The Long Tail

            This article really interested me because I am one of those people who have Netflix and I have chosen many movies based on their “If you like this movie, you’ll like these” category. This category allows people to open their minds to something that seems familiar, but really isn’t. I have chosen so many movies that, otherwise, would not have crossed my mind. Like the example in this article of the not well-known book, Touching the Void and the well-known book Into Thin Air, people are more likely to choose an unfamiliar book if it is recommended next to a book they know. Because Into Thin Air became so popular, people felt more inclined to read a book that they hadn’t heard of because it was very much like the one they enjoyed. This is a clever way to open up people’s minds to new material by new artists or writers or filmmakers. This is also used in the clothing industry. Whenever I see my girlfriend online searching for clothes, she is always given a category option that gives her choices of items that she might like based on what items she has clicked on. This allows her and other people to look at things that they might not have looked at. This is a great technique for distributors, but it is also good for people who have closed minds. It can help them to realize that there are other things out there that they might like.

Another way in which I’ve noticed people using sort of the same technique is by putting out books when movies are made of them. For the Touching the Void documentary in the article, making a documentary out of the book increased its demand. When I was younger I used to go see movies and then go to the bookstore to get some coffee. Most of the time, I’d see a movie that was playing in book form. I’m not sure which came first, the movie or the book, but what I realize now is that when movies are based on books, normally the book will come out again when the movie is released. This is an obvious technique for selling books. It gets people to read a book because it is out in theatres, and therefore, must be good and interesting. I noticed this when the Da Vinci Code came out. My friend had read the book almost a year before, and then when it came out in theatres it was on the bookstands again.

Another thing this article points out is that because people did not have any other options before the Internet, blockbuster hits were the only thing that people could choose. This left us with the same hits and ideas that we see all the time. But, like this article says, things like Netflix, which open people’s eyes to unfamiliar movies, will force the movie industry to come up with different, more unique ideas. I am someone who is not really into the mainstream entertainment world. I don’t really listen to the radio, and I really enjoy movies that don’t gain that much success, or don’t come out in theatres at all. So, I think, if people became more accustomed to movies and music like this, they would realize that there is more to the world then just what is fed to them on the radio and in the movie theatres.

 

Get Out of my Namespace

This article discusses debates on names used by different people and companies and the rules that predict whether someone deserves the name or not. I find it really interesting that names used make such a big deal in the world we live in today. I feel like names could create problems if the same name is used for the same product. For example, in the article they discuss that in China, some coffee shops are using the Chinese name for Starbucks. Because Starbucks owns its name, they sued to stop these coffee shops from using their name. This type of name “warfare” seems to make some sense to me because both shops with the same name make the same product, coffee. Because Starbucks is a huge company that has tried so hard to make a name for itself, it would be detrimental for someone to confuse them with the coffee shops in Shanghai that have the same name. Therefore, I think it makes sense that a company would fight for its name if someone else, selling the same product, used their same name. It’s kind of ridiculous, however, when people fight over the name domino for example, which has so many different connotations. I think that if different companies or people use the same name, but for completely different products, there should be no discussion as to who owns the name. In the example of Bill Wyman, for example, it’s ridiculous that the other Bill Wyman would sue. If people really cared about the other Bill Wyman, they would know that he was a bass player and not a music writer, and there should be no confusion. These type of arguments about names seem a little ridiculous and not worthy of the time they take up.

            This issue seems to be important, however, when discussing medicines. It would be really horrible if someone was given the incorrect medicine because it looked like the name, or sounded like the name of another medicine. Fighting over names in this category is not only likely to happen, but necessary. In my opinion, it is in medicine names that people should fight to keep names very different for the sake of people’s well-being and health.

            Another change that has led to more instances of name warfare is the rise of the Internet. With the Internet, anyone can use a name to make a website. They can use the name of a company or the name of an actor or musician. The laws that apply to this type of name usage make sense to me. I don’t think that they should be extended anymore than they are. I find this whole name dispute very ridiculous and time consuming. I feel like people should focus their attention and time on something more productive like dealing with poverty or AIDS for example. I think that the rule should, as they do, only apply to actors or musicians or authors, and only be applied when the names are used in a bad way. It should only matter if the website, using a public figures name, is doing harm to the person’s reputation.

            Therefore, like the end of the article discusses, I don’t think that any of these laws should be tightened, but loosened. As long as the people using the names of these companies or people are not discrediting the people whose names they use, and as long as they do not claim to be these people, they should be allowed to live in peace. This whole idea of fighting over names seems pretty frivolous to me compared to the problems we have in this world today.