A positive outlook on the Future of Online Social Networks

Social networking and social networks, both of which were almost unheard of in the early 1990s, are becoming increasingly popular to date, and attracting a wide range of audience, from kids to teenagers, adults and even older folks. Its popularity has grown so immensely, that its incorporation into our daily lives has become somewhat of a necessity. For many users, not a day goes without them logging into a social networking site at least once, twice or even three times. The first recognizable social network site, SixDegrees.com, was launched in 1997 as a site that was simply used to help people connect with their friends and send them short messages. Since then, many other social networking sites have been launched, the most popular ones today being Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and even YouTube. The fact that these sites have the ability to reach and connect millions of people around the globe, all at once has also just recently given them an entirely new purpose. Now, social network sites such as Facebook have evolved and are not only used to connect people with other people, but to connect people to different products or services through online advertising. Businesses are now using these sites, which millions of people are connected to, to connect with customers, and advertise their products. Like social networks, e-Marketing is also becoming more popular over recent years and is now using these social networking sites to grow even more. They have evolved from a place where people simply send messages to one another to a place where people communicate with other, share and receive information, and also where businesses can now reach out to a wide target audience. 
          

Users of social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter often notice changes being done to improve the site and make it more appealing to users. However, many analysts ponder upon whether social networking sites will be able to keep their popularity and usefulness for much longer, and if so, what will they do to improve it even further. In my opinion, I believe that these networks will more than likely be around for many more years. Let’s face it; with the great demand, and likeness extended towards the use of social networks, it is hard to imagine a world without it. In addition, a social network site such as Facebook that has over 750 million members and counting is certainly not likely to diminish in popularity any time soon. However, we have seen how social network sites have changed over the years and it seems only logical that they will continue to transform in the future. In recent years, reports are that Facebook, possibly the world’s most popular social network site, has been trying to focus on enhancing its site into a personal search engine as well. Unlike the search giant, Google, Facebook’s search will use information that people in your personal network have written or commented about on a certain product or topic in your search. Although many Facebook users think this may not be successful on a social network site, Facebook executives are convinced it will. In my opinion, it’s a rather creative idea and could possibly work because we are definitely influenced by the opinion of our peers concerning products. It may not be the usual purpose utilized by social networks, however, if perfected may prove to be quite effective. Innovation is a key contribution towards the fondness of social mediums, thus advancing technologically is inevitable, and often leads to the development of new functions and inventions.

Like Facebook, many other social network sites are trying to keep up with the times, some doing a better job than others. Still, it is primarily the ones who quickly adapt to change and resourcefulness that succeed. As for social networking and social network sites on a whole, I believe it is safe to say that they are here to stay for the long run.

The iPhone 4S... A Marketing Miss, or Catch?

Technological advancements have taken over once again! The popularity and growth of e-Commerce and e-Marketing are partially thanks to the increasing popularity of mobile devices, especially smart phones. As you may all know, Apple, the leading manufacturer of smart phones, released its newest phone, the “iPhone 4S” on Tuesday, October 4^th, 2011. Despite this long awaited arrival, the iPhone 4s did not seem to please a lot of Apple fans and smart phone users in general , who were expecting an “iPhone 5” phone to be released instead. Although the new iPhone 4S has a completely upgraded interior compared to its predecessor, the exterior looks exactly the same, and this does not sit well with people who were looking forward to buy something completely new. The question now is, did Apple fully satisfy its customers or did it hurt itself by not giving the customers what they want, which additionally was a new look.

 Good or Bad E-Marketing?

To answer this question we must first examine some key points. Principally, it is important to consider the great amount of attention the new iPhone received in the days, months and even year leading up to its release, and determine whether this attention helped or made things worst. Although there were no official comments from Apple that they were releasing a new phone, much less what it would look like and what it would be called, the media was hard at work assuming that the new iPhone would be the iPhone 5 and that it would more than likely have a new look. There were literally hundreds of sites that were all trying to predict the future of the new iPhone. Of course, all this media talk raised customer expectations even higher for Apple and might have been the cause of some disappointment on release day. This is a fitting example of how e-Marketing, although not directly from the company but from its followers, may be detrimental for a company and its products.

The New Look

Next we must look at the difference it would have made, in terms of sales, for Apple, if the new iPhone did indeed have a completely or even slightly new look and not just a new interior. It seems to be that in today's society, a vast amount of individuals often care less about a product’s fascinating internal operations, if its physical appearance does not meet expectations. Although we might all deny it, it’s true. It can be one of the most useless items on earth, but if it’s the newest look and everyone has it, then we will want it. Luckily for us, Apple products are far from useless. Still, nobody wants something new that looks old.  Although the media and e-Marketing are again to blame for the high and somewhat unrealistic expectations of customers, it does seem like Apple missed a critical point when developing the new iPhone, which was to give it a new look. Many people are now suggesting that this may be the new trend for Apple, seeing as how an iPhone 3GS, and not an iPhone 4 was released after the iPhone 3G. Still, others claim that they will simply wait for the iPhone 5 to be released instead.

Nevertheless, the bottom line is that Apple fans might have to wait another year to get the iPhone 5 and accept the iPhone 4S for now, which is still an immense enhancement, technologically, from the old iPhone 4. Embedded with a faster processor, a new operating system, an enhanced camera and many more great additions including Siri, the personal assistant, and iCloud, its still pretty amazing, regardless if it’s the same old look. It is definitely not the same old phone. True, Apple would have probably pleased a lot more people and would have maybe sold more phone if the new iPhone had a different look, but it is without a doubt that they gave us the best Apple iPhone ever and the best smart phone in the world, and that makes it a “must have” item. Having already sold out all iPhone4S’ available for pre-order, this certainly alludes to it being a “hot commodity”,despite all the bickering.