http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122937013420507837.html
"Ways Job Seekers Can Find Old Contacts"
-By Dana Mattioli
Wall Street Journal
This Wall Street Journal article discusses the importance of networking during a person's career. It was inspired by people who have been laid off during the recent economic situation. These are professionals who have worked for the same company or few companies over their career life. When these people found themselves without work, they realized their networks were a little stale. Some contacts were difficult to track down, and they found themselves facing dead ends. The article recommends, however, that people continue to network with people throughout their careers. Also, for these people who are in that situation now, they must continue trying and making connections with other business professionals. This includes reconnecting with people from the past, and Decemeber and January are a great time for that. Online networking sites, including LinkedIn and Plaxo, are a great help with getting reconnected with people, and even being introduced to their friends. It also stated that individuals should not give up, and to continue meeting people, putting themselves out there, and not be afraid to alk to those they haven't spoken to in years.
This article intrigued me because, as a soon-to-be (hopefully) recent grad, I have only thought of networking now to get that first job. I guess in my first-job state of mind, I feel as though networking is just something you do to get that first job, and then it is downhill from there-no more effort needed. Articles like this make me realize that a career is a process, and I will be moving around as part of my career growth. Also, it seems as though the internet is allowing job-seekers to have opportunities more readily available to them than ever before. They can search the internet for jobs, and now they can network and meet people through this medium as well. I have heard a lot about LinkedIn through networking events here at ONU and through professors, and to hear of its popularity in this article as well convinces me even more that it is a tool that can help a multitude of people connect to each other.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Internet Cellphones
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122844530354182063.html
Poorer Nations Go Online on Cellphones
-Wall Street Journal Online
According to this article, many mobile-technology companies are seeing opportunities for growth due a large influx of people using their cellphones as a means of surfing the internet. Many countries that have poor telecommunication lines have turned to their cellphones as a way of keeping up with the times and internet use. In fact, Opera Software ASA, a company that makes Internet browsers for mobile phones, says that it is growing most rapidly in Indonesia, Egypt, and Russia. Another company that sends ads to Internet handsets, AdMob Inc., reports that Asia has overtaken North America in October as its largest market. One woman from Jakarta, Indonesia said that she uses her cellphone to look at social-networking sites and email, and it costs her $25 a month, similar to a home Internet connection, even though she is online constantly. While Internet connections for phones have been slow in the past, they have definitely approved and are now even faster than home connections in some cases.
While I know several people who do, I do not use my phone as a means of connecting to the Internet. This concept seems to definitely make sense for poorer countries without access to great Internet connections at home, yet I find it a little surprising that it is catching on so quickly other places, too. I don’t want to mess with the small screen on my cellphone and type on the mini keys just to check my email, when I can wait a few minutes or even an hour before I get home to do so. I would think that this would be annoying for users, but I guess if getting the information is urgent, or access to a computer is difficult to find, it makes sense. I think I will just need to be more open-minded I guess to catch up with the times, even though some may think this is odd, as our generation is seen as being so “tech-savvy”. Yet, while I had never thought of this before, I think it is a great resource for other countries who do not have the same Internet access as we do.
Poorer Nations Go Online on Cellphones
-Wall Street Journal Online
According to this article, many mobile-technology companies are seeing opportunities for growth due a large influx of people using their cellphones as a means of surfing the internet. Many countries that have poor telecommunication lines have turned to their cellphones as a way of keeping up with the times and internet use. In fact, Opera Software ASA, a company that makes Internet browsers for mobile phones, says that it is growing most rapidly in Indonesia, Egypt, and Russia. Another company that sends ads to Internet handsets, AdMob Inc., reports that Asia has overtaken North America in October as its largest market. One woman from Jakarta, Indonesia said that she uses her cellphone to look at social-networking sites and email, and it costs her $25 a month, similar to a home Internet connection, even though she is online constantly. While Internet connections for phones have been slow in the past, they have definitely approved and are now even faster than home connections in some cases.
