Comcast has powers

Summary of my readings:
Comcast, this week struck a deal to purchase the majority shares in NBC Universal from General Electric Co, creating a media superpower that would control not just how Tv shows and movies are made, but how they are get to the home.

I think this is an incredibly smart move by Comcast. I look at it this way, from there point of view. They took a company who was struggling with the current economic down turn (genius) they helped them out by purchasing their un-needed shares, (brilliant) and now own the majority of one of the media leading television station. (pure ingenuity) Comcast is now a leading super power in the media world.

Social Networks and Kids

Super short summary of the article

Researchers say a growing number of children are flouting age requirements on sites such as Facebook and MySpace, or using social-networking sites designed just for them.

The article I read was referring to a study by CNN on how many young kids using social networking sites are bypassing the age limits and saying there old enough to tag themselves in a picture of them attending afternoon pre-school. Facebook and Myspace require users to be at least 13 but they offer no age verification. I feel this is wrong. I think that social networking sites should not be grabbing kids this young and scientists agree with me. "We worry that pre-adolescent use of the sites, which some therapists have linked to Internet addiction among adults, could be damaging to children's relationships and brains."

Escaped Prisoner Teases Police with Facebook postings.

Summary of the article:

Craig Lynch, escaped England's Suffolk's Hollesley Bay Prison in September. He is now using Facebook to brag about his freedom, posting a status' messages and rude photos to mock the authorities who have been after him for months.

I love this man. I feel as if he is using Facebook to its fullest extent. For him to not only escape from a high security prison but to then "brag" about his escape, this man has guts. I loved reading this article because the author (who opted to remain anonymous) came off as angry, almost cynical that a man would abuse the Facebook that mr. anonymous grew to know and love.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/News-Corp-Chief-Executive-Rupert-Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch, an Australian born self made media billionaire Rupert Murdoch has "warned internet search engines the time has come for them to pay for news content."

Rupert has warned that search engines such as Google and yahoo will have to start paying for news content that they get from all their many sources. He said, "the aggregators and plagiarists will soon have to pay a price for the co-opting of our content." I think this is very silly. This idea was advocated at the world media summit in Beijing China. A media guru meeting house that discusses how "the media can deal with the challenges posed by the internet and changing technology." I cannot laugh at this. If it isn't on-line it is a dying art. And they either need to get on the band wagon or hope that search engines can support their "High End" lifestyles, otherwise the only people paying for there stories will be Google and Jeeves.

Risk Reward

Our good friends at Disney have splurged on quite the purchase. They have recently spent a grand total of 4 billion dollars in stock and cash, buying out our real friends at Marvel, incoherently inheriting more than 5000 Marvel characters to which they can manipulate and trifle with. Before I had nothing against the Disney coorp. but now its as if I have just handed over my first born child to a sorcerer with extreme power. This sorcerer is dangerous and will either take my baby and take him under his wing and make him the greatest thing since doing karate in the garage, or instantly without a second thought destroy him incredibly fast. Check this site for the positive side effects of this purchase at, http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/DisneyandMarvel/news/?a=10210

Social Technographics Explained

View more presentations from jbernoff.

Social Media

A study by the Forrester Research group shows that only 3% of the nations youth ages 18-24 are classified as inactive on social media. So is it safe to assume that in this day and age, these people are the people with "no life?" They are not on Facebook, or Twitter, or the less popular Myspace. Does this mean they must not have any friends? Of course it does. I alone on Facebook have over 400 friends, 400+ friends that love me, and help out on my farm, and comment on my pictures. This 3%, this socially  inept aren't in the whole social networking scene, but why not? Without a social network how will they ever know how many of there would be online friends are poking them, tagging them or notifying them of something redundantly unimportant. I would most enjoy meeting one of these 3%, on account of them either living in a hole, or not existing at all