The Rise of Internet Media

Lou Kerner's Slides from Today →

Reading for March 4, 2011

Please finish the rest of Googled. If you’d like you can begin reading Socialnomics, by Eric Qualman, as we will be covering it for the following two weeks. 

Questions for Response Paper

Response Paper

Due: March 11, 2011

 

Using information gained through the readings and class discussions, write a response to one of the questions below. The paper should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words, and completed in prose (not bullet points). Please cite your sources (while I have no preference as to style, please keep your format consistent). The focus here should be on providing evidence for your arguments. The questions themselves are rather open ended and it is up to you to make your case.

 

 

1.  Why did the Highway Men miss the big opportunities of the Internet? What factors contributed to this oversight? Were they social, economic or technological (or perhaps all three)? Provide evidence for your argument.

 

2.  After reading about the first decade or so Internet media history, what trends should an historian investigate? Support your answers with specific companies and outcomes.

 

3.  Knowing that neither AOL nor Yahoo are the dominant powers of today’s Internet, what can we speculate about Google’s future?  Support it.

 

4. How does Google reconcile their corporate mission with our society’s expectations for privacy? Provide detailed examples from the text.

 

5. Youtube: World-class marketing machine, or egregious pirate of copywritten content?

 

 

 

Grading Rubric

 

A         Excellent. Student exhibits exemplary creativity through historical research and critical analysis. Research and writing is lucid and engaging with zero mistakes.

 

B          Good. References to the course material are well-selected and topical. Critical analysis is present, but largely rehearsed from class lecture and discussion. Student’s style is clear and has very few mistakes.

 

C          Satisfactory. References to the course material are well-selected and topical, but student performs little or no historical or critical analysis. Problems exist in student’s work. Work consists mostly of underdeveloped ideas, off-topic sources or examples, inappropriate research, or anecdotes.

 

D         Unsatisfactory. Student does not engage with the material and no historical or critical analysis is present. Substantial problems exist in student’s work.

 

F          Fail. Student does not submit work, or work is below unsatisfactory level.

 

Mary’s Rules

1. New Tech creates new Opportunities

2. Young Visionaries Rule

3. Content themes start different, end the same 

4. New Media, New brands

5. Advertising Usually Prevails

6. New Media, New Celebrity Talent

7. Always, Always Consolidation 

“Advertising on the web is about..building customer relationships, “cyber” brands and generating electronic sales of goods and services…” 

Mary Meeker, 1997

— Page 1-1 Advertising Report

 

"You’re fucking with the magic!"

— was said by Mel Karmazin to the founders of what company?

Keep reading Auletta for next week. Chapters 4-10.

This seems like a lot, but is only around 100 pages and is a fairly fast read. We’ll also be posting some additional articles online to prepare for our guest. 

A Brief History of Netscape →

More Readings!

Sorry about this everyone. We have 3 more (very short) readings for this week on Netscape.

Zuckerman, Laurence.  ”With Internet Cachet, Not Profit, A New Stock is Wall St.’s Darling.” New York Times 10 August 1995.  

Markoff, John. “6 Tips on How to Earn $52 Million by Age 24.” New York Times 14 August 1995.  

Markoff, John. “Making the PC Come Alive.” New York Times 25 September 1995. 

Just click on the links and see the shortness of these articles! Let me know if you have any problems seeing them. 

Followed!