Introduction:

 

I’m going to write my paper about Oprah Winfrey, because I find it very interesting how one woman can have so much influence on people all over the world.

My main thesis question is:

 “In what ways can Oprah influence a community, and how does branding play a role in this”?

 

Oprah Winfrey is considered one of the most powerful women of our time. Oprah Winfrey was also the first African American woman to become a billionaire.  She started broadcasting in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 17, moving to news then talk shows. In 1976, Winfrey moved to Baltimore, where she hosted the TV chat show, ‘People Are Talking’. The show became a hit and Winfrey stayed with it for eight years, in 1984 she hosted WLS-TV's morning talk show, AM Chicago. Within one month she became the number one talk show. In less than a year, the show expanded and was renamed ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’. In 1988, She gained ownership of the program from ABC, and she established Harpo Productions, Inc. (“Oprah” spelled backwards), a production facility that established her as the third woman in American entertainment to own such a studio (and the first to own and produce her own talk show.) In 1994, with talk shows becoming increasingly trashy and exploitative, Winfrey kept her show free of tabloid topics. In 1996, Oprah’s Book Club was ‘born’. It’s an on-air reading club, intended to get the country excited about literature again. All Oprah Book Club selections to date have become instant bestsellers. She was presented with the National Book Foundation's 50th anniversary gold medal for all that Oprah's Book Club has done for books and authors. In 1998, she saw even more recognition by being named one of the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century by Time Magazine. She also received the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

 

Influences:

Oprah brings her select group of professional healers to her panel and these experts give their dose of expertise to solve these people’s problems. She has introduced world famous psychiatrists and therapists to the show as guests to offer important advice to her television audience. She has also introduced a segment called “Remembering your spirit”.  This part of the show discusses spiritual themes and attempts to teach people to be grateful for the life that they have, not for the life that they aspire to be. This segment, known as “Thank you God for what I have in life” is highly religious and spiritual.  Oprah brings on people who have experienced tragedy and transformation.  Oprah Winfrey has a connection with her audience because of many factors.  She is a talkative person who speaks her mind; she is outgoing, and seems to expose her soul to the audience. This intimate exposure and display of vulnerability endears her to her audience. This makes her a part of the family and a recognizable part of their lives.  She is like another sister or mother or more importantly, a close friend.    In 1998 when she was sued for making a public remark on her show talking about the mad cow disease, “I’m not eating a hamburger now”. She was sued by the Texas Cattle association for bringing down beef sales. (This is when she met Dr. Phil, and eventually helped him get his own television show) This illustrates that she has a tremendous amount of power and influence and she can actually devastate an industry. When she won her court case, she spoke at a press conference outside the courthouse. “Free speech rocks”, she said. Some critics would say she should not have made her opinions public because of her influence on society. They say she has a manipulative personality that has her supporters spellbound. She is more than just an influence as she represents a system of values and a religion. There is a sense of finality and confidence when she speaks.  She is very certain of her opinions and she makes her opinions very clear and known. She is not merely a talk show host but a representative of morality of today.

 

 ‘Oprah’ the brand

 

‘Oprah’ has become a household name. Her focus has been uplifting women through the content on her show, in her magazine, as well as online and encourages her viewers to “Live Your Best Life”.[1] Oprah.com is the official website and covers projects in which Winfrey and Harpo Productions are involved. It includes links to information on her two shows, ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show and Oprah after the Show’. The website is a combination of message boards, chat rooms, O Groups, the O! Oprah Magazine ; her book club, Oprah's Angel Network, and biographical information and online journal create the structure for discourse on a wide array of topics. There are also pages on the site dedicated to the topics around which Winfrey focuses her television and magazine stories: spirit and self, relationships, food and home, and mind and body. Additionally, the site provides access to a newsletter, e-mail contacts, a message board and an online journal. Oprah.com places a significant focus on philanthropy, with information on hundreds of charities highlighted on The Oprah Winfrey Show and volunteering opportunities for visitors. But most importantly, Oprah.com combines and extends the franchise of the Oprah Winfrey Show and “O Magazine” into a commercialized space where women of all races are targeted for marketing purposes.

 

Oprah’s Angel Network:

The link to the Oprah's Angel Network gives the reader tips on how to start making a difference and how to make a donation. The site provides resources for creating a nonprofit organization. “Oprah’s Angel Network”, is a large fundraising campaign in which Oprah donates homes “Oprah houses”.  Through her angel network and through other private contributions to her fund, families have been chosen from across the United States as recipients for newly built bungalows.  These homes are built by volunteers of the community and backed by Oprah’s funds.

 

Related Nonprofit Organizations:

There are hundreds of nonprofit organizations listed on the Oprah's Angel Network portion of the Oprah.com Web site, These organizations have been profiled on The Oprah Winfrey Show and fall into the following categories: children, women, special interests, community, family and housing, and health. They are recipients of donations from the network or the “Use Your Life Award.” The list is updated regularly.

The Garden Project , based in San Francisco, “promotes valuable life skills like work ethic, self-confidence and literacy as well as gives prisoners and ex-offenders an opportunity to give back to their communities by teaching them the farming trade” (Harpo Productions).