While I know several people who do, I do not use my phone as a means of connecting to the Internet. This concept seems to definitely make sense for poorer countries without access to great Internet connections at home, yet I find it a little surprising that it is catching on so quickly other places, too. I don’t want to mess with the small screen on my cellphone and type on the mini keys just to check my email, when I can wait a few minutes or even an hour before I get home to do so. I would think that this would be annoying for users, but I guess if getting the information is urgent, or access to a computer is difficult to find, it makes sense. I think I will just need to be more open-minded I guess to catch up with the times, even though some may think this is odd, as our generation is seen as being so “tech-savvy”. Yet, while I had never thought of this before, I think it is a great resource for other countries who do not have the same Internet access as we do.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
"Online Shopping to Plateau As Slump Hits Cyberspace
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122764819199157439.html
"Online Shopping to Plateau As Slump Hits Cyberspace"
-from The Wall Street Journal Online
An article written by Christopher Lawton, entitled "Online Shopping to Plateau As Slump Hits Cyberspace", discusses the current economic situation and its impact on online retailers, as found by the market research firm comScore Inc. According to comScore, these retailers are facing stagnant numbers, rather than the growth they are used to. For the first 23 days of November, sales numbers had decreased by 4% from the year before. Also, October saw only a 1% increase, when in the past, double-digit increases were the norm. The research firm predicts that in November and December, these sales numbers will be the same as last year. Andrew Lipsman, a senior manager at comScore thinks that the current decline in numbers is due to Holiday shoppers who are waiting to shop when they think they can get better deals. He, along with online retailers, hope this is the case. In a study of Holiday shoppers, 46% said they would buy gifts that were less-expensive, and 47% said they planned on buying fewer gifts to save money. The sales in previous months this year have held up well before October, growing 9% from the previous year.
I found this article most interesting in the fact that the current economic "crisis" we have all been hearing about hasn't hit online shopping until recently. With all the news about decreased spending, I'm surprised this decrease or slowdown did not occur sooner. It seems as though many items that are purchased online are also those that would not be considered "necessities", which also aids to my surprise at this delay. I am not sure that Holiday sales will pick up, and this idea seems optimistic to me. I know many people, personally, who are cutting back on gift-giving this year, along with hearing of others who are participating in the same trend. Perhaps a drastic decrease in gas prices has also contributed to the lack in online sales, as people may feel they can actually drive to the store to purchase the item rather than spend the money on shipping.
"Online Shopping to Plateau As Slump Hits Cyberspace"
-from The Wall Street Journal Online
An article written by Christopher Lawton, entitled "Online Shopping to Plateau As Slump Hits Cyberspace", discusses the current economic situation and its impact on online retailers, as found by the market research firm comScore Inc. According to comScore, these retailers are facing stagnant numbers, rather than the growth they are used to. For the first 23 days of November, sales numbers had decreased by 4% from the year before. Also, October saw only a 1% increase, when in the past, double-digit increases were the norm. The research firm predicts that in November and December, these sales numbers will be the same as last year. Andrew Lipsman, a senior manager at comScore thinks that the current decline in numbers is due to Holiday shoppers who are waiting to shop when they think they can get better deals. He, along with online retailers, hope this is the case. In a study of Holiday shoppers, 46% said they would buy gifts that were less-expensive, and 47% said they planned on buying fewer gifts to save money. The sales in previous months this year have held up well before October, growing 9% from the previous year.
I found this article most interesting in the fact that the current economic "crisis" we have all been hearing about hasn't hit online shopping until recently. With all the news about decreased spending, I'm surprised this decrease or slowdown did not occur sooner. It seems as though many items that are purchased online are also those that would not be considered "necessities", which also aids to my surprise at this delay. I am not sure that Holiday sales will pick up, and this idea seems optimistic to me. I know many people, personally, who are cutting back on gift-giving this year, along with hearing of others who are participating in the same trend. Perhaps a drastic decrease in gas prices has also contributed to the lack in online sales, as people may feel they can actually drive to the store to purchase the item rather than spend the money on shipping.
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