Posts from — October 2010

Instead of studying for my OB midterm or writing my Comm 101 Lieber case analysis essay… thing, I logged onto Youtube, checked my subscriptions and watched of a couple of videos, when I suddenly remembered about the Youtube Partner Program. I guess I’d have to admit that I’m a HUGE Youtube geek, who worships “celebrity Youtubers“, or “persons or groups who have grown to prominence because of their appearance in videos on Youtube”. A while ago, I had this dream of becoming someone famous on Youtube, so naturally, I looked up what one had to do to become, you know, a Youtube celebrity. I found out that almost all of these Youtubers shared one thing in common: being a Youtube Partner. Of course, I thought I’d try to be cool and apply for it as well (as you can see, it’s dated 2008):

I also learned from this website that Youtube partners will/can

1. make $2.5 to $5 per 1000 video views
2. get paid $.05 per subscriber
3. make $.01 per channel view
4. make money through ads and sponsors

For example, my favorite Youtuber communitychannel, or the most subscribed Australian Youtuber, has 775, 852 subscribers, 37,657,473 channel views, and her most viewed video has 37,657,473 plays. This means that she might have made $94,143 + $38,792 + $376, 574 = a lot of $$$. Just by posting videos online. Some people have gotten incredibly well-known because of Youtube. People like Justin Bieber (singer) and Charice Pempengco (aka the new girl on Glee) can trace their popularity roots to Youtube, while others like John Green (author), Juan Mann (the guy who started the free hugs campaign) and Peter Schiff (financial broker, businessman and politician) have managed to gain popularity by promoting themselves and/or sharing their message and talents via video format on Youtube.

There are even Youtubers like sxephil and charlieissocoollike who have allegedly quit their jobs and dropped out of school because they’re making enough money just by being a Youtube partner. I don’t know about you, but I would really like to join this Youtube Partner Program asap.

Next year, Singapore Airlines will begin installing technology in dozens of planes to let passengers surf the Internet on board, during the flight. This new technological feature will also allow passengers to make airbourne phone calls. However, Singapore Airlines is still on the fence about whether passengers should be able to talk on the phone during flights. Besides risking the cellphone’s interference with the airplane’s navigation system, this feature might also turn a “crowded, airborne cabin into a flying phone booth”.

I generally hate flying. I have a HUGE phobia of flying which is sadly extremely ironic as I am an international student. I’ve lived in four different countries and fly on a plane at least six times a year. However, after reading this article about the new technological advancements Singapore Airlines has made and how it can offer passengers the ability to surf the web while in flight; the Facebook-addict in me jumped and my heart started racing. How awesome would it be to be able to chat with friends as a distraction from a major panic attack that usually results from my aviophobia?

Virgin Airlines already does offer this beautiful amenity that’s a thousand times better than all the complimentary bagged pretzels and cashews that other airlines offer. Having WiFi on flights would be a great business strategy that would benefit business travelers, honeymooners and families. One would be able to send off work reports, upload photos from a vacation, or simply pass time by watching Youtube videos.

I’m a straight up Facebook addict. I spend hours and hours each day on this site. Needless to say, when I heard that a Facebook movie was coming out in theatres, I got really excited. I jumped on the 99 B-Line to the downtown Scotiabank theatre to watch The Social Network on opening night.

Knowing nothing about the history of Facebook, I was shocked to find out that Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook creator, might have acted in unethical ways in order to get Facebook to where it is today. With more than 500 million users, it has knocked other social networking websites such as Friendster and Myspace out of the ring. Three other Harvard students insist that they first came up with the original idea and that Zuckerberg stole their idea. Mark Zuckerberg, also allegedly got into a feud with his best friend and co-founder of Facebook, Eduardo Saverin, over shares of the company.

Now, I was just wondering, is this all really worth it? Getting into lawsuits with classmates and fall outs with your best friend in order to create this company that has impacted the lives of millions of people all over the world? As a consumer, or user of Facebook, I’m so grateful to Zuckerberg and everything he’s done- no matter what he did.  I’m all for business ethics and acting in honest, transparent manners; however, if Zuckerberg acted that way, maybe we wouldn’t have Facebook today. Like the tagline of The Social Network states, “You don’t get 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”

Extra links:

–Fun statistics about Facebook

–Interview with Mark Zuckerberg

–Information about Eduardo Saverin

If you’ve never heard of Grey’s Anatomy before, this short video summarizes basically “everything” you need to know about the TV show. It’s a highly popular American medical drama TV program that has won a couple of awards. As I was searching the wonderful Internet for interesting articles to blog about, I stumbled upon this article on the NY Times website titled “Fictional-Hospital Scrubs for Real-Life Doctors”. Article author Rob Walker’s friend had been at the hospital when she realized that her nurses and doctors were wearing scrubs with “Grey’s Anatomy” tags on them.

$22 Barco Uniform "Grey's Anatomy" Scrubs

Turns out, “Grey’s Anatomy” scrubs made by Barco Uniforms have been popular with medical professionals since they were first produced in 2006. These scrubs, made for “outstanding, extended performance” is not only made for work, but is also considered one of the pioneers of “fashion-scrubs”. With these advantages, paired with its advertisement on Grey’s Anatomy, Barco Uniforms is now a leader in the “medical-scrub world”.

Walker notes, “How odd is it that a profession that asks people to trust its members to take life-or-death actions would advertise a brand based on a TV show on the job?” While it is odd, I don’t think this should be a big deal, however. The hospital’s quality should be based on its work, and not on the scrubs they wear. Still, tt’s so interesting how much the media can do to promote an item. As a die-hard fan of the show, I would for sure run out to buy myself these scrubs as soon as possible. I mean, if I were a surgeon, or something. Not sure how Sauder feels about scrubs though…

In today’s society, young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents. With about 50% of girls and 33% of boys engaging in unhealthy weight control behaviors such as fasting, skipping meals, using laxatives, or smoking to control appetites; the diet industry including diet foods, programs and drugs) takes in over $40 billion each year and continues to grow. Children, teenagers, young adults and adults now battle the negative messages sent through the media that is indirectly affecting our choices and behavior. A shocking figure of only 2% of women in the world today would describe themselves as “beautiful”.

However, some companies such as Dove has taken this controversy and turned it into a highly profitable asset that has given them a distinct “pro-natural beauty” brand. Even a Facebook group, this campaign is extremely popular. Two years back, the UBC journalism service posted an article “Dove’s Campaign for real… profits?” pointing out that “maybe the real question is whether we should we even care” and that this campaign might only exist solely to make profits. Even though this might be Dove’s ulterior motive, I fully support their organization and what they do.  They have managed to create a one-of-a-kind marketing campaign. When you say Dove, the first thing I’ll think of is their self-esteem fund and all the work that they’ve done to promote self-confidence and their support of a wider definition of beauty, beyond typical stereotypes. With this in mind, of course I would consume more of their products.