References

Corcoran, F. (2004). RTÉ and the globalisation of Irish Television. Bristol: Intellect

Schirato, Tony, and Jen Webb. Understanding Globalization. London: Sage Publications, 2003

Turkle, Sherry. Alone Together. Basic Books, 2011.

Ritzer, George. The Globalization of Nothing. Pine Forge Press, 2004

Ritzer, George. Globalization. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print.

 The world of labour,. 'Causes And Effects Of Globalization'. Available at: https://laboureconomics.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/causes-and-effects-of-globalization-6/ [accessed on: 12 April 2015]

'What Is The Impact Of Globalisation On The Environment?'. OECD Insights (2013): 108-125. Available at: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/0111111ec008.pdf?expires=1429263803&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=BA26726B2C92F6663331371FE181F6C8 [accessed on: 21 April 2015]

http://www.who.int/tdr/publications/documents/seb_topic3.pdf [accessed on: 23 April 2015]

https://www.goconqr.com/p/1324748-Impact-of-Globalisation-on-Employment-in-Northern-Ireland-mind_maps [accessed on:  29 April 2015]



Mtholyoke.edu,. 'Globalization'. N.p., 2015. Available at: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~patte20j/classweb/ni/globalization.html [accessed on: 29 April 2015]

My bibliography

Bibliography- Ben Pinkney

ANDELA KELLER-HERZOG. (1996) GLOBALISATION AND GENDER DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES AND INTERVENTIONS . [Online] pg. 8. Available from: http://www.cida-ecco.org/CIDARoadMap/RoadMapEnvoy/documents/Discussion%20globalization%20and%20gender.pdf [Accessed: 21st April 2015]

B. Lia (2007) Globalisation and the Future of Terrorism: Patterns and Predictions, Routledge, page 1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19112066 [Accessed on: 1st May 2015]

C. Lindner (2009) Globalization, Violence and the Visual Culture of Cities, Routledge.

D. Archibugi and J. Michie (1997) Technology, Globalisation and Economic Performance, Cambridge University Press, page 2

F. Jameson and M. Miyoshi (1998) The Culture of Globalisation, Duke University Press.

J. Binnie (2004) The Globalization of Sexuality, SAGE, page 1

KEVIN O'CONNER. (2003) Global air travel: toward concentration or dispersal? [Online] Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692303000024 [Accessed: 21st April 2015]

P.Collier and D.Dollar (2002) Globalization, Growth, and Poverty: Building an Inclusive World Economy, World Bank Publications, page 157

S. Edwards and P. Woods (2013) Art and Visual Culture 1850-2010: Modernity to Globalisation, Tate Enterprises Ltd.

V. George and R. Page (2004) Global Social Problems, Polity, page 160

W. Driscoll and J. Clark (2003) Globalization and the Poor: Exploitation Or Equalizer?, IDEA, page 70

YOUTUBE. (2008) Causes- Globalization animation. [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeXvtz0_Ex0. [Accessed: 21st April 2015].

References

Boling, R, Burns, M, & Dick, G (2014) 'SOCIAL NETWORKING AND SMALL BUSINESS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY', Contemporary Readings In Law & Social Justice, Vol. 6 Issue 2, p122-129. 8p. 3 Graphs.

Brighthub. (2012) Why Facebook is bad: 10 Reasons to Avoid Facebook. Available at: http://www.brighthub.com/internet/web-development/articles/92499.aspx (Accessed: 22nd April 2015).

Frontiers Media S.A. (2007-2015) Frontiers: Challenges in Food Chemistry. Available at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnut.2015.00011/full  (Accessed: 23rd April 2015).

Janet Fouts. (2010) Facebook may not be for YOUR business. Available at: http://janetfouts.com/facebook-not-for-business/#axzz3Y7b1W1Hw (Accessed: 22nd April 2015).

Kugler, L. (2011) ’Spot and Avoid Facebook Scams’, PC World, Vol. 29 Issue 8, p35-36. 2p.

Lituchy, TR, & Rail, A (2000) ‘Bed and Breakfasts, Small Inns, and the Internet: The Impact of Technology on the Globalization of Small Businesses', Journal Of International Marketing, Vol. 8 Issue 2, p86-97. 12p. 3 Charts.

McKeown, K 1998, 'Companies see pros, cons of Internet use', Grand Rapids Business Journal, Vol. 16 Issue 27, pB-1. 2p.

