Will Google go down?

We all know Google is a power house. They are the best search engine out there today, and they keep growing... but could they possibly grow to fast? 

In his book, Marking to the Social Web" Larry Webster (no pun intended) points 

out that history could repeat itself for Google, using "Friendster v Myspace" as an example. He says, "The site Friendster became so obsessed with new products and growth that it took it's eye off the ball-- namely the quality and usability of their core product." Poof! Along came MySpace and Friendster is now history. He also points out that the same thing is now happening to MySpace. It has becoming so commercial that people have started migrating and today "Facebook signs up more new member every month, even though it's No. 2 in the US market." 

Could this really happen to Google? One argument is that Google is a brand, not a search engine, but what happens when a new search engine comes along with better technology and leaves Google just as a brand, not a search engine? Will it survive? 

To read the full article CLICK HERE! (AdAge.com) 

COMMUNITIES: increased value and niches

Do you know what Sriracha is? If you do, do you like it? Sriracha is a Vietnamese hot sauce (also known as "the rooster sauce"). Most people I talk to have no idea what it is, so what's a Sriracha supporter like me to do? Become a "fan" on Facebook of course! Sometimes people look at me like I'm crazy when I say, "this would be really good with some rooster sauce", but they just don't get it. I don't let it get to me, I know I'm not crazy because if I am so are the 89,643 other "Sriracha Fans" on the Facebook site.
This is just one example of how online communities are targeting smaller and smaller niches by uniting groups of people. Many people could feel as if they were alone, but through joining online community groups, becoming a "fan", or uploading the products application they can find other people on the net who enjoy their same interests. You can find anything you like from "from clubs for computer "geeks," to fan clubs for famous actors and philosophers, to serious discussions of the events of the day." (Strabhaar, 2008) These sites are great for bring those who have something in common together, but today social communities are taking the idea of "niche markets" to the next level by making complete websites for groups of people with the same interests.

Companies such as "No.1 Industries" are making online communities for people with specific special interests. No.1 Artist is just one of them. The online community bring artists together and allows them to interact with other artists, sell their artwork off their portfolio, gain more exposure in the art industry and just have fun. "It makes more sense for an artist to sign up for No.1 Artist than it does for them to sign up as a member of MySpace because in the end, they will receive better targeted exposure." (Bryant, 2007)

This is great that you can find people to relate to and have such individualized forums to network and talk, but what does this mean for the future of our society? If we only talk to those we relate to and stay in our own personal bubbles or niches of comfort, we'll never be exposed to anything new. Some of the most interesting and influential people in my life are people I don't have much in common with. Just because they don't like the same music as them or have the same job doesn't mean we can't learn something from each other or get along. The ever progressing world of online niche communities, like most new forms of communication technology, is a double edge sword. It allows us to meet others that share our same interests, beliefs, and hobbies- but if your only going to meet people exactly like you, why bother meeting other people at all! Just be your own best friend!


Here's a few niche online communities that could be great for you!

For Bartenders

For "Vampire Freaks"

For Christians

For Musicians

For the Talent Industry

Bryant, D (2007, 02, 14). The Future of Social Networking Websites-Target Niche Groups. The Future of Social Networking Websites-Target Niche Groups, Retrieved 3/2/09, from http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Future-of-Social-Networking-Websites-Target-Niche-Groups&id=454346

COMMUNITIES: more custom content

Have you ever looked at the ads that appear next to your Facebook? Mine include: "Need new rush shirts?" "Considering grad school?" and "Yes we can! Get your Obama TV shirts!" Wait a second, how did they know I was in a sorority, a senior and a democrat? My friend is non-greek, republican, sophomore male, when I asked him what ads were next to his Facebook he told said his were: "Tampa Bucks apparel 20% off", "Spring Break 2009 trips" and "Hunting gear... cheap!" This is an example of how social networking sites today are customizing content and are to target me according to what I like and need (or what they think I do).
So how are they doing this? The answer is actually somewhat simple, Facebook applications! The Facebook "Press Room" boasts that today their are, "more then 52,000 applications available", from "more than 660,000 developers and entrepreneurs". With this many different applications users are able to customize their profile and get updates on exactly what they want.
The most recent application I personally put on my profile was, "We're related". Recently all my relatives have been joining Facebook, everybody from long lost 2nd cousins to my mom. The application was first launched in 2007 and has become the most popular Facebook app for families with more then 15 million users. (Facebook Press Room) This application allows me to build my own family tree, share info across the country and keep in touch with people who I would normally only see every five to ten years! The fact that Facebook automatically fills out my very own personal "family tree" is almost scary. I can get a message from the application saying: "We think this could be your aunt", and there's my Aunt Joan! I didn't even know she was on the internet! This takes personalization to the next level.
The ability for communities to cater to me is what makes them so amazing. These are MY friends, MY family, MY pictures, MY beliefs. It let's us express ourselves and what we like more then ever before. These applications let you support your favorite brand, band, actress, drink... they have everything! The internet can be so big and vast, but things like "Facebook applications" are letting people customize content and bringing online communities to a more personal level, and lets face it... it's not bad for advertisers either.

CLICK HERE TO GET THIS FACEBOOK APPLICATION!

Facebook, (2007, 10). Facebook Application: We're Related. Retrieved February 7, 2009, Web site: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=5388815661

ONLINE COMMUNITIES: Communities of Practice

If you have a passion for underwater basket weaving or a love of a special hot sauce chances are there is a Facebook group already made complete with links to home pages, coupons, when the creators are coming to town and thirty other people with the same obsession.

Bridges are build daily on “common interests, experiences and pursuits,” (Bucy, 2005, p. 8). I am currently in about thirty Facebook groups online including sports teams, clothing companies, philanthropic events and suicide prevention. All are gateways to worlds of information. Groups can be searched via online communities and hundreds if not thousands will return.

