Excited for In-flight web access?

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2008-11-23-virgin-inflight-gogo-wireless_N.htm

For all those who spend a lot of time flying for business...here's a good news for you.

Virgin America Airlines plans to become the latest airline to offer in-flight Wi-Fi Internet.
American Airlines currently is the only carrier in the world to offer full Internet access. The airlines will offer Gogo, a service that lets passengers browse the web, use e-mail and instant messaging, download video and connect to secure networks through three wireless access points on the plane. Voice calls over the Internet are not allowed. The cost is $9.95 to $12.95 a flight, depending on route length.

The other airlines that will have inflight internet service are:

•Air Canada- Gogo starting in spring 2009 inflight within USA

•Alaska Airlines

•Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton says Delta will introduce GoGo in two aircraft by the end of 2008

•Continental Airlines plans to introduce an e-mail and instant-messaging service operated by LiveTV in the summer

In your opinion, do you think that with the services and rates mentioned above will you use Gogo when you fly?

Beat the Poison Ivy Rash!!!

Since I have been reading about poison ivy for the past month for our marketing project, I want to share to you what I have learned from my research.

What is poison ivy?

Poison ivy is a plant in the familyAnacardiaceae. It is a woody vine that is well known for its ability to produce urushiol, a skin irritant that causes an itching rash for most people, technically known as urushiol-induced contact dermatitis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_ivy

What are the signs and symptoms of poison ivy rash?

redness, itching, swelling, blisters http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/poison-ivy/DS00774/DSECTION=symptoms

What is the treatment for poison ivy rash?

Poison ivy rash typically goes away on its own within one to three weeks. In the meantime, you can use self-care methods and over-the-counter medications to relieve signs and symptoms. If the rash is widespread or results in a large number of blisters, your doctor may prescribe an oral corticosteroid, such as prednisone.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/poison-ivy/DS00774/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

How do you prevent from having a poison ivy rash?

Identify poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac
Take precautions outdoors
Remove poison ivy
Clean anything that may be contaminated
Wash your skin with mild soap and water
Apply a barrier cream

or use Buji...

What is Buji?

BEFORE Activity Protection- is a before-activity lotion you apply to your skin BEFORE going outdoors. Protection means putting a layer between you and the offender (urushiol oil). büji Block is that invisible, protective layer.

AFTER-ACTIVITY PROTECTION büji Wash® is a gentle exfoliating soap designed to remove urushiol from your skin anytime after symptoms begin or after exposure to the plants. By washing away urushiol, itching and irritation are quickly relieved.

Check out Buji products site for more information:
http://www.bujiproducts.com/products.html

"Web Meets World"

http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/web2.0/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212001315

According to the article above, a University of Southern California professor and blogger Jon Taplin discussed in an interview last September that, "The way out of the crisis will be, I think, a very large investment program built by the government, based on leadership in IT [information technology] and ET [energy technology]."

This week's The Web 2.0 summit with a theme of "Web Meets World," featured just about every panel discussion has touched on ways to improve information and power. Initially, Web 2.0 used to be about connection at a technical level, now it has more to do with connection at a social level and at a political level. Experts who were in the Web 2.0 summit like conference co-chair John Battelle commented that "Web 2.0 Summit has gathered the Internet industry leaders to drive discussion about how to utilize the Web as a platform to address social and global challenges."

The panelist in the conference also stated Barack Obama's victories in the Democratic primary and in the presidential election would not have been possible without Internet-empowered fund-raising and social networking. Thereby, the McCain party didn't have a clue to leverage IT well.

Because of the evolution in information technology, the web meets the world and changes everything. In your opinion, how does internet change the way you make decisions and gather information?

Second Life

I never thought that a Second Life site exists until it was discussed in our Internet Marketing class.

What is Second Life?

It is a 3-D virtual world created by its Residents. All you have to do is create your account and pick your Avatar (how you would like to look in the site-fun!). From the moment you enter the so called "World" you'll discover a vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity. Once you've explored a bit, perhaps you'll find a perfect parcel of land to build your house, business, or sell your products.
You will also get to communicate with the residents that are online, navigate the site with them or talk to them via mic or text. The Marketplace currently supports millions of US dollars in monthly transactions. This commerce is handled with the inworld unit of trade, the Linden dollar, which can be converted to US dollars at several thriving online Linden dollar exchanges.

Try it and it's fun. Before you know it, you are already addicted to the site and will be spending hours and hours of exploration in the site.

http://secondlife.com/

Google Earth Comes to I-Phone

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/27/AR2008102701206.html

I read this article about Google releasing a custom Google Earth application for the iPhone/iPod Touch- wow! Great for people who love these gadgets.

The best features of this new application are:

1) Google Earth geographical software has been altered to make maximum use of the iPhone's screen and functionality

2) Users will be able to tilt the device to adjust the view when browsing mountainous terrain

3) Users can use the 'My Location' feature to jump right to where they are in the blink of an eye and use Google's local search engine to look for information on cities, places and businesses.

