80/20 Rule – Applies to Everything- Right?

Long tail of Delivery Service… Grace brought up very valid points about the mail delivery system and the long tail of the delivery business. I actually owned my own courier/trucking company and can relate to the hardships that FedEx is experiencing. The last 10 years of seemingly limitless business technologies (faxes, internet purchases) have really taken a toll on the mail system and other delivery methods. The decline of manufacturing and price of fuel in the U.S. are the main reasons I sold my company in 2006.

Anderson’s findings on the inaccuracy and misuse of the 80/20 rule were fascinating. I used Pareto’s 80/20 rule to describe parts of business many times. We used the rule to describe the volume distribution of client base- 20 percent of our business was in the printing industry, 80 percent was the long tail (advertising, record labels, graphic design, etc). We used the term when describing profits as Anderson said, and again with our types of services (80 percent were 1 hour deliveries and 20 percent were other services). Anderson made a great point when he said it was an overused and untried theory in many situations and I agree. I didn’t realize that you can apply it to anything and sound reasonably knowledgeable! There was a difference in our industry versus online retail distribution though. Our actual numbers were very close to the rule which is why we used it. I think it is also quite possible that we tend to look for patterns we are used to seeing and may come up with the example that fits the model we are looking for.

Self Starting a Career

It's true that through the new new media, more outlets are open for introducing creative content than ever before. There have always been those dreamers who feel that they have some great talent to contribute to the world. In the "old days", that is only about 30 years ago, it was extremely hard to get anyone to hear your music, or view your art, or listen to your poetry. Rejection was to be tolerated, but determination was necessary. If you had a good product, and could get a chance, you could make a good living at your chosen craft. There were, however, those many pitfalls that plagued the creative person who went into one of these very tough fields with innocence and wide eyes. So many young musicians didn't know that they needed an agent, or even why they needed an agent. Many very talented people have submitted their work to be reviewed by a producer only to be rejected, and then later to notice something either exactly like or very similar to their work being sung, or published or displayed by someone else. They try to sue or protest and learn that they had no copyright and so no legal way to retrieve there work or any profit that might have come from it. That is the problem with putting your product out into the world on any given site. I imagine that a whole new set of rules will someday be made to protect creative work, no matter how good or bad it might be.

Wikipedia Paper

I am somewhat surprised by the degree of the wiki pape mainly i didn't think apa format would be so difficult to understand and I still don't get it. I think that maybe i should have started a little earlier on my references because it was more time managing then the paper. I think I did a good job on my paper because my topic of 2 Live Crew is a group that I am a fan of and it made the paper all the more easy. Even though today the paper is due i still feel like I am missing something. Hopeully I get an A.

Also I have finished my start on my own blog entitled JashFash for the Media 2.0 Project here is a link if interested... http://jashma89.blog.com/wp-admin/?c=1
I havent posted any pics of fashion yet but 1.

I am also lookinf forward to the guest speaker I don;t know much about him but i hope to learn who he is in class today!

Signs of the Times: The Long Tail & Profit margins

The Wall Street Journal today reports that Yahoo's earnings fell 26% because of a slowdown in display-ad sales.

"Yahoo also reported its fourth consecutive quarterly slowdown in the growth rate of its display-ad sales—its most important business, which includes graphical, interactive and video ads. Display-ad sales revenue was flat from a year earlier."

Also from WSJ, The USPS continues to struggle with their business model as traditional mail delivery bites the dust in the wake of the long tail of other delivery methods. From faxes to FedEx, the USPS is struggling.

"Plummeting demand for traditional mail delivery, which funds the postal service, has created a looming fiscal crisis that has Congress, postal employees and government officials weighing a venture into non-mail business as a way to stay afloat."

As online businesses try to fit their profit margin into the long tail economy, they find they don't always fit. As traditional business face competition they can't overwhelm, they also don't always fit. It's interesting watching the ways that business is changing. I was at a meeting the other day where the question was posed: What is the biggest challenge for FedEx in the coming years? The cost of fuel is going to continue to rise and will tap the profit margin. At the same time, FedEx is one of those deal changers who changed the way that business was done in the past (and who  had directly impacted the USPS). They need to remain flexible and willing to find new ways to deliver the package in order to stay in business. Finding new energy sources will impact the way they have always found to deliver the package. They are currently experimenting with blogs  and twitter accounts as ways to empower their employees and clients. I'm wondering what other social media means and methods they will arrive at. I don't think that the use of Facebook & Twitter by businesses is always effective or that the folks using these methods always know what they are trying to accomplish by promoting a business in this way.