Heifer International is a well-established organization dedicated to helping impoverished families address hunger by becoming self-reliant. Donations to the Heifer Project purchase animals for families in hunger-stricken countries or impoverished areas within developed countries. The animals are used by the recipients to produce food (e.g., eggs from chickens and milk from goats) and products that can earn them a living (e.g., sale of a donated sheep's wool).

Susan G. Komen Foundation strives to eliminate breast cancer through the advancement of research, education, screening and treatment. The foundation has raised more than $250 million. The Komen Race for the Cure series is the largest series of 5K runs/fitness walks in the world. Over one million participants walk or run in more than 100 cities across the U.S. and in several foreign countries. In 2002, the race raised nearly $83 million and only six percent of the proceeds spent on fundraising costs. The Komen Foundation is the largest private funding source for breast cancer research and community outreach programs.

Free the Children Web site, at http://www.freethechildren.org/ , provides information on this “international network of children helping children at a local, national and international level through representation, leadership and action” (Free the Children). The organization fights to free children from poverty and exploitation, as well as empowering them to understand they are able to take leadership and have a voice in what happens in the world. It was founded by Craig Kielburger at the age of twelve. The site can also be found in a link through Oprah's Angel Network.

Habitat for Humanity International Web site offers information about the organization's programs, history, events, access to local affiliates and more. The site also provides Habitat World , a worldwide magazine providing stories and up-to-date information about the organization. This nonprofit organization pairs resources and volunteers together to build affordable housing for those in need. The site can be found with a link through the Oprah's Angel Network section of the Oprah.com Web site.

 

The Book Club

 

The “Oprah Book Club” initiated in 1996. With her promotion of her monthly book club, she gives out a copy of her monthly chosen selection to the audience and she has a contest.  She asks viewers to write her a letter about why the book was so important to them.  Her staff chooses the 6-10 people who have written the most articulate response.  The winners are then invited to have dinner with Oprah and the author of the book at her home.  This helps develop a closer relationship with the audience.  The dinner and discussion with the author is then taped and shown to the studio audience and the television viewers.  This technique makes the viewer feel like a part of her family. ‘We get into her personal life and she appears to let people in very closely’[2].

Branding

"Building a brand out of a client is not necessarily suitable for every client," says
Brian Dubin, head of WMA's East Coast commercial division. "The key is finding those clients who do have an interest in building a brand out of their name or out of an image that they represent." "This is a niche in the market," says Michael Flutie, owner of management company and talent branding firm Michael Flutie's Office. "It's so small; not that many experts exist." Creating a brand, say those who are doing it, means taking something amorphous and making it tangible. Branding also can mean simply identifying a career goal and implementing a game plan to achieve it. But appealing to a great number of people while maintaining a core audience is one of the greatest challenges of a branding campaign. Usually, those who take a long view and grow their brand slowly have the longest shelf life; one of the best examples is Winfrey, who has built a multimedia empire on the strength of her personality and a consistent self-empowerment message. Because of her talk-show and her monthly cover shot on O: The Oprah Magazine, she does not require additional media attention to put her brand before the public. "She's been incredibly smart in how she's managed the Oprah brand," says Jim Andrews, editorial director at the IEG Sponsorship Report, which tracks corporate sponsorships and endorsements.[3]                                                                                      Oprah has been called “…a magnet for women…”[4] she views the Internet as “…an essential means of extending the commercial success of the ‘Oprah Brand’ in the twenty-first century…”[5] She is also a partner in the Oxygen Media Inc, which designs programming specifically geared toward women. As niche marketing has become the driving force in targeting specific groups, the Oprah Empire is a good example of the growing attention to women-focused advertising. The convergence of cable television and digital media link the importance of communication technology (television, internet) with women’s marketing and are able to “…target the female audience across online and offline environments for advertising and research purposes”[6]. Many advertisers look for a brand that has the greatest potential for convergence flexibility, consumer loyalty, and global recognition, all of which are present in Oprah. Advertisers want to be on Oprah.com, in her “O Magazine” and have television spots because they have a captive and loyal audience.    

 

Gender and community

Leslie Ragan Shade’s book “Gender and Community in the Social Construction of the Internet” talks about how the gendering of different communication technologies has lead to diverse women’s cultures and communities on the Internet. She focuses on how women are portrayed as consumers and purchasers on the Internet. She outlines the emergence and promotion of “…a commercial internet environment for women, fueled by the entry of large corporate interests…” In the section titled “Shop Till You Drop”, the emergence of women online has created a demand for relevant topics (health, beauty, finances, etc.) to keep them online. Given that advertisers “…want the most bang for their buck…” and because women have 80% of the buying power in household purchases, advertisements promoting products for women is essential to a successful website. Because “men are surfers and women are seekers, going online for specific information…not spending hours looking around” suggests a different pattern of consumer behavior unique to the commercialization of the Internet. The Oprah Brand has recognized this, and has therefore created a demand for advertisers to promote their products with the Oprah name attached. The Oprah Brand focuses on the issues facing women today, not just White women or African American women or a particular age group. The focus on improving oneself for the better is a message that transcends cultural distinctions and every woman can find something they can relate to somewhere in her media products.                                                                                                                As Cooks, Paredes, and Scharrer note in “There’s ‘O Place’ Like Home”, “Much of the content on Oprah.com is a reproduction of content in the magazine and the talk show” and thus does constrain the actual amount of content online. However, this does lead to brand recognition and an ability to focus target-marketing efforts in the virtual realm. The login process consists of giving your age, household income, race among other tracing characteristics to better target Oprah.com’s members.

