Start of COM 125

Hi guys, I am Clarissa. And this is my first blog entry for COM125 introduction to the internet. By the name of this class, one might think that it is an easy class because everyone knows about the internet, everyone uses it, what could be so difficult!

Sad to say, I was one of them. But I couldn't be more wrong when I attended my first class and realized that I knew nothing of how the internet actually works. The mechanics and technicalities behind the internet system. How it works and how it is simplified so that the end users, 'us' could utilize it to make our lives so much more efficient.

There's this thing called cloud computing which I still have yet to get a firm grasp on and then there is this class about social networking which I am extremely interested in. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and a long list down is something we are all familiar with and use on a daily basis, I for one would say that I cannot live a day without scrolling through my Facebook page.

We use it for free, but has anyone ever thought about how these social networking sites make money if everything seems to be for free for us end users? Besides advertising of course, there are other ways Facebook monetize their website and thus making Mark Zuckerberg the youngest billionaire. If you haven't already guess, income from advertisement is just a drop in the bucket for the tons of money they make every day.

Companies are now also looking to social networking sites to publicize their businesses. While it sounds great in theory, I for one think that it is a lousy idea because there is no conversion rate, people don't readily buy your product, sure, they do learn more about your products. But what is the pull, in my opinion, I still think that traditional marketing works best.

Perhaps I am severely wrong and am just making a fickle assessment of how social networking works, I still have more to learn & looking forward to the next class!