To Facebook or not:?
I will admit that I was a bit stand-offish of facebook at first during the beginning of this huge "social networking" phenomenom. The whole idea of constant interaction with everyone was kind of creepy to me so I was for the most part "anti-facebook." Eveyone I knew was beginning to use the social network religiousy so I gave in and created an account. When I first began using facebook I was not aware of the in's and out's so I added anyone who friend requested me. Bad mistake! To make a long story short, facebook became annoying to me so I deleted all of the people who I didn't know and kept only friends, and relatives which makes my facebook experiences more personable, and laid back. I would definatley say that it went from distracting having 500 "friends" I didn't know posting status's every five second, to less distracting, and more personal by using it soley as a medium to keep up with close friends and family.
Favorite Cause:
One of my favorite causes is the NYS coalition against domestic violence or NYSCADV. I think this cause is important because so many women young and old are going through this type of problem at home. The website offers many links such as an overview of domestic violence and statistics, information for becoming a member,a hotline, and links for programs being offered. The whole layout of the website don't have too much glitz and has a clean feel which puts the emphasis on the cause. The color scheme of lavander also brings about a calming warm effect which is welcoming to visitors of the site. The site also features a facebook page where they continue to offer helpful links, as well as news updates, and inspirational stories. http://www.nyscadv.org/index.htm
Engaging Fan Pages:
It seems as if these "fan pages" are all the rage on facebook these days. If you look you will see that there's a page for almost everything under the sun! I like the way the pages are set up because i feel like they give the fans a chance to engage in which ever product, cause, or celebrity they like without actually having to commit to a page simply click "like" and your connected to a virtual fan community. One page I like that exemplify's those qualities I would say is the mega 80's hit "Dirty Dancing" fan page. I know what your thinking but, that movie has taken on a cult like following! The page has almost 8 million "likes" and is for anyone who still enjoy's to hear that classic Patrick Swayze phrase "Nobody puts baby in a corner." I love it. I think the page is so effective for the brand of "Dirty Dancing" because of how they engage with the die- hard fans of the movie by the numerous contests, giveaways, updates, links to movie scenes, and more. By offering these kinds of "virtual interactions" with their fan's they are keeping the opinion of the community in "good standing." Another thing they are doing with the dirty dancing brand that Jenkins discusses in the chapter is creating a "brand loyalty." The fans in the dirty dancing online community are for the most part loyal. We love all things dirty dancing, having a platform to express our undying devotion to the movie, (joking) and of course the contest's and prizes are cool. When used effectively like this one I would agree that online fan communities can be a very successful marketing tool.
Best "Mash-up" or remix:
The remix mash-up I like is by two of the most popular and successful artists of the decade. Rapper Jay z, and Linkin park come together on this song to mix each of their singles that were out at the same time. Linkin parks numb, and Jay z's encore. What makes this mix appealing is that its coming from two popular artists of different musical genre's and different fan bases but, the mix works to make both sides happy. I think the skillfulness of the mash-up is important because its mixed so perfectly that both songs blend into one. The official reaction by the fans proves this mash-up successful even landing it on the billboard charts, and a collaborative album done by Jay z and Linkin park that was even more successful. I think it is a beautifully composed mix that gives each artist their due credit and more. I also think that with the proper due credit given to the original composer people should be able to play with copyrighted materials when it proves to be successful for both parties.