Barbara Warnick’s “Masculinizing the Feminine: Inviting Women Online ca. 1997” outlines why there was an increase in the amount of women online and the mixed messages sent the female’s way at the beginning of the online craze. She points to the fact that “…there was more available in this medium that was of interest to women than there had been previously…” and Oprah.com as well as the Oxygen network are prime examples of the growing trend of sites for women. Advertisers recognize the importance of the niche market, and their “…interest in developing Web-based markets for their products aligns with their interest in the female consumer…” The internet was seen as a place of growing opportunity, and many women who did not venture online would miss out on community, self and relational building. Warnick also argues that women with families and children who may have felt that there was little reason to go online were met with hundreds of sites dedicated just to those topics. The Oxygen Network as well as the Lifetime Network are two cable channels/Internet sites that approached women through a media that they were already familiar with: television. The Oprah Winfrey show encourages its viewers to log on and talk to Oprah.com after the show and view it on the Oxygen Network.                                                                                                       Encouraging women to go online has been increased by advertising, which recognized that women are typically the household purchasing power. All sorts of companies recognized this and began to advertise on women’s websites recognizing that “Advertisers’ interest in developing Web-based markets for their products aligns with their interest in the female consumer”. The content was forced to alter as more and more women came online, focusing more on what average females wanted to view. Warnick goes on to argue that masculinizing the feminine meant to construct an ideal type of woman, who was career oriented, opportunist, tried new things and who lead the purchasing power of her family.                                                                                     Shopping innuendoes are present throughout the “O Magazine” and Oprah.com, and their significance is important because of the large following that the Oprah Brand has. If Oprah says that a certain item is cool, it’s cool for all ages and races. The O List that appears in every issue of “O Magazine” lists items that Oprah herself uses and endorses. Every other page in her O List  contains an advertisement (Crate and Barrel, Ellen Tracy Parfum, Visa, Pier 1 Imports, Ferrero Rocher Chocolate) further promoting products. Realizing that advertisements are a major part of revenue for magazines and online websites, it is important to look at how the advertisements use their products to appeal to a particular audience or target market, and in Oprah Brand, that is women.            The products on her O List and the advertisements in-between are female oriented. The Ellen Tracy Parfum evokes the image of wonder and freshness, targeting those older women who want that innocence feeling again. The Visa advertisement shows a young light skinned African American female wearing hip clothing, walking confidently down the street with trendy clothing boutiques behind her. This ad specifically targets young, college age women who are still trying to find a place or discover where they fit in, usually through commercialized clothing and shopping. This ad suggests that if you use Visa, you will feel confident in your new trendy clothes and find a place to fit in.

Oprah’s favorite things

 The Oprah’s Favorite Things television show is another example of the focus on consuming women. Twice a year, an audience is surprised by being on Oprah’s Favorite Things show, in which Oprah gives away, knowing that the free advertising they will receive will more than balance out the cost of the product itself. Oprah’s Favorite Things are in great demand after the show. Oprah makes sure to include items that a wide range of women in different economic situations could afford. Oprah.com and “O Magazine” also advertises items that are on her Favorite Things List, putting the contact number and website to promote the purchasing of the products. The Oprah Brand works to increase demand for a product just because someone says they like it or have it.                                   In “Creating a Space for ‘Every Woman’ at Oprah.com”, Cooks, Scharrer, and Paredes analyzed how women participate and form relationships online, what the social and cultural basis for their participation and whether sites such as Oprah.com are important for women. They concluded that “…there is no doubt that online spaces are important sites for women, but whether commercial sites like Oprah.com are the best models is yet to be determined” Should we take a site like Oprah.com and only look at how it commercializes women? Or is the bigger picture more relevant, and addressing the topics that are important to women should be given more credit? The community building that Cooks has found is central to the appeal of Oprah by women nationwide and “…her value lies in the degree of esteem with which she is held by millions of women throughout the world…her female audience describes her as a trusted friend, a confidant, and ally”                                                                                                                              As Lisa Nakamura shows in “Where do you want to go today? Cybernetic Tourism, the Internet, and Transnationality” the invisible process of “Othering” or the putting someone in a category based on being different than the norm. She focuses on technology advertisements and how these, from the perspective of a white person, attempt to erase the boundaries that are associated with race but in fact create “Othering” through the images used. When looking at Oprah.com, it is clear that although Oprah is an African American, the website does not focus on this one aspect of race. Since Oprah appeals to all races (as evidenced by the audience on her show), Oprah.com also appeals to all races of women.                                                                                                            Oprah’s mission is to “…use television to transform people's lives, to make viewers see themselves differently and to bring happiness and a sense of fulfillment into every home”[7]

Conclusion:

Winfrey not only been voted one of the 100 Most Influential People in America but also has become something of a cultural icon. Through her shows, she touches on topics such as dieting, makeovers, battered wives and children, dysfunctional families, horrific tragedies, and abuse in all forms. ‘Oprah’ has become a household name. Her focus has been uplifting women through the content on her show, in her magazine, as well as online and encourages her viewers to “Live Your Best Life”. Oprah can be seen as a community because of all the different people she reaches out to. Oprah Winfrey has a connection with her audience because of many factors.  She is a talkative person who speaks her mind; she is outgoing, and seems to expose her soul to the audience. This intimate exposure and display of vulnerability endears her to her audience. This makes her a part of the family and a recognizable part of their lives.  She is like another sister or mother or more importantly, a close friend.  Oprah Winfrey has built a multimedia empire on the strength of her personality and a consistent self-empowerment message. Because of her talk-show and her monthly cover shot on O: The Oprah Magazine, she does not require additional media attention to put her brand before the public. "She's been incredibly smart in how she's managed the Oprah brand. Oprah is clearly an icon of mass culture because although she wants to make a difference in people’s live, she is still commodity.  Her name is linked with many organizations and companies know that if she promotes the product, they will get higher sales.  She is not directly a commodity but she represents an instrument in which corporations can use her persona to influence others to purchase products, and services.

References:

Consalvo, Mia, and Susanna Paasonen. Women and Everyday uses of the Internet: Agency and Identity. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc., 2002. 139-141.

Cooks, Leda; Scharrer, Erica; and Paredes, Maria. "Creating a Space for 'Every Woman' at Oprah.com" Communication Institute for Online Scholarship, Inc., 2003.

Jackson, Linda; Ervin, Kelly; Gardner, Philip; and Schimitt, Neal. "Gender and the Internet: Women Communicating and Men Searching" Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. Plenum Publishing Corporation, March, 2001. Accessed via Expanded Academic ASAP November 17, 2003.

Tybout, A. &Carpenter-  Creating and managing brands in: Iacobucci,D.(ed.) (2001) Kelogg on Marketing (New york: John Wiley&Sons, inc.)

Shade, Leslie Ragan. Gender and Community in the Social Construction of hte Internet. NewYork: Peter Lang Publishing, 2002.

Warnick, Barbara. "Masculinizing the Feminine: Inviting Women Online ca. 1997". Critical Literacy in a Digital Era: Technology, Rhetoric and the Public Interest. New Jersey: Laurence Erlbaum Associates, 2002.

Tybout, A. &Carpenter-  Creating and managing brands in: Iacobucci,D.(ed.) (2001) Kelogg on Marketing (New york: John Wiley&Sons, inc.)

 

http://www.topblacks.com/entertainment/oprah-winfrey.htm- biography of Oprah

http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/a/oprah_winfrey.htm - Oprah’s quotes

http://www.stager.org/articles/oprah.html - Gary Stager about Oprah Winfrey and her book club.

http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=2634701&st=105

Forum where people discuss topics in Oprah’s shows.

http://www.learningtogive.org/papers/people/oprahwinfrey1.htm - importance of Oprah.

http://www.oprah.com- official website

 

 

 

 

 

 

H20 assignment

 

What is a brand? A brand is an Identity, a name and a reputation. It provides functionality and people have certain images and ideas when seeing brands. A brand is a name or some symbol or mark that is associated with a product or service and to which buyers attach psychological meanings."(Iacobucci 2001) In the article ‘creating and managing brands’ written by Tybout, A. &Carpenter, it was noted that brands serve consumers by saving time, assuring a level of quality, and simplifying choice. The brand name, rather than the product, is now the primary basis for choosing one product over another.

When visiting the site www.johnkerry.com  I definitely find that his name is a brand. John Kerry is a product which is trying to be sold. He is selling his opinions, and people buy his opinions by voting for him. Although people don’t actually have to pay money, he is selling himself. Not only John Kerry is involved with this branding himself. He has a lot of people behind him that tell or advise him what to say and when to say it, how to formulate his words and even what to wear. I would say that he is a brand. He even has his own logo, so when people see the blue and red striped flag with a white star, we all know it means ‘John Kerry’

When looking at his website there is a lot of information to be found about Kerry. For example: his history background, certain political values, photos, even a message board where you can start a discussion. Also there is an update about what is happening and what his progress is. I think people who visit his site and spend time reading different columns will pretty much get the point of who he is and what he stands for. I think that not only ‘fans’ who will definitely vote for him see this site, but also people who aren’t sure who to vote for will take a look. Everyone who is interested in politics will find this a useful site. The site also has a Spanish site, for the Spanish speaking people in the states.

When visiting www.eonline.com first thing that came to mind was that they are branding celebrities. Without the juicy gossip on celebrities Eonline would have nothing to write about. And by putting their gossip on their website readers form a person’s character.