Mooney, A. and Evans, B. (2007) Globalization: The Key Concepts. London: Routledge.

Network Solutions. (2014) How Can Facebook Help My Business? Available at: http://www.networksolutions.com/education/how-can-facebook-help-my-business/ (Accessed: 22nd April 2015).

Pain Concern. (2013) Diet and pain - Pain Concern. Available at: 

http://painconcern.org.uk/diet-and-pain/ (Accessed: 23rd April 2015).

WebMD UK Limited and Boots UK Limited. (2009-2014) Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment. Available at: http://www.webmd.boots.com/healthy-eating/guide/vitamin-b12-deficiency (Accessed: 23rd April 2015).

Which? (2015) How to get your money back after a scam. Available at: http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/action/how-to-get-your-money-back-after-a-scam (Accessed: 15th April 2015).

References.

Bibliography:

Frieden, J. A. (2007) Global Capitalism: The Fall and Rise in the Twentieth Century. London: W.W. Norton and Company Ltd.

George, V. Wilding, P. (2002) ‘Globalisation and Social Problems: Social Order’, in Globalisation and Human Welfare. Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1QcnBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT50&lpg=PT50&dq=globalisation+and+paedophilia&source=bl&ots=RS9Yo2barQ&sig=AlAkU4NGeddiXeACc6jPL52R9Fc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=LYQ0Vb21DdbeasGAgdgM&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=globalisation%20and%20paedophilia&f=false (Accessed: 21 April 2015).

Ken Blu (2013) Secrets Of The Superbrands: Food. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgQPZV31cAU (Accessed: 16 April 2015)

Ken Blu (2013) Secrets Of The Superbrands: Fashion. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd7lfcnlb9c (Accessed: 16 April 2015)

Ken Blu (2013) Secrets Of The Superbrands: Technology. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdkeMpN8hOI (Accessed: 16 April 2015).

MrClinePsy (2014) Crime And Deviance: Globalisation. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYEUHkiuY-0&feature=youtu.be (Accessed: 24 April 2015)

Rubin, J. (2009) Why Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller: Oil and the End of Globalisation. London: Virgin Books.

Renton, D. (ed.) (2001) Marx on Globalisation. London: Lawrence and Wishart Limited.

Robbins, M. J. (2014) The Most Powerful Mouse in the World: The Globalization of the Disney Brand. Available at: http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2658&context=utk_chanhonoproj (Accessed: 12 April 2015)

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2010) The Globalisation Of Crime: A Transnational Organised Crime Threat Assessment. Available at: http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/tocta/TOCTA_Report_2010_low_res.pdf (Accessed: 30 April 2015)

Manga - Culture and Globalization

In continuation from my previous post, as well as some continuity with Ben's post a few days ago, i'm going to be providing another example of shared culture. I previously looked at music, and Gangnam Style in particular, but now i'll be focusing my attention to other media, like books and comics, as well as TV coming out of the east, and how it arrives in the West.

In England, or anywhere in the west, comics are strongly related to superheroes and villains. You'll undoubtedly hear the words Marvel or DC thrown about, and people will shout their favourite hero. Comics are massive at the moment. Just look at what's playing in your local cinema and you're bound to see something that was an original comic; Iron Man, Spiderman the list goes on.

But something that's becoming more and more popular are graphic novels and comics from asia. Japan has almost single-handely got the market covered for this. People know it as the technology and videogame center of the world, with giants like Nintendo and Sony both having origins from Japan, but it's secret gem is animation and comics (Anime and Manga).

Just recently Studio Ghibli, the largest animation film studio in Japan released one of it's directors last movies 'The Wind Rises'. This was one of the first animated films to have come to western cinema, a milestone some might say. But it's definitely not going to be the last. With this have come waves of manga adaptations which are coming to the movies, Summer Phenomenon 'Attack on Titan' has already had an anime series made, but is set to release a movie in 2015/16, as well as Crime/Drama Death Note, widely regarded as a masterpiece in the genre. As a fan of these shows, i'm certainly glad they're embracing the limelight a little.