4) Google has also added additional layers to the application, like Panoramio and Wikipedia ( I love Wikipedia!!!)

The application is free and available today (October 27, 2008) in all languages the iPhone currently supports (18) and will gradually be released for 22 countries in total.

If you want to find out more about it, check out the I-Tunes store at http://www.apple.com/

I think I would like to have an I-Touch or I-Phone now...

Do you have an I-Touch or I-Phone? How do you like it so far?

Internet, Cellphones Keep Families Together

http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/messaging/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=211201949

A Pew study was conducted, titled "Networked Families," finds that the Internet and mobile phones bring families together and promote shared online experiences.

The survey results showed the following:

1) Couples use their cellphones to connect and coordinate their lives, especially if they have children at home.

2) American spouses often go their separate ways during the day, but remain connected by cellphones and to some extent by Internet communications.

3) Most people are spending more hours per week at work (from 52.5 hours per week in 1970 to 62.8 hours per week in 1997) and this has led to a more complicated work and school schedules. The internet has increased the amount of time spent working in the office.

4) The Internet has substantially improved their ability to meet new people and it has improved the connections with friends a lot.

Overall, the majority of respondents expressed a positive or neutral view of the impact of technology on the quality of communication of the families.
How has the internet impacted your relationships with your families and friends? Do you feel more connected with them because of the new technology?

CBS goes YouTubing

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/64800.html?wlc=1224007586

I read this article from technewsworld.com about YouTube and CBS teaming up to deliver new full-length TV programming delivered via You Tube's new theater view style which provides a larger video image. You Tube and CBS are running in-stream ads, including pre-, mid- and post rolls.

In my opinion, this is a good way for consumers to view their favorite tv show online. You Tube will also acquire more viewers who like CBS's tv shows.

I also thought of some marketing implications with this partnership which are the following:

1) This is a great opportunity for companies to embed advertisements to the CBS tv shows on You Tube so viewers will be exposed to their products
2)Marketers would be able to target more customers and leverage You Tube's existing viewers(which currently are millions of viewers and 200 million unique users each month)

If you are currently watching tv shows online (www.hulu.com,www.cbs.com), do you think that you will watch more tv shows in You Tube if most tv shows will now be available on YouTube? Why? and why not?
www.youtube.com/cbs

The Wonderful World of Marketing

http://www.geocities.com/m_marketer/marketer2008

Check out the website "The Wonderful World of Marketing." It is a website for students, marketing professionals or people who are interested to learn more about marketing. The site has lists of websites for aspiring marketers to find jobs, books, marketing conferences, and marketing associations. There is also a cool Q & A page where you can email Marketer 2008 and ask questions.

Enjoy browsing!

Dude, Cold Calling Is For Losers

Hubspot-Inbound Marketing

Inbound Marketing System

I came across this video today and I want to share it with you. The video is endorsing the power of inbound marketing system to help small to medium sized businesses to get found on the internet by the right prospects and convert more of them to leads and customers. Hubspot is one of the inbound marketing companies who help businesses to get found by qualified prospects that are looking for products and services that businesses sell in search engines, blogs and the blagosphere and social media. Once the qualified visitors are on the businesses' website, Hubspot helps businesses convert more of them into leads and paying customers through landing pages, lead intelligence and marketing analytics.

Pretty cool, huh?

In my opinion, Hubspot is a clever idea because of the following reasons: 1) it is web-based, 2) does not require IT staff (very minimal overhead expense), 3) and designed to be used by a marketing person and you don't need to be an internet geek to browse through it.

Tell me what you think about the video. Do you think that Hubspot has a sustainable business model?

Visit www.hubspot.com for more info.

E-Marketing for Healthcare

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1006530&src=article_head_sitesearch


I read this article about "Health Information on the Web" and I got interested with the research findings that from 2003-2008, there was an increase from 52% to 66% of adults looking for health information online. No wonder why all these patients are so well informed before they see their doctors in the clinic, they question the doctor's prescription, and patients get paranoid about the side effects from the medications that they are taking. In my opinion, there are advantages and disadvantages to having more information on the web for patients.

Advantages:
1) Patients could get access to patient teaching materials via WebMD especially when they have diabetes or hypercholesterolemia. Reinforcement with diet and exercise are necessary.
2) Patients are now well informed and they have access to credible sites that will tell them more about their diseases and treatments. Patients can think of questions that they could ask their doctors about their disease
3) Very good opportunity for Marketers to target their customers (patients and physicians) about pharmaceuticals, services and equipments. It's a great opportunity to advertise online.

Disadvantages:
1) There are a lot of websites that are not credible. Patients might be misinformed.
2) Patients might order their medications online from a very unrealiable resource.
3) Patients get paranoid about their disease and they will keep on bugging their doctors for answers.

You could probably think of more advantages and disadvantages. But do you think that information online and marketing or promotion of products via WebMD or other medical websites are helpful for patients?