America’s Favorite Store

October 4th, 2010 § 0 comments § permalink

Criticizing Walmart is quickly becoming a national past-time, second only to mocking Sarah Palin. There were individuals who were so considerate as to provide a channel for our Walmart-bashing—hence the creation of People of Walmart. For the uninitiated, this is a website dedicated to user-submitted photos of overweight, poorly dressed or simply awkward shoppers at the supermarket.

I am ashamed to admit, the site tweaked a few chuckles out of me. But, I have to wonder, why is there such an outpouring of hatred towards Walmart? Perhaps the competition between “mom and pop shops” versus the international conglomerate is too easily compared to David versus Goliath. As consumers, our sympathies go to the underdog. Allegations of predatory pricing and employee mistreatment certainly don’t help Walmart’s public image.

If any corporation is in urgent need of Community Relations 2.0, it is Walmart. In a SWOT analysis of the supermarket, negative public perception would be a blindingly obvious weakness. Social media is an important tool that the company needs to utilize to win over the public. I’m sure we won’t have to wait long before Walmart starts sending out friend requests on Facebook. Meanwhile? I’ll be a regular visitor of  peopleofwalmart.com.

Ban in Motion for Research in Motion

October 2nd, 2010 § 0 comments § permalink

Our visions of futuristic worlds often involve cyborgs, the perfect union of man and machine. So it was not without a certain amount of surprise, alarm even, when I found myself surrounded by cyborgs. Attached to their hands are Blackberries, acting as if they were a natural part of their bodies.

The Canadian Blackberry maker, Research in Motion, is not rejoicing its role in the new stage of evolution of man. It is under pressure to give the Indian government partial access to the information sent across the devices.

RIM is facing the dilemma of standing by their principles and refusing to give access or losing the significant Indian market. The Indian government argues that monitoring communications is necessary in order to combat terrorism. National security, some argue, should take precidence over personal privacy.

Others, however, say that would undermine personal privacy and corporate security. More than a question of ethics, Blackberry has gained a loyal following on the strength of its security features. If RIM concedes, it could potentially lose more customers to Apple and Google in the increasingly crowded smartphone market.

To give way or not give way, that is the question.

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