Improving Decision Making: Using Internet Newsgroups for Online Market Research

This project will help develop Internet skills in using newsgroup for marketing. It will also ask you to think about the ethical implications of using information in online discussion groups for business purposes.

You are producing hiking boots that you sell through a few stores at this time. You would like to use Internet discussion groups interested in hiking, climbing, and camping both to sell your boots and to make them well known. Visit groups.google.com, which stores discussion postings from many thousands of newsgroups. Through this site you can locate all relevant newsgroups and search them by keyword, author’s name, forum, date, and subject. Choose a message and examine it carefully, nothing all the information you can obtain, including information about the author.

Webelos Woods Weekend

October 21 - 23, 2011

At Seven Mountains Scout Camp

This camping weekend will give Webelos scouts and parents an opportunity to meet Troop 31 scouts and leaders.  We will be hosting Webelos from several different local packs.  We are hoping for a great turnout from Troop 31 to help give Webelos a great scouting experience.  Troop 31 will be camping on the Leopold site (see map). Scouts will be encouraged to sleep outside in tents. The cabin will be available for parents and in the event of inclement weather.  

Tentative schedule of events: 

Friday, Oct 21^st

6:15 Meet at Omega Bank parking lot on Westerly Parkway. 

6:30 Depart for 7MSC.  Scouts should wear hiking shoes and clothing appropriate for an evening hike in the dark into camp.  Headlamps might be useful.  ALL scouts must have a Class A uniform for this trip, since we will be conducting opening and closing exercises with the entire council.  You will be given a chance  to take off your Class-A uniform before the Friday eve hike into camp.  A Class-B underneath your Class-A is recommended. 

Saturday, October 22^nd

8:00 –10:00 am           – Scout arrival and registration

11:00 am                     – Flag Raising and welcome

11:30                           – 12:45 pm – Lunch in your campsites

1:00 – 4:00 pm            – The Challenge begins. Webelos should make up teams of   scouts.Teams can be consisting of up to 8-10 Webelos.

4:30 pm                       – Score sheets turned.

4:30 – 5:30 pm            – Freetime around camp

5:30 - 6:30 pm             – Patrol based cooking (webelos will participate in preparing a simple meal)

6:30 pm                       – Dinner & clean-up

8:00 pm                       – Campfire

9:00 pm                       – Camping at site 

Sunday, October 23rd

7:00 am                       – Breakfast in your campsite

8:00am                        – Chapel

8:30 am                       – Flag lowering and camp dismissal

Fee:  $25 per person.  This covers all fees to Juniata Valley Council, and Troop 31.

I'd like to have an accurate picture of who is going by Tuesday, October 18th (including names, permission slips and payment).  If you have any questions about the weekend, give me a call to discuss!

Yours in scouting,

Ed

ASM, Troop 31

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PERMISSION SLIP

Troop 31 - State College, PA

Webelos Woods Weekend

Leopold Campsite, 7 Mts Scout Camp – Oct 21 – 23, 2011

My Son(s) ______________________________ has/have my permission for full participation (subject to limitations noted) in this Troop 31 outing.

Signature of parent/guardian _____________________________________________________________

Telephone Number (day) _____________ (Evening) _________________

Primary care physician _________________ Phone number(s) ___________________

(This information is needed in case we need to seek emergency care and are unable to reach a parent or guardian)

Medications (list any/all that the Scout is currently taking):

Limitations: 

Note ANY/ALL need for late arrival, early departure, etc.:

Author:  Ed McCash

Source:https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/hiking$20and$20camping$20trip/statecollegetroop31/JuBsGnjmKZg/1oLX446eFMIJ

1.      How could you use these newsgroups to market your boots?

There are so many ways to promote your product, through any social media, advertisements, and in this case we are talking about newsgroup to promote our boots. In our perspective, we can share our product to the newsgroups that content some situations or activity which needs our product. In this case if we want to promote our boot, we have to search for any kinds of newsgroups that discuss about some activities related to the use of boot itself, for example hiking, climbing, camping, and many more. One of the content in newsgroups above stated that all scouts must have and use hiking shoes. According to this statement we can share our product efficiently, and scout members also can search for hiking shoes easily. By using newsgroups, all transactions and promotions can be done effectively and efficiently.

2.      What are ethical principles might be violating if you see these messages to sell your boots? Do you think there are ethical problems in using newsgroups this way? Explain your answer.

Indeed, there are some negative and positive side for using newsgroups as a place to promote your product (in this case: boot). According to our group there are some ethical principles that might be violating in selling boots.

The first is Descartes’ Rule of Change. It is stated that If an action cannot be taken repeatedly, it is not right to take it all. When they want to do the promotion by newsgroups, it can be a good choice at once. But according to our group, this kind of promotion cannot be taken repeatedly because it can lead us to what is called as "spamming". We can violating this principle when we are trying to do the promotion every day, and frequently. As a result, the member from discussion group will feel annoyed and no one will consider to buy certain product (in case: boot) 

The second principle that might be violated if you use message to sell boots is the Golden Rule. Golden Rule stated that do unto others as you would have them unto you. This principle can be violated when you give wrong information about your product. Every company tries to give their best in order to promote their product, and some of them might give wrong information about their product to attract their buyers. If you do wrong things unto the others, it means you would not have them unto you, and it is not based on Golden Rule principle.

3.      Next use Google or Yahoo search the hiking boots industry and locate sites that will help you develop other new ideas for contacting potential customers.

We already searched for sites that will help us in developing new ideas and contacting potential customers which is Maxwell Company. Maxwell is a company in China which focuses on producing any types of shoes including sport and hiking shoes. As you may see in www.maxwellinternational.com, we can get other information about the factors of its competition, competitive strengths, opportunities, and also about the prospects of producing footwear. According to Maxwell International Company, you have to have good track records with your costumers to get more potential costumer. As the time goes by they will trust you and as a result they will give you high profit. Despite of making good track records, you also need to give more innovation in design and material, because you are competing with other big international footwear company like Adidas, Nike, Converse, etc. Furthermore, you also need to do product diversification, in order to get attention from international customers. For long term, you should consider about marketing activities including the activities from your website, social media, virtual advertisements, e-business and also e-commerce to maintain the relationship between your company and costumer.

4.      Given what you have learned in this and previous chapters, prepare a plan to use newsgroups and other alternative methods to begin attracting visitors to your site.

In order to make newsgroup and other alternative methods to attract visitors to your site, first thing you have to do is make an attractive design, both your product and advertisements. Attractive means, the design is eye-catching, easy to understand, and up-to-date. And it must be different with the others, different in a good way. So buyer would consider to see your advertisement instead of looking for the other. Moreover, do not spread the advertisement in the same group frequently because people needs privacy especially when they are in discussion group. Next is choose the proper words to promote your product. Choose the simple words but arrange it in attractive ways so people can understand what your product is and get curious and interested to buy your product.