Nothing really new here, but just an extension onto what I previously wrote.

https://thexangelxrafaelle.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/globalization-of-manga-and-anime/

http://www.corneredangel.com/amwess/papers/manga_culture_natsume.pdf

Gangnam Style - Culture and Globalization

Globalization's affect upon culture is definitely one of the more interesting points on the subject for me. I think that's because its easier to find examples in everyday life, and it seems to have a larger impact on us than things we don't necessarily notice.

As I've previously mentioned, with the forthcoming of technology our world has become more closely linked than ever before, and different nation's culture is allowed to cross borders. Today i'll be looking specifically into the song 'Gangnam Style' something everyone has heard of, yet a year before its release, the knowledge of K-pop in the western world was very minimal.


As i'm writing this, Gangnam Style has over 2.3billion views on YouTube. That's right, it has eclipsed everything else on the video sharing website in just 2 years. It became a global phenomenon overnight, and has sold over 4 million copies in South Korea; it's birthplace. What's interesting is that it's sold nearly the same amount of copies in the US. In a country on the complete over side of the world there are children singing Korean lyrics, rather than their native English.

Some people would attribute this to its catchy nature, and whilst it's true, I think there is more to it. K-pop or Korean Pop is a genre of music which has been becoming more and more popular in the western world. Along with other Asian music types like J-pop (Japan pop), they've become known for funky beats and soft vocals. This is a fantastic example of how globalization is actively effecting the world we live in, and it also strikes a little closer to home. You can hear or see these things everyday, and I think thats an important thing to note, globalization isn't always about corporations, it changes whats playing on your radio, or your TV.

As someone who didn't know much of K-pop before Gangnam Style, i'm constantly appreciative of how our world is closer than ever, and I can now experience other's culture through mediums like the internet.


http://www.academia.edu/3602351/Understanding_the_Global_Appeal_of_Gangnam_Style

http://www.academia.edu/4732546/The_Globalization_of_K-pop_Koreas_Place_in_the_Global_Music_Industry

An excert from my evaluation

When Neville Brody started to design for the face magazine, he was looking at the work of Russian constructivism for his inspiration. When peter Saville starting designing record sleeves for the manchester band, new order his scope for inspiration came from the Italian futurists. Inspiration comes from a global source. Not a lot of texts seem to cover the work of comic’s and the global scope of them. Japan exports manga to the world on a global scale which has given rise to the ideas of fandom’s and conventions which started as sub cultural events where only those in the know would go and now are major arena events.

American gothic

Another globally famous painting that has been parodied hundreds of times maninly by american's as a way of laughing at themselves, but these parodies do occur on a global scale and in a controversial move an eastern publications has re-situated this painted classic into a sinister depiction of America and it's supposed values from a very stereotypical perspective.  The artist appears to be an eastern satirist and may very well done this an opposition to the global war that was initiated by America to invade Iraq.

references in alphabetical order

Barnard, M. (2005) Graphic design as communication. London: Routledge.

Bauman, Z. ( 2001) Community: seeking safety in an insecure world.Oxford: Polity.

Day, G. (2006) Community and everyday life. London: Routledge.

Held, D. and McGrew, A. (2007) Globalization/anti-globalization: beyond the great divide. 2nd. Cambridge: Polity.

Irish Television

I was reading extracts from RTE and the Globalisation of Irish Television by Farrel Corcoran which is talking about how the Irish channel, RTE (which is basically the Irish version of the BBC) is not broadcasted throughout the whole of the island of Ireland and yet the BBC can be watched all over Ireland and reaches other countries such as BBC America.

I then came across this chapter which begins another argument into whether or not Globalisation is a good thing. 

The food system and globalisation.

Expanding on my last post about food in the UK this article discusses the food system as a whole. It discusses the differences between shopping in supermarkets and shopping local and the sustainability of produce coming from farmers. In my opinion people should buy local produce coming from farmers in the area as it helps keep them in business and you know where the food is coming from as opposed to buying food in supermarkets you still know the origin of food but it wont be from the UK. 

While reading the article it reminded me of a recent TV program I watched called 'Back in Time for Dinner' where one family went through 5 decades of the national food survey, they experienced how difficult it was to keep certain foods fresh, the lack of food in that specific time and how the increase of technology made an impact on the quality of the food. It also showed the imports of new foods such as Chinese and Indians meals but made you think about where the foods have came from that you're putting in your basket. As the show progressed the availability of foods increased and more choice was available. Usually when I shop for fruit or veg I will check on the packet where the country of origin the specific food has came from and it's such a shame to hardly ever see 'United Kingdom'. Watching the show was a real eye opener to see how much the world has changed I recommend giving it a watch!