Eonline is mainly branding themselves on their site. You can check out their program schedule, their shows, FAQ, and under ‘personalities’ you can read the biographies of the employees.I  Eonline is targeted at people who have interest in reading the newest gossip and probably the majority buys tabloids too. Therefore I would say 15-35 year old women would be interested in visiting this site, although I don’t think you can put an age limit on viewers who visit this site, because even though no one wants to admit it, everyone reads tabloids every now and then!  The site offers help by readers being able to contact them.

www.goarmy.com is definitely a brand for the U.S. army. Goarmy.com is a game where you become an American soldier and can fight and shoot the other teams. It promotes how ‘cool’ it is to be an American soldier. You can read stories American soldiers have posted, you can read all about army life and what you have to do in the army and you can apply for the army online. This is all one big promotion for the U.S army. I think that this site is mainly directed to boys aged 12-30.Although only Americans can apply for the U.S army this game can be played by anyone anywhere all over the world. People can participate with each other well on this site, they can chat with each other, share their experiences about the game and army life, you can contact the site owners and there are job I’ll spare the details)

http://www.missiondecision.nl Is the dutch equivalent of goarmy, only I think this site is more straight forward, it doesn’t have a game you can play, but it’s main goal is to applications you can fill out online. I think this is a very smart way of promoting. (although I don’t agree on how boys are misled by how fantastic the army is, but we’ve had this conversation in class many times so make it easy for people to apply for the army.

 

Cultural Economy Chapter 10 Q-Do you think it is exaggerated to say that the aesthetic components and implications of culture in the economy are determined by the consumer and as a consequence the consumer has a lot of influence on the contemporary economy? A-Consumption is a practice done by different groups in society.There is large variety in consumers, a diversity in interests and social structures of class, different factors play a decisive role, eg:elderly, teenagers, education,gender, region and country, interest,etc etc. Therefore it is not so easy to predict what product or cultural style will be sold. Although nowadays the consumer has a much greater say in which products they prefer what they should look like ( aesthetics) than in the past. As studies of economic practise show, according to Alan Warde " The economy has a remarkable capacity to recuperate and disipline the outputs of cultural culture"

J. Lasica- Blogs and journalism need each other + Dan gillmor - moving towards participatory journalism

( i merged 2 texts together and 1 question, because both texts are about the same topic- blogs!)

Q- In what ways are journalists effected (threatened) by blogs?

A- The position of journalists are shifting. Journalists may worry that now blogging has been made so easy and anyone can share their opinion on the net that journalists might not be taken so seriously. Journalists will alyas play an important role in the media because they have reliable sources, and bloggers usually write what their opinion is. Although journalists will always be important and blogs won't replace the traditional news media, they will however suplement each other in important ways. Readers nowadays want to be a part of the new process.
Dan Gillmor writes 'my readers know more than i do, sometimes individually on specific topics, but always collectively. This is similair for all journalists, no matter what their beat is. and having readers' feedback and participation presents a great oppurtunity and not a threat, because when we ask our readers for help and knowledge they are willing to share it- and, through that sharing, we all benefit'.

Luuk Van Middelaar- The anti globalisation movement between morals, economics and politics.

Q- What does the author mean by anti- globalisation?
A- the author mentions anti globalisation and uses the term frequently, but i don't think he explains it in his text.

 Tybout, A. &Carpenter-  Creating and managing brands

Q- How is it that new brands enter the market stand a chance against the already built 'safe time saving'brands?

A-In the text it was noted that brands serve consumers by saving time, assuring a level of quality, and simplifing choice.The brand name, rather than the product, is now the primary basis for choosing one product over another.
So how is that new brands survive??
The answer to this question is advertising. By advertising a brand can be succesful.
It takes alot of time,money and effort to build a succesful brand. Brands have to symbolize certain feeling and meanings to consumers. "powerful brands reside not with the company, but rather with consumers. The thoughts, memories, and feelings that people have about a brand are, at an individual level, the essence of brand equity."


George N. Dafermos- Blogging the Market

Q-What is meant by collaborative filtering and how is this in favor of a company?

A- 'Collaborative filtering is simply a system that sifts through the opinions and preferences of thousands of people and systematiccally finds your doppelganger- and then tells you what your doppelganger's eleventh favorite book is'
The example used in the text is the site amazon.com, where consumers can buy books and music online. Not only can they buy books, they can also leave reviews on the site, so if you liked or disliked a book you can share your opinion if you want to. The way this collaborative filtering is in favor of amazon. com is that it attracts consumers, people who are interested in buying a book will read what others have to say and if the reviews are positive, the consumer is most likely to buy the book or cd.
By collaborative filtering people will return to the site baecause they are intersted in other people's opinions. If a book someone is looking for turns out to be put down negativly by many reviews, he/she might not buy the book but will look for a different book with good reviews.

 Cultural Economy Chapter 7

I’m going to write my paper about Oprah Winfrey, because I find it very interesting how one woman can have so much influence on people all over the world.

Oprah Winfrey is considered one of the most powerful women of our time. In 1984 she relocated to Chicago to host WLS-TV's morning talk show, AM Chicago. Within one month she becomes the number one talk show. In less than a year, the show expands and is renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. In 1988, she established Harpo Productions, Inc., a production facility that established her as only the third woman in American entertainment to own such a studio (and the first to own and produce her own talk show.

In 1998, she saw even more recognition by being named one of the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century by Time Magazine. She also received the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Lifetime Achievement Award.

Oprah Winfrey was also the first African American woman to become a billionaire.

 

My Main question in this paper is:

 

“In what ways can Oprah be seen as a community”?

