Where do they get their information from in Government? Are they secretly living in some underground colony where the world is different to the one you and I live in? Or are they all so gullible they fall for anything anyone with a sharp suit tells them?
Take today - Gordon Brown personally backs the new plan for the digital future of Britain. He reckons digital is essential to the future prosperity of the country. So is an honest, well-regulated banking system Gordon. Sorry, I digress.
True, digital Britain is a necessity; but we could have told him that before his party even got into power in Downing Street. Indeed, it doesn't take an Einsteinian brain to work it out. Anyone with half an ounce of sense has known this for a decade or more. Thanks Gordon for pointing out the obvious.
But while he is jollying it announcing the UK's Digital Action Plan, behind the scenes other parts of his "joined-up" Government are taking it all to bits. For instance, ministers are proposing that all broadband accounts should be subject to a £20 tax to pay for a quango to deal with "illegal" downloads. Oh my goodness; just as we all need to have an efficient digital Britain, during a recession when we have less cash to spend, the Government wants to get us to spend more on accessing digital material.
Perhaps someone should tell the ministers - because they don't seem to know - the people who pay the Broadband bills are not the ones doing the illegal downloading. It's their kids who do that. In other words, the £20 Broadband Tax will have zero impact - but will increase our costs. Thanks.
And, while some ministers are busy proposing a tax on broadband access, the Secretary of State for Culture, Andy Burnham is revealing his lack of knowledge about the Internet. Today he has said that Britain leads the way in content creation. Wrong. It only takes a few minutes with some services like Alexa and you discover that the most significant slice of the content on the Internet originates from North America.
Every time this Government makes any kind of announcement about the Internet they reveal ever more how little they actually know or understand about it. More worryingly, they reveal how little their advisers know. After all, today's digital action plan is calling for us all to have 2Mbps broadband support. That's what most people in Korea had five years ago. The advice on which this report is based is clearly out of touch and out of date.
Time for Gordon to get new advisers, new ministers - or if he is so keen on digital technology then perhaps even better for him to get a new address, 10 Downing Street, Seoul. He'd be happier with the broadband connection there - and for some reason I can 't quite put my finger on, we'd be happier as well. Bye Gordon.
User generated content set to take on huge importance
We already know that many Internet users contribute content to the web. Take YouTube, for instance, which reportedly has around 15 hours of video uploaded to it every minute...! Not all of that video is professionally produced, business material. Most is what we'd call "user generated content".
Already, just over 40% of all web users actually contribute to the Internet. Interestingly, around six out of ten people who use the web actually read or watch user generated content. As ever, there are more consumers than producers.
Even so, the numbers are steadily growing on both sides of the equation. By the time we get to the London Olympics over half the web will be produced by users, with almost three quarters of surfers using the stuff.
What does it all mean? It suggests that being able to contribute, to take part, to add to web sites, to udpate them, to be involved is going to become ever more prevalent and seen as a "requirement". In other words, the days of the static, no-user-input, web page is gone - forever.
If you run any kind of online business, or use the internet to promote an offline business, you will need to have the option for users to generate content on your site. If you don't, you will be seen as rather abnormal and certainly behind the times.
And if you don't know where to start, begin with a blog and allow people to comment. But whatever you do, do something to allow your users to generate content for your site. Your competition will.
Already, just over 40% of all web users actually contribute to the Internet. Interestingly, around six out of ten people who use the web actually read or watch user generated content. As ever, there are more consumers than producers.
Even so, the numbers are steadily growing on both sides of the equation. By the time we get to the London Olympics over half the web will be produced by users, with almost three quarters of surfers using the stuff.
What does it all mean? It suggests that being able to contribute, to take part, to add to web sites, to udpate them, to be involved is going to become ever more prevalent and seen as a "requirement". In other words, the days of the static, no-user-input, web page is gone - forever.
If you run any kind of online business, or use the internet to promote an offline business, you will need to have the option for users to generate content on your site. If you don't, you will be seen as rather abnormal and certainly behind the times.
And if you don't know where to start, begin with a blog and allow people to comment. But whatever you do, do something to allow your users to generate content for your site. Your competition will.
So we need an editorial process on the Internet after all..!
My phone rang yesterday with a client curious about how the world knew about the Hudson River air crash before any news channels were carrying the story. Twitter, instant messaging, SMS, blogs - they all played their part.
But for the traditional news media they simply couldn't run the story without first checking. After all, they'd look pretty dumb if it was some kind of hoax. Indeed, news outlets of all kinds have been duped by what seemed like real stories, when in fact they turned out to be false. The "Hitler Diaries" fooled two major publications, Germany's Der Stern and The Sunday Times in the UK. So, journalists are careful about checking facts and "standing up" the story before they commit themselves to print, or to broadcasting something.
The Internet was the first with the news of the plane crash last week and that's something the traditional media do not like. But their editorial processes, which take time, are there for a reason; to check the story and make sure no-one is trying to mislead.
Shame then that Wikipedia doesn't have an editorial process. According to Wikipedia's entry on Senator Ted Kennedy, he is dead. He may be unwell at the moment - but not that unwell. Wikipedia and its "editing community" are highly defensive of their "anyone can edit" policy. But things could change.
Wikipedia's founder, Jimmy Wales, has issued a suggestion that an editorial policy should be put in place to prevent the likes of the Ted Kennedy error from appearing. This has caused uproar.
Yet, the very people complaining about the infringement of everyone's "right" to edit and contribute would be the very ones, probably, who would also complain about errors. An editorial policy may mean that things appear online rather more slowly, but it would mean that the facts are checked.
And that would help all of us. Trust in what is published online is low. We could all help improve that trust by establishing some kind of editorial policy for our own web sites, blogs and online writing. Perhaps we just have to start accepting a slower world for the sake of accuracy.
But for the traditional news media they simply couldn't run the story without first checking. After all, they'd look pretty dumb if it was some kind of hoax. Indeed, news outlets of all kinds have been duped by what seemed like real stories, when in fact they turned out to be false. The "Hitler Diaries" fooled two major publications, Germany's Der Stern and The Sunday Times in the UK. So, journalists are careful about checking facts and "standing up" the story before they commit themselves to print, or to broadcasting something.
The Internet was the first with the news of the plane crash last week and that's something the traditional media do not like. But their editorial processes, which take time, are there for a reason; to check the story and make sure no-one is trying to mislead.
Shame then that Wikipedia doesn't have an editorial process. According to Wikipedia's entry on Senator Ted Kennedy, he is dead. He may be unwell at the moment - but not that unwell. Wikipedia and its "editing community" are highly defensive of their "anyone can edit" policy. But things could change.
Wikipedia's founder, Jimmy Wales, has issued a suggestion that an editorial policy should be put in place to prevent the likes of the Ted Kennedy error from appearing. This has caused uproar.
Yet, the very people complaining about the infringement of everyone's "right" to edit and contribute would be the very ones, probably, who would also complain about errors. An editorial policy may mean that things appear online rather more slowly, but it would mean that the facts are checked.
