Internet Marketing Assignment #2:Consumer Product Reviews (a form of "community" at e-commerce sites)

I went to Zappos.com and found a shoe I was interested in buying. The shoe that captured my eye was a pink sandal made by the brand Reef Costa Rica. By reading the customer reviews, I learned that this shoe was described by one customer as "a great flip-flop...comfortable from day one and super-stylish." Another customer described the reef sandal as "the perfect summer shoe." Practically every review I read stated that this reef sandal was the very comfortable, and dressier than most other flip flops. In addition most of them commented on the reef sandal's arch support, something they claimed was hard to find. One customer loved these sandals so much that she stated, "they are truly not only my fav sandals, but favorite shoes period!" After reading these reviews, I would definitely buy this shoe. How could I not buy a sandal that is super cute, comfortable, and affordable?!

It is a major advantage for consumers to read the reviews on Zappos.com because they can learn about the shoes before they buy them. They might think a shoe looks cute, but then after reading the reviews, they might learn that the shoe is difficult to walk in. Or they might find a shoe on Zappos.com and then read reviews like the ones I read and feel like the shoes are sooo...perfect, they would have to buy them. I think it is smart for Zappos.com to have reviews on its shoes for customers to read because it gives customers insight into the product they are considering buying, making Zappos.com look more reliable than other websites that do not offer reviews/insights into the products sold on their websites. It also makes Zappos.com look more customer friendly than other websites because it goes above and beyond to give its customers all the resources they need to buy the perfect shoe for them.

Personally I would recommend any website, including ones like Kencole.com who only sell their own brand of products, supplying customer reviews because it just make the website more customer friendly. In addition, it makes it easier for customers to compare the quality of different brands of products. For instance, maybe a customer saw a shoe on Zappos.com and then saw a similar shoe on Kencole.com. If the shoe on Kencole.com had a better review than the one on Zappos.com, then the customer would be more likely to buy the shoe found on Kencole.com. Having a section for customer reviews makes the website look more credible and trustworthy because it makes the website seem like that it has nothing to hide.

I really do not shop-online, but the one time I have, I have read the customer recommendations first. I was looking for a book and was told I could only buy it online, so I went to amazon.com and read the reviews on the vender before I bought the book to make sure I was buying the book from someone reliable. I would highly recommend any website to offer consumers recommendations from other previous customers to read because the internet is not as trustworthy of a place to buy products then an in-person store because it is still newer than the "old" way of doing business, and the customer does not receive the product he or she paid for right away; the or she has to wait for it. So, having recommendations on a website for consumers to read makes the entire shopping online experience more settling, reassuring, and trustworthy.

Mktg 430 Blog 1

People have found blogs to be extremely useful for business use, organizational use, marketing use, and media use.

For starters, blogs are useful to these different bodies of people because they provide them a platform to discuss and share their opinions, ideas, and thoughts. Now, through the use of the Internet, people do not need to own a printing press or a broadcasting studio to make their voices heard. Blogs and the Internet make it more accessible for these people to have a voice.

Similarly, blogs also make it easier for businesses to have a long-lasting customer relationship. Before the Internet was invented, the only interaction a company had with its consumers was when the organization was actually in the buying and selling process. However, now through the use of advanced technology, many businesses are starting blog sites, so they can provide customers with instant feedback on any problems the customer might be having with the product. Through blogging, many companies can read about themselves through their customers' prospective to see what they should keep about their services and what they can improve on to make their companies better. Blogs provide instant feedback on the company's performance.

Another advantage blogs give to companies is the idea of humanizing the company and making them more approachable. By giving the company a human voice, it might make its customers feel closer to the company, adding to the long lasting relationship between the organization and the consumer.

Blogs also make it easier for smaller companies with little money to become successful, for they are less expensive then wide spread advertising, but they still reach a mass variety of people. Blogs are aiding in the process of making the field of business equal and fair again. Small businesses now have access to a voice they did not have a decade ago. Blogging has helped small business become successful, for it is the ultimate word-of-mouth type of advertising/positioning most unknown companies are looking for.

Although blogs are extremely helpful in spreading a company's reputation or product line, these businesses that choose to use them must be careful not to make them look like traditional advertising, promotions, or marketing. Blogs need to be honest, fair, and well-balanced in order to be affective. If it sounds like an ad or promotional tool, then the bloggers who read the blog post will call it just that...an ad and promotional tool, discrediting the blog post and the company all at the same time. Blogs are suppose to have run-on sentences and grammatical errors, for that is what gives them the humanistic characteristic other marketing and promotional tools lack.

Blogs are not a fad; they are here to stay. As more and more people are learning about the technology of blogging and what it can do to help them, the more these companies and people in general want to see what its all about. Therefore, the use of blogging will probably only become more popular, sophisticated, and easier over time. As technology becomes for sophisticated, it will be even easier then it is now for people to access and read other's blogs.

As Journalism major, a class I took at my school had us create and write a blog on a particular topic for the entire semester. My group was assigned the topic of energy, so we had to look through three newspaper publications everyday and write about the news about energy for that day. Each person in the group blogged for two weeks. It was actually interesting to see the trends in our topic. It was also interesting to read the comments people left about what was happening in our society due to the increase in energy prices and consumers' reactions to them.

It might be interesting to see my department at my school start a blog about what is going on in the Journalism Department. It could be used as a platform for students to communicate with their professors and other students. I think it would give professors insight into what students think about them, their teaching tactics, and their classes. A blog can be a good way to make the entire department feel connected to each other.