We’ve all had it happen to us at one point or another. For me, it’s an everyday thing- although it is not that bad. I’m talking about spam. I’ve been making a somewhat weak attempt NOT to check my email as much over the weekend as part of this great plan to try to keep work separate from my personal life. However, I can be sure that by the time Monday rolls around, I will have at least 20 messages in my inbox, 80% of which will be spam.

Now, I realize that I don’t have it nearly as bad as some other people; but nonetheless, spam is a real concern for a lot of people. It certainly matters in Canada. A recent article published in thestar.com talks about how spam has become such a problem in Canada that the Canadian government has tried, unsuccessfully, to address the issue by passing an anti-spam bill through legislation. There is no doubt that a great majority of email that is transmitted is spam. This can lead to all sorts of problems including but not limited to things such as bandwidth overloads, slower servers, hacking, viruses and identity theft.

What to Do

Some suggestions for dealing with spam include:

• Create a separate “spam” folder in your email account.
• Switch to a more secure email account.
• Keep your email address private.
• Filter your email by using the spam features to identify spam.
• Do not click on an email if you aren’t sure who sent it.

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

With the growing popularity of social media and web 2.0, if you’re thinking of creating a web site and want to know what kind of audience to target, you should start thinking about women. When it comes to conducting business online and using the Internet, many people naturally assume that it’s a man’s world due to the whole “technology” thing. However, this is not always the case. A recent study conducted by Rapleaf showed that men tend to be more transactional and less relationship building when it comes to their friends on social networks. On average, women tend to have more friends than men and do a better job at keeping relationships going. Now, who would’ve thought that would happen?

The Study

The study looked at over 30 million people by examining social networking information that had been put on a graph for some of the following social networking sites: Bebo, Facebook, Friendster, Hi5, LiveJournal, Myspace, Flickr and more. Of the 30 million people sampled, the only qualifier was that they have at least one friend. Based on this, Rapleaf found that of the people who had at least one friend, 53.57% were female while 46.43% were male.

The study concluded that women spend more time on social networks and are more likely to be social networkers and connectors versus men, who are more likely than women to be super connectors and uber connectors. For the full results of the study, click here. So, what do you think? In your opinion, do women use social networking more than men?

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

A study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and put together by John B. Horrigan, looked at whether or not the Internet had any influence on how and what people buy. The Pew Internet & American Life Project based their findings on telephone interviews that were conducted between August and September of 2007 among a sample of 2,400 adults who were at least 18 years of age or older.

What They Found

The study looked at the purchasing decisions made by consumers with regards to three separate categories: music, cell phones and real estate. Here’s a brief breakdown of what they found for each category:

Music:

• 56% used the Internet to research the product.
• 7% claimed that online information had a major impact on their decision.
• 22% made their purchase online.
• 5% posted a rating or comments online after their purchase.
• 83% found out about music from the radio, TV, or in a movie.
• 64% found out about music from family, friends or co-workers.

With regards to purchasing music online, online resources are valuable in the fact that they provide valuable research information for the consumer. However, it does not influence them with regards to purchasing music online.
Cell Phones:

• 39% used the Internet to research the product.
• 10% claimed that online information had a major impact on their decision.
• 12% purchased their cell phone online.
• 3% posted a rating or comments online after their purchase.
• 59% asked an expert or salesperson for advice.
• 46% go to one or more cell phone stores.

With regards to cell phones, online information is extremely helpful in helping the consumers to compare prices. However, the vast majority of people still prefer to go into an actual store and purchase their cell phones by speaking to a representative about their options.

Real Estate:

• 49% used the Internet to research houses.
• 11% claimed that online information had a major impact on their decision.
• 4% posted a rating or comments online after their purchase.
• 49% look at ads in the newspaper.
• 47% ask a real estate agent for advice.

With regards to looking for a new house, the Internet provides a cheap and easy way to look up houses- especially if the consumer is looking to move to another area. However, the Internet is still not a substitute for hiring a real estate agent.

Overall

Horrigan cited the Internet as being a valuable research tool for online shoppers and at times provides information that is critically important in purchase decisions. However, this is not indicative as to whether or not a consumer will end up using the Internet to purchase items.

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