And that would help all of us. Trust in what is published online is low. We could all help improve that trust by establishing some kind of editorial policy for our own web sites, blogs and online writing. Perhaps we just have to start accepting a slower world for the sake of accuracy.
Cannabis, Gaza and internet marketing
Ordinary people - the likes of you and me - are often bemused about decisions taken by politicians and those in the "establishment". Today we see two seemingly different decisions - one about the charity appeal for suffering in Gaza and the other for the reclassification of cannabis as a "Class B" drug. Both are actually the same decision, at heart. And the decision has important lessons for anyone running an online business - indeed any business.
Cannabis is a drug with known health consequences. Of course, we could debate the extent of those health issues and compare cannabis to a legal drug, alcohol, and determine which is worse. Governments find it difficult to admit that something they have legalised (alcohol) contributes more damage to society than something they ban (cannabis). We knew back in the 1960s that cigarettes kill people and that they are one of the biggest drains on healthcare spending. But 40 years later we are still only teetering on the edge of really dealing with smoking.
The Government simply doesn't want to upset people - there are no votes in doing that. So today, they have tried to please the anti-drugs lobby by re-classifying cannabis, but are not changing the penalties, so that the cannabis users also don't get upset. This is typical political fence sitting - trying to please all of the people all of the time.
And that's precisely the mess the BBC has got itself into over Gaza. Whoever is to blame for the Israel-Palestine conundrum doesn't really matter. People in Gaza are without food and shelter and need our help. But the BBC doesn't want to broadcast a charity appeal for fear it might be seen as anti-Israeli. The BBC is trying to please the pro-Israeli lobby by not broadcasting the appeal, at the same time as attempting to give the issue maximum publicity so the pro-Palestine lobby can say they were helped. More fence sitting by the BBC - remember Jonathan Ross?
So what has all this to do with your business? Well, go down to your pub today and listen in to the conversation. Some people will say the BBC should broadcast the appeal, others will say they shouldn't. Others in the pub will talk about drugs; some will want them banned, others think it should all be open, like alcohol. In other words, the conversations we - the ordinary folk - have are rarely "fence sitting".
That's because we don't like fence sitting; it makes it difficult for us to get along with each other because we don't really know where our friends and colleagues stand.
And that's the problem with many business - particularly those online. So desperate are they for customers they end up trying to please all of the people all of the time. And as customers, we never know where we stand - so we leave those businesses. Who then have to try and please more people more of the time in order to survive. The result is an ever revolving door of customers coming in, and then going out because they simply can't "get" the business.
If your business suffers from the revolving door syndrome - as many online businesses do - it suggests you are not being decisive enough. It implies like the BBC and politicians your business is trying too hard to please all of the people all of the time. And that never works.
Who cares if you upset some people because they disagree with your business? They were never really going to be customers anyway. Do you think TopShop gives a fig that some of the older, more prudish people in society don't like the more skimpy clothes they sell? They don't care - because their customers do like them. Top Shop has come down firmly on one side of the fashion fence. Remember Marks and Spencer a few years back? It was going down the tubes because it was trying to please every fashion buyer, rather than being decisive and being happy to reject potential customers.
In times of economic crisis businesses often try to hang on to their customers; but being firm and rejecting some customers could be the best thing you do. That's because the customers who you do choose will know what you stand for; they will identify with you better and buy more from you as a result. Unlike the Government, who we don't know what they really stand for because they sit on the fence too much. Their strategists suggest to them that this will please most people and provide them with more votes. But it's really quite simple; it will have the reverse effect - it will lose them votes from both sides of the argument.
And the BBC? Well I'm quite clear and non fence-sitting about it. As I said at the time of the Jonathan Ross nonsense, the Director General coped badly and should have resigned. This morning on BBC Radio 4 that same director general was hesitant, confusing and constantly fence-sitting. Time for him to resign.
Cannabis is a drug with known health consequences. Of course, we could debate the extent of those health issues and compare cannabis to a legal drug, alcohol, and determine which is worse. Governments find it difficult to admit that something they have legalised (alcohol) contributes more damage to society than something they ban (cannabis). We knew back in the 1960s that cigarettes kill people and that they are one of the biggest drains on healthcare spending. But 40 years later we are still only teetering on the edge of really dealing with smoking.
The Government simply doesn't want to upset people - there are no votes in doing that. So today, they have tried to please the anti-drugs lobby by re-classifying cannabis, but are not changing the penalties, so that the cannabis users also don't get upset. This is typical political fence sitting - trying to please all of the people all of the time.
And that's precisely the mess the BBC has got itself into over Gaza. Whoever is to blame for the Israel-Palestine conundrum doesn't really matter. People in Gaza are without food and shelter and need our help. But the BBC doesn't want to broadcast a charity appeal for fear it might be seen as anti-Israeli. The BBC is trying to please the pro-Israeli lobby by not broadcasting the appeal, at the same time as attempting to give the issue maximum publicity so the pro-Palestine lobby can say they were helped. More fence sitting by the BBC - remember Jonathan Ross?
So what has all this to do with your business? Well, go down to your pub today and listen in to the conversation. Some people will say the BBC should broadcast the appeal, others will say they shouldn't. Others in the pub will talk about drugs; some will want them banned, others think it should all be open, like alcohol. In other words, the conversations we - the ordinary folk - have are rarely "fence sitting".
That's because we don't like fence sitting; it makes it difficult for us to get along with each other because we don't really know where our friends and colleagues stand.
And that's the problem with many business - particularly those online. So desperate are they for customers they end up trying to please all of the people all of the time. And as customers, we never know where we stand - so we leave those businesses. Who then have to try and please more people more of the time in order to survive. The result is an ever revolving door of customers coming in, and then going out because they simply can't "get" the business.
If your business suffers from the revolving door syndrome - as many online businesses do - it suggests you are not being decisive enough. It implies like the BBC and politicians your business is trying too hard to please all of the people all of the time. And that never works.
Who cares if you upset some people because they disagree with your business? They were never really going to be customers anyway. Do you think TopShop gives a fig that some of the older, more prudish people in society don't like the more skimpy clothes they sell? They don't care - because their customers do like them. Top Shop has come down firmly on one side of the fashion fence. Remember Marks and Spencer a few years back? It was going down the tubes because it was trying to please every fashion buyer, rather than being decisive and being happy to reject potential customers.
In times of economic crisis businesses often try to hang on to their customers; but being firm and rejecting some customers could be the best thing you do. That's because the customers who you do choose will know what you stand for; they will identify with you better and buy more from you as a result. Unlike the Government, who we don't know what they really stand for because they sit on the fence too much. Their strategists suggest to them that this will please most people and provide them with more votes. But it's really quite simple; it will have the reverse effect - it will lose them votes from both sides of the argument.
And the BBC? Well I'm quite clear and non fence-sitting about it. As I said at the time of the Jonathan Ross nonsense, the Director General coped badly and should have resigned. This morning on BBC Radio 4 that same director general was hesitant, confusing and constantly fence-sitting. Time for him to resign.
