This is an interesting class. I thought it was funny to think about the professors possibly being less educated in a topic that they lecture about than some of the students. This thought came to me at the end of the podcast when Professor Frisbie admitted reluctance to joining facebook. But overall this was a neat topic to talk about. I thought it was a little slow at first when discussing the two groups the HOGs and the Deadheads. I guess it was a little background information, or a brief history of how we got here.
By the end of this podcast, I did not believe how many brand communities I was apart of without even realizing it. I love to do online contests and sweepstakes. For a lot of them now days you have to become a fan of them on facebook, or register on their website, etc. I try to avoid registering with any brand's site unless I might get something more out of it (i.e. I cannot just get a shot at winning $10,000 to get a ton of emails from a company and brand I don't care about). I laughed when I saw the Pamper's online community in the podcast. I am apart of the community. I joined it because they had some high dollar value contest, plus my sister-in-law was pregnant at the time and thought it might benefit her. I get coupons from them all the time and they send me updates telling me "my baby" is now X months old. I forward on the coupons to my sister-in-law and we have a good laugh.
I can see how powerful these brand communities are as I look at some of them I am actively involved in, like Minnesota Public Radio (solely because of The Current radio station) and Vibram Five Finger shoes. I give money to MPR to support the radio programming I love and they continue to give back to me every day with not only great music and DJs, but exclusive concert events, memorabilia, and more. I bought a pair of Vibram's Five Finger shoes last fall and fell in love with them instantly, so I have become a fan of them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. I love talking about the shoes to anyone and I really understand brand communities better after writing this paragraph. I am actually a little bit excited right now.
Overall, I really enjoyed this podcast and liked to see the connection with Harley Davidson throughout the lecture. I think that helped put the brand community concept into prospective for me. Now it is time to go off and see what other brand communities are out there that I might join!
Your blog reminds me of why I enjoy this class and this format so thoroughly. In many ways, I am the beneficiary. I learn a great deal from students like you. Reflecting on your reaction to my podcast offered good guidance and gave me ideas about how to improve it. And then reading about your membership in the Pampers brand community brought it to life. Your sharing with your sister-in-law is what "social" is all about. P&G launches an initiative and they rely in large part on the community to spread the word and the influence. And, I know about Vibram's Five Finger shoes. They provide a good class illustration. You should have seen the expression on my face when a student wore them to class one day. But, throughout all of this, one thing for certain: marketing has been totally transformed by the social movement. Good job and I appreciate the pictures!
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