Wiki Project

Ok, so in the midst of my collection of data and about to post my lovely little article, I hit a bit of a large speed bump. I realized that originally I had misspelled the name of the organization when I did my initial search (leaving out a crucial k). Thereafter, I discovered my organization already has a wikipedia page, so instead I plan on focusing on the Memphis Chapter of SGI (or Soka Gaikki International). I'll have to use sources that contribute to the SGI primarily, because the Memphis chapter doesn't have its own documentation. However, I can post pics and video to show people some of the things that they do. Hopefully, this will all turn out ok.

Small Potatoes

The whole Coulton and the self production argument that ensues are very interesting from a business standpoint. But I think the bigwigs who are so afraid of these new self produced artists might be overreacting a little. For every Coulton or Radio Head, there are a million duds that don't make it. That's not necessarily due to a lack of talent or product quality, but few artists know how to market themselves, or they are just not willing to put in the work involved. The rub with doing it all on your own... You're doing it all on your own. Thus, the number of Coulton's out there should not be enough to make NPR mad ;). However when you combine talent and good business sense, as has Coulton, you can end up winning big, all on your own.

Wiki and online class

I have to say that class was surprisingly different today.  I liked the online class today, I tell you technology is something else.  Although I didnt not enter into the discussion I enjoyed hearing or seeing what everyone had to say; the idea of typing out what you want to say before saying givs you a chance to really think about what it is your trying to get across.


I have to kick my wiki project into overdrive this weekend and over fall break.  I chose to do my project on the topic of alzheimers. I wish had choosen a more controversial topic but at this point I have to just make the best out of it. 

Wheres my Snuggie

I'm beginning to like Jonathan Coulton that much more after the pod cast.  I don't think that by calling him a Snuggie was meant to be derogatory.  Coulton and the inventor of the Snuggie are laughing all the way to the bank.  What Coulton did was reach out to an audience he could relate to which is what the music industry tries to do everyday; Coulton just did it in a way where he got to keep 100% of what he makes.  I don't believe that his business idea is niche. Coulton was smart because he did what all record companies have been doing for years (making money) the difference with Coulton and other mainstream artist is that he did it on his terms and no one elses.

Go With What Works

Todays class was radical as most of us have lead to all agree on. I just gave a presentation yesterday about how technology has impacted globalization and the point that since technological advancements are not slowing down but rapidly increasing; so will the impact it makes on globalization. We use adobe connect in my class from last night to connect to the University of Memphis campus at Lambuth because the class is being offered in two places at one time. I absolutely love technology and find it extremely fascinating.

In regards to our discussion today and the dispute between NPR and Jonathan Coulton reminds me of the relationship Apple has with their “fans” slash customers. NPR debates that this process of making music for an artist wont be successful for others but clearly it was and the same for Apple products. When Steve Jobs started making computers, his hope was people would enjoy his product and want to have more than just one. When he released the very first personal computer he had the idea that people would start out with one and slowly want to purchase more; one to have at the office and then one to have at home. Now we have so many apple products and once you have one you have to have them all. I’m a prime example. I have the iPhone, iPad, iPod, iPod Touch, MacBook Pro, and Time Capsule (which is a wireless external hard drive). And when iOS 5 was release you know I was at my computer updating every single Apple devise that I own. Yet not only that, Apple “fans” and customers are WILLING to pay (I know) outrageous prices for their products because they LOVE THEM! It’s that relationship that they have, that customer service. It worked for Jonathan Coulton, there was enough people that enjoyed his music to purchase it! If people didn’t like Apple products or Coultons music they aren’t going to spend one dollar on it let alone over a thousand dollars on Apple products.

I wanted to also touch on the social media outlets that were discussed in our radical chat-class today. I don’t think many people or marketers are aware of the vast range of social media outlets besides Facebook and Twitter. For example, I mentioned Foursquare in our chat today when we were discussing tips among fans. That is what Foursquare does. It took the “check-in” aspect of Facebook, called it Foursquare and encourages the users to “leave tips” at the places they check into. It’s very useful for marketing restaurants as apposed to a Facebook or Twitter account. But as for household goods or services, social media outlets such as Groupon or Daily Deals, I suspect have a much better success rate rather than creating those Facebook and Twitter accounts. At least that’s what I think…

Wiki Update

The article on the Great Smoky Mountain National Park seems to have a good length and addresses a variety of aspects related to the park: Its ecosystem, its history that goes back to Teddy Roosevelt's preservationism, its fauna, climate, tourism and pollution.