How do you relate to your own web site?
Business owners have a variety of ways in which they relate to their company's web site. And not all of these relationships are good.
Rather like a child, a web site is your offspring and it continues to develop. Anyone who believes you set up a web site and then never have to worry about it again is - well, frankly, bonkers. Sadly, there are plenty of business owners who do appear to believe that setting up a web site is a once-only operation; you build it then leave it to do "its job" (whatever that is).
A web site is a constantly changing, developing thing that you should love and nurture if it is to do well. You water your plants every day; how much love and attention do you give your web site? You take notice of your children each day, help them grow and improve; do you do the same for your electronic offspring?
Probably not; vast numbers of web site owners build it and leave it, only returning when it goes wrong or when they want to update it - perhaps a year or two later. What state would your plants be in if you only attended to them once a year? How would your children be, if you only noticed them on their birthdays?
Like plants, like children - indeed like much else in life - your web site will only be of real benefit to you if you give it love and attention every day. But what kind of relationship should you have?
Children whose parents are too formal or restrictive frequently end up with psychological problems later in life. So too do children whose parents are too free and easy.
Last week I saw a TV documentary about people who had given up life in the UK to live in Marbella - rich people. One mother was asked by the TV interviewer how "Blue" was. "Blue what?" said the mother, "Blue the colour? What?" She fumbled and looked puzzled until the interviewer reminded her that Blue was the name of her six month old baby. So distant was the mother from her child, she couldn't even remember its name.
Are you that distant from your web site? Or do you smother it with so much love and attention it can't breathe? Web sites that are constantly changed, fiddled with and directed are rather like children who get too much attention from their parents. Eventually they reject them.
You need, as in life, a happy balance. So, for web sites what is that? You need to be doing something with your web site every day. Perhaps devote 30 minutes every evening to checking it is all OK - no "404 errors", for instance. Think during this half hour how you might add to or improve the web site with a small change.
Amazon is the most successful online retailer in the world. They make small changes to their web site every day. Mostly we don't notice - but compare the web site today from the web site a year ago. It's vastly different, but there hasn't been wholesale change - it's been gradual. The result is a much loved and balanced web site. Yours too could be in the same league, if only you looked after your web site like your plants and your children, giving it attention every day. A web site is not a "make it and leave it" kind of technology - it needs you to get involved; constantly.
Rather like a child, a web site is your offspring and it continues to develop. Anyone who believes you set up a web site and then never have to worry about it again is - well, frankly, bonkers. Sadly, there are plenty of business owners who do appear to believe that setting up a web site is a once-only operation; you build it then leave it to do "its job" (whatever that is).
A web site is a constantly changing, developing thing that you should love and nurture if it is to do well. You water your plants every day; how much love and attention do you give your web site? You take notice of your children each day, help them grow and improve; do you do the same for your electronic offspring?
Probably not; vast numbers of web site owners build it and leave it, only returning when it goes wrong or when they want to update it - perhaps a year or two later. What state would your plants be in if you only attended to them once a year? How would your children be, if you only noticed them on their birthdays?
Like plants, like children - indeed like much else in life - your web site will only be of real benefit to you if you give it love and attention every day. But what kind of relationship should you have?
Children whose parents are too formal or restrictive frequently end up with psychological problems later in life. So too do children whose parents are too free and easy.
Last week I saw a TV documentary about people who had given up life in the UK to live in Marbella - rich people. One mother was asked by the TV interviewer how "Blue" was. "Blue what?" said the mother, "Blue the colour? What?" She fumbled and looked puzzled until the interviewer reminded her that Blue was the name of her six month old baby. So distant was the mother from her child, she couldn't even remember its name.
Are you that distant from your web site? Or do you smother it with so much love and attention it can't breathe? Web sites that are constantly changed, fiddled with and directed are rather like children who get too much attention from their parents. Eventually they reject them.
You need, as in life, a happy balance. So, for web sites what is that? You need to be doing something with your web site every day. Perhaps devote 30 minutes every evening to checking it is all OK - no "404 errors", for instance. Think during this half hour how you might add to or improve the web site with a small change.
Amazon is the most successful online retailer in the world. They make small changes to their web site every day. Mostly we don't notice - but compare the web site today from the web site a year ago. It's vastly different, but there hasn't been wholesale change - it's been gradual. The result is a much loved and balanced web site. Yours too could be in the same league, if only you looked after your web site like your plants and your children, giving it attention every day. A web site is not a "make it and leave it" kind of technology - it needs you to get involved; constantly.
Larger numbers mean you will sell more
Researchers at Ohio State University have discovered that we just love big numbers. In fact, the bigger the better it seems.
The study has important implications for anyone in business - particularly online where people are looking for the prices of your products and services rather keenly.
Here's what the study showed. We all know that £1 is the same value as 100 pence. But we also know that 100 is bigger than 1. So, it appears we perceive 100 pence to be more valuable than £1 - even though they are identical.
This can be used to your advantage when trying to sell. Let's imagine you sell a workshop at £250 per person. One of your marketing techniques may be to offer a 15% discount for "early booking". But 15% of £250 is £37.50 - a bigger number, hence a more attractive one to use. Perhaps even better would be to sell the "early booking" discount as a "3750p" discount. That sounds a whole lot more massive than a mere "15%...!
Equally, if your service is likely to help people save money - say £10 a month on their phone bill - tell them instead it will save them "12,000p" a year. The bigger saving (even though it is identical) will appear better.
We have known for years that our ability to immediately understand numbers is pretty limited. We perceive odd numbers to be lower than even numbers, for instance, which explains why we can think 99p is less than 98p....! We know it isn't - it just sounds as though it is during the fraction of a second we look at a price.
There are all sorts of ways you can experiment with numbers in online selling. But this latest research shows us that perception is an important consideration to make - over logic. Make your potential customers perceive a higher value - even if it is identical to a more usual representation of a figure - and you are going to make it more attractive to them.
I predict lots of web sites now with discounts showing in cents rather than dollars or percentages...!
The study has important implications for anyone in business - particularly online where people are looking for the prices of your products and services rather keenly.
Here's what the study showed. We all know that £1 is the same value as 100 pence. But we also know that 100 is bigger than 1. So, it appears we perceive 100 pence to be more valuable than £1 - even though they are identical.
This can be used to your advantage when trying to sell. Let's imagine you sell a workshop at £250 per person. One of your marketing techniques may be to offer a 15% discount for "early booking". But 15% of £250 is £37.50 - a bigger number, hence a more attractive one to use. Perhaps even better would be to sell the "early booking" discount as a "3750p" discount. That sounds a whole lot more massive than a mere "15%...!
Equally, if your service is likely to help people save money - say £10 a month on their phone bill - tell them instead it will save them "12,000p" a year. The bigger saving (even though it is identical) will appear better.
