Final Analytical Memo

After reviewing all of the prospective businesses, the companies that I would invest in would be Natalie’s website on Student Debt, Alex’s on Caribbean baseball and the Apartment-Mom.com site. I think the reason these ideas would be successful is because there is a hole in the market for them. I really liked that Natalie took her own experiences of student debt and realized that every college student is in the same boat as her. Being able to go to her site to find where the best financial aid is and making the financial statistics an “easy-read” guide in a way would be extremely helpful to students who have no idea what to expect in the long-run. Another idea that was extremely creative was the Caribbean baseball. Although I am not a huge sports fan, I thought the idea was interesting when it came to following teams outside of the U.S. and giving the public some different info to follow during the off-season. I think that by following a different nation and culture would be really interesting. Finally, Apartment-Mom.com seemed to be beneficial to those college freshmen that have entered the “real world” on their own and may be in need of some assistance. Providing recipes I thought was a very good idea, especially for the guys, along with any other useful info that could help a college freshman survive their first academic year. I think this site would gain a lot of hits as long as it served to what college tips were needed. The only thing I would be hesitant on is the title. As other investors spoke to this, there may be some backlash from feminists who don’t want to be seen as the “mom” that is responsible for all the cooking and cleaning etc.  All three of these sites provide info that is unavailable on any other platform and I think would be the most successful when it comes to building an entrepreneurial empire. 

CATCH A CELEBRITY POWERPOINT

You can find my powerpoint for catchacelebrity.com here on my WordPress blog.

Commercials and Public Broadcast

I found it really interesting how the at one point in time a sponsor was only allowed abut 5 seconds to disclose they supported the current show on television and how quickly that jumped to having 5 seconds to 20 seconds to not only support the program but to sell themselves. For instance when we talked about Coca-Cola in class and when they went from supporting the show as a sponsor to then selling their new latest and greatest flavor. The world of television is always an interesting one.

Independent Media

I've really enjoyed learning more about the world of independent media and what it really means for a company or business to declare themselves as independent. This class has not only explored the important journalistic aspects of topics that were reported on, but also from a business standpoint at how these companies bring in their revenue, remain popular with the public and therefore sustaining successfulness. The class has made me think what I could personally do when it comes to a journalism start-up that may just be "the next big thing." I've also found it interesting to be able to look at a website and to pick it apart and see what works well for the consumer/ audience or what needs improvement. A lot of it has to do with how visually pleasing the site is to someone and how easy it is to navigate and use properly. This class overall has really instilled a business savy mind in me to always be on the lookout for potential "homerunners" when it comes to an idea that might change the Internet.

A Checklist for Becoming Entrepreneurially Successful

I really like the checklist that Adam Westbrook provided in how to successfully launch a journalism start-up idea. If we remember to ask ourselves these questions I think it will definitely save a lot of time in terms of how quickly the idea will launch, as well as the target audience that it is intended to reach. They're simple questions to ask that we may not have thought of otherwise and what most people probably accidentally overlook. In a world where there is so much citizen competition for Internet space and popularity, this list may be what sets your start-up apart from others, hopefully bringing in more money in a quicker amount of time.

Net Neutrality

I think that although there are pros and cons to each side of the issue between Google, Verizon and the FCC, there should be some kind of net neutrality enforced so there is a watchdog on all matters. Although the FCC might play a limited role in this position I think it would be better if a third party stepped in from time to time and not relying solely on self-regulation. Check out the article for net neutrality here.

America's Broadband Infrastructure

Wow! The next time you are sitting cursing at your computer because it won't connect to the Internet, take a look at this! http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/08/26/american-broadband-infrastructure-a-national-embarrassment/. I really like how this article takes a global perspective when looking at the world's internet speeds and comparing them, and guess who's pretty low on the totem pole-- the U.S. What a statistic that even after President Obama spends billions of dollars on increasing our broadband system that it is still estimated to take up to 15 years before we would catch up to South Korea. With so many people connecting with friends and family via the Internet and with all the new video chat programs making global connections easier, it is an essential that we continue to make broadband a priority so that not only can we stay connected but so that we can "hold our own with the rest of the industrialized world," Sam Gustin said.