I've gotta have the new Sony Playstation Digital 3D, 3G, laptop virtual cell phone Kindle credit card On-Demand home theater!

Digital convergence is changing the way people conduct their day to day lives.  With so many options available when it comes to entertainment, mobile service, and IT needs, it is difficult to choose.  As a result of these difficult choices, many companies are now offering all of these services encompassed in one device.  This is convienient for consumers, because they now have the luxury of having several services and only one bill to pay.  It can also prove to be beneficial for the companies offering the services, because now, people that are on a budget and may have not been able to previously afford services can now purchase a device that offers several services -- Hence, every company gets a piece of the digital pie.  Companies that may not have gotten a consumer's business can now attract new customers. 

It is believed that digital service providers will ultimately merge into one entity, and become the largest grossing company out of any major corporation.  The one thing that sparks a bit of paranoia in me, however, is the "Big Brother" theory.  With all the satellite-propelled devices on the market now, it feels as if us civilians can always be seen -- wherever we are.  Privacy is a luxury that is long gone.

As far as employment is concerned, digital convergence is great.  It is now possible to attend a business meeting while on vacation. 

Even though digital convergence can be convienient, it can also be rather disturbing.  Even before writing this blog, I've often wondered what would individuals do if their coveted devices suddenly failed them?  Would individuals be able to function normally if they were not able to do any and everything at once.  This very topic is what gave me the idea for my blog title, "Electronic Submission Replacing Human Tradition."  It seems as if people have gotten accustomed to having only one way of doing things (digitally).  I do not think it is good to know only one way to do any task.  You must have alternative methods.  A great example of this, is the young generation with their "texting" language.  This texting lingo has gotten so bad, that young people are actually starting to turn in school work using this language ( I know; I'm a teacher).  I wonder if some of the students are even aware that this new way of writing is not accepted as being grammatically correct.  These are the types of problems that arise from digital conversion.  They may seem trivial at first; however, they can become more serious as our daily lives require us to do less.

Don't Call Us; We'll Facebook You!

Facebook, Twitter, and Google Buzz, along with several other social networking sites are now being strategically utilized by various organizations to raise awareness about their companies.  Organizations are using these sites for tasks like marketing, recruiting potential employees, and even boosting workplace morale.  The social nature of these types of sites allow organizations to become more accessible, and not come across so cold and formal.  Corporate organizations and the like now have a venue where they can foster a "family" type of atmosphere to appeal to a broader demographic. 

For companies, one of the main benefits of being linked to a social network is the "cool factor."  Beign on Facebook and Twitter allows companies to appear to be hip or trendy.  This may seem trivial; however, this aspect can be very influential over twenty-somethings who are fresh out of college and looking for a place to work.  Many companies are estatic to now have a tool they can use to appeal to recent college grads; it affords them the opportunity to draw new young talent.

Some of the creative strategies that have been employed by organizations in order to utilize social networking sites to their maximum potential are interesting to say the least.  For example, according to buzz marketing daily, a website called JobNob uses Twitter to tweet its "cool job" of the day; a restaurant called Market Street tweets daily menu updates; and police are now even using Facebook to track down criminals and fight crime.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to utilizing sites that connects droves of people who, under normal circumstances, would not be able to stay in touch with one another.

Social networking offers smiliar benefits as Creative Commons when it comes to the independent artist or the entrepreneur.  Social networking sites can be utilized to "leak" information about individuals who are trying to promote themselves or their business, and they can actually create a public interest in their product by presenting it as the next big thing on one of these sites.  An example of this would be an author who creates a page on Facebook for his/her novel -- when people become fans of that page, then it has the potential to create a domino effect: their friends become fans, then their friends, etc., until the author has a New York Times best-seller!  With the advent of sites like these, PR/advertising departments can be cut in half.  That may not be good for the PR and advertising folks, but it is good for the organizations that are saving money while generating a much larger buzz than their human advertising specialists could.

http://mashable.com/2009/02/24/top-10-social-sites-for-finding-a-job/
http://blog.thekbuzz.com/2009/02/25-innovative-ways-companies-are-using-twitter-that-you-may-not-have-heard-of-yet.html
http://marketing.about.com/od/internetmarketing/a/facebookmktg.htm
http://about.digg.com/how
http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/online/socialnetworking2.htm