We have known for years that our ability to immediately understand numbers is pretty limited. We perceive odd numbers to be lower than even numbers, for instance, which explains why we can think 99p is less than 98p....! We know it isn't - it just sounds as though it is during the fraction of a second we look at a price.
There are all sorts of ways you can experiment with numbers in online selling. But this latest research shows us that perception is an important consideration to make - over logic. Make your potential customers perceive a higher value - even if it is identical to a more usual representation of a figure - and you are going to make it more attractive to them.
I predict lots of web sites now with discounts showing in cents rather than dollars or percentages...!
New President, New Era, New Internet
President Obama was responsible yesterday for a significant slow down in much of the Internet. During his inauguration more people than ever before decided to watch the speech online, rather than on TV. More people than ever before posted status updates on Facebook, saying they were watching the speech. And more people than ever before logged onto news sites to see what was happening.
Much of America has been waiting for the dawn of a new era following eight years of the Bush administration. They certainly got it yesterday. Even before President Obama had finished his inaugural speech, he had set new records heralding in a new era of Internet usage.
What does this tell us? Does it suggest that he is some kind of superhero? Is President Obama really special? Is he such a good orator that people flock to hear him in their millions? Maybe.
But what it really does show is that the Internet has finally come of age. It is now mainstream. Indeed, it appears it was the principal way in which most of the world caught up with the events in Washington DC yesterday. Far from being an additional source of information, for much of the world it was THE source of information.
If you run an online business this is an important step in the evolution of the Internet that could be as significant as the ending of Neanderthal Man. Modern humans coped better with the new world as it was back then, 30,000 years ago. The Neanderthals did not cope with the new world and died out.
Online, yesterday could be as significant. The way everyone turned to the Internet for information marked a new world. Businesses that exist in the "old world", where the Internet is an "add on" to their work, will go the way of the Neanderthals. The Internet should now be your businesses principal focus of activity if you wish to survive; that's what yesterday's record numbers of Internet users are pointing out to us.
Much of America has been waiting for the dawn of a new era following eight years of the Bush administration. They certainly got it yesterday. Even before President Obama had finished his inaugural speech, he had set new records heralding in a new era of Internet usage.
What does this tell us? Does it suggest that he is some kind of superhero? Is President Obama really special? Is he such a good orator that people flock to hear him in their millions? Maybe.
But what it really does show is that the Internet has finally come of age. It is now mainstream. Indeed, it appears it was the principal way in which most of the world caught up with the events in Washington DC yesterday. Far from being an additional source of information, for much of the world it was THE source of information.
If you run an online business this is an important step in the evolution of the Internet that could be as significant as the ending of Neanderthal Man. Modern humans coped better with the new world as it was back then, 30,000 years ago. The Neanderthals did not cope with the new world and died out.
Online, yesterday could be as significant. The way everyone turned to the Internet for information marked a new world. Businesses that exist in the "old world", where the Internet is an "add on" to their work, will go the way of the Neanderthals. The Internet should now be your businesses principal focus of activity if you wish to survive; that's what yesterday's record numbers of Internet users are pointing out to us.
Online retailers are fumbling in the dark
Internet retailers are trying all sorts of techniques to sell stuff online without any real knowledge as to whether their techniques are likely to work. That's the conclusion you can draw form research conducted by Cormetrics which reveals that few people selling via the Internet actually analyse what they are doing.
Even worse, the Coremetrics study shows that Internet marketers are planning to add more techniques to their "mix" of activities - without even knowing which, if any, work. It all smacks of desperation and unfocused, unplanned thinking.
Alarmingly, the people at Coremetrics have analysed the web sites of famous name retailers who have "gone to the wall" recently. Guess what? The companies that have folded had a pretty dreadful online presence too.
So, what does this all tell us? It suggests that you will do better with your web site if you take a break and get on with some planning and analysis. Only then will you be sure as to which online techniques work for you in your market. Otherwise you will be flailing around hoping that something will work. And it might not.
Even worse, the Coremetrics study shows that Internet marketers are planning to add more techniques to their "mix" of activities - without even knowing which, if any, work. It all smacks of desperation and unfocused, unplanned thinking.
Alarmingly, the people at Coremetrics have analysed the web sites of famous name retailers who have "gone to the wall" recently. Guess what? The companies that have folded had a pretty dreadful online presence too.
So, what does this all tell us? It suggests that you will do better with your web site if you take a break and get on with some planning and analysis. Only then will you be sure as to which online techniques work for you in your market. Otherwise you will be flailing around hoping that something will work. And it might not.
Music industry still fails to understand the Internet
Most people who download music from the Internet do it illegally. According to a new industry-backed survey 95% of all music downloaded from the Internet is from "pirate" sites.
This morning on BBC Radio Five Live, a UK industry spokesman came out with the same, old, tired arguments that if we don't pay for music the industry will die.
Actually, the music industry will die because it is currently inhabited by this dinosaur style thinking. The world has changed and all the music industry has done is to make its products available by another "channel", such as iTunes.
What the industry has failed to realise is this simple fact - people now expect music to be free. That's a fact the industry simply has to get to grips with.
It's also a fact the rest of business has to understand. Things that people used to pay for they now expect free. For instance, in the past if you wanted information in any kind of depth you either had to visit the local library, or you had to pay a researcher. Few business people had time to visit libraries, so information research was a significant industry. Now, we all get the information we want without paying for it - we use the free services of Google, Yahoo and the like.
Just a few years ago, if we wanted anything really special we would have paid $97 or more for a downloadable report. Now, we download information for free.
Only this week I've been rebuilding this web site (not yet live...!) with free software (Joomla) which I have needed several "extensions" for. They've all been provided by developers (some big companies too) free of charge. Just a few years ago I would have paid hundreds of pounds for these items - not any more. We expect it all free.
Even Microsoft is realising the issue. They made their billions by selling is digital material in huge boxes with big books inside them, which we never read. Now we can get Office software suites and operating systems for free.
Everywhere you look, businesses that used to charge for things are finding they can't do so any more. Industries like the music sector simply have to face up to the changed world where their customers expect their products for free. They need to talk to those pirate web site owners; they are making money even though their core "product" is supplied free of charge. The people who make free office suites are still making money and the Joomla project is also well funded - even though its product costs zero.
The future of business looks very different with core products and services being provided online for nothing with money being made in very different ways. And I'm not the only person who thinks this - take a look at what the influential Chris Anderson has said in this article.
This morning on BBC Radio Five Live, a UK industry spokesman came out with the same, old, tired arguments that if we don't pay for music the industry will die.
Actually, the music industry will die because it is currently inhabited by this dinosaur style thinking. The world has changed and all the music industry has done is to make its products available by another "channel", such as iTunes.
What the industry has failed to realise is this simple fact - people now expect music to be free. That's a fact the industry simply has to get to grips with.
It's also a fact the rest of business has to understand. Things that people used to pay for they now expect free. For instance, in the past if you wanted information in any kind of depth you either had to visit the local library, or you had to pay a researcher. Few business people had time to visit libraries, so information research was a significant industry. Now, we all get the information we want without paying for it - we use the free services of Google, Yahoo and the like.