There is a rather short and not too fierce discussion on the article, but the whole entry relates to
more than ten references, plus a couple of external notes. And it has a long editorial history: Until one year ago, there has been a vibrant frequency in editing the article, and than after a longer hiatus, different people have apparently continued to add and edit the content...

Thumbs up for online classes! It just once more exemplified our new interconnectedness thanks to the Internet: From Memphis to Seattle and back.

I agree that the NPR guys have definitely been to hard on Jonathan Coulton for no reason. To me, it seemed as if they invited him to their show (that guy has stuff to do, but a radio appearance also generates attention that pays off in record sales) and then labeled him a geeky Snuggie for what he does. I do not think that his music and his business model is that nichy. There are other singer-songwriters that do acoustic music. And why label a guy geeky, only because his lyrics address the small everyday experiences and hurdles in life? Plus, there are lots of other artists for whom Coulton's business model of bypassing the big labels works out pretty good. At least they obtained permit from him to publish what he has been earning throughout the last year...

What does it take to work in media 2.0?

Today, in our funny online class, we have spoken about what does it take to work in media 2.0. For instance, it is very important that you are remarkable, that you do something different. You have to invite your audience to participate and use the power of relationships and linkages.

Additionally, it is very significant to allow your audience some time for reacting. Often, you have to write two or three emails for remembering them. A lot of people receive every day a bunch of emails, such as advertising emails, spam emails or something else. I have made the experience that the most people don’t answer on emails, no matter how great your content or offer is, and sometimes it is really a big struggle to convince them. I have worked in an Online-Marketing Department of an investment firm, and we had to put a lot of efforts for persuading potential customers.

Furthermore, you need a kind of USP (Unique Selling Proposition) for getting awareness. But that’s also a problem, because the internet offers nearly everything. Especially for media 2.0 projects, it is very difficult to have “the idea” or an USP, which aren’t already exist. You can find everything everywhere.

"Let them eat cake!"

The theme of the readings for today has certainly been one of the “Power of the People.” Give the people what they want and they will reciprocate. This new media era is not one where the record labels can tell us what we like and give us only producer driven bands with mainstream options. This is not France, and the label (NPR) is not Marie-Antoinette, and I did not hear, “Let them eat cake!” This is the era of the people, by the people, for the people! This is America!

Coulton is has simply produced what people want, it happen to be what a large amount of people wanted and still want. The traditional music industry seems a bit nervous and a little intimidated by the producers like Coulton. If the power is no longer held by the traditional gatekeepers, then it must be held by the people who pay. This paradigm shift is the fear and loss of money and ultimately control. Coulton and artists like him do not have to pay a middleman, distributor, producer, post production people, etc. The money goes straight to him. Fans love this and frankly, so do I. I am much more likely to spend my money when I know where it is going. If I am supporting an artist and in turn they provide me with something I love. It is a “winner winner chicken dinner!”

Coulton apparently had good luck getting picked up by Slashdot, but he is by no means a fluke as NPR would have you believe. The truth is, his idea can be replicated. It will not work for everyone, but neither does purchasing a franchise based on a model. There are tons of variables in business that can make provide you with challenges unique to you and your product. Basing other products on this model will work as long as the product has the same properties. There must be a great product, hard work, a good plan, diligence, persistence, marketing and a dash of luck!

We are no longer seduced by cr@p and we can choose for ourselves what that actually means, ask for it and / or create it. So, listen up labels! We don’t need the “cake” you are dishing out, we just want the “bread” $$$ we deserve!

Online Class

So we just finished our online class. I want to start by saying it was pretty great.
Social media as we discussed has become a major part of our lives nowadays. I'm not really sure if it always the best thing in the world because it seems as if people depend on it so much but it is what we all use. (at least most of us). There are many different ways of marketing through social media and if you want to be successful and market then social media is a very good resource to use. Of course it will take some hard work but it is possible. You will have to build a following and prove yourself to be reliable and relevant because no one really wants to follow a boring and irrelevant person. The power of the link as mentioned is a good thing to me. I certainly look for links to stories and media all day long. Sometimes I prefer not look around and really search for info but through links I'm able to find pretty much anything that is available. For example. I follow ESPN and  many other sports pages and links to sports stories are the way I stay on top of things if I'm not around a television.
As we are in this class working on a Media 2.0 project we will all find out what it takes to reach a certain level of marketing and gaining a following. Links, word of mouth, putting it out there and maybe just a bit of chance will probably determine how much notoriety our different projects gain. Hopefully a lot! But I do know that it will require a little work.

