in todays world, where “being Green” is all the rage, many companies are either reducing or eliminating paper bills and notifications. in fact Grove City has already done this, and i noticed with my car insurance and credit card that all the my accounts can be accessed, checked and paid online. the only reason that this has become possible is because the use of the internet has become so widespread.  in addition to appearing good for the environment, these companies are also saving money by not having to pay for paper(bills, updates ect..) as well as making work more convenient for their employees and customers

Napster came out and introduced the world to digital music which allowed you to download individual songs immediately. Although shortly after they faced copyright issues, these were solved soon there after by making customers pay 99 cents per song. iTunes has perfected this method of music sales and become the world’s largest distributer of song downloads.

Although iTunes is leading the way in sales, there are so many ways still out there on the internet to get your music for free. One if the newest ways to download individual songs from the internet for free is via Youtube.

There are programs available on certain websites that allow you to simply copy and paste the URL from a Youtube video and it downloads the audio content from that video. Considering that high quality versions of nearly every song exist on Youtube and the you now have the ability to listen to the entire song before you download it, this method is sure to grow in popularity with our younger generations.

As an Entrepreneurial Studies Major, I wonder what makes a business uber-successful?  I see common characteristics in good business, like financial wisdom and a good industry understanding, but what allows the Googles and YouTubes to dominate like they have?

I believe YouTube fits in perfectly, and is even a premiere contributor, to an American trend of “McDonaldization” — a total expectancy to have anything you want in front of you for a low-cost.

Two years ago I missed a blockbuster performance by Lil Wayne at MTV’s annual award show.  I immediately went to YouTube to check it out, and I enjoyed watching old celebrities get out of their sits and dance to rap music.  All of this I did for free.

Likewise, after Usain Bolt broke the WR for the 100 m dash, I was furious to not find a clip on YouTube.  I had to pay NBC to watch one of the most fascinating feats in sports..ever.  AND IT MADE ME MAD!

YouTube’s success is mostly due to the hard work and foresight of its creators, but its mega-success is due to the sociological expectation that the internet has brought Americans of wanting everything in front of them for free.

whenever i want to look up a song that i like or a band that i’ve seen in concert, the first place i look is youtube. you’re gauranteed to find anything from official music videos, fan music videos, live clips, or even bootleg copies on upcoming albums (granted the latter usually gets shut down). bands and record labels have picked up on this and are now creating official pages. often the first video under a search will send you to an official band or record label page. on this page, you can view other videos that the band has or look at the artists profile. this is an important move that bands have made because they have recognized that youtube is one of the majot internet option for music. they can use these artist profiles to direct fans to concerts or band merchandise which is how they make their money these days

There are many aspects of Grove City College which have the average grover complaining. Whether it’s the latest bon-apetite menu selection or the inter-vis policy or even the shall we say, over-zealous campus safety officers; grovers have a way of identifying some of the drawbacks to everyday life at GCC.

I would like to submit that the biggest mistake the college has made is not realizing the importance of their website as a business tool. In terms of using the website as a promotional tool the college receives a failing grade. The Grove City homepage is boring, lacks good informational content and is a nightmare to navigate if you’re a prospective student trying to get information about the school. Especially in a down economy when money is tight for most families, and college visits may be less frequent, a college’s website should be its best promotion. Grove City’s campus is beautiful, but where are the pictures on the website? There are a few sprinkled throughout the website but not nearly enough.

In looking at other college’s websites I noticed that several of them include a student blog section where students from the college keep a weekly blog about their experience at the college. This is a great marketing tool for the college and a unique way in which a prospective student can get a sense of what life is like as a student.

The college’s website is in dire need of a face lift and until that happens prospective students may be turned off by our poor online presence.