Saturday, April 23, 2011

ANONYMOUS vs. SONY??? Or SONY vs. YOU!!!!

         Anonymous a well known lose band of hackers has denounced claims that they are responsible for PS Network outages. PS3 owners have become innocent bystanders in a long going battle between Sony and Anonymous. Sources close to both sides reveal a story of propaganda from the other with little remorse for the PS3 Online community. It must be said the Anonymous has spoken for the gaming community in many instances but is often considered friend plus foe by gamers worldwide.
         Earlier this year Anonymous was noted as the group responsible for lagging PS3 servers then quickly retorting the success of the attack on the servers. The reason given by some Anonymous backers was that they did not seek to hurt the gamers in addition too wanting to revise their plan of strategy in the on going battle with Sony. Can a group powerful enough to infiltrate the Sony servers totally bring it down? Shouldn’t Anonymous be given the benefit of the doubt? Is jail time essential for whomever is responsible for this outage? I’ll answer this last question simply, NO!! I’d rather my tax dollars go to the reform of these intelligent individuals whomever they maybe then throwing them in a jail cell. My sentiment is in the minority as a quick visit to any the gaming forum will show.
         Stay tune for more information throughout the weekend.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Social Media and the End of Gender

TED.com Speaker Johanna Blakley
          
           The age-old adage still applies to most marketing plans. You must know your customer to advertise your products successfully. Or is this truly the case in the new social media age? Can advertisers confirm the demographic of every Internet or social media consumer? Is there a chance that little Bobby has signed in to his dads amazon account to purchase a Nintendo DS? These are all relevant question in the recent technological era that all current business will have to confront.
Johanna Blakley a TED.com speaker proposed some innovative ways to view the current landscape in here speaker presentation “Social Media and the End of Gender”. The focus of her brief lecture dealt with many of the question I’ve posed in this article. The old media (TV, newspapers) have for years depended on demographic information to aid in their prospective marketing ventures. Nonetheless, in the new economic climate companies have swayed towards focusing on potential consumer’s likes to determine marketing campaigns. Being aware of what sites a viewer frequents or what sort of advertising they click on can be extremely beneficial more so then demographic data. Social media has driven this train of thought amongst business experts.
As noted by Johanna there is sufficient data that quantifies women as the primary social media user. This cognition will direct the way that companies approach marketing focuses in the near future. Johanna’s approach is clear and concise. I appreciate her candor and expertise in matters of statistical data that doesn’t conform to the old standard. This innovative viewpoint can help new businesses employ effective strategies to compete against better-known entities.
The passion that Johanna displays shows in her charisma while presenting to the TED.com community. The manner is which she translates core data to common wording allows the listeners to grasp her concepts easily. Directing the listeners to a new marketing focus placing women, as the primary gender of advertising should not be a shock unless the issue of equality lies within the reader. We all must recognize as I have in WarStation TV’s marketing plan, women are the first-string gender to frequent social media and dominate that space.



Outside Sources:

TED.com Johanna Blakley: Social Media & The End of Gender



Sunday, April 10, 2011

THE POWER OF ASCAP AND ITS MEMBERS

           The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) is a performing rights organization (PRO) that monitors radio, music label, and other business uses of copyrighted material. ASCAP is a not for profit organization but is responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for their members. Personally, I’m (Jason Williams) an ASCAP member and have been since 2000 as a writer and publisher. This association has over 300,000 members that are comprised of songwriters, recording artist, and publishers throughout the world. Technically the members run ASCAP’s operations.
            ASCAP has been viewed as one of the most powerful associations in the entertainment business. Using a tracking system ASCAP collects data on radio plays, public performances, commercial usage etc. to calculate a dollar value owed to its respective members. Many instances in the past decades have shown ASCAP’s vigor to collect payment on behalf of its members.
            In the current technological climate ASCAP has faced numerous challenges, primarily in regards to piracy in addition to seeking payment for its members from mobile device usage. Recently, PRO associations have gone as far as to seek retribution from individual mobile phone user for playing copyrighted material aloud through ringtones in public places. A simple action such as receiving a phone call initiating a ringtone on a public bus could be a charge based on ASCAP’s assumption. According to figures published by the Entertainment Software Association (2010) in 2009 there where 4.6 billion mobile phone users versus 1 billion in 2002 (¶ 10). This dilemma has challenged ASCAP, its members and other PRO associations such as Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI).
            There are numerous programs ASCAP has implemented to help businesses in the entertainment industry. Awards, grants, and scholarships are awarded through the ASCAP Foundation. Composers are awarded recognition as well as financial supplements annually. To accelerate the process of gaining new innovative members ASCAP has instituted numerous programs to help high school and universities mold entertainers of the future. Notably this powerhouse association has implemented America Scores, Children Will Listen, Music In The Schools, and Creativity In The Classroom programs across America to foster positive music learning practices in America’s youth.
            The marketing campaign of ASCAP is expansive and covers nearly all aspects of advertising. TV Commercials, radio spots, Internet ads to name a few are consistent landmarks of ASCAPS presence to the public. Social media has also felt the impact of this same marketing campaign. ASCAP is relevant on twitter @ASCAP and tweets relevant entertainment resources in addition to workshop information for members.
A Publishing Board, Writer Board, Committee of Boards, and Board of Review comprise ASCAP’s main legislative bodies. These bodies are considered the Board of Directors that is made up of writers and publishers that are elected every 2 years. The Committee of Boards is broken down into several committees that have individual focuses. The ASCAP Board of Review is an independent section of members from the previously mention boards/committees that oversees any claims of unjust practices by ASCAP’s leading committees.
            In the near future ASCAP will continue to be the voice of multiple entertainers. As technology advances its fair to assume that ASCAP will stay relevant and cater to their member’s needs. Maintaining an aggressive approach can appear destructive in certain situations, it does however assure that ASCAP will be a strong association in the current technological landscape.

Outside Sources:
ASCAP Board of Directors Page - http://www.ascap.com/about/board-intro.aspx

Video Games & the Economy

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