 

Other sub questions that come to mind are:

 

‘Why is Oprah so popular’?

 

‘Why is has Oprah formed a community as a talk show host and are there other talk show hosts that form a community as well?’

 

‘In what way do her networks (angel network, Oprah’s book club etc…) help her with forming a community’?

 

Method: First I will analyze the oprah.com official site. I will describe what the viewers can see and what advantages members have over visitors.

Then I will compare the official site with fan sites about Oprah, what draws people to her?

 

My layout:

-         Introduction – Who is Oprah Winfrey, what has she achieved, what has she done to reach out to so many people all over the world? Main question and sub questions.

 

-         Middenstuk- Answer questions and compare sites, talk shows and networks with one another.

 

-         Conclusion- Is Oprah actually a community, and if so why. (summary)

 

 

Sites those are useful and interesting:

 

http://www.oprah.com/- Website Oprah Winfrey show

http://www.topblacks.com/entertainment/oprah-winfrey.htm- biography of Oprah

http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/a/oprah_winfrey.htm - Oprah’s quotes

http://www.stager.org/articles/oprah.html - Gary Stager about Oprah Winfrey and her book club.

http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=2634701&st=105

Forum where people discuss topics in Oprah’s shows.

http://www.freeessays.cc/db/18/ehc91.shtml - Oprah vs. Jerry Springer.

http://www.learningtogive.org/papers/people/oprahwinfrey1.htm - importance of Oprah.

 

 

 

 

Clay Shirky – ‘ What Is P2P…And What Isn’t’ ?

 

Question-  Why is a site like Napster P2P, and why is Email not P2P?

 

Answer- A site like Napster and Kazaa is P2P, because when downloading a song the information transmits from one computer to the other. People who don’t have each others email addresses or even know each other share information and music files on these sites.

The addresses of Napster nodes bypass the DNS system.

 

Email addresses aren’t P2P, because the email address isn’t machine independent.

 

 Emilie Rutherford – ‘ The P2P report’

 

Question-  What is meant by collaborative computing, instant messaging and affinity communities?

 

These three terms are the basic divisions in the P2P construction.

- Collaborative computing pool the processing of many computers. This is used mainly with science, biotech and financial services firms that need intense processing. Many enterprises don’t have collaborative computing because they are very difficult to manage and require much coordination.

- Instant messaging is very popular nowadays, By instant messaging users can swap messages online synchronously. People can ‘ talk to each other by writing short messages, and get immediate answer if the other person is online.

- Affinity Communities are direct file sharing groups, like Napster and Kazaa. Users can download each others files and search each others computers. They are in shared spaces with no boundaries and interact directly with each other.

 

J. Boase and B. Wellman – ‘ A plague of viruses: Biological, Computer and Marketing’

 

Question- What are the two structural archetypes in viruses as social networks?

 

Answer- Firstly, there is the densely knit groups- most members know each other, and have close contact with each other. There is little contact outside this tight group.

A virus can move quickly in this group because of the close connection from user to user. Users in a close community will be more prone to a virus because the most likely have the same interests and similar behaviour. Emails that are interesting or funny to one member will probably be found funny or interesting to the other as well, the email will be sent on to other users and if this email contains a virus it will spread very quickly.

 

- Secondly there are ramified networks, where few members are in contact with one another, and there is a lot of contact with outsiders. Viruses will not spread as quickly as densely knit groups.

 

 

 

1. Debating the status of the audience

    Textual poaching

 

*Jenkins, H. ‘The collective intelligence’

 

Question- How do the knowledge of culture and commodity culture supplement each other and how do they do it so well, and why do fans reciprocate so well when asked their feelings?

 

Answer- because of the knowledge fans have, it makes it easier for writers and editors of programs to make a second series or follow up programs. It enables new forms of fan fiction. Fans develop skins, websites etc..

For example, fans ‘become’ their hero(Harry Potter, Buffy the vampire slayer), the ability to become the person they want is more accessible because of the web. It gives fans  the possibility to shape the media. Everyone gets a say in what happens, that makes it more interesting for the public. It’s a continuous process of questions and answers.

 

*Marshall, D. ‘The new Intertextual Commodity’

 

Question- Why do people fall for advertising made through movies & famous people?

 

Answer- After the Matrix was out, ‘everyone’ wanted Neo’s sunglasses. Britney Spears wears Uggs and suddenly everyone has to have a pair. Justin Timberlake wears ‘funky’ hats and it’s a new trend. Why is this? Because the public, the audience wants to be seen as ‘cool’. It gives them a sense of control over their own lives and makes them feel as if they are as cool as their Hero.

 

*Cultural Economy- Introduction

 

Question- How do Lash & Urry back up their claim that economy is now more than ever culturalized?

 

Answer- They point to a number of developments. Organizations who produce and distribute cultural hardware have become the most innovative and economic actors in the world.

They not only represent some of the most important economic growth sectors, but also offer paradigmatic instances of the de- differentiation of ‘culture’ and ‘economy’ in terms of their own business practices (Lash & Urry, 1994:108-9).

 

*H2O Case: Jenkins (2002) writes on page 1

 

“If the current media environment makes visible the once invisible work of media spectatorship, it is wrong to assume that we are somehow being liberated through improved media technologies”

-          What is your opinion about this statement?