I liked the goat.

https://feedingninebillion.com/globalization-our-food-system

Comics from around the Globe

"How do comics reflect the countries they were created in? As a series featuring collaborating artists from around the world concludes, a global look at comic styles offers a glimpse into national cultures.

The cult of comic has many followers. Some love the characters, some are in awe of the artwork. For many is it the simple skill of telling a story through pictures.
While the simplicity and soul of the comic is universal, the pages can vary according to the countries they were created in.
"There are different styles and themes," says Tim Pilcher, author of The Essential Guide to World Comics and the chairman of the Comic Book Alliance.
"These approaches can make the comics very different."

While the comic industries in Japan, Europe and the US are"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19112066

Here is a article in which I found on how comics styles and themes vary dependent on the countries on which they were created in, I love comic books and have always loved the styles in which I have seen and even practiced the style of drawing, from this I conducted a little research of the different styles from the different countries out there. Here is what I found:

British

 

Japanese

 

American

German

Spanish

And many more, this is one phenomenon which has taking the world by storm for centuries and are still going strong today, I thought it was time for me to dive into a visual aspect affected by globalisation and so I followed my interests and here it is, I find it fascinating how every country has a different way in which the communicate a similar story and the styles in which they work in are incredible.
 

Globalisation of Sexuality

J. Binnie (2004) The Globalization of Sexuality, SAGE, page 1

This is another of my posts linking to Identity which i find interesting and this opening segment was very interesting to me and it explores how sexuality has been affected by globalization, I found it very interesting that in the west gay men are referred to as 'predatory paedophiles', what are all your thoughts about this?

Transnational Organised Crime Flow: Diagram

I found this diagram on the main global transnational organised crime flow.

It is from the paper The Globalisation of Crime: A Transnational Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2010.

I found this diagram of particular interest due to the recent video uploaded about Globalisation and Crime. I wanted to see just how much crime took place around the world with the help of globalisation and our increased communication.

This diagram focuses on the following types of crime committed: The importation of Heroin, Cocaine, Firearms, Counterfeit Goods and Counterfeit medicine. The Smuggling of Migrants and Female Trafficking Victims. The offshore crime of Piracy. The smuggling of animals, timber, gold and tin oxide (Cassiterite).

I was surprised to learn that, in Europe, 7 out of 12 of these come over and affected us. However, only 2 out of 12 of these crimes affect the UK solely. This is of course mainly focused on the wider areas as opposed to just particular countries, so we are affected, realistically, by all 7 of the crimes that come across into Europe.

I was not really expecting illegal Timber importation or Cassiterite to be a crime that we would see.  The idea of counterfeit goods being sold in the UK is kinda expected, all you have to do is walk down the high street and there will be someone with a fake branded item. Same with illicit drugs such as Heroin and Cocaine. I find that these markets are too big for Europe to not want to get involved in the trade, from a business standpoint, but regardless there has always and will always be someone who uses these types of drugs, no matter where abouts in the world you are, so I would be more surprised if Cocaine and Heroin wasn't on the crime list for Europe.

Diagram from: http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/tocta/TOCTA_Report_2010_low_res.pdf

Tayto Crisps

The charm of Tayto crisps used to be that they were never sold outside of Northern Ireland and the Republic. They were a tourist attraction with the Tayto castle in Armagh, which is open to the general public. I was surprised to see that in B&M bargains, they now sell tayto crisps and you can purchase them on amazon. Very little has been written about the exclusivity of Tayto crisps and I could only find an article about Eva Longoria praising the crisps. Is anyone else aware of these crisps and their popularity or has it all been kept a secret so to speak?

Globalisation of food in the UK

Reading through Jessica's post about globalisation and diet and how the overall consumption of foods has shifted from healthy eating to processed foods, intrigued me to research the ever changing UK food market and street food. This article mentions the increase of world street food and restaurants around the UK.

Just a few weeks ago I travelled to Leeds and went to Trinity shopping centre, on the very top floor was a massive food hall but it wasn't just any food it was street food from around the world e.g. Vietnamese pho, Mexican burritos, Indian etc. and it was heaving with people. Reading this article made me realise that there is a demand for specialist cuisine and it's growing. 

