Kindle Update

It happened. I almost spoke too soon! I received a belated birthday gift from my boyfriend and it was a Kindle Paperwhite. I was slightly hesitant, but already downloaded and read a free book about Kate Middleton's life (it was suggested, along with about 4 other books on her life...)

I didn't mind it, though I was slightly weirded out not really knowing how much was left. Sure it told me the percentage, but I am used to judging by seeing pages.

I then realized I need a cover, as I a known to be bit of a klutz. Although I have yet to pick one out, I discovered that if I get one that is like a book, it will be like holding a book in my hands. Problem solved!

More updates to come on the transition after I finish my finals and graduate!

Kindle Takeover

In my Mobile Media Management course a few weeks ago, I was the only one in the classroom who did not own a tablet. Many were shocked to discover this, but they also did not know about my lifelong obsession with books, and my dream of someday having my own library in my house. How am I going to build my library collection with all electronic books? I wouldn't be able to, so I've kept on buying physical books (and, for the record, so do many girls in my book club, so I know I'm not alone).

But I do love change. And technology. So it is sort of absurd I do not have a tablet, I will agree.

With Amazon's recent announcement about Amazon Source, a program that allows Kindle's to be sold  in bookstores, I am starting to wonder if the death of the indie bookstore will come sooner in my life than I expected... and maybe it's time to get a tablet and start living in 2013 (almost 2014).

Not having a tablet is sort of a choice (and sort of because I pay expensive NYU grad school tuition). I have a MacBook Air, which is super light so I have no problem carrying it with me wherever I go,  I have an iPhone for staying connected on the go, and the used books I buy on Amazon are cheaper than the tablet versions.

Also, I'm sort of overwhelmed about the choices. I love Apple products, so the iPad seems like a great choice, but at heart I am a book lover and the Kindle Fire seems to be calling my name. Instead of choosing, I just don't choose and therefore, am tablet-less.

I have a ridiculous fear that a tablet reader will for some reason not provide me the same joy as a physical book. For me, reading has always been my escape. I understood what it was like to have sisters by reading one of my all time favorites, Little Women. I got an insider peek at what it was like to be married to one of the most hated American Presidents through Laura Bush's Memoir, and what it was like to be a teenager and having an affair with one of America's most popular Presidents, JFK. I fell in love with old New York through Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence and my fear is that for some strange reason, the experience on a tablet will not be the same.

Call me crazy. I know this is ridiculous. I see a tablet in my future. I will let you know how it goes.

More Data, More Problems?

This past weekend at the Legends of Summer concert at Yankee Stadium, Jay Z rapped his famous line "more money, more problems." As I stood there, in the 99 degree heat, watching a man with jewelry on him worth more than all the jewelry I will probably ever own, on stage in front of thousands of his fans, I wondered "did having more money really bring Jay Z more problems?!"

I obviously understand the concept. The more of something you have, the more you have to deal with it and manage it. Same goes for big data. The world suddenly is overwhelmed by all the information available at our fingertips. According to Google's Eric Schmidt, in 2 days, humans can create the same amount of information that it took from the beginning of time until 2003 to create.

As someone who spends most of their day using numbers and results to prove that an ad campaign was effective, or that a target consumer is in X, Y o r Z advertising medium, I was nodding my head while reading the Harvard Business Review article Advertising Analytics 2.0. I was in total agreement with the statement about how all of the new data can take an existing marketing budget but re-allocate it and create a 10-50% performance increase. Too often I see media bought and sold based on what people like or don't like, all while ignoring statistics.

Check out one Big Data Evangelist's POV

But then I read about Netflix knowing "House of Cards" was going to be a huge success before they even began filming, because they had so much data on consumers they knew what it took to make a hit show.

Is this scary?

Well, Netflix has over 30 million subscribers, and knows what those subscribers watch and when they watch and what they like. I'd be concerned if they were just sitting on that data and crossing their fingers hoping for the best financially...especially in this economy.

For a second, I was worried I was being brainwashed by Netflix, and whoever else was targeting me based on my online behavior.

But then I realized: I'm too busy to research the millions of shows and movies and products there are out there. It could legitimately take me a year to research the best volumizing shampoo now that I have Amazon, and can have any brand of shampoo in the world shipped to me. Same goes for TV, I know it takes a few episodes to get hooked, but then if I don't get hooked...that's time I will never get back. If someone else is going to plug in a few numbers, track my behavior and recommend for me within moments what I am going to like best, and in fact I am going to absolutely love it ... maybe I should just thank them.