-          I agree with this statement. Nowadays people become aware of the media and back ground information is submitted. Beforehand you didn’t know and see what happened ‘behind the scenes’. The news for example was stated and people had to accept it. Today, when watching CNN, you can see the reporters in Bagdad, you see them talking to political leaders, you actually see what is happening and what is told is true. There is a shift of awareness concerning the way media and news is obtained.

 

2. Virtual communities- economics

 

*Vogel, H. Economic Perspectives

 

Question- What are the different Industry structures, and what are they based on?

 

Answer-There are different structures that are based on a  micro economic theory

-          Perfect competition- firms all make identical products and each firm is so small in relation to total industry output that its operations have a negligible effect on price or on quantity supplied.

-          Monopoly structure- There are no close substitutes for the single firm’s output, prices are set by the firm, and there are barriers that prevent potential competitors from entry.

-          Monopolistic competition- many sellers of differentiated products and in which some control of pricing and competition through advertising is seen.

-          Oligopoly structure- few sellers of products that are close substitutes and pricing decisions may affect the pricing and output decisions of other firms in the industry.

 

 

• Castranova, E. On Virtual Economies.

 

Question- Why is it not likely that the virtual market would be monopolized?

 

Answer- This is for a number of reasons.

Firstly, there seems to be a great diversity of tastes for the different features of a world.

Secondly, congestion, if everyone visits the same site at the same time, the site will be over congested, and will be no use to anyone.

Thirdly, many competitive strategies are available, but have not been exploited by new entrants.

A final argument against a monopolization tendency comes from the nature of the content itself. It will always be possible to produce a fun virtual world with a tiny amount of money and scale it up as it becomes more popular.

 

 

• Cultural Economy Chapter 3.

 

Question-Why are economic and cultural categories economically and practically interdependent?

 

Answer- Economics and cultural economic categories can not be reduced to or separated from the other. The consumer and the creator both define the supply and demand. In economics you also have to stay ahead of your competitor, you have to implement  social and cultural aspects. As the structure of society is rapidly changing, a company has to adapt to these changes. For instance the music industry and the fashion industry have to keep in pace with the changing fashion demand. Everyone has different tastes and companies must adjust to these demands if they want to sell their products.

 

* Cultural Economy Chapter 2.

 

Question- Do ‘cultural’ and other industries have more in common in terms of symbolic, artistic function and established know-how(e.g.bank) than that which divides them?

 

Answer- In order to sell a product, the aesthetic factor is important, because people are attracted to this. People are lured to certain banks or supermarkets ambience. The architectural design, the music playing, makes people more comfortable, stay longer, buy more and makes them come back again. Usually the artistic aspect is not considered important by itself. However the product such as bank services needs advertising in order to function and compete. The symbolic, artistic function and know-how supplement and need each other in order to function well.

 

* H2O Case

Selling Mobile phones over internet

 

We are interested in setting up a mobile telephone business named ‘CALLUS’ on the internet. Our goal is to sell these phones over the internet and therefore not have an actual shop.

How are we going to tackle this?

For starters we would have to find out what the age group is for selling our products. We assume that the age group of 13-25 is an age group that is interested in buying phones with the newest gadgets. Also, this age group uses mobiles a lot to talk to friends and download games, ringtones etc. Furthermore we would have to apply and find out if we are just permitted to put up a site without any complications.

 

What kind of website would we like to sell our products on?

We want to set up a website that is easily available and easy to use.

 

Which sites would we choose to advertise on?

We would advertise a lot via popups, particularly on new email databases (eg zonnet). Because young people usually are the first to try out the newest and trendy things available on the net. We would also place advertisements on websites that are popular, for instance Idols, MTV, TMF.

 

Our initial investments would be based on the following:

We have to be aware of barriers to entry (the advertisement world)

-         Capital ( We need to start up a business, and so we need a starting budget so that our company can develop)

-         Know-how ( experience in setting up a business on internet, capturing an audience, and technological side of mobile phones& subscriptions)

-         Regulations ( finding out who we need to contact to start advertising on different sites, which companies we need to get permission from)

-         Price Competition (competing with other companies in our branch for who is the cheapest, and can get the most subscriptions)

We have to try and make our products unique, for instance our phone network is the only network which has certain popular games, and can download certain ringtones, pictures, and messages.

 There are many companies with the same concept as ours. Therefore we have to distinguish ourselves from all the others. We have to try and be up- to- date with the newest trends in music, mobile and game- land.

We came up with the idea that when someone buys our phone with a one year subscription to our network ‘CALLUS’ this person can download ringtones, picture messages, games etc for free. This can be done in combination with your telephone number. (to prevent others from taking advantage of our services).

Also we would have to find out how we can sell our products for a low price (and still of course make profits). By being up to date and giving a lot of ‘freebees’ we try to be the most outstanding choice for our customers, even if we can not be the cheapest.

‘DON’T BOTHER WITH ALL THE FUSS, SUBSCRIBE TO CALLUS’

 

 

 3. Virtual communities-space

 

* Hutchby, I. ‘The Communicative Affordances of Technological Artefacts’.