This quote talks about the diversification and demand for world cuisine. Living in Carlisle my entire life I have seen so many street vendors and world cuisine restaurants come and go, in my opinion the most diverse trait of Carlisle is the continental market and over the years I have watched more and more people attend.

I do believe there is a difference in quality from street vendor food and restaurant and surprisingly its usually the vendor food thats better. Jess talked about how the global marketing of food has resulted in people suffering with life long illnesses I do think that the more available food becomes especially world cuisine could be a danger to peoples diets. 

What do you think about street food as opposed to restaurants? Personally the grimier the place the better the food (but maybe that applies to foreign countries only) 

http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Trends-Reports/Globalisation-of-UK-food-scene-drives-chain-operator-growth

Tourism in Northern Ireland

Globalization has strong effects on how Northern Ireland is becoming more assimilated into the rest of the western world.  For example, the government of Northern Ireland is now operating on a global agenda.  Northern Ireland has made a deliberate move towards tourism – the government seeks to increase revenue by attracting tourists who may wish to come see the area where the Troubles took place.  To this end, Belfast has received quite a lot of upgrading.

The inner city used to be run down and somewhat abandoned, since it was not a very good place to live because of danger.  Now, however, the lower floors of those buildings have been converted into high end shops, and the upper floors into classy apartment buildings that are popular because they are close to all the new things to do in the city.  The two clearest examples of how Northern Ireland has sought to improve Belfast to attract tourists/customers is the completed Victoria Square, a bustling mall filled with many attractive shops, and the Titanic Quarter, which plans to turn old docklands into hotels, high class business centers, and shops – all this within range of the RMS Titanic exhibit showcasing the history of the Titanic when it was built in Belfast before its tragic accident in 1912 (O’Dowd). 

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~patte20j/classweb/ni/globalization.html

This is a strange wee website but outlines the basic impact on tourism in Northern Ireland. They are really striving to make a tourist spot in Belfast based on the titanic and the troubles. 

The Titanic Quarter was built in 2012 and since then has become a widely known tourist spot and is constantly creating new jobs, especially for young people as it continues to grow. It is aiming to fix the unemployment issue that many people think globalisation has created. 

Survey Results: Facebook Customers

To follow up from my last post, here are the results from my second survey, aimed at people who buy or have bought from Facebook in the past. I sent the survey out to 30 people and within a week got 25 back and so my results are based on those 25 people. The age ranged from 16 - 52 with a mixture of both males and females. The aim of the survey was to see how happy people are happy with the fact that Facebook is now being used to buy and sell a lot of different products. I wanted to see if they found it to be a good thing, or if they think it could be improved. I also wanted to see how customers reacted to businesses attempts to get their custom. 

The results were as follows:

How often do you buy items through Facebook?

40% of participants bought items through Facebook often and 60% bought items occasionally.

Do you find purchasing items through Facebook easier than other online sites?

48% of participants found Facebook easier than other platforms, 20% sometimes found it easier, others not, and 32% found purchasing from other platforms much easier.

How often do you make use of special offers on Facebook?

60% of participants often make use of special offers advertised on Facebook, 32% occasionally make use of them and 8% never make use of special offers on the network. 

Do you ever buy items after seeing advertisements on Facebook?

32% of participants often buy items after seeing advertisements, 48% occasionally do and 20% don't take any notice of Facebook advertisements at all.

How is your trust with sellers on Facebook?

8% of these Facebook users find sellers to be very trustworthy, 32% say it depends on the page in which they are selling on and 60% are cautious. 

Have you ever been scammed?

32% of participants have been scammed whereas 68% have not.

Do you know what actions you can take if you do get scammed?

20% of participants know what actions to take if they are scammed, 32% know a little, but could know more and 48% don't know what to do in that situation at all. 

Do you think that Facebook should allow selling/buying?

72% of participants think that people should be allowed to buy and sell on Facebook, 28% think that buying and selling should be allowed, but there should be more monitoring involved.

To summarise, the survey has shown that most participants buy items on Facebook occasionally and find the network much easier than other online sites. Most people often make use of any special offers they see and occasionally buy items after seeing advertisements on there. The majority of people are cautious when it comes to trusting sellers and most have never been scammed, although 32% have which means scamming is still an issue. Most people do not know what actions to take if they are scammed and the ones who do know, could know more. The majority think that people should be allowed to buy and sell on Facebook and the rest think that it should be allowed, but should be monitored more. 

