Google’s new social media play?

Google Buzz looks like a social media hub built into your Gmail account.  This is  Google’s latest move in their ongoing battle with Facebook to keep users in their respected ecosystems as the experience web. Interestingly the video mentions integration with Twitter but not Facebook.

They’ve also got a mobile version of Buzz that incorporates location based information and tagging.   So Buzz may compete with startups FourSquare and Yelp’s new augmented reality tool Monocle.

What are your thoughts?  Will Google Buzz pose a threat to Facebook or any of your other social media tools?

Netflix Operations

So class was canceled again tonight; more snow in the forecast for today and tomorrow and GMU decided to make a preemptive strike.  Since we were supposed to talk about the Netflix case tonight, here’s a look into how they’re distribution centers work.

See you next week, hopefully…

Watch PBS’s Digital Nation Online

PBS’s Frontline ran a 90 minute special called Digital Nation about how the Internet and devices are changing our lives, culture, business, and relationships.  You can watch the full episode online on PBS.org.

Doodle 4 Google

Last week in MIS 440 we talked about the business model behind Logomyway.com and leveraging the web to crowdsource design work.  This week Google has announced a contest for K-12 students to compete in designing a new homepage doodle for Google.  The theme is “If I could do anything, I would..”, very reminiscent of the Reading Rainbowtheme song from when I was a kid!

Mason Winter Wonderland

Well, I guess canceling classes last night was justified, we did get a lot of snow for Virginia.  I had to come in to school early this morning, despite the late opening.  Mason looked beautiful with all the snow covered trees and buildings.  More photos after the jump (photos taken with an iPhone).

MIS 440 Blogs

New MIS 440 Blogs page will have the blogroll for this semester’s eCommerce course.  Richard Bristow was the first to send in his URL.

MBA 734 Blogroll

The list of class blogs for this semester can be found on the new MBA 734 Blogs tab.  Kimberly Miles was the first to create her new blog, followed shortly by Lenny Lopez and Victor Rossi.  Send me your links. :)  Also, try playing around with the settings and themes in WordPress and Blogger to customize the look and feel of your blog.  Happy Blogging!

Advertising in a Nutshell

Great skit from the British sketch comedy show That Mitchell and Webb Look.

Wigan players to refund fans

After being routed 9-1 by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, the players of Wigan Athletic have pledged to payback the ticket price to their fans in attendance.  There seemed little Wigan could do with Tottenham in top form, led by Jermain Defoe’s three goals scored in about 7 minutes early in the second half.  Amidst all the recent scandal, violence, and cheating in association football, this is quite the gesture from the players; something I wouldn’t expect to see, and an interesting idea for an incentive mechanism for professional athletes.

Pay what you want for a concert

The pay-what-you-like music pricing model that was popularized by the innovative band Radiohead is now being trialed for an upcoming show at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee.  It’s being marketed as “self-determined pricing” and the Theater’s site lists out several points about this pricing model to help encourage customers to find their appropriate willingness to pay:

Pabst Theater if you’re listening – it would be very interesting to see the data on the actual ticket sales for this event. :)