Wiki Update

I'm doing my wikipedia project on the Bowl Championship Series or better known as the BCS. I have been keeping up with it and I am in the process of checking a few of the sources and information in the article. I noticed a few things that could be changed but I'm trying to figure out to accurately change it. Not much has been changed that recently with it though.

Wikipedia Stub Found

I was very lucky for this assignment. I could not think of any article that I have ever really looked for on Wikipedia that I thought I could improve upon. My friend David Saks suggested that I look up our radio station, WUMR, and see if it was represented on the site. I did, and discovered that even though there is a mention of WUMR on Wikipedia, it is only the license stats and one descriptive sentence. I half suspected that a certain instructor, who has extensive radio experience, had set that stub up. In any event, I did start working on it. First I had to learn just what to do. The instructions for editing Wikipedia are very clear. After getting registered and studying the instructions, I used the sample edit. I have now begun to fill in information that is certified as correct from the sources. They are the Memphis State University Desoto Year Book from 1979, interviews with the principals in the creation of the station - like the Dean, Dr. Richard Ranta - and others. I have not yet been edited. I'll report on my progress.

Wikipedia: East Memphis

I am doing my wikipedia project on my neighborhood, East Memphis. Let me know if you live in the area! I was raised on the same street where I live now. In my case, this means that I was there when the street was a field and saw the neighborhood go from empty lots to houses because my father was an engineer and he surveyed the land when it was a swamp. He also picked out the lot where our house was built. He had grown up in Memphis when everything east of Audobun Park was a swamp.

The page itself is more than a little sketchy on details and has no photographs. I'm planning to fix that. The only controversy at all is what the boundaries of the neighborhood are but that is a big one. Is it Parkway or Highland? This seems to be a big emotional point for some folks.

The people who have contributed to the page to date have apparently been interested in private religous schools and restaurants. I'd like to provide a more balanced contribution to the list of schools and other businesses in the area. East Memphis includes a lot of business as well as a lot of residences. There are many schools (including the University of Memphis) and I'd like to add to the list of other venues that the neighborhood has to offer.

At present, I am the only person contributing to the page.

Coulton and Dove

I thought the Planet Money podcast was great. I always love planet money and had not heard this particular episode yet so it was nice. Coulton being compared to a snuggie was actually a pretty good analogy. He wasn't really offended by it and actually defended it a bit. I enjoyed learning just how successful this music has been for him.

I don't think Coultons type of marketing works for every product however. As I pointed out in class highly personal or controversial products need a different type of advertising. Getting fans and followers and live blogs and twitter etc all work great for something like a regular product or a band or movie. But if it's something thats more personal a different approach is needed.

Wiki Update on Memphis Pom

My Wikipedia project on the Memphis Pom squad has been exciting to watch over the past few weeks. It was of course deleted rapidly after I created it but after the edits have been made there has been little editing traffic since. However, there have been three edits made by non wiki-editors, which is very exciting to me. The page has also been visited 86 times in 30 days! I did promote the page on Twitter, so I have a feeling that helped boost the traffic flow. Not quite sure how to upload pictures, So Grace, if you know how to do that (or anyone one else) please let me know.

If you are a grad student.... send me a link to your article.

**Side Note about Memphis Pom** For those who may not know / don't follow sports like Danny and I do.... Memphis Madness is TOMORROW.... Its the introduction to the new Basketball Teams... well every year the Pom and Cheerleading team puts together a production about 5-8 minutes long that happens at the beginning of the event. They have been working on it for weeks and Monday the athletic department CANCELLED THEIR PERFORMANCE!!!! all because of commercial times and performer Rick Ross need more time for his MIC CHECK!!!!!! Awful excuse if you ask me!!.... well I just had to vent because I'm an alumni and large advocate for the team clearly! But I feel very bad for the girls because a lot of them had family flying in to see them perform. OHHH Mr. R.C. Johnson.... tisk tisk!!!!

Hope everyone else’s projects are going well.

Online Class a Blast!

