency on it for information as well. Referring back the the Douglas Rushkoff "Digital Nation" video, if this documentary is to portray our dependency on technology and the dramatic effects it has had on society, imagine what life will be like when access to the web is virtually limitless. People will not be constricted by time or space, as they can have access anytime or anywhere. As we enter into this new Web 3.0 generation it is hard to imagine when the evolution of technology will reach its peak and how far into our lives the Web can creep. In my opinion we are entering into a "virtually" transparent society and the access of our information on the web will be almost limitless. If the web is to truly familiarize itself with many facets of our lives it becomes a serious question of how to protect ourselves from being overexposed and overshared on the web.

Web 2.0 Winners and Losers

http://www.wired.com/software/softwarereviews/news/2006/09/71810

I found this article via the Wired News website and it discusses the best and worst Web 2.0 sites out there. It discusses the five best and five worst websites in the Web 2.0 category and what makes them fall where they do. The highest rated Web 2.0 website is Flickr which was chosen because this photo sharing site has the best organization and categorization on the web. The site was also noted for being easy to navigate through and for enhancing the community. This is followed by Odeo, Writely, del.icio.us, and net vibes. The worst of the worst were myspace, squidoo, browzar, and Fo.rtuito.us. The web 2.0 website that was declared the ultimate worst was Friendster. Friendster was one of the first social networking sites to hit the web it has become outdated and obsolete with the emergence of new and improved social networking sites like myspace and facebook.

Web 2.0 encompasses all emerging technologies that involve social interactivity, information sharing, user generated content, and so on. These new technologies provide people with new ways of interaction and with an entirely new internet experience. With new social networking sites emerging on a regular basis the competition becomes very serious and those lacking in some aspects of the Web 2.0 technology or to not able to consistently come out with new and innovative ways for users to interact fall behind. The sites described in this article were most likely judged on this type of criteria and the decisions were based on how well they fit the web 2.0 definition and how original they were in their application of it to their sites.

Get A Mac Ads Are Over

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/04/08/goodbye-norma-jean-apples-get-a-mac-ads-are-over/

I found this article via the site crunchgear.com, which I have found to be a very helpful blog because it reveals new information about up-and-coming technologies and important information in the technology industry. I thought this article was relevant because when discussing advertising techniques we talked about the Mac commercials and how they appeal to the audience and persuade them to get this popular computer. Also, in my Advertising Principles class this topic has been a matter of discussion too. We have spent a lot of time looking at how different brands target potential customers and try to add them to their list of brand loyalists. However, despite the success of these simple but persuasive advertisements, Apple has chosen to discontinue this campaign. I think that this also relates to both the documentaries we watched, "The Persuaders" and "Digital Nation". As a nation dependent on technology I feel that we are constantly hungry for something new or improvements on the existing technologies that we have. Both of these documentaries addressed these issues and i think they are a large reason for the ceasing of the Mac ads. Advertisers are constantly faced with the challenge of finding innovative and new ways to reach their target audience and instill interest in them and I think this is part of the issue with the Mac commercial because it has been so long running and they most likely feel that they can best reach their target by creating something never been seen before. It also shows the pressure that these brands are faced with when trying to reach an audience that is so bombarded with media messages everyday and need to find a way to make theirs stand out more so than the rest

Midterm Illustrator Assignment

Illustrator Component Proposal

I am not sure exactly what my final visual component for this midterm essay will be. However hope to use a combination of photoshop and illustrator in order to generate some sort of logo as well as visual representation of the new product I chose which was the invisibility cloak. Using illustrator I can create a logo for the product using the basic shape tools and warping them in order to create a unique and original image in the end. Combining this with photoshop I will also be able to have high quality photographic images that i can manipulate by only using sections or morphing them with other photographs. I envision my completed assignment being some kind of visual representation of what the invisibility cloak can do and its functionality along with a logo that represents the product itself.

Midterm Essay

A group of physicists from the United Kingdom and Germany have revealed a device that can hide things in three-dimension. The cloak they have currently only works in relatively short wavelengths, however it is a stepping stone for them to continue the development and improve the product. The cloaks they have currently developed do not actually make things invisible, but rather play tricks with the light in order to obscure the objects they are holding. While the crystals used to make up the cloak cannot make the object completely invisible they can significantly diminish the sight of it. This up-and-coming product could be revolutionary for many things and they are especially hoping to use it in the military during combat.

There are many ways that marketers could present this new product in order to generate interest and eventually create a culture about the product. One of the ways this could be done is through the narrowcasting technique. This technique of persuasion involves aiming media messages at specific segments of the public characterized by their values, wants, needs, etc. Since the technology used to create the invisibility cloak is relatively expensive, this method of narrow casting could be used in two ways. First, since this isn't affordable to all people the company who would eventually manufacture the invisibility cloaks could determine who their target audience is. And then they could tailor their message more o this audience and place the ads in places readily available to the target audience. This way the company can be a little more selective and reach their target audience in a cost efficient manner. Also narrow-casting could be used to advertise these new cloaks to the military. We are constantly putting money into finding new technologies to make our military more efficient and powerful. Now with its design soldiers would have greater protection because they would blend in, this could be an invention that would greatly aid military strategy and execution, saving lives.

Another method of persuasion that could be used to market the Invisibility Cloaks is neuromarketing. In neuromarketing, the consumers' sensory and cognitive responses to marketing stimuli are studied. Analysts can uses this strategy to better understand the consumer's preference and adapt the product so that it meets the needs and wants of its target audience.This would be a useful strategy if Invisibility Cloaks were ever sold to the general public as a consumer good. In this case the marketers could make sure its in the right kind of packaging, it has the look the consumers want, and can also help to make the customers feel as if they have a special product that no one else does. IN this way marketers can use the customers psychological desires in order to tailor the product more for them and to appeal to them in a better way.

The final method of persuasion that could be useful in marketing the invisibility cloak is emotional branding. Emotional branding occurs when the consumer feels a sense of loyalty and trust toward a product, like it won't let them down. Emotional branding does not only include the brand image, but also the customer experience and emotional and psychological aspects of the brand. For instance, if we were to start implementing the use of invisibility cloaks in wars and combat and it truly did save lives, this would be a great way to build an emotion around a brand. It would make customers feel that the product is trustworthy, reliable, and maybe even life changing. If it were to then be sold as a regular product after that,m people would be more likely to buy it because of their psychological and emotional feelings of trust and reliance to the brand.

All of these methods of persuasion are what make marketing so effective and adaptable today. Marketing has become an in depth study of the psychological and emotional needs and wants of customers, as well as their reactions to every aspect of the marketing whether its the wording of a campaign, the packaging of a product, its emotional appeal, psychological appeal, who uses it, how it will benefit them etc. In this way they have been able to create an industry that is highly adaptable and successful. It has become a practice of mind games where the marketer studies the mind of its target audience and then caters to its needs. There have been many different methods of persuasion developed all centralized around this idea that the best products are the ones that have been manipulated to meet these psychological and emotional needs of the consumers.