To be honest, I dont know that much about youtube.  I have never posted a video nor would I even have the slightest clue on how to do so.  However, what I do know is that i have spent countless nights searching through all the latest videos that my friends have recommended or that I have been curious about.  Between watching movie scenes, the lastest music videos, or just watching a hilarious videos about a baby biting his brothers finger, youtube is an amazing resource that like facebook is another form of web 2.0 networking.  But how can this service benefit companies from a business standpoint?

Youtube is an amazing web site because it draws from viewers all over the world.  Knowing that millions of users from all over the world are visiting the youtube everyday, it would make sense from a business standpoint to get on the train.  While I dont know much about the inner workings of youtube, it just makes sense that marketing on youtube could be an efficient, affordable, and effective way of doing business.  I dont mean just by displaying a series of commercials that nobody would have any interest in, but by being more creative.  If i were in charge of marketing for a company, I would take time to understand the target market of the company and then find out what this market is watching on youtube.  For instance, some of the videos I have watched have had millions of people viewers since its opening.  I dont know but it would make senese to me to try to work out some sort of deal in which the makers of the video could market a certain product or service in future videos knowing that a lot of people are going to visit the site. 

Like facebook, myspace, ebay,  youtbue is one of the many web 2.0 sites that looks like it is here to stay.  Denying the potential oppurtunity that youtube offers would be unwise from a business standpoint.  I believe that youtube is only going to grow, and it is the future of marketing and adevertising online. 

Second life.  What is this?  The first time I heard of this Second Life, that was my initial reaction.  Actually, the first time I heard of it was on a television show in which the shows sort of nerdy and quirky character was talking about his second life character.  I didnt believe it at first, but after checking out the site myself and doing a little research, I realized it really was a legitimate site in which users were actively participating on a daily basis.  My first reaction after reviewing what second life was all about, was that it was the most ridiculous and crazy idea I had ever seen online and to be honest, I felt pity for the people that used it and put money into.  But now after looking into it further talking to some other people, I realized it is still the craziest most ridiculous site I have ever heard, and I still pity the people who use it. 

But despite what I think, Second Life has been a successful model and has drawn in millions of users.  To be honest, I kinda wish I had come up with the idea.  Despite the sort of obvious doubts that many might have with the idea, Second Life has been responsible for fostering a lot of creativity in art, music, architecture, business.  After all, the Second Life characters themselves are creatively generated.  Sure there are going to be some controversial issues the will inevitably arise, but as for now, and as crazy as it may seem, Second Life appears to be staying around for awhile.  After all, who am I to judge though.  I have spent more hours than I care to remember playing Madden football on Playstation 2.  So while I think second life users may be somewhat crazy, Im sure there are people that think I am just as crazy.  People will always find ways to fill their time, and I see Second Life as another example of that.  First was their was Sim City and then Grand Theft Auto, and now Second Life, so the natural question is, what’s next?

There is no denying it, social networking whether you like it or not has become a part of are everyday digital life and looks like it has no intentions of going anywhere.  It seems that everyone I have talked to, ”social networking” has become a part of their every day routine to the point where many depend on it.  You know it is bad when people give up faceboook for lent.  There is a reason for why over 9.4 million people have registered with facebook and that 65% of those users are logging into the site everyday  But is social networking all that it is cracked up to be.  Is this level of dependence healthy or necessary?

I beleive Social networking is what you make of it.  While my answer may appear to sort of on the fence, I really believe that in this case it is the only way to answer it.  I think that becuase the social networks such as facebook and myspace are user based, it is all on the user as to how much time and effort is put into it.  Sure sights like myspace and facebook are getting crtisized for stealing countless hours of peoples day or preventing the use of actual social skills to interact with others, but who is responsible for that.  At the end of the day, the individual users who are logging in and spending these hours are.  To be honest I am not the biggest fan of facebook and mypspace, however I realize that we live in a 2.0 world and that these sites, while often criticized, will undoubtedly play in an important role in the future.  Social networking is not an issue of like or dislike, but it is the way it is.

Facebook, itunes, wikipedia, flickr, basically any web 2.0 service what do they all have in common.  CONVENIENCE!  Sure we might say that we need most of these services now after we have become so dependent on them for the past couple of years, but honestly do we need any of them. I would argue that we do not.  As hard as it is to believe, the world was still turning 5 years ago before a majority of these companies became big. 

Ebay is no exception.  Of all the web 2.0 companies, ebay might be the greatest beneficiary of the convenience factor.  But it is more than just the convenience factor, it is what i like to call ”the absurd factor”.  And by no meas do i mean this in a degrading way.  I think some of the smartest people have been able to realize the power of ebay and take advantage the “absurd factor”.  By absurd factor I mean the ability for a vender to realize  a certain niche in the market and take advantage of that niche. 

Lets be honest, most of us are obsessed with something.  Whether it is a sports team or a car brand, most of us will do anything to own something associated with that obsession.  Ebay allows for the obsessive consumer to find everything and anything on that particular subject.  Ebay venders have truly taken advantage of the adage “one mans junk is another mans treasure”.  As we have all probably learned, anything can be found on ebay.  And just as anything can be found on ebay, in a global market, you can usually find someone to bid on it.  After doing some research and looking at some of the other blogs, it is comical to see what certain items are purchased for.  How can a dixie cup that elvis presley drank water out of one time be sold for $455.  Or a 10 year old grilled cheese said to bear the image of the virgin mary sell for $28,000.  To me this seems absurd.  But after thinking about it for a little, how absurd is it really?  Im sure there are things that i would be willing to spend money on that someone might also laugh at or say is absurd.  It is all relative.  But that is the beauty of ebay.  As one product might seem ”absurd” to one person, the other might have found their treasure.  One thing is for certain, no matter how absurd something might seem, there is always someone out there who will value it.  This unity of the global market has been a large reason ebay has been so successful.