I am now a true fan of the new new media. We were able to have a relevant class and it was, as we have said before, easier to do because of the anonymous nature of the Internet. It's a lot easier to speak your thoughts when you are not face to face with people. Why is that? I have a great admiration for Coulton because of his dedication to his own success. After having been a member of the Silicon Valley type establishment, he was very much aware of the difficulties involved in making his life plan work. He was smart enough to have saved enough money to do what he had to do. I mean, let's face it, basic survival trumps any attempt at being on your own, doing your own thing. But, he also trusted himself to have created a viable product that he could be reasonably sure would have some audience. The biggest chance that he took was in time. Almost anything can work if it is interesting and is promoted enough. The Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels said that people will believe whatever you tell them, if you tell them enough times. That is true. So time was the greatest thing that Coulton had to worry about, after setting his foundation. He knew that given enough time, he would grow enough of a fan base to sustain him. That was a bold bit of confidence. He was also aware of the fact that not everyone would like his music, and that is a sign of maturity as an artist. He really did not need to worry about the criticism he got from the "haters" because he was confident in what he was doing. The mainstream media, be it television, radio or music industry, must ultimately adapt to the use of online marketing strategies to grow in this new world. They are, as a matter of fact, already adapting. This is the future already.

Word of the Day: Half-ionaire

Half-ionaire:  Tail-nicher who makes a bunch of money online but not exactly a whole million yet. 

Petition for more online classes.

So, I loved class today and we had it on the computer. BUT, i did get some crazy looks when I started laughing out loud (sorry other library people). But, I think that since this is a media 2.0 class, we should have another class like this. It was interesting because it was a lesson but way more participation was going on than in class. We got to make our little funny comments, and still stay on topic, for the most part (Full House got us off topic for a few minutes, another lol moment)! Anywho, I enjoyed class today. And I enjoyed our readings we had to do for it. I think that Planet Money Podcast set Coulton up, but hey thats just me. I guess I wanted a blanket with sleeves. And like Coulton said, his business model is one that can be duplicated, it has been duplicated, in fact he had duplicated it from the industry. The only difference is that he is not 'mainstream' but he makes all of his profit. He doesnt have to worry about lawyers and promotional strategies. His fans take care of him, because he is devoted to his fanbase. And I think that is what is required now a days. But thats just my opinion.

Bike Polo wiki-date

So my entry has been pretty laid back. I posted some minor changes to the content and have gotten no response. Of course what I posted was true so maybe that helps some. I am trying to get the entry verified. Using wikipedias editing features is really difficult and I've been having quite the time with that.

Hopefully i'll figure it out otherwise my article will be on the need for more user-friendly update features on wikipedia.

Being called a 500,000 Snuggie

I really don't think it is all that bad being called a snuggie. I have been called worse. I think it is a matter here that coulton is relevant and the "hater" is upset. Coulton is making money now so why be jealous of a nerd that came up. I think it is beautiful thing that Coulton reached out to all these people and is now a small celebrity. Planet Money are major haters and should be called Snuggies. I believe that they wamt to make money off of coulton success. One of coulton fans commented that it is hard and challenging becoming a celebrity nowadays and i believe this is true. There are not many other jobs going around that makes 500,000 a year. They can call me a snuggie for that amount of money. Coulton is expressing his love for music to nerds and geeks around the world that are just like him. I don't think that it would be a problem for another person so be successful even if planet money think its crap. I can name several big artist out now that don't deserve there money on fame that they have. Some people just make!


"I honestly don’t fault Frannie and Jacob for having negative opinions about me or different opinions about any of these issues. And I’m not trying to ignite a flame war or tear anybody down. I’m simply amazed and disappointed that none of these questions ever came up in a conversation about the internet and the music business, on a podcast, here in the year 2011. It just feels like a huge missed opportunity, and it makes me sad."
- this quote is from coultons response to planet hater money and i think that it is sad that he has put forth this much effort and trying fuse the situation. its all about the benjamins nowadays so to coulton continue to make your money!

And Now it's Time for the Wiki Update!

My project, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, has been rather... enlightening thus far. I had no idea that people could take themselves this seriously. The intense interest in this Wikipedia topic has produced such scrutiny of each detail that finding an error, much less contributing something new, is a manly task, to be sure. For example, consider the following hoopla caused by a mere hyphen :

I request that in the fourth paragraph the hyphen in "relatively-unchanged" be removed.

Genialimbecile (talk) 22:56, 19 July 2011 (UTC)

Done, when I first heard "hyphen" I thought, uh no, the hyphen/dash wars, but it wasn't. ^_^ Thanks for pointing out.AerobicFox (talk) 23:40, 19 July 2011 (UTC)


Phew!! I'm sure glad you caught that, Genialimbecile! Seriously though, I'm learning that there is a lot of research that has to be done before you can actually begin to contribute to a hot Wikipedia topic. However, I'm planning to pounce on some out of date information (Actual dates!) in the 3DS section. Wish me luck!