Internet Dependency (Part 2/2)

My mother always used to (and still does) tell me to “Never depend on other people for things.” The advice is so simple and true and yet, people still ignore it anyway. I mean, how many times have you asked someone to do something as simple as remember to bring back the cd they borrowed from you last week and then they forgot it? The same is true for businesses- not the cd borrowing part- but the fact that many companies rely solely on the Internet to run their businesses.

Now, I’m not saying that the Internet is a bad thing.  On the contrary, I think that the Internet has done wonders for all of us. However, there has been a growing tendency for many businesses to rely on the Internet, which opens them up to all sorts of vulnerabilities if they’re not careful.

Business Functions that Rely on the Internet

The following are some examples of things that a lot of businesses rely on where the Internet is involved.

• Employee benefits administration
• Corporate transfer of funds
• Document backup and storage
• Contact info for customers
• Communications (i.e. voice, data)
• Accounting purposes
• Business management
• Payroll

Potential Internet Threats

Some potential threats to the Internet include things like:

• Corrupt code written by individuals
• Internet disruptions
• Natural disasters
• Terrorist attacks
• Hackers
• People looking to harm the United States

There is much talk today about global terrorism. Terrorists aren’t just blowing things up anymore, they’re doing things more quietly too. For example, there is much speculation that a future terrorist attacks will come in the form of a cyber war. These attacks will be aimed not at the military, but at the United States economic infrastructure.

So, What Can We Do?

BR suggests that CEOs ask some of the following questions:

And you thought running a business was easy!  There are many things to consider when operating your own business, especially if it is Internet- dependent!

For more information about Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth!

April 30 2008 | Business Building and Business Networking | 5 Comments »

Internet Dependency (Part 1/2)

It is no surprise that ever since it’s introduction, Internet usage by United States businesses and government has been growing rapidly over the past decade or so. Additionally, Internet dependence has permeated to every inch of the global economy. For instance, according to a 2007 study published by the World Bank, between the years of 1994 to 2004, Internet usage in the United States grew from less than 10 million users to more than 180 million users.

A Reason to Depend

By 2010, it is projected that the Internet will save U.S. businesses approximately $500 billion and increase revenues of $1.5 trillion (BR). Why is this, you might wonder? The Internet is a valuable resource which reduces the amount of time, money and effort spent communicating ideas as well as information to people around the world. If businesses are saving time, then it allows them to accomplish more, thereby increasing revenue, etc.  There are also other economic benefits from the increased use of the Internet by businesses, which (according to BR) include the following:

• Enhanced communications between businesses and companies/consumers

• Lower search costs that enable businesses to purchase materials at a lower cost

• Increased productivity

• Lower inventory costs

• Increased competition by making information readily available

• Lower accounting and finance costs

• Expanded sales and delivery channels

Now, what business wouldn’t want that? However, we need to be weary of our seemingly  harmless dependence on the Internet. A lot of businesses have turned towards the Internet for all of their company needs. There’s that saying about putting all of your eggs in one basket.  Perhaps, we need to pay more attention to that. For more information on Internet Marketing, contact Create Business Growth!

April 28 2008 | Business Building and Business Networking | 2 Comments »

A Pleasure Doing Business (Part 3/3)

According to a 2007 business dependence report by Business Roundtable (BR), there is major concern that when it comes to having an online business, many companies are not ready or prepared to handle Internet-related disruptions that may arise. You might be thinking, “So, what’s the big deal?” Well, as stated in my previous blog, when things go wrong with the Internet such as misinformation, glitches and the like, it makes consumers lose faith in that particular company, thereby causing the company to lose business. In certain instances, this can be a crushing blow.

