LOLcats show their unerring wisdom...once again...
Friday, September 26, 2008
So frighteningly true...
LOLcats show their unerring wisdom...once again...
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Life, the Universe, and Everything
Well, I'm stuck at my desk until my boss calls to let me know that the draft of a spreadsheet I sent him is okay. So as revenge, I am posting because I'm 'technically' out of things to do for the day, unless I want to get wrapped up in a project that will keep me here until 7.Today is my 1 year anniversary with Sonny. He surprised me last night, arriving at my door (after a 3 hour drive) wearing his kilt and speaking in a Scottish accent as he presented me with a dozen roses and a stuffed penguin from the Atlanta aquarium (where he visited last weekend).
It was so lovely to have him come and visit. I forget how lonely it really is without him sharing the apartment - as great as it is to have Frigga, Freyja, Norn, and Pan, it's still nice to have Sonny around to complete the picture.
I probably won't get to see him this weekend, but I feel a lot better about that now that we were able to spend some time together. I'll be working at the Faire the weekend of the 4th and 5th, so that'll be a lot of fun and something great to look forward to. He's been so patient with me with this whole 'menopause' thing - last week I felt like I was totally off my rocker, and he just took it all in stride. I am very, very lucky.
This weekend, my family is coming up on Sunday to go Mutts Mania, an event being held by the Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter. I've been a little disconnected from them lately what with all the school/health/etc. stuff going on, but I'm really getting back into the swing of things. I might even get the chance to work with some bottle babies (kittens) soon! Danielle had some with her the other night - they were adorable. It's a lot of work, but I think it's a great work that (when done in moderation) could be a really great exercise for mind, body, and spirit.School is going...quickly. This is my second time taking Marketing, and it is just a killer class. So much work per week, and my group insists on meeting almost every other day for at least 1 1/2 or 2 hours. They're great folks, but I have a lot of trouble keeping up sometimes. I don't know how they all do it - obviously I am just a lazy bum if I'm having trouble finding the time.
Anyway, that's it for now - more meaningful posts coming soon!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
My Post for MBA Class Discussion - Enjoy!
One of the most interesting summations of the position of the personal computer in today's world was uttered in an article posted on CNET news in 2002. The author quoted Christine Riley (head of the People and Practices Research Group at Intel) as saying:
"People stop referring to their computer. The telephone is transparent. You don't say, 'I'm going to go use my telephone'".
Her observation neatly packages the fact that the personal computer has become a ubiquitous part of life in the modern age. At 24, I can hardly conceive of how to even begin doing my job if I didn't have a computer. My college experience revolved around the use of a device - the few students I knew that didn't have one at Penn State relied heavily on the rather lavish computer centers located conveniently throughout our campus.
Because of this fact, marketing for the personal computer has become both easier and more difficult. It is easier, in that you certainly don't have to introduce the concept to consumers anymore - they know what a PC is, you just have to tell them why to buy yours. Which brings us to the hard part - differentiation in a market that boasts an unlimited array of choices, even within a certain technology provider (consider both Dell & HP's model of looking at a consumer's lifestyle to choose what amenities their PC or laptop will require).
Research has become a complex entity indeed for anyone considering marketing a PC. Not only do you have to have a prior understanding (and a very deep one at that) of the demographic you are targeting, consumers almost expect their PC to be customized to their needs at the point of purchase. While many people do still buy PCs "over the counter" at a lower price-point, selling any high-end piece of equipment will probably require a lot of end-user input before the product is finally delivered.
For the purposes of the market simulation this class is engaging in, getting a deep knowledge of the spending capabilities and potential demands of each market are going to be a jumping-off point. As we prepare to engage consumers with marketing campaigns, we have to understand a variety of factors:
1. How much they can (and are willing to) spend
2. Whether their market can support the demand we need to make the venture profitable
3. What sort of product specifications each demographic requires
4. What sort of product specifications each demographic will lust after
The reason I list a differentiation between 3 and 4 is this. Everyone knows what they 'need' from their computer. A word processor. USB ports. Networking capabilities, etc. etc. These are very tangible, easy to quantify components. What makes someone choose one computer over another, (especially when so very many alternatives are available), is lust factor. I was happy to receive a computer from my work when I started here, but what makes me want to buy a Dell when I get my next laptop is the fact that it happily chugs away and runs all the many applications I need to (oftentimes simultaneously), without a hitch. My lust factor has to do with memory and hard drive. For my boss, it's ease of use. When he looks to buy a personal computer, he'll never buy Brand X because of the experience he had with it's many glitches for the inexperienced user.
Technology Adoption Life Cycle
After reading Geoffrey Moore's work regarding the Life Cycle of technology adoption, I have created my own list of adopters. While it would be very easy to focus microcosmically on the US, I've decided to adopt a more worldwide model, basing it on the development status of different countries as they begin to use technology products like PCs.
Innovators (1975-1979)
Countries: US, EU
In 1975, the first computer vailable was the Altair, which could only run very simple programs like word-processing. These pieces were shadows of the real computers of the time, which were busy taking up gym-sized rooms in order to do complex operations that are even further dwarfed by what computers are capable of today.
Early Adopters (1979-1989)
Countries: US, EU
In 1981, IBM's personal computer was largely responsible for the enormous jump in shipments, from merely 609k to over 1.6 million1.
Early Majority (1989-1999)
Countries: US, EU, BRIC Countries
In 1983, the development a release of the TCP/IP protocol was the birth of the modern Internet age. When the independent networks that were set up with this protocol unified in 1990, and when independent organizations were handed control of this new internet in 1995, the use of personal computers began its climb to a simple necessity.
