For starters I wouldn't buy a pet online. I think it is important to get a feel for an animal's personality before buying. A picture is just not enough. I would also want to see what kind of environment it was raised in. Not only to know how it might effect the animal itself, but more importantly I wouldn't want to support someone raising animals in a substandard environment. For example, I wouldn't want to provide financial support to someone running a puppy mill or the like.
Big ticket items such as car or homes would also be hard for me to buy online. I think the reasons for this reluctance are pretty obvious.
At this point, I am not sure I could use an online-only bank or insurance company. I think in time these companies will probably reach a wider audience. However, until this happens I am not willing to risk it.
Last but not least I don't think that buying medicine online is very wise. First of all I don't like taking medicine. Second, I really don't like the thought of taking medicine sent from god knows where, made by god knows who. I say this assuming that I am currently getting what I pay for from my local pharmacist.
Many services, such as having clothes tailored or skis waxed, currently aren't even available for purchase online. This makes sense because services are something that, at this point, are impractical to both purchase and deliver online. Even though it is hard to envision, I believe that sometime in the near future you will start seeing more services available for sale online as technology continues to improve. My prediction comes from the fact that most analysts were saying as recently as 5 years ago, that Amazon.com might never turn a profit. How wrong they were!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Oh Internet, Internet on the screen; who is the fairest of them all?
A "vanity" search for myself really didn't produce any super surprising results. I am on the internet alright. Mostly, by my own choosing. With one exception, the information I found about myself on the Intelius website.
How they gather this information, I dont't know. Does it come from public records that anyone can access? Did it bother me that it was on their website? A little I suppose. Are these background service companies another example of the privatization of governmental entities? Before companies like Intelius came along, who would a company call when they wanted to run a background check? Are these companies regulated by the government? And if so, how. Do they run background checks on companies requesting their services? How they protect this information from hackers? If they don't protect this information properly, and it does get hacked, what consequences will Intelius pay? So many questions, so little time!
Unfortunately, I am currently too busy to answer all these questions myself. However, if someone else happens to stumble across this blog and can answer any or all of these questions I look forward to your reply.
Changing gears, I see similarities between how involved people are in the real world with how easily they can be found on the internet. The more involved you are in the community, extra-curricular groups and/or organizations the more likely your name will be located on the web. I also noticed that younger people and academic types are more likely to found on the web. If you have a more common name, the greater the likelihood your identity will be "camouflaged" by others with the same name. Depending on whether or not you want to be found that could be a good or bad thing. In conclusion, while we have control over what personal information we put about ourselves on the internet, unfortunately we are not the only ones with that power anymore.
How they gather this information, I dont't know. Does it come from public records that anyone can access? Did it bother me that it was on their website? A little I suppose. Are these background service companies another example of the privatization of governmental entities? Before companies like Intelius came along, who would a company call when they wanted to run a background check? Are these companies regulated by the government? And if so, how. Do they run background checks on companies requesting their services? How they protect this information from hackers? If they don't protect this information properly, and it does get hacked, what consequences will Intelius pay? So many questions, so little time!
Unfortunately, I am currently too busy to answer all these questions myself. However, if someone else happens to stumble across this blog and can answer any or all of these questions I look forward to your reply.
Changing gears, I see similarities between how involved people are in the real world with how easily they can be found on the internet. The more involved you are in the community, extra-curricular groups and/or organizations the more likely your name will be located on the web. I also noticed that younger people and academic types are more likely to found on the web. If you have a more common name, the greater the likelihood your identity will be "camouflaged" by others with the same name. Depending on whether or not you want to be found that could be a good or bad thing. In conclusion, while we have control over what personal information we put about ourselves on the internet, unfortunately we are not the only ones with that power anymore.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Future of newspapers in regard to the web
The biggest barrier keeping online newspapers from taking over, and making physical newspapers obsolete, is portability and readability. In all other categories; immediacy, distribution, sharing, updatability, and accessibility to publishers, online news agencies are far superior to their traditional counterparts. Wireless reading devices such as the "Kindle", introduced by Amazon.com last year, seek to combat the aforementioned issues of portability and readability.
While the current price tag of $359.00 is still too steep for most, this is in my estimation only a temporary problem. As the price of this product comes down, it will cause more people to consider canceling their traditional newspaper subscriptions and switching to wireless reading devices such as the "Kindle".
As we discussed in class this morning, traditional newspaper subscription levels have fallen along with the rise of the worldwide web. Advertisers, who have traditionally reached their audiences through physical newspapers, will need to start reallocating some of their budgets from print to online news sources as this transition continues.
While good journalists will always have jobs, they will increasing need to tailor their delivery to better utilize the intricacies of the internet. Hopefully, this will lead to a more well rounded presentation of issues, that allows increased levels of interactivity from readers.
While the current price tag of $359.00 is still too steep for most, this is in my estimation only a temporary problem. As the price of this product comes down, it will cause more people to consider canceling their traditional newspaper subscriptions and switching to wireless reading devices such as the "Kindle".
As we discussed in class this morning, traditional newspaper subscription levels have fallen along with the rise of the worldwide web. Advertisers, who have traditionally reached their audiences through physical newspapers, will need to start reallocating some of their budgets from print to online news sources as this transition continues.
While good journalists will always have jobs, they will increasing need to tailor their delivery to better utilize the intricacies of the internet. Hopefully, this will lead to a more well rounded presentation of issues, that allows increased levels of interactivity from readers.
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