Some of the things that catch businesses off guard include:

• Lack of awareness- For example, most businesses aren’t even aware that they have an “addiction” to the Internet until something happens to negatively impact the ability to conduct necessary business functions.
• Failure to plan- Since many businesses don’t view the Internet as something that could possibly work against them, a lot of their company plans don’t include a place for a “backup plan” should something actually go wrong with the Internet.
• Everyone suffers- If you fail to plan, then plan to fail; and plan to take other businesses with you.  The Internet is a social network, allowing for the exchange of ideas, products and services.  It’s a “web” and therefore, we’re all connected.  So, if something goes wrong with your business, plan to have it directly or indirectly affect your neighbors.
• Credibility- Credibility is so extremely important to the success of a business.  If there’s an issue with the Internet and information isn’t properly transmitted (especially if this is not the first time it’s happened), then this can and probably will have a negative impact on your company.

How Do We Fix the Problem?

Prevention is better than cure.  You cannot prevent most Internet problems from happening; however, you can be better prepared, so that when they do occur, you have all your bases covered.  When companies are established, or when annual reviews are done, businesses should address Internet dependence and assess all of the risks involved.  They should be more proactive in seeking out the partnership of other businesses so that they can strengthen organizational response time in the event that something goes wrong.  BR also suggests that corporate executives ensure executive-level engagement with government to set and communicate expectations about early warning and threat notifications for the business.

For more information on Internet marketing, contact Create Business Growth today!

April 25 2008 | Business Building and Business Networking | 6 Comments »

A Pleasure Doing Business (Part 2/3)

Lately, the Internet has been a valuable resource and tool for many businesses. In fact, some would even go so far as to say that it’s truly a ‘dream come true’.  But the Internet isn’t without its risks when it comes down to doing business.

According to a 2007 report issued by the Business Roundtable (BR), greater dependence on the Internet also raises business vulnerabilities. The positive thing that the Internet does for businesses is allow companies to conduct business that reaches the worldwide economy. However, BR points out that many companies rely on the Internet as the source of fundamental business operations; and this dependence on the Internet may leave businesses vulnerable if there are every any significant Internet disruptions. For example, disruption or corruption of data on the Internet could weaken public confidence in the reliability and integrity of that particular business, thereby ruining the business’ chance for success.

How many times have you been working on something really important- perhaps your college thesis paper- and then all of a sudden, without any warning, the computer crashes and you lose all of the hours of information that you had just worked so diligently on? Then you remember that you had just printed it up only seconds before. Whew; that was a close call. But other people may not be and usually aren’t as lucky.  Face it, computers aren’t perfect. Every year, it seems as if we have to keep up with technology. There are always new upgrades to software and things are constantly becoming outdated.  For example, if you’ve had the same computer for longer than two years, then your computer is probably outdated. When doing business on the Internet, companies need to know how to be prepared and respond to Internet-related disruptions and malfunctions so that their business will be protected.

For more information on Internet marketing, contact Create Business Growth today.

April 23 2008 | Business Building and Business Networking | 2 Comments »

A Pleasure Doing Business (Part 1/3)

More businesses are choosing to use the Internet than ever before due to convenience and cost.  We have entered into an age where businesses are almost relying on the Internet. There are many ways in which the Internet is used for business purposes.  The Internet is a resource. It is a tool for communicating effectively with others whether that’s through Internet marketing, advertising or some other means. Some of these are outlined below.

Business Uses of the Internet

• track activity within that particular business industry
• stay current with latest news about what’s going on
• using blogs to find out what customers think about your products/services
• locate buyers or new markets for business
• evaluate products and get customer feedback
• hire or search for new employees
• market/advertise to potential consumers
• get the latest computer upgrades and software
• provide ways for consumers to purchase your product/services online
• save on postage and distribution costs by advertising on the Internet

Promotion

There are also numerous ways to promote your business on the Internet so that you appeal to consumers and their interests. This is where web designers and Internet marketing companies come into play. For promotional purposes, you have to consider your audience at all times.  What is it you’re trying to sell to them?  How can you create a bond with your target audience to spark their interest in your product or service and, more importantly, KEEP them interested? This is one of the most important things to keep in mind when you are thinking of putting your business on the Internet.  Of course, there are other things related to doing business on the Internet such as reliability, but we’ll get to that next time.