 

Question- How can you explain that two complete different constructions/ Items can have so many identical overlapping similarities?

 

Answer- The reason is that we always work from a set input, e.g. People-transportation-gravity- distance are a set given.

An airplane and a Bridge have many similarities. They both bring people from one place to another through the air. Both have been constructed with utmost precision by engineers, but are completely different. This shows how confusing items or situations can be for people. In theory structures may look alike, therefore it is important that its clear for the consumer. Of course its obvious what the difference between a bridge and airplane is, but the way items are advertised should not be misleading.

 

* Dodge, M. & Kitchin, R. ‘Geographies of the Information Society’

Question- Should local stores feel threatened by the stores of the ‘new global cities’?

Answer- No, because people who browse the net usually see something they like in one of the online stores they check out. Instead of ordering the item they want, they more often than not go to the local store to find the item there, to see if it fits and what it actually looks like.(if the item were clothing for example) and then directly pay and take the item with you. The disadvantage of the Internet is not being able to actually see what something looks like ‘in real life’ and having to pay shipping expenses, having to wait a couple of days to weeks before actually owning the item.

 

Virtual communities-Organization and culture

 

L.Kung-Shankleman – What is organization culture?

 

Question- What is meant by the term ‘ competencies’ ?

 

Answer- Competencies are traditionally understood as distinctive organizational attributes that create sustainable competitive advantage and a platform for further growth.

 

 

M.De Mooij - Dimensions of culture

 

Question-In this article the term Masculinity/ Femininity (Mas) is discussed. The article states that ‘the dominant values in a masculine society are achievement and success, the dominant values in a feminine society are caring for others and quality of life’ The Dutch are considered a feminine society, but is Holland really a typical ‘feminine’ culture?

 

Answer-I would say that Holland is more of a ‘Unisex’ culture. Not only do we have many feminine aspects, but also have masculine aspects. For instance, the Dutch have a good economy, and work is very important to most of us. Achievement and success are high on the priority list. I think it is true that the Dutch may have respect for the underdog, but no more than other cultures. Masculine aspects in Holland.

 

Sean Nixon ‘Advertising Cultures’

Question- Are cultural values are important in advertising?

 

Answer-Yes, the commercial message between consumers and their clients is very important. Because agencies are hired to do research regarding cultural values in order to improve their sales.

 

 

Cultural Economy- Chapter 5 ‘From Holloway to Hollywood’

 

Question- How can you redress the inequities which arise from this holy neo-liberalized cultural labor market?

 

Answer- This is because work opportunities are spread more thinly across a wider cross-section of individuals.

There are many made-up jobs. Previously, the working situation was different. One company had many workers and now many companies have only few employees. These are freelancers and self employed entrepreneurs. Especially creative people do not have access to unemployment  benefits and therefore the only alternative is to stack up other jobs ( cab driving, bar work etc..)Until more fulfilling opportunities arrive.

These low status temporary jobs de-socialize an entire group of employees, especially the older people.

According to J.Gray and F. Flores ‘We must look towards entrepreneurship as the form of working life that can renew the common values once supported by the institution of the career’

 

 

 

 

 

From consumers to users

 

1. Benkler, Y: Shifting the deeper structures of regulation toward sustainable commons and user access

Question- What are the benefits for the consumer to have choices in products from different cultures?

 

Answer- The benefits are that consumers have a wider variety of choice; they aren’t limited to their own culture, but get in touch with other cultures as well. Because of the media, the world is becoming a smaller place.

 

2. Lessig, L “The future of ideas: The fate of the commons in a connected world”

Question- How does the net teach people what they want?

 

Answer- The net knows what people want individually thanks to all the information supplied in databases. Nowadays every link you click on and show interest in is stored in databases. This way, you can easily find out where people’s interests lie.

The net can now advertise to anyone individually. The example used in the article about amazon.com portrays this use of databases well. Amazon speaks to a person individually and this makes their advertisements more appealing. A different example is when you visit the Ralph Lauren site, if you click a t-shirt or trousers you might like you instantly get to see a couple of other clothes that are similar or in the same collection as your pick. By showing your interest in taste it makes it easier for the site what your other choices might be. So, working in on people’s individual choice in taste the net shows you what you want and can purchase.

 

3. Harries, D “The New Media Book”

Question- How does the Internet support ‘viewsing’?

 

Answer- Entertainment creators and producers have begun to develop ‘programming’ that operates effectively across and between different media. By building a website around a popular television series for instance, people at home can participate in the series and not actually have to be a contestant on tv. By making the user more interactive with a certain program or game the user becomes more active and interested in the ‘real’ tv series. ‘The runner’ is a good example on how people at home can be included in interactive tv series/ games.

 

4. Gay, P. du & Pryke, M – Cultural Economy Chapter 6

Question- In what sense can crossing cultural genre boundaries in a business be considered a social act?

 

Answer- In many areas of life social relationships are important. Also organizations want to be up-to-date and provide the most sympathetic conditions for creative work and artists.

An understanding of the interrelationship of cultures and introducing cultural changes is necessary for businesses economic benefits. E.g., a music industry will produce music of all kinds to earn more money and give consumers a wider variety of choice.