 
There are chat rooms connected with the groups therefore people can share ideas and 

arrange meetings. Ideas and opinions are are constantly buzzing. In July of 2008 a online version of Scrabble called Scrabulous shut down due to legal pressures. When fans couldn't’t access the game, “The backlash was instant. Bloggers denounced Hasbro, howls of protest flooded message boards, and new Facebook groups were created with names like “Down with Hasbro.” Although some people spoke up to defend Hasbro’s rights, most people jeered at the company, calling it everything from ‘short-sighted’ to ‘technologically in the dark’ to ‘despicable,’” (Timmons, 2008).

This uproar was seen by thousands. Despite the negative connotations of Hasbro, not all groups promote negative publicity. Other groups such as the suicide prevention group that I am a member of provide information and statistics about the cause. Links and help lines are provide for those who are struggling with or not someone who is struggling with the serious problem.

 
Facebook groups seem to have an equal amount of benefits as downfalls. There are groups that could potentially save lives and others that provide the information to destroy them. The Internet is a vital source of information. Information is the key to education and education is the key to peace. Will the world finally see peace when Internet access everywhere?

ONLINE COMMUNITIES: Loss of Privacy

“Machines will recongnize physical attributes like a voice or fingerprint,” states Cairncross in his Trendspotter’s Guide to New Communications (Bucy, 2005, p. 9). This trend has been available for a while. Laptop computers have fingerprint scanning, phones use voice commands and many security systems have a combination of both.

Secruity on the Internet and online communities is a different story. People release valuable information and are attached to countless websites. Besides the main ones, people are connecting to websites offering match making, jobs and health tips all requiring personal information. There are unlimited oppurtunties for people to steal identities, decode our passwords  and tap into our lives. “The solution urged by the experts is to abandon passwords — and to move to a fundamentally different model, one in which humans play little or no part in logging on. Instead, machines have a cryptographically encoded conversation to establish both parties’ authenticity, using digital keys that we, as users, have no need to see,” (Stross, 2008). People also make the mistake of using the same simple passwords for too long. Even with complicated ones that are changed every few months have limited protection.

I don’t think people are fully aware of the dangers of exposure. We post videos. We blog. We chat. We let the world into our lives. Our lives are intertwined with millions of others in online communities. Millions of people that are unpredictable. Cyberspace has created a cyberlife. Is it only a matter of time before this cyberlife and real life fuse completely? Has it already happened?

ENTERTAINMENT: Loss of Privacy

According to Cairncross’ Trendspotter’s guide,“ In the electronic village, there will be little true privacy—and little unsolved crime,” (Bucy, 2005, p. 7). We have seen this trend evolve with in the past decade. People are obsessed with people. 

This is true for celebrities and movie stars in the entertainment industry. The public believes it is their right to know what is going on the in fabulous world of Hollywood. There are millions of dollars invested in videos, photographs and magazines displaying the lives of famous, beautiful people. There are websites that are completely devoted to prying into the lives of celebrities. TMZ.com and PerezHilton.com are two major competitors in this market of gossip. “The gossip blog TMZ.com usually traffics in mug shots, rehab reports and other salacious tidbits about celebrities,” (Aspan, 2008).

I believe some people consider this a past time. If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say,"Jessica Simpson is getting fat again," I would be able to buy myself a beach condo. My friends and co workers, teachers and teammates all know when who breaks and who is addicted to what. Personally, I 

will pick up a magazine, skim through the pictures and be done with it. I haven't booked marked any crazy websites because I feel its a waste of time. The only good thing that comes from stalking celebrities is when they make mistakes and the columns highlight their wrong doings in a light that shows everyone gets punished, no matter who you are. I think it is important for people to see that you cannot get away with everything whether it be a scandal worth billions of dollars or driving while under the influence.

People will always be fascinated with others. The world is completely connected and its near impossible to stay out of the lime light on a small or large scale. With so much revenue in the gossip market, its here to stay and we just need to get a thicker skin.

ENTERTAINMENT: increased value and nieches

Meet Andy Steward. Andy is a successful London computer consultant and avid sailboat racer. So how did Andy the computer consultant turn into the producer of his own channel Sail TV? "He would have had to pay £85,000 (nearly $150,000) to start the channel and £40,000 a month (nearly $70,000), as well as the production costs," so he started his channel on one of the newest forms of entertainment media: Internet streaming. This is a trend thousands of producers are turning to in order to produce programming that would have never made it into prime time but who do have a very dedicated small audience. (New York Times)

"In 2004, Wired magazine popularized the phrase 'the long tail' to refer to the large number of specialized offerings that in themselves appeal to a small number of people, but cumulatively represent a large market that can be easily aggregated on the Internet. Plotted on a graph along with best sellers, these specialized products trail off like a long tail that never reaches zero." John Hendricks, the chief executive of Discovery Communications, predicted that "the next wave of media is to unleash the power of serving people's special interests." This has become more and more evident through the slew of "video services serving hundreds of specialties, including poker, bicycling, lacrosse, photography, vegetarian cooking, fine wine, horror films, obscure sitcoms and Japanese anime."


The Internet today offers an almost infinite amount of programming to appeal to every niche of people imaginable. People used to be amazed when they were faced with hundreds of cable TV channels, but that's nothing compared to the opportunities they have today. There are entire online communities dedicated to those, like Andy Steward-who thought they were alone, but through online entertainment can have a forum to express his passions ad interest with others who share his appreciation for all things sailing.


Hansell, Saul (2006, 3, 12). As Internet TV Aims at Niche Audiences, the Slivercast Is Born. New York Times,