MORE Open Source!

So this is my final post. I covered all the topics because we had a few repeats like this so I'll cover it again. Open Source software allows uses to access source codes so the software can developed and modified. There is practically open source software for every conventional program out there. SourceForge is a great resource. I'm not into open source that much because I'm not much of a techy but I definitely have used a fair share of the software. I just wish I knew how to develop...

Advertising and open source stuff haven't married yet but with companies like Google who are open source proponents and advertising giants, it will happen one day. Upon doing research for another class, I've come to find out that Google has been in the open source game for a while. With things like Google Code and ownership of Android Inc., a mobile open source software company, we are only scratching the surface of advancement with this technology. It will be interesting how Google will change the dynamics of the field once it can figure out how open source and advertising can build off each other.

Well, speaking on Google and its open source endeavors, it recently released the Google Nexus One. This is its first flagship phone that they fully have all the rights to (G1 and MyTouch were also "Google" phones"). The phone runs on the Android operating system which is open source. Why is this important? Well, this makes it the only open source phone on the market. There are a few other phones that run the Android OS such as the Droid from Verizon but the Nexus One is THE phone for open sourcing apparently. Open source mobile devices allow for personalization and development by the user. They can easily make they own apps and fix bugs in the phone much more quickly than traditional updates. Should be interesting to see where this takes us.

Here's Google's Nexus One site.

Second Life

"Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe". Although I've never been interested, this game is pretty intense. You can mimic virtually ANY real life thing, even relationships. In some instances, I see where this can be beneficial to someone with low self esteem or interpersonal skill or communication problems, but Second Life is being abused in some senses. There are so many stories out there where Second Life mimics or effects people's real lives. There is some good in the idea, don't get me wrong, but something has to be done about these negative effects.

Second Life can definitely be used for advertising. If an advertiser wants to target that particular audience, they know exactly where to go. Advertising in games is not uncommon. Video games have increasingly more advertising and product placement and brand alignments these days. Lord knows how much more that will increase. Even Barack Obama's presidential campaign placed advertising in EA Games in 2008!

There is a darker side coming to light with users of Second Life-like gaming. There have been published reports from CNN breaking news of "rape games" like Second Life. Virtually reality wolds where users take advantage of innocent "characters". Horrible-i know. I guess there's no way of keeping things wholesome these days.

Here's an article on it.

Gaming, Teaching & Learning

With more and more use of the Internet and interactivity in education, it is easy to forecast an increase in educational gaming. Growing up, gaming in the classroom was mainly used as a supplement to traditional forms of education tools. Today, as technology advances and more and more people take advantage of the Internet, people are using technology for more interesting ways of teaching and learning. Now, games aren't just for "kids in the classroom". Professionals and people coming up in the academia are using educational games in their field. This is quite interesting but I feel that these games are more experience and understanding based, a modified and elevated form of education. It isn't just learning concepts such as math and spelling, it provides and understanding of a concept or real life ideas in the field that traditional academia can't.

Being that these educational games are now advancing in this manner, more around teaching an experience, advertising can and has used this for brands, products and campaigns. Interactive media such as games are very common in the field today. The education part is the twist. In the earlier stages of campaigns, especially those centered around introducing a new product or feature in a product, consumers need information so that's what we as advertisers focus on. These "educational" games can be such an easy way to engage a consumer and teach them what we need to about the product or brand in contrast to traditional media.

This is a great example!

Although it sells less of an experience related directly to what is being sold like I explained before, this particular part of Orbitz has helped to build brand awareness and equity as people have come to love these games. It helps to get impressions on the brand name and drive traffic to the real Web site where the product is actually being showed. Clever and unconventional was to work in the field is always the best way to go.

Distance Learning

Distance learning is a very interesting topic. It takes many forms but in most cases, it takes the student out of the classroom and allows them to access course material, turn in work, and take test from remote locations. This type of curriculum is becoming widely accepted and used in classes on all levels of education. There are many benefits to this including allowing those who a distanced geographically or in other outstanding situations to be educated. High schools allow virtual classrooms for students who aren't in school, need other classes that can't fit on their schedule, or just want to explore another course. I took one class in Florida Virtual School myself. What is more popular is distance education in post-high school curriculum. There are many courses offered on college campuses that are strictly online. I know I've taken a few. This form of education is very expensive whether the cost be for the provider or deferred to the user and security over the Internet is always an issue.

Distance education can be helpful in any field. In many instances, people start their career and realize they want to do post-graduate work. Many jobs will pay for this while you still work for the company but it is difficult to truly go to school and work a full time job. Many turn to online coursework through universities. The University of Phoenix is a well known online education institution that many people have received degrees from the school. I know I want to go directly into the advertising field after I graduate so I will probably resort to an online university to further my education.

Here is a distance learning college guide!

There are so many resources like this where you can find information about distance learning coursework. I know I saw an ad for an online marketing program from the University of San Francisco based out of Tampa and immediately got interested. That is potentially what I will go with when I decide to continue my education. With Google at peoples' disposal, finding distance education programs of any sort should be hard at all.