“The virtual products of social networks on the Internet and their impact“
Why I chose it as my term project.
If you search the Top 20 websites in USA and in Taiwan, you will discover the most part of them are social network websites including Myspace, thefacebook, Youtube, Craiglist and Wikipedia etc. The data reveal that social networks become the mainstream idea of websites and the most important question we have to face are that how can we catch the future and what will be its proliferation for our lives. Therefore, it is a very important topic to research.
Three timelines
In the past, I will try to do research on these issues: What were the differences of marketing between non-social and social network websites? What kinds of marketing did the social network websites use most? What was the key to make social network websites thrive and what were the features made the top 50 social network websites unique? In the history of developing social network websites, was any difference of marketing between the past and the present?
In the present, I will introduce some social network websites and how can they still keep their advantages against other competitors. At meantime, I will focus on the impact of social network business on our daily lives and habits.
Social network websites thrive in the present, but there are many these websites which can not find a pattern to make profit from their flow and members. Therefore, what can we do to change the flow of website into cash flow in the future? Moreover, how can we accelerate the growth of these internet business communities, minimize risk, and increase customers’ loyalty. Last but not least, what’s the impact and potential of social network business on our future lives? They will lead us to spend less money having more convenient lives or spend more money on unnecessary virtual items?
Theory
I believe the consumer behavior theory and the long tail theory will support my claims.
For consumer behavior theory, every step of marketing and profit patterns depends on the consumer behavior. Therefore, when we discuss this topic of term project deeply, we have to take this theory into consideration and then find the future and impact of social network marketing.
For the long tail theory, the consumers and users on the social network always want to express their distinguishing characteristics so this situation leads many kinds of unique commodities can sale for a long term, instead of traditional sales theory-「80/20」.
An annotated list
1. Don E Schultz (2007). Social Call. Marketing Management, 16(4), 10-11. Retrieved October 16, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1314361691).
http://proquest.umi.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/pqdweb?did=1314361691&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=8991&RQT=309&VName=PQD
2. Chuck Chakrapani (2007). Book Review: The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media. Review of medium_being_reviewed title_of_work_reviewed_in_italics. Marketing Research, 19(3), 51. Retrieved October 19, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1349774771). http://proquest.umi.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/pqdweb?did=1349774771&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=8991&RQT=309&VName=PQD
3. Andras Vag (2007). Simulating changing consumer preferences: A dynamic conjoint model*. Journal of Business Research, 60(8), 904. Retrieved October 19, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1290149811). http://proquest.umi.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/pqdweb?did=1290149811&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=8991&RQT=309&VName=PQD
4. Paul Dwyer (2007). Measuring the value of electronic word of mouth and its impact in consumer communities. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 21(2), 63. Retrieved October 19, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database.(DocumentID: 1252274341). http://proquest.umi.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/pqdweb?did=1252274341&sid=2&Fmt=2&clientId=8991&RQT=309&VName=PQD
5. Rian van der Merwe, Leyland F Pitt, Marie Murgolo-Poore, Pierre Berthon. (2002). Spotting holes: Opportunities in online markets, social network theory, and entrepreneurship. American Marketing Association. Conference Proceedings: 2002 AMA Educators’ Proceedings, 13, 3. Retrieved October 19, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 374855571).
http://proquest.umi.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/pqdweb?did=374855571&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=8991&RQT=309&VName=PQD
First and foremost, I would take a step back and clarify if you are using marketing or advertising as the topic related to social networking sites. While similiar, marketing and advertising have different a different defiinition and purpose. I am only asking because social networking sites offer advertising opportunities, not marketing.
Assuming that marketing is your focus (because that is what you refer to in your proposal), think about viral marketing in the social networking context. Viral marketing is a powerful source when you discuss social networking sites and marketing. Do you think social networking sites alone will allow a product/service to achieve their marketing strategies and goals or is it one piece of their agenda?
I am interesting in seeing how your paper will involve the future impact of social networking sites on marketing. How will your theories help predict what the revolution could be?
Hello, Annie:
Yeap, the marketing is my focus of the proposal. First of all, thank you for suggesting the viral marketing and I will take it seriously into my project. That’ s a good advice!
Of course, I don’t think social networking sites is the only way to achieve the marketing strategies, but I hope to focus on the website. I think social networking sites still have the much potential and they have many new ways to show their power in the future . For example, many famous economists predict mobile device will become the most popular poduct in the future. Therefore, maybe we can try to established a link between mobile device and marketing of social networking sites. I think it will be helpful for developing the marketing of social network. If we do so in the future, I guess the first impact of social networking sites on marketing is that we all have information anxiety disease becuase we can always check message and buy anything from social networking sites to express ourselves in our mobile device.
I think the theories will help me to observe the trend and predict the future because I believe human needs and comsumer behavior are the root and source of the development of media. Indeed, we can see every new technologies which were invented by the rule in the history. In the future part of my project, I am not going to predict a revolutionary device to let people follow, but maybe it is just a helpful thought about what people need most in the future to let people enhance their services or products and survive the future.
I’m not quite clear on your project, so hopefully our group meeting in class will help me understand it a little better. However, it does sound like you’re planning to cover a great deal in your project, so I’m wondering if your scope is too broad for this project.
My suggestion is to narrow your scope down quite a bit to maybe just viral marketing through the use of social networking sites like Annie suggests or maybe different digital media tools that have enabled viral marketing in the past, present, and future.
As you begin the project, you can always add more themes or discuss more technologies if you find your scope is too narrow. Personally, I’ve always found it easier to broaden my topic after I start the paper, than to narrow it after I’m in the midst of working on it. Hope this suggestion is helpful.
Carie
I think a good way to break down your paper would be to focus on how social networks market themselves, and how they make money.