Late Majority (2000-2009)
Countries: BRIC Countries
This time period was projected in 2002 to be the period of largest growth for the spread of PCs across the world. An article from the BBC stated that "the greatest growth is expected to be in areas such as China, Latin America, eastern Europe, and India). As PCs continue to grow in popularity with earlier adopters, In 2002, 40% of homes in the UK had personal computers, up 27% from 1985.
Laggards (2010-On)
Countries: Developing World
The developing world continues to fall sadly behind the rest of the world in technology, as well as so much else.
Bibliography:
Kanellos, Michael. "PCs: More than 1 billion served". CNET News. June 30, 2002. http://news.cnet.com/2100-1040-940713.html
Geoffrey A. Moore. "Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High Tech Products to Mainstream Consumers". HarperCollins Publishers. New York. 2002.
"Computers Reach One Billion Mark". BBC News. July 1, 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2077986.stm
"Internet History -- One Page Summary". http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_summary.htm. Accessed 9-10-2008
"People stop referring to their computer. The telephone is transparent. You don't say, 'I'm going to go use my telephone'".
Her observation neatly packages the fact that the personal computer has become a ubiquitous part of life in the modern age. At 24, I can hardly conceive of how to even begin doing my job if I didn't have a computer. My college experience revolved around the use of a device - the few students I knew that didn't have one at Penn State relied heavily on the rather lavish computer centers located conveniently throughout our campus.
Because of this fact, marketing for the personal computer has become both easier and more difficult. It is easier, in that you certainly don't have to introduce the concept to consumers anymore - they know what a PC is, you just have to tell them why to buy yours. Which brings us to the hard part - differentiation in a market that boasts an unlimited array of choices, even within a certain technology provider (consider both Dell & HP's model of looking at a consumer's lifestyle to choose what amenities their PC or laptop will require).
Research has become a complex entity indeed for anyone considering marketing a PC. Not only do you have to have a prior understanding (and a very deep one at that) of the demographic you are targeting, consumers almost expect their PC to be customized to their needs at the point of purchase. While many people do still buy PCs "over the counter" at a lower price-point, selling any high-end piece of equipment will probably require a lot of end-user input before the product is finally delivered.
For the purposes of the market simulation this class is engaging in, getting a deep knowledge of the spending capabilities and potential demands of each market are going to be a jumping-off point. As we prepare to engage consumers with marketing campaigns, we have to understand a variety of factors:
1. How much they can (and are willing to) spend
2. Whether their market can support the demand we need to make the venture profitable
3. What sort of product specifications each demographic requires
4. What sort of product specifications each demographic will lust after
The reason I list a differentiation between 3 and 4 is this. Everyone knows what they 'need' from their computer. A word processor. USB ports. Networking capabilities, etc. etc. These are very tangible, easy to quantify components. What makes someone choose one computer over another, (especially when so very many alternatives are available), is lust factor. I was happy to receive a computer from my work when I started here, but what makes me want to buy a Dell when I get my next laptop is the fact that it happily chugs away and runs all the many applications I need to (oftentimes simultaneously), without a hitch. My lust factor has to do with memory and hard drive. For my boss, it's ease of use. When he looks to buy a personal computer, he'll never buy Brand X because of the experience he had with it's many glitches for the inexperienced user.
Technology Adoption Life Cycle
After reading Geoffrey Moore's work regarding the Life Cycle of technology adoption, I have created my own list of adopters. While it would be very easy to focus microcosmically on the US, I've decided to adopt a more worldwide model, basing it on the development status of different countries as they begin to use technology products like PCs.
Innovators (1975-1979)
Countries: US, EU
In 1975, the first computer vailable was the Altair, which could only run very simple programs like word-processing. These pieces were shadows of the real computers of the time, which were busy taking up gym-sized rooms in order to do complex operations that are even further dwarfed by what computers are capable of today.
Early Adopters (1979-1989)
Countries: US, EU
In 1981, IBM's personal computer was largely responsible for the enormous jump in shipments, from merely 609k to over 1.6 million1.
Early Majority (1989-1999)
Countries: US, EU, BRIC Countries
In 1983, the development a release of the TCP/IP protocol was the birth of the modern Internet age. When the independent networks that were set up with this protocol unified in 1990, and when independent organizations were handed control of this new internet in 1995, the use of personal computers began its climb to a simple necessity.
Late Majority (2000-2009)
Countries: BRIC Countries
This time period was projected in 2002 to be the period of largest growth for the spread of PCs across the world. An article from the BBC stated that "the greatest growth is expected to be in areas such as China, Latin America, eastern Europe, and India). As PCs continue to grow in popularity with earlier adopters, In 2002, 40% of homes in the UK had personal computers, up 27% from 1985.
Laggards (2010-On)
Countries: Developing World
The developing world continues to fall sadly behind the rest of the world in technology, as well as so much else.
Bibliography:
Kanellos, Michael. "PCs: More than 1 billion served". CNET News. June 30, 2002. http://news.cnet.com/2100-1040-940713.html
Geoffrey A. Moore. "Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High Tech Products to Mainstream Consumers". HarperCollins Publishers. New York. 2002.
"Computers Reach One Billion Mark". BBC News. July 1, 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2077986.stm
"Internet History -- One Page Summary". http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_summary.htm. Accessed 9-10-2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Back in the saddle again...
To kick off beginning to post again, for your enjoyment here is today's LOL...
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