Just a few years ago, if we wanted anything really special we would have paid $97 or more for a downloadable report. Now, we download information for free.
Only this week I've been rebuilding this web site (not yet live...!) with free software (Joomla) which I have needed several "extensions" for. They've all been provided by developers (some big companies too) free of charge. Just a few years ago I would have paid hundreds of pounds for these items - not any more. We expect it all free.
Even Microsoft is realising the issue. They made their billions by selling is digital material in huge boxes with big books inside them, which we never read. Now we can get Office software suites and operating systems for free.
Everywhere you look, businesses that used to charge for things are finding they can't do so any more. Industries like the music sector simply have to face up to the changed world where their customers expect their products for free. They need to talk to those pirate web site owners; they are making money even though their core "product" is supplied free of charge. The people who make free office suites are still making money and the Joomla project is also well funded - even though its product costs zero.
The future of business looks very different with core products and services being provided online for nothing with money being made in very different ways. And I'm not the only person who thinks this - take a look at what the influential Chris Anderson has said in this article.
Email marketing is more art than science
Statisticians have been bent double over data about email marketing and have come up with an answer to a question that is pretty pointless. Every year various people try to analyse what is the best day of the week to send out a marketing email. The notion is that if you know which day of the week most people open their emails, then you stand a greater chance of being seen if you hit the inbox on the appropriate day.
Back in 2005 we were told it's definitely Friday, well by a short margin anyway. That was a significant change, because up until 2005 we were all told it's Wednesday. But no, Friday was confirmed as the best day - "open day" - by analysts in 2006. New research, though suggests marketers have turned their back on Friday's because most email is now sent out on a Monday or Tuesday.
Who cares? Well email marketing "experts" - there's tons of debate throughout the web on when is the best time to send an email, which day, from which country, which city....aaargh enough...! Let's face facts - it doesn't matter much.
Most people open emails every day - including at weekends. Most people pay little attention to which country the email came from, or what time of day it was sent. The one thing we all pay attention to is the subject line. Yet, this appears to be the area that is given least attention by many marketers. According to Epsilon, who analysed over 1 billion emails - honest - companies spend more time on creating the contents of the email than they do on the subject line.
Plus, with the amount of chatter there is about which day to send the emails is it any wonder that open rates are lower than desired by most marketers. Here's a trick you can learn from the world of tabloid newspapers - such as The Sun. They sell in their millions, largely because the headlines grab the attention of people who are then prepared to fork out some cash and buy the paper. Newspapers like The Sun often devote more time and effort to the headline itself than they do the story that goes underneath it. And that's why they succeed in their version of "open rates" - people buying from newsagents.
So, rather than worry about all the statistical data on email open rates, days to get a better chance of being opened and all that stuff, simply spend more time and effort on your subject lines. And if you want to see if your subject line is likely to appeal, get it tested at the Headline Analyzer.
Back in 2005 we were told it's definitely Friday, well by a short margin anyway. That was a significant change, because up until 2005 we were all told it's Wednesday. But no, Friday was confirmed as the best day - "open day" - by analysts in 2006. New research, though suggests marketers have turned their back on Friday's because most email is now sent out on a Monday or Tuesday.
Who cares? Well email marketing "experts" - there's tons of debate throughout the web on when is the best time to send an email, which day, from which country, which city....aaargh enough...! Let's face facts - it doesn't matter much.
Most people open emails every day - including at weekends. Most people pay little attention to which country the email came from, or what time of day it was sent. The one thing we all pay attention to is the subject line. Yet, this appears to be the area that is given least attention by many marketers. According to Epsilon, who analysed over 1 billion emails - honest - companies spend more time on creating the contents of the email than they do on the subject line.
Plus, with the amount of chatter there is about which day to send the emails is it any wonder that open rates are lower than desired by most marketers. Here's a trick you can learn from the world of tabloid newspapers - such as The Sun. They sell in their millions, largely because the headlines grab the attention of people who are then prepared to fork out some cash and buy the paper. Newspapers like The Sun often devote more time and effort to the headline itself than they do the story that goes underneath it. And that's why they succeed in their version of "open rates" - people buying from newsagents.
So, rather than worry about all the statistical data on email open rates, days to get a better chance of being opened and all that stuff, simply spend more time and effort on your subject lines. And if you want to see if your subject line is likely to appeal, get it tested at the Headline Analyzer.
Top 10 online retailers show Internet hopefuls what to do
Internet shoppers were hungry for bargains on Christmas Day it seems. Indeed, John Lewis reported a 12-fold increase in visits to its web site this Christmas, compared with 2007. But that may well be because they launched an online sale immediately after their physical stores closed their doors on Christmas Eve.
This integrated approach is probably why John Lewis is one of the Top 10 UK Online Retailers, according to Nielsen Online.
The list is interesting because 8 out of the 10 are old, bricks and mortar retailers who have been on the British High Street for decades. Indeed, some might say they came to the Internet party rather late. Only two of the ten, Amazon and Play.com are "young upstarts" in the world of business. And Play.com is run by a former High Street retailer, from HMV. So, altogether, the best retailers online are those who have been successfully running shops for years.
Meanwhile, millions of businesses are hoping that the Internet will bring in that much needed cash. These business owners want to emulate just some of the success of those Top 10 Online retailers. But what is it they have done to achieve their Internet brilliance?
It's clear they have focused on traditional selling. They establish and maintain their brands, then sell, sell, sell. True, they may now use a few Internet "tricks" such as email marketing; but all they are doing is what they have done for years and years. And guess what - what has worked in their bricks and mortar stores is working well online too.
So, if you want to sell more from your web site here's what you need to do. Switch off your computer, get your hat and coat because we're off down the High Street. Simply go into the stores of those top retailers and analyse what they do in their shops. John Lewis, Tesco, M&S have it down to a fine art. Look and learn; that will bring you more online success than trying to find the next gizmo that will take your Facebook profile to the top of Google.
This integrated approach is probably why John Lewis is one of the Top 10 UK Online Retailers, according to Nielsen Online.
The list is interesting because 8 out of the 10 are old, bricks and mortar retailers who have been on the British High Street for decades. Indeed, some might say they came to the Internet party rather late. Only two of the ten, Amazon and Play.com are "young upstarts" in the world of business. And Play.com is run by a former High Street retailer, from HMV. So, altogether, the best retailers online are those who have been successfully running shops for years.
Meanwhile, millions of businesses are hoping that the Internet will bring in that much needed cash. These business owners want to emulate just some of the success of those Top 10 Online retailers. But what is it they have done to achieve their Internet brilliance?
It's clear they have focused on traditional selling. They establish and maintain their brands, then sell, sell, sell. True, they may now use a few Internet "tricks" such as email marketing; but all they are doing is what they have done for years and years. And guess what - what has worked in their bricks and mortar stores is working well online too.
