Monetization of Social Networks

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Many email sites such as yahoo, gmail, and hotmail have not been able to generate a significant revenue base for offering such services. Likewise social networking sites such as facebook and orkut may find it difficult to generate sizeable income from such ventures. Microsoft’s takeover bid illustrates the point that Yahoo may be failing to adequately profit from its online services. Some may argue that founder and CEO of Yahoo, Jerry Yang, was crazy not to accept Microsoft’s $44 billion dollar offer, because there are many challenges to earning a decent revenue base from certain online sites. Once facebook becomes too commercial with an abundance of online advertisers, viewers may move on to the next best thing. Charging people to use the service, is also a deterrent and so ad revenue is a more legitimate way to monetize social networking websites.

Providers of social networking sites find it a challenge to offer the service and yet profit from them. As soon as they start charging for services, people move on to a competitors network. It would be interesting to see what is in store for the future of social web sites, web portals and Internet Technology. If Microsoft takes over Yahoo, I fear that this would be anti-competitive and not to the benefit of Internet Users. Microsoft has a trend of being too business savvy and concentrating on their bottom line, then on the best interests of society.

Mobile Technology & Me

Image taken from apple.com
I have learnt my lesson of being too connected. Sometimes when I’m with friends and in a social setting, I feel I should value the time I spend with them and try to resist always checking my iphone (or blackberry or mobile device for some people), for email messages. I think I have gotten over, being fascinated by the Internet, especially in terms of being connected to people via IMing, chatting or facebook. I use it as a way of communicating and keeping in touch with people, but I feel it is not my primary interaction with people. Using the map function on my iphone allows me to reduce the chances of getting lost in DC. Mobile technology definitely has its function, but it only enhances our lives but does not supplant it.

Some people use mobile technology to tell people what they are doing every second of their lives. They use mobile phones combined with web technology to upload live stream videos and pictures of the things that they are doing. Also through GPS, people can track their friends. I believe if people want to share their lives in such a way, as with what is happening with facebook, then so be it. Their might be someone out there who is interested and has the time to check out your webpage. As for me, I would not post on facebook, for example, if I just ordered “pizza from Bertucci’s” or am “napping,” for the whole world to see. But I guess some people feel more comfortable in sharing every little mundane detail about their lives.