April 21 2008 | Business Building and Business Networking | 2 Comments »

Dear Diary (Part 2/2)

So, what are the benefits of keeping a diary online as opposed to in the privacy of your apartment or home?  One might suggest that part of the appeal stems from the fact that so many people spend a good portion of time on the Internet anyway. After all, who wants to leave their computer, walk across the room to get a piece of paper and write?  Writing stuff down is so overrated!

Before you know it, people are going to forget how to write anything by hand. All they’ll be able to recite to you is how your hands are set up on the keyboard: “a, s, d, f, j, k, l, ;, spacebar”.  Just kidding, I hope.  With all these online journals and blogs, perhaps we should ask ourselves, “Is the Internet negatively affecting how I communicate?”  For example, every Christmas, I used to write out (by hand) thank-you cards to all of my relatives.  When I first went away to college, this was also how I communicated: by writing letters, going to the post office and mailing them.  However, in recent years, I’ll send a “thank-you email” (even though I still follow that up with a hand-written thank you).  The same thing goes for letters to friends.  It’s simply more convenient to take five minutes to write an email because you know it’s going to get to that other person in like 5 seconds as opposed to five days.  So, maybe this is the same thinking with online journals and diaries.  It’s a matter of convenience. You don’t have to worry about toting a book around containing personal information. Instead, you can type your thoughts and come back to them later.  After all, you’ll probably be back at a computer in no time anyway!

For more information about Internet marketing, contact Create Business Growth today!

April 18 2008 | Blogging and Social Networking | 2 Comments »

Dear Diary (Part 1/2)

Keeping a diary or a journal used to be something that you did in private.  You’d get a little notebook and a pen and wait until no one was around so that you could write down your innermost thoughts.  Then you’d take your diary and shove it back under the mattress where no one else would find it.  Well, now people are ditching the pen and paper and are choosing to keep their diaries online.  That’s right.  People actually keep online diaries that everyone (including your mom and dad) can read.

There are several online diary web sites floating around out there.  But, perhaps one of the most popular ones I’ve seen is something called LiveJournal.com.  This is a site devoted to those who wish to keep a record of their thoughts for others to see.  For example, I just read a journal post from someone who was talking about all of the things they needed to do today to include getting their graduate school paperwork together and visiting family in Green Bay.  The cool feature about LiveJournal (and other sites like it) is that you don’t have to make your diary “public” if you don’t want to.  You can choose to keep it private so that only you can read it…at least, that’s what they tell you.  Who knows, perhaps somewhere, there’s a bunch of computer geeks huddled around one computer in a basement pointing to your journal entry and laughing while they exchange high fives.  I guess we’ll never know.

For more information about Internet marketing, contact Create Business Growth today.

April 16 2008 | Blogging and Social Networking | 2 Comments »

The Modern Approach

All across the United States, more people and businesses are turning towards their computers to save money as well as get ahead. There is now a wave of people out there who are using the Internet to create social networks as well as facilitate the exchange of information. Internet marketing has been around for a little while, but it still seems like brand new to a lot of people. Companies see the value in marketing on the Internet as opposed to other, more traditional means of advertising such as news media and print (you’ll recall my blog on the Yellow Pages).

So, why the Internet? Why is there this huge push for Internet marketing, and why (like that Kevin Bacon game) does everything seem to lead back to it lately? Well, for starters, Internet marketing is beginning to change the way that most companies do business. Even smaller businesses can jump in because Internet marketing is still fairly affordable. It’s a cost effective means that save businesses tons of money in advertising costs. It also helps to facilitate communication around the world. For example, any business owner can simply type a question into Google or any other search engine and more than likely find the answer he/she was looking for. Within a matter of minutes, you can send a detailed email message with pictures and links to other articles or videos to you business partners in Asia or your best friend around the block.