So, if you want to sell more from your web site here's what you need to do. Switch off your computer, get your hat and coat because we're off down the High Street. Simply go into the stores of those top retailers and analyse what they do in their shops. John Lewis, Tesco, M&S have it down to a fine art. Look and learn; that will bring you more online success than trying to find the next gizmo that will take your Facebook profile to the top of Google.
Google pollutes the air - and knowledge
Executives at Google have been quick to respond to the claims that surfaced this weekend about the harm the search engine does to the environment. According to a physicist, Alex Wissner-Gross, a single Google search produces 7 grams of carbon dioxide - the "greenhouse gas".
Not so, says Google, it's merely 0.2 grams. For a company that rarely comments on any attacks it receives, this almost instant response is revealing.
Indeed, it is probably more revealing than the search engine's quest for the truth and their famous "do no evil" claim. Whilst they may be right that the estimates from Wissner-Gross are ludicrously high, Google omits to tell us that it responds to over 1m searches every minute. That means that every day searches on Google produce 288,000Kg of carbon dioxide. Phew...! That's equivalent to each of us flying from London to Google's Californian HQ 137 times a day.
All in all, then, Google is probably polluting the atmosphere as much as 1 flight a day does from London to San Francisco - assuming there's an average of 137 people on board each flight.
Plant a tree and you can carry on using Google without too much of a worry. Or can you?
Google's recent attempt to set the record straight about its environmental damage is "economical with the truth" because it focuses on a single search at a single moment in time. That's like describing the environmental impact of your car in terms of a single firing of one piston.
But this latest missive from Google comes only days after a confusing announcement about job losses. First they told us they had 10,000 part-timers or contractors, then they told us it was only 4,300. Plus, they filed the relevant information to the US authorities in paper, rather than the usual method of doing it online. Did they do that, people have asked, in the hope that we might not easily find out what they were up to?
Economies with the truth and attempts to hide information are frequently the first thing to arise when a company perceives itself to be in danger. Google might not be in danger - but perhaps they think they are. The result for us, is that we should not put all our search eggs into the Google basket. Your online success depends upon you and your staff being able to utilise other methods of searching for information.
Not so, says Google, it's merely 0.2 grams. For a company that rarely comments on any attacks it receives, this almost instant response is revealing.
Indeed, it is probably more revealing than the search engine's quest for the truth and their famous "do no evil" claim. Whilst they may be right that the estimates from Wissner-Gross are ludicrously high, Google omits to tell us that it responds to over 1m searches every minute. That means that every day searches on Google produce 288,000Kg of carbon dioxide. Phew...! That's equivalent to each of us flying from London to Google's Californian HQ 137 times a day.
All in all, then, Google is probably polluting the atmosphere as much as 1 flight a day does from London to San Francisco - assuming there's an average of 137 people on board each flight.
Plant a tree and you can carry on using Google without too much of a worry. Or can you?
Google's recent attempt to set the record straight about its environmental damage is "economical with the truth" because it focuses on a single search at a single moment in time. That's like describing the environmental impact of your car in terms of a single firing of one piston.
But this latest missive from Google comes only days after a confusing announcement about job losses. First they told us they had 10,000 part-timers or contractors, then they told us it was only 4,300. Plus, they filed the relevant information to the US authorities in paper, rather than the usual method of doing it online. Did they do that, people have asked, in the hope that we might not easily find out what they were up to?
Economies with the truth and attempts to hide information are frequently the first thing to arise when a company perceives itself to be in danger. Google might not be in danger - but perhaps they think they are. The result for us, is that we should not put all our search eggs into the Google basket. Your online success depends upon you and your staff being able to utilise other methods of searching for information.
Get ready for web meetings
Frequent flyers are going to have to make do with fewer points, lower bonuses and less shopping in airports. That's the conclusion from the latest Hitwise analysis of online searching for flights. Compared with the same period last year, interest in booking flights online is down by more than 42% - with flights to the USA being hardest hit with more than a 52% reduction.
Clearly, with the current economic climate this suggests businesses are trying to reduce costs. Yet if they are to survive this downturn they will still need to meet people to do business. Step in the web conferencing business which has stood in the wings for too long.
Right now the time is ripe for businesses offering online conferencing, web meetings "webinars" and so on to really sell in their products and services. With fewer people flying, there is bound to be much more interest in using such technologies. Indeed, a friend who works in the teleconferencing sector tells me that his company has never been busier than right now.
What does this mean if you run your own business? It means that many of your clients will now expect you to be able to host online meetings - to be able to connect at the click of the mouse using your webcam and an webconferencing facility. If your business doesn't sign up for one of these services, such as GoToMeeting, you will be losing out to your competitors who can handle web conferencing.
If you have corporate clients it's no longer possible to sit on the fence and worry about using this technology when "it's established". It is ready to use and big businesses are going to be using it in their droves. Don't fall behind...!
Clearly, with the current economic climate this suggests businesses are trying to reduce costs. Yet if they are to survive this downturn they will still need to meet people to do business. Step in the web conferencing business which has stood in the wings for too long.
Right now the time is ripe for businesses offering online conferencing, web meetings "webinars" and so on to really sell in their products and services. With fewer people flying, there is bound to be much more interest in using such technologies. Indeed, a friend who works in the teleconferencing sector tells me that his company has never been busier than right now.
What does this mean if you run your own business? It means that many of your clients will now expect you to be able to host online meetings - to be able to connect at the click of the mouse using your webcam and an webconferencing facility. If your business doesn't sign up for one of these services, such as GoToMeeting, you will be losing out to your competitors who can handle web conferencing.
If you have corporate clients it's no longer possible to sit on the fence and worry about using this technology when "it's established". It is ready to use and big businesses are going to be using it in their droves. Don't fall behind...!
Pleasure is the key to Internet success
Many Internet marketing "gurus" will tell you that if you are trying to sell something online all your copy, your advertisements, your headlines and so on should lead the reader to realise you can help them avoid pain. Indeed, much of the marketing advice given by many experts is on the "pain avoidance principle".
It is all based on ideas from Freud - a man who spent much of his life hypnotising women in his flat in Vienna and then getting them to tell him in detail their sexual fantasies. He'd be on the Sex Offenders Register today, no doubt, but somehow the theories he produced from this "work" still live on.
Freud's notion was that when we are born we inevitably seek pleasure. As we grow up we get a sense of reality in that we can't always seek instant gratification because it isn't appropriate or possible - and that can be painful. This idea lives on in marketing circles where it's suggested that the main thing we want in life now, as grown ups, is to avoid pain.
However, more recent psychological research focuses on the fact that we are products of the world we grow up in, rather than having some inbuilt "principles", a la Freud. Nowhere is this more clearly shown than in some marketing research done several years ago which wanted to look at this pleasure versus pain idea.
The study was completed at Stanford University and compared the impact of different kinds of advertising in the USA and in Asia. What the researchers discovered was that the American audience responded to the adverts focused on pleasure. It was only the Chinese audience that liked the "avoid pain" adverts.
