Blog for MBA 734

In what other industries or areas would Threadless’ community-driven product development model work well?  And not so well?

Threadless' community-driven product develpoment would work well in industries where customers can provide and read feedback instantaneously. It's possible that in the industry of stationery, like wedding invitations it would work for a little while, but most likely not sustainable.  Anything that has a design aspect could create a similar community, it is the designers that are building the community. They're the ones that find out about it, and then help to promote it to a wider audience.

It wouldn't work so well, when there is a product that needs to be tasted or smelled.  Since there are limitations to what you can do currently with your computer. 

In what other industries or areas would Threadless’ community-driven product development model work well?  And not so well?

Threadless' community-driven product develpoment would work well in industries where customers can provide and read feedback instantaneously. It's possible that in the industry of stationery, like wedding invitations it would work for a little while, but most likely not sustainable.  Anything that has a design aspect could create a similar community, it is the designers that are building the community. They're the ones that find out about it, and then help to promote it to a wider audience.

It wouldn't work so well, when there is a product that needs to be tasted or smelled.  Since there are limitations to what you can do currently with your computer. 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing internal versus external employee blogs in a corporate setting?  Are there certain industries where one of these strategies makes more sense?

Allowing employees to voice their opinions internally through blogs I think allows a more detailed discussion to take place, not always on topic.  Taking away anonymity among employees could cause them to be more cautious in dealing with sensitive subjects, like HR,Compensation and Management issues.  In my company, we use a forum for internal communications between management and employees.  Some of the questions that get posed are informative, although others are more detailed, personal issues.  There are no names associated with the postings. Unfortunately, there isn't a high take rate among employees using this tool, and i think having an internal blog would have less employee support because of the openness.  Guidelines or suggested protocol needs to exist in both, internal and external blogging. 

I think in an industry where you have a lot of consumers using your product like a credit card, I would use an internal blog for product innovation.  You don't want your competitors stealing some of your best ideas by monitoring an open blog.  With an external blog, you lose all control of someone referencing your blog as a link on their blog. They could say negative things, and then point to you.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Brightcove’s business model?

Since the writing of the Electronic Arts Case the Sony Playstation 3 and

the Nintendo Wii have been released and both have online gaming capabilities. 

What’s your assessment of the current online gaming market?

The online gaming market has three major players, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. A component of social networking has been brought to the gaming industry, through online gaming.  There is always a competitor, most likely of your same skill level to play against or with at even the latest hours.  Online gaming allows relationships to develop between players, and it’s not always just about playing the game.

By interacting with other players through gaming, a player can interact with people who live in another city, state or country.

By participating in the online gaming market, these three players have been able to expand their audience.  The average age of players playing online is older than those traditionally thought of to makeup the video game market.  Additionally, since the downturn of the economy players are more likely to resort to doing things from home that cost less, than going out to an arcade or other such entertainment.

Who will win the competitive battle between P2P file sharing networks and iTunes over the long run and why?

The case seems to mention that iTunes isn't making money for the songs they sell after they take care of all expenses.  It is promoting the IPOD, which is making lots of money for Apple. So as long as the relationship between iTunes and the IPOD, or some sort of device exists, iTunes will continue over the long run.  As for the free P2P file sharing networks, if they continue to be subject to legal issues it will create an inconvenience for the consumer.  The consumer will have to keep switching, and it won't be profitable for companies to stay in business, when they are being run out of business by the law.  The P2P networks that you have to pay for will exist, as long as users contribute enough content to make the service worthwhile.  iTunes has the backing of a much bigger company, Apple and can sustain downturns in the market better than the smaller P2P file sharing networks.

ezBoard Case