Additionally, marketing/advertising campaigns for most companies can be expensive. For example, it may cost a company anywhere from $10k-30k for a one page advertisement in a newspaper or some other form of traditional media. However, if that company decided to advertise on the Internet, it would cost them only a tiny portion of what they paid. The smarter choice, it would seem, would be Internet marketing. With all the craze of the World Wide Web and everyone using it for every and anything, it doesn’t automatically mean that traditional advertising in newspapers and magazines will end….at least- not yet…

April 14 2008 | Blogging and Business Networking and Social Networking | 6 Comments »

Tips for Better Net-iquette

Almost anyone with any sort of decency knows the value in having good manners; things like holding the door for the person behind you, taking small bites at meals, not chewing or speaking with your mouth full of food, etc, etc.  But remembering your manners isn’t just for the dinner table and social setting anymore. It now applies to Internet usage as well. Especially if you’re a business owner who conducts a lot of online correspondence, a little net-quette can go a long way.  Here are some useful suggestions:

1. Check & Respond. Hardly anyone opens up forwarded email or junk email. However, if you do receive a message from someone, regardless if it’s an old friend or a potential client, always respond and respond promptly.  Even if you send an email to the person to say that you don’t have time to talk at that moment, something is better than nothing.
2. Be Selective. Clicking “send to all” can be tricky at times. There’s nothing worse than getting a mass email saying “hello” that has been sent to a bunch of other people. It makes the recipient feel less important and can be interpreted negatively. Sending work messages can be sent this way, but private messages should remain private.
3. Keep it Professional. If you’re at work, try to avoid sending emails or messages that aren’t work-related.  If you absolutely need to send a personal email to your spouse, friend or family  member, try to wait until lunch time or whenever you take a scheduled break. Some companies will view checking and sending personal emails on company time as grounds for dismissal.
4. Regularity. If you’re the kind of person who checks their email 500 times a day, great. On the other hand, if you’re the type who only checks your email once a month, make sure others know that.  Nothing irks people more than sending an email (especially if it is semi-important) and then not hearing anything back.
5. Addresses Galore! When you send out an email to a bunch of people, consider using an address function that doesn’t list EVERYONE’S email addresses in the “to” header. The reason for this is twofold: a) it’s annoying to have to scroll through a long list of addresses to actually get to the text and b) some people may not want their email information displayed to others.
6. Choose carefully. When sending an email out, make sure you put a relevant subject heading in the subject line.  Something that is going to grab the reader’s attention will more than likely get them to read the email versus something like, “Re:”.  This goes both for business purposes as well as personal.

For more information on Internet marketing, visit Create Business Growth today!

April 11 2008 | Blogging and Business Building and Business Networking | 3 Comments »

National Transport LLC: Auto Transport at its Best!

With the price of gas escalating, it’s no wonder that more and more people are turning towards auto transport. In the past, if you were moving from New York to Florida, there wouldn’t be any hesitation; you were going to be packing up all of your things between a U-Haul, a moving company and your personal vehicle and making the long trip down. Nowadays, however, people are beginning to think twice. Now, someone might opt to simply pack up all of their things and have it shipped, including their vehicle while they book a plane flight. This may sound like the more expensive option, but is it really?

Think Twice

If you think about all of the work and money involved in moving from one state to another, it can get out of hand if you’re not careful. For example, let’s say that you decide to drive from New York to southern Florida. You have to take into account the following things:

• Gas
• Hotels
• Food
• Road emergencies

Now, compare these expenses to the amount of money that you would spend on a plane ticket and shipping all of your stuff. Do the math and see what works out. National Transport LLC is a well-known auto transport company that ships all sorts of vehicles such as cars, boats, motorcycles, trucks and construction equipment all over the United States and beyond. National Transport LLC also has an auto transport blog that you can read to find out the latest news and stories as it pertains to the auto industry.

For more information on auto transport, visit National Transport LLC today!

April 10 2008 | Affiliate and Business Building | 4 Comments »