The study tells us that in a culture where the predominant focus is on the individual - as in the USA or Europe - advertising based on pleasure is much more likely to have an impact. In cultures where the focus is on the group - as in many Asian societies - the avoidance of pain in advertising works best.
So what does this mean for your online business? It suggests you need different approaches for different markets - well there's a surprise. Targeted advertising for particular cultures and specific landing pages for different countries.
If, however, the bulk of your market is in North America, Europe and cultures based on the individual then you are much more likely to sell if you focus on pleasure, rather than avoiding pain. Forget all those people who tell you that you need to concentrate on the pain of your customer - they are causing you too much pain in trying to work it all out...!
It is all based on ideas from Freud - a man who spent much of his life hypnotising women in his flat in Vienna and then getting them to tell him in detail their sexual fantasies. He'd be on the Sex Offenders Register today, no doubt, but somehow the theories he produced from this "work" still live on.
Freud's notion was that when we are born we inevitably seek pleasure. As we grow up we get a sense of reality in that we can't always seek instant gratification because it isn't appropriate or possible - and that can be painful. This idea lives on in marketing circles where it's suggested that the main thing we want in life now, as grown ups, is to avoid pain.
However, more recent psychological research focuses on the fact that we are products of the world we grow up in, rather than having some inbuilt "principles", a la Freud. Nowhere is this more clearly shown than in some marketing research done several years ago which wanted to look at this pleasure versus pain idea.
The study was completed at Stanford University and compared the impact of different kinds of advertising in the USA and in Asia. What the researchers discovered was that the American audience responded to the adverts focused on pleasure. It was only the Chinese audience that liked the "avoid pain" adverts.
The study tells us that in a culture where the predominant focus is on the individual - as in the USA or Europe - advertising based on pleasure is much more likely to have an impact. In cultures where the focus is on the group - as in many Asian societies - the avoidance of pain in advertising works best.
So what does this mean for your online business? It suggests you need different approaches for different markets - well there's a surprise. Targeted advertising for particular cultures and specific landing pages for different countries.
If, however, the bulk of your market is in North America, Europe and cultures based on the individual then you are much more likely to sell if you focus on pleasure, rather than avoiding pain. Forget all those people who tell you that you need to concentrate on the pain of your customer - they are causing you too much pain in trying to work it all out...!
Internet information overload starts the New Year
Welcome to 2009; never before have you been on the receiving end of so much information. There are more web pages than you could read in your entire life, assuming you lived to 100. More books are published now than ever - and there are more printed magazines and newspapers than at any time in history.
People are sitting at their PCs sending emails until the early hours, then getting up early to catch the morning news, the top blogs and the latest at social networking sites before heading off to work.
And now that we are in recession you can't move for emails providing you with information on how to cope with the downturn, how to ensure you keep your customers or how to use the Internet to beat the economic system. The year is not yet a week old and we are already overflowing in information.
So, what can you do about it? If you ignore it all, you'll become stressed because you will worry you are missing out. If you try to keep up with all the information coming your way you will doubtless become ill through lack of sleep, constantly sitting at your PC and worrying about all the work you don't have time to do.
There appears to be no way out. Unless of course your name is Carl Jung. He was a Swiss psychologist who came up with the concept of "analytical psychology". Although much derided these days, there were some elements of what he said that made sense.
For a start, his parable of The Rainmaker makes much sense. Essentially it's the story of a man who visits a village that is suffering a drought. A few days after his visit, it rains and snows. The villagers are amazed at his "powers". He reveals, of course, he has no special powers at all - he just calmly waited safe in the knowledge that it would rain at some stage.
So, if you feel the Internet is throwing stuff at you mercilessly, take a tip from The Rainmaker. Just be patient - wait a while; do less. While everyone else is running around like headless chickens, those who take a breather, ignore much of the advice about "recession busting" and just get on with things are those most likely to do well.
Here, then, is a plan to help you cope with all the excess information you get - Rainmaker style.
Firstly, make sure you have folders in your email system that are labelled "Action", "Reading Matter", "Maybe". Set up filters to send all newsletters, RSS feeds and other mailing list materials to the "Reading Matter" folder; make sure your filter also marks the items as "read" before filing. This will avoid you seeing a solid black number of unread items.
As other emails come in, file them either under "Action" - to do once a day when you handle your messages. Or put them in the "Maybe" folder, again marking them as "read".
What this does is make all the chatter and excess information invisible to you. It doesn't sit there in your inbox shouting "read me" at you all day. You only have to deal with the "Action" items.
So what about all that web stuff? You need a similar filing system that will let you, Jungian Rainmaker style, to wait before you deal with it. The best one I've found is called "Netvibes". It allows you to import all your feeds, even email accounts, press releases - any type of information you collect via the web and categorise it into special pages (or tabs). You can even make "public pages" for other people to add to their Netvibes page. If you want to add mine, you can get it at this Netvibes link.
The result of using Netvibes is that all your web information is collected and sorted for you - and if you use the tabs wisely you can set up a system that allows you, like The Rainmaker, to wait a while before you actually deal with something.
The key to coping with all the extra information that is coming your way is organisation so that you don't feel overwhelmed. The combination of a proper email filing policy and Netvibes will ensure you cope.
People are sitting at their PCs sending emails until the early hours, then getting up early to catch the morning news, the top blogs and the latest at social networking sites before heading off to work.
And now that we are in recession you can't move for emails providing you with information on how to cope with the downturn, how to ensure you keep your customers or how to use the Internet to beat the economic system. The year is not yet a week old and we are already overflowing in information.
So, what can you do about it? If you ignore it all, you'll become stressed because you will worry you are missing out. If you try to keep up with all the information coming your way you will doubtless become ill through lack of sleep, constantly sitting at your PC and worrying about all the work you don't have time to do.
There appears to be no way out. Unless of course your name is Carl Jung. He was a Swiss psychologist who came up with the concept of "analytical psychology". Although much derided these days, there were some elements of what he said that made sense.
For a start, his parable of The Rainmaker makes much sense. Essentially it's the story of a man who visits a village that is suffering a drought. A few days after his visit, it rains and snows. The villagers are amazed at his "powers". He reveals, of course, he has no special powers at all - he just calmly waited safe in the knowledge that it would rain at some stage.
So, if you feel the Internet is throwing stuff at you mercilessly, take a tip from The Rainmaker. Just be patient - wait a while; do less. While everyone else is running around like headless chickens, those who take a breather, ignore much of the advice about "recession busting" and just get on with things are those most likely to do well.
Here, then, is a plan to help you cope with all the excess information you get - Rainmaker style.
Firstly, make sure you have folders in your email system that are labelled "Action", "Reading Matter", "Maybe". Set up filters to send all newsletters, RSS feeds and other mailing list materials to the "Reading Matter" folder; make sure your filter also marks the items as "read" before filing. This will avoid you seeing a solid black number of unread items.
As other emails come in, file them either under "Action" - to do once a day when you handle your messages. Or put them in the "Maybe" folder, again marking them as "read".