Again, this survey further backs up my previous research with the fact that scamming is an issue on Facebook, but not enough of an issue to put people off using it. People are cautious when it comes to buying which is a good thing because this may cut the chances of people being scammed so easily. Overall, though, the majority of people seem to be happy with the fact that you can buy so easily off Facebook and it seems as though people like the idea more than they dislike it or they wouldn't use it so often. There seems to be an amount of people who think that it could be improved slightly, as with the previous survey. I tend to agree and although I think Facebook is a really good way to buy and sell, I also think that it could definitely be improved in order for more trustworthy people to be seen above the scammers. 

Employment in Northern Ireland

https://www.goconqr.com/p/1324748-Impact-of-Globalisation-on-Employment-in-Northern-Ireland-mind_maps 

I thought I would have a look at what effects globalisation has had on Northern Ireland to try and see if this would help me understand it more and I came across this spider diagram that outlines the positives an negatives of globalisation in employment in Northern Ireland. It had helped me understand a wee bit more about what it is about because I can relate and know the businesses they are talking about.

Survey Results: Businesses on Facebook

Last week, I put out two surveys to both small business owners who have a Facebook page and people who use/have used Facebook to buy from. The purpose of these surveys is to see how people feel about buying and selling on Facebook and whether they are happy with the way it is or would like it improved in any way. Also, to find out just how good/bad Facebook is for businesses to back up my previous research. I sent the survey out to 30 small businesses and 30 normal Facebook accounts and within a week I got back 18 business and 25 customer surveys. My results will be based upon these surveys.

First of all, I would like to focus on the Business survey. In the 18 surveys I got back, the businesses ranged from a Make up Artist all the way to an Electrician, I tried to send it out to a wide range of business types, age and gender ranges in order to gather a general opinion on Facebook and not just one specific age range's opinion. The age of participants ranged from 17 - 56. 

The results were as follows:

How often do you log into your business page?

55.56% of participants log into their business page every day, 27.78% log in a couple of times per week, 11.11% a few times per month and 5.56% even less than that.

What percentage of your work would you say you gain through Facebook?

27.78% of participants get 75-100% of their work from Facebook, 50% get 50-75% of work through the network, 11.11% get 25-50% and again 11.11% get less than 25% of work from it. 

How often do you advertise?

11.11% of participants advertise every day, 27.78% advertise a couple of times per week, 27.78% just a few times per month and 33.33% advertise even less than that.

Do you find it useful for gaining customers?

72.22% of participants found Facebook has gained their customer base, 16.67% found that they had gained some, but not all were reliable or serious and 11.11% found that they don't gain many customers at all through the network.

How easy do you find Facebook to use for your business?

83.33% of participants found Facebook very easy to use, 16.67% found it to be easy at times and quite difficult at others an no participants found it to be extremely hard.

Do you find Facebook more useful than a website?

 50% of participants found they have gained more work from Facebook than their website, 27.78% found the work load from each equal and 22.22% find their Website brings them more work than Facebook.

Are you happy with how easy it is for people to start a business on Facebook?

38.89% of participants think Facebook is fine the way it is, 16.67% think it could be improved slightly to get rid of bad businesses and 44.44% think it should be harder to make a business page and only genuine businesses should be allowed to do so.

All in all, the survey has shown that most people involved use their Facebook pages daily or at least a couple of times per week. People tend to gain 50-75% of their work through the network and advertise less than a few times per month. The majority of people find it useful for gaining customers and find it easy to use. Most participants found Facebook even more useful than their own websites but think it should be harder to people to make business pages and therefore procedures should be put in place so that only genuine businesses can create a page.

I think this survey has covered a lot of the points i've gone over in my previous posts and has helped me gain other peoples opinions as well as my own. Obviously there could have been a lot more participants and this is only a small amount of business owners but it has definitely helped me gain a good idea of how people feel about it. There are still people who feel that Facebook isn't the best field to network on, but it seems those people also see the advantages as they do still use their page. To summarise, I think generally, people feel that Facebook is a really useful way to gain customers and advertise their business but there are still a few flaws that could be fixed. The bigger picture, though, is that it's a free and easy way to put your business to the world and you can't really lose by creating a page, the worst that can happen is you just don't get work from it.