Lululemon has is a brand known for the lifestyle and image they portray as much as their products, and as one young blogger writes “there is no reason that a pair of stretchy pants that cost less than five dollars to make cost you over $100, …… I wouldn’t mind so much if the product was innovative, or the pants could make me fly.”

However, though there are now multiple brands that offer knockoffs to many of Lululemons

key products, the business continues to do better than expected and they are continuing to grow internationally. This is because what Lululemon offers is more than a products, they offer a general lifestyle that people value more that the product itself.

Lululemon was the first, and they are doment force in the market which is unlikely to be removed in the near future.

Everyone dislikes that kid. You know who I mean, that one kid who threw bits of eraser at you or always ‘accidental’ stepped on the back of your foot. Yes, that one. But is Google+ really a bully in disguise?

Parents always teach their kids that ignoring a bully is the best way to stopping its behaviour, however, initial activity on Google+ seemed to suggest a different option. Curiosity about Googles next big project brought large numbers of views to the site who where wondering what Google could have possible come up with to compete with the likes of Facebook. However, KashmirKaur is correct in identifying Google+’s biggest error. In their attempt to differentiate themselves from other social networking sites, Google created its own niche function, but how much room do people having in their lives between earning a living in this ever competitive world, to TV, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

People only have so many hours in a day and Google’s failure to combine existing function into a more user friendly experiences means that their late entrance into the world of social networking will end in mediocrity. Though Google has seen success in almost all of its endeavours, Google+ appears to be a relative failure, at least for the time being.

Where the internet meets internet and then real life: Part 2.

Success is a term that is forever being defined and redefined by an ever changing world. Ze Frank created an entirely different category of success.

In 2001, in preparation for his birthday Ze created a How to Dance Properly guide, which was featured on his site. What started out as a joke grew to into millions of hits and the beginning of a different kind of internet. Before the popularization or even creation of sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Youtube, Ze Frank was creating the basis of personal internet connections. Small projects that targeted peoples day to day frustrations, internet experiments and comedic videos, Ze was able to take advantage of the accessibility to large numbers of people that the internet provides while maintaining the personal connections and loyalty of a conventional business. Unlike the rest of the internet, he wasn’t selling a product or filled with advertisement, which made him appeal to a larger audience. What Ze was doing was not essential to the processes and outcomes of peoples lives and yet he was able to engage an audience of great magnitude.

Ze Frank inspired a generation of internet content producers and along the way became successful at doing so. Without normal conventions or a nine to five job, Ze Frank inspired success.

“For me, experimentation is not about the technology. In an ever-changing technological landscape, where today’s platforms are not tomorrow’s platforms, the key seems to be that any one of these spaces can use a dose of humanity and art and culture.” -Ze Frank

Where Internet meets Internet, and then real life.

Advertisement to the masses used to be controlled by those who had the money and resources to have their products seen. However, as we see a decline in the consumption of conventional forms of media, their has also been a less noticeable shift in the methods of advertisement.

A great example of this is author and video blogger John Green. In 2007, John and his brother Hank started a video correspondence as the Vlogbrothers, which has grown into a subscriber base of over 500,000. However, what has made the brothers a force of great influence is the dedication of Nerdfighters, the community that surrounds the videos and content made by the brothers, and their impact has been immeasurable. Hank is now the organizer of the biggest online video conference, VidCon, as well as having his album, which is produced under DFTBA, the label he co-founded, chart on the Billboard 100.

John has perhaps seen an even greater impact made by his presence on the internet toward his already successful career as an author. The release of his most recent novel was announced via a live vlog on Youtube, which he tweeted about to his over 1 million followers. His book immediately reached number one on the Amazon and Barnes and Nobel sales. What may have been almost impossible for a small time young adult author has become a reality for John Green through the power of the internet.

Through Youtube comments, twitter, tumblr and even real life gathers, the brothers have been able to make what would have perviously been an impossible number of personal connections with their audience, and bigger successes are no doubt in their future.