Boosting PageRank with Squarespace
Over the summer, I worked at a company called Campus Promotions, part of Student Agencies Inc, that does marketing and consulting for local companies. One of our big projects is the Ithaca Gorge Dining Guide which is a guide to local restaurants. This was the first year ever we came out with both a […]
Sponsorship and Information Cascades
The ability to learn from peers gave the human species a distinct advantage evolutionarily. Even in modern times, this tendency to follow others can be seen in Information cascades (Chapter 16). Information cascades occur when others’ decisions affect the decision of another person to the extent where they follow what others do regardless of their […]
Console Wars
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/11/16/xbox-one-vs-ps4-the-console-wars-are-just-getting-started/ The PlayStation 4 has just been released, and amidst booming initial sales and hype, reviews have been mixed. The PlayStation 4 has taken the first punch in what will surely develop into the new generation console wars. The PlayStation 4 hopes to ride its momentum in its hope to knock the Xbox One off […]
Information Cascades in Flickr
Information Cascades (Chapter 16) occur when people observe the actions of others and then make the same choice as others have made independent of their own information signals. This occurs mainly due to two reasons: the fact other peoples’ behavior can convey information about what they know and observing this behavior can be rational sometimes. […]
Blackberry and Its Decline
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/blackberry-abandons-effort-to-sell-itself-c-e-o-to-step-down/ A Takeover Bid for BlackBerry Collapses, and Its Chief Executive Vacates His Post One of the formerly biggest players in the mobile phone industry, BlackBerry is currently in dire straits. Indeed, right now it has very little competitive advantage in both the mobile industry, in which Android and iPhone are dominant, and the […]
The Network Effect
In the article, The Network Effect, Julie Driscoll talks about what the network effect is and how it can be utilized by technology companies to maximize investments. Driscoll defines the network effect as being the “impact that one user of a good or service has on the value of that product to other people.” The […]
Polarization in Politics and Bayesian Memory Modeling
Bayesian analysis is a constant conscious and unconscious procedure in our lives, and the interpretation of mixed signals is a challenge. In class we were faced with the problem of how to interpret the moves of a participant whose information we could not see. At a single step this was complex; in aggregate it becomes […]
Supply and iDemand
The influence of Apple is undeniable. The popular tech conglomerate recently launched its sixth generation iPhone and, for the first time, split the mobile platform into two models: the flagship iPhone 5S and the reasonably priced, but feature-restricted iPhone 5C. For one company based 6,465 miles from Apple’s cozy headquarters in Cupertino, California, the full […]
Sometimes Lunch With an Old Friend is Really a Job Interview
Don’t count those weak ties out too early- they just may get you a job. LinkedIn is an entire business founded on the idea that weak ties can get you far in the world. Since it launched in 2003, LinkedIn has been helping people create and maintain weak ties for professional networking. It’s become so […]
Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma
Imagine you really hate the iClicker questions in Networks class. I say imagine, because no one actually hates iClicker questions, right? Turns out, the guy who sits next to you every day also hates iClicker questions. The two of you then turn to a hard life of crime and decide to steal the iClicker receiver […]
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