Is Your Business Ready This Time?
More than ten years ago, we witnessed the rise and fall of the “dot com” bubble. Experienced internet developers consider the failure to launch online commerce successfully was mostly due to a general misconception of what role the World Wide Web (www) would play and to what capacity.
Developers talked about improving commutations and business transactions by building virtual environments that an internet user would access via personal home computers. A major problem that many early internet developers experienced from the launch of the internet; people were (for many different reasons) slow to connect and slower to contribute to online content than developers and investors expected.
Ten years later, the internet story reads in reverse. This time around we have savvy online users who are accessing the internet regularly, with a higher activity rate for users accessing the internet using Hand-held devices than users accessing via a personal computer or laptop.
Figures for 2008 saw a 249% increase of Internet users from the UK accessing and contributing to online content with user friendly handheld devices. The increase in cell phone usage online has been predicable for several years, with the sale of desktop computers and laptop computers vastly declining. Many online users are effectively shopping and banking online, accessing en-route trip advisory, watching and transferring large media rich content, chatting, tweetering, and engaged in online Social Networking all from their handheld device.
Recent research in New York determined that many online users no longer owe a computer and prefer the portability and accessibly a hand-held-device affords them.
Email Usage on the Decline
Delivered the astonishing report that email usage is quickly being surpassed by social network sites. As online users alter their current method for keeping in touch with family and friends.
Many Social Network sites have one thing in common, they are user friendly. Offering easy-to-use interfaces and a growing community of friends who are willing to train each other about new applications and how to best utilize them.
With an increasing array of useful applications available on the internet for tasks that many computer users will find pointless, but hand-held device users will use, share and talk about.
Before, we were teaching new web users about possibilities of the internet and the different online time-saving applications available.
Today online users are teaching us about what they want to do online.
According to a recent Nielsen report, 1 out of every 6 minutes spent online can be accounted for by Social Networking websites. Our online communities absolutely do existence, with many members being active online users and contributors. If for no other reason, Social Network sites are demonstrating that people are engaged in NEW emerging online technologies, with most basic interactions being quite intuitive without superfluous instruction.
Over the past ten years our main objective as Web Designers and Developers has been to drive online users to our respective websites. Today, the digital landscape has altered, with 67% of all online usage being consumed by Social Networking sites, leaving a mere 33% of online usage for research, banking and e-commence.
Remaining Valuable
To remain a valuable part of the new online landscape, online entities have to be more apparent than before. New important content needs to fuel your website. Interesting precise informative is key. Creating articles, reports and updates that will keep your site visitors informed and connected.
The old objective of driving end-users to our website is of little benefit in today’s online environment – today we bring our latest news to our target market by establishing ourselves, our companies, our institutions as creditable resources online by being presence with 67% of the active online community.
My old site doesn’t connect with Social Networking web sites
If your website does not support or at least integrate with the leading social networking sites, then you may as well simply pull the plug and save the money for end-of-year staff party.
The internet has a history. By comparing old online trends with new online trends, we honestly know that having a basic/simple website online was never enough. Even if your objective was to share business contact information – you are a fool to waste your money on a website. Google Business will effectively list your business online for free, with contact information, hours of business, directions, product shoots and video, plus the ability to have customer reviews. Businesses listed with Google Business are completely searchable and effective tools to share business contact information, while helping put a stop to online pollution from business websites that have ineffective content, that is written badly, makes no sense or is completely unrelated to the end users search query.
With a NEW exciting wave of social networking, online businesses are required to reevaluate their current online position and make the necessary changes to keep in-line with your respective target markets. Failure to keep up to date will result in the loss of your entire online target market. However, most online businesses already are aware of disappointing results when they review their diminishing fiscal returns.
Written by: Gary Crossey. Published by: Irish Guy Productions – April 2009