What this does is make all the chatter and excess information invisible to you. It doesn't sit there in your inbox shouting "read me" at you all day. You only have to deal with the "Action" items.
So what about all that web stuff? You need a similar filing system that will let you, Jungian Rainmaker style, to wait before you deal with it. The best one I've found is called "Netvibes". It allows you to import all your feeds, even email accounts, press releases - any type of information you collect via the web and categorise it into special pages (or tabs). You can even make "public pages" for other people to add to their Netvibes page. If you want to add mine, you can get it at this Netvibes link.
The result of using Netvibes is that all your web information is collected and sorted for you - and if you use the tabs wisely you can set up a system that allows you, like The Rainmaker, to wait a while before you actually deal with something.
The key to coping with all the extra information that is coming your way is organisation so that you don't feel overwhelmed. The combination of a proper email filing policy and Netvibes will ensure you cope.
Did the Internet stress you out today?
Today was, apparently, the most stressful day of the year. Not bad considering we're only five days in. Allegedly, the combination of a mass return to work, the financial meltdown and the Christmas "overload" meant that we were all doomed from first thing this morning. Well, I did manage to pour a cup of coffee into my keyboard, meaning I had to dash to PC World to get a new one so I could type this blog - that was mildly stressful. But I've had worse days.
Yesterday, for instance; my router broke down and so I had to go and buy another one so I could log the Internet. Was I stressed out? A little, but nothing really to report - I quite like my new router with its blue lights.
These are the everyday facts of life - thinks break, we make mistakes, have accidents - but guess what? We get over them.
So when your web site breaks, or when you lose your password for Facebook, or when you delete your entire Ecademy profile - don't panic. You will get over the problem. Compared with what the children in Gaza must be suffering right now, it's hardly an issue if something goes wrong with the Internet for you.
So here's a New Year's Resolution for everyone - no matter what happens this year to your finances, to your business, to your web site, react positively. You will get over any difficulties. For instance, this is my third recession, but I survived the previous two so history suggests I'll get through this one.
Yet, wherever I turn lately there are depressed people moaning about the difficulties that face them and how this recession is really bad and how they might not survive. Even people who have turned to the Internet for potential salvation are saying it's tougher online than ever before. In other words, there is so much negative attitude and thought around is it any wonder we are in a recession?
So, puff up that chest, take a deep breath, smile and be positive. All in all, if you do that the "most stressful day" of 2009 simply won't arrive.
Yesterday, for instance; my router broke down and so I had to go and buy another one so I could log the Internet. Was I stressed out? A little, but nothing really to report - I quite like my new router with its blue lights.
These are the everyday facts of life - thinks break, we make mistakes, have accidents - but guess what? We get over them.
So when your web site breaks, or when you lose your password for Facebook, or when you delete your entire Ecademy profile - don't panic. You will get over the problem. Compared with what the children in Gaza must be suffering right now, it's hardly an issue if something goes wrong with the Internet for you.
So here's a New Year's Resolution for everyone - no matter what happens this year to your finances, to your business, to your web site, react positively. You will get over any difficulties. For instance, this is my third recession, but I survived the previous two so history suggests I'll get through this one.
Yet, wherever I turn lately there are depressed people moaning about the difficulties that face them and how this recession is really bad and how they might not survive. Even people who have turned to the Internet for potential salvation are saying it's tougher online than ever before. In other words, there is so much negative attitude and thought around is it any wonder we are in a recession?
So, puff up that chest, take a deep breath, smile and be positive. All in all, if you do that the "most stressful day" of 2009 simply won't arrive.
Happy New Year: What will the Internet bring you in 2009?
Happy New Year; I hope you have enjoyed the celebrations and that you don't start off 2009 with too much of a headache..!
At this time of year, of course, it is traditional to look towards the future and set your resolutions for the coming 12 months. Don't. Resolutions are bad for your psychological health, according to one mental health charity. Perhaps someone ought to tell Gordon Brown about that.
However, forward planning is essential to your mental well being; failing to cope with a changing environment is at the root of stress. The business and Internet world is certainly in for big change in the next year, so if you don't plan to cope with that you will doubtlessly suffer from stress and associated anxiety.
Consequently you need to think about the likely online changes for 2009. There are some fairly obvious things - social networking will continue to increase in prominence and importance, the numbers of people using the Internet will doubtlessly rise and the amount of content available will increase substantially.
Some of the other things you need to think about include the rise in importance of "mashups", the increase in value of "geotagging" and that "reputation management" will also take on greater importance. If you are not planning how to exploit each of these areas during 2009, your stress levels may well increase...!
Of course, planning to handle the recession is going to be another certain way of reducing your psychological health problems over 2009. Today, we hear that in spite of millions of people rushing to the sales, less money is actually being spent. And in the business to business sector, people are not spending in a bid to save budgets and therefore keep their own jobs. Even though these executives know the sensible thing to do is to buy your particular service, they won't because they are protecting Number One first.
So, can you look forward to a good 2009 with a positive frame of mind and safe in the knowledge that whatever you do online will work and therefore help reduce your stress levels? Sure you can - but you must plan in detail, right now. If you have nothing much else in the diary for January use the available time to plan ahead - in writing and in detail - and all will be well. Assuming, of course you take into account the important things online. And if you have never heard of mashups, geotagging or reputation management systems, now - right now - is the time to find out.
At this time of year, of course, it is traditional to look towards the future and set your resolutions for the coming 12 months. Don't. Resolutions are bad for your psychological health, according to one mental health charity. Perhaps someone ought to tell Gordon Brown about that.
However, forward planning is essential to your mental well being; failing to cope with a changing environment is at the root of stress. The business and Internet world is certainly in for big change in the next year, so if you don't plan to cope with that you will doubtlessly suffer from stress and associated anxiety.
Consequently you need to think about the likely online changes for 2009. There are some fairly obvious things - social networking will continue to increase in prominence and importance, the numbers of people using the Internet will doubtlessly rise and the amount of content available will increase substantially.
Some of the other things you need to think about include the rise in importance of "mashups", the increase in value of "geotagging" and that "reputation management" will also take on greater importance. If you are not planning how to exploit each of these areas during 2009, your stress levels may well increase...!
Of course, planning to handle the recession is going to be another certain way of reducing your psychological health problems over 2009. Today, we hear that in spite of millions of people rushing to the sales, less money is actually being spent. And in the business to business sector, people are not spending in a bid to save budgets and therefore keep their own jobs. Even though these executives know the sensible thing to do is to buy your particular service, they won't because they are protecting Number One first.
So, can you look forward to a good 2009 with a positive frame of mind and safe in the knowledge that whatever you do online will work and therefore help reduce your stress levels? Sure you can - but you must plan in detail, right now. If you have nothing much else in the diary for January use the available time to plan ahead - in writing and in detail - and all will be well. Assuming, of course you take into account the important things online. And if you have never heard of mashups, geotagging or reputation management systems, now - right now - is the time to find out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
