Category: Internet and Technology
Posted by: james
Are you running a small business in Sale or Altrincham, and don't yet have a website? Then maybe you should read this story from BBC News:
By Alison Swersky (Business reporter, BBC News)
As far as web-literate consumers are concerned, internet search engines generally offer the best way to track down a local plumber or find out where the local pet shop is based.
After all, a reputable company will have its own website, right?
Wrong.
In a world where e-trading has become as mainstream as microwaved ready meals, it comes as a shock to many to discover that no more than half of Britain's small to medium-sized businesses have a web presence.
But those are the facts, according to the Federation of Small Businesses, which represents about 210,000 firms.
After a flurry of activity a few years ago, when a steady stream of its members flocked into cyberspace, demand has stagnated.
Which is a shame, according to the Federation's IT chairman, Peter Scargill, who insist companies must "keep up or lose out".
This is more than ever the case in today's business climate as many companies struggle to grasp the impact of the next wave of internet technology.
So-called web 2.0, blogs, wikis and web-on-your-mobile are giving ever greater power and choice to the consumer.
Many shrewd players are racing to adapt and respond to compete in both the offline and online market place.
Does this mean that those existing only in the real world are being left behind?
No web presence
Not so, says entrepreneur Lorrain Corrance, a qualified carer from Barrow-in-Furness who she set up a company to look after sick and disabled people.
Priorities will differ from business to business but the web will be integral to a business plan on some level
George Derbyshire, head of the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies
Driven by disgruntlement, after feeling disappointed with a former employer's attitude to care, Ms Corrance's set up One to One Personal Care.
The company now has one full-time employee, one part-time cover and five clients, and so far all her clients have come through social services or recommendations.
"I don't feel like I need a website," Ms Corrance says.
"The whole point of my business is that each client will have one dedicated carer who will offer a high standard of care.
"I don't want my business to grow more quickly than I can handle because I don't want to have to let people down if I don't have the staff to provide the services."
Vital tool?
James Pople, who runs a building contractor firm in Tunbridge Wells, is not convinced that a website is an essential tool for business success.
Nine months after his website went live, he insists it has not generated a single phone call from a customer.
Instead, his website functions as a catalogue of his work.
It was for this reason alone, after repeated requests from potential customers, that Mr Pople says he even bothered to launch a website at all.
"Perhaps it is just useful for giving clients peace of mind before making enquiries," he says.
But this view of the internet as an afterthought must change as new technologies fundamentally alter consumer behaviour, according to the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies.
"Priorities will differ from business to business but the web will be integral to a business plan on some level, whether it forms part of your communications and marketing strategy, part of your supply or customer chain, or whether you use it to trade," says the group's chief executive, George Derbyshire.
Fully engaged
Heather Gorringe, chairman and founder of Wiggly Wigglers, could not agree more. Offline companies are truly missing a trick, she believes, having experienced the power of the web for herself.
When the internet was still in its infancy, she saw its potential to expand her worm composting kit enterprise well beyond the village where it is based and the firm's website went live in 1995.
"We are based on a farm in a village of 63 people in rural Herefordshire," she says. "The passing trade is virtually nil."
The site was adapted for e-commerce in the white heat of the tech boom in 1999, when turnover surged from £6,000 in 1995 to £200,000.
And the dot.com crash did little to dent Wiggly Wigglers' performance. The company's turnover has now reached £2.5m. Its customers come from all over the UK, the Irish Republic and Western Europe and has its own group on social networking site Facebook.
In addition, gardening podcasts, featured regularly and downloadable from the website, have boosted the company's profile with a fan base from the US to New Zealand and China.
"Growing a brand globally has helped sales locally," Heather observes.
"Communicating with potential influencers is important for every business, even if you are a local fish and chip shop".
Disappointment.com
The reason why so many companies are disappointed with their website's performance is that they have failed to maximise their potential, believes Mr Scargill.
"A website is a passive device," he says.
"Unless you have a well recognised brand name you need to have some way for people to find your site.
"If you haven't marketed it properly, it's like taking a bunch of brochures, putting them in a cupboard and then wondering why sales aren't going up."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/7096900.stm
Published: 2007/11/21 00:06:42 GMT
© BBC MMVII
By Alison Swersky (Business reporter, BBC News)
As far as web-literate consumers are concerned, internet search engines generally offer the best way to track down a local plumber or find out where the local pet shop is based.
After all, a reputable company will have its own website, right?
Wrong.
In a world where e-trading has become as mainstream as microwaved ready meals, it comes as a shock to many to discover that no more than half of Britain's small to medium-sized businesses have a web presence.
But those are the facts, according to the Federation of Small Businesses, which represents about 210,000 firms.
After a flurry of activity a few years ago, when a steady stream of its members flocked into cyberspace, demand has stagnated.
Which is a shame, according to the Federation's IT chairman, Peter Scargill, who insist companies must "keep up or lose out".
This is more than ever the case in today's business climate as many companies struggle to grasp the impact of the next wave of internet technology.
So-called web 2.0, blogs, wikis and web-on-your-mobile are giving ever greater power and choice to the consumer.
Many shrewd players are racing to adapt and respond to compete in both the offline and online market place.
Does this mean that those existing only in the real world are being left behind?
No web presence
Not so, says entrepreneur Lorrain Corrance, a qualified carer from Barrow-in-Furness who she set up a company to look after sick and disabled people.
Priorities will differ from business to business but the web will be integral to a business plan on some level
George Derbyshire, head of the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies
Driven by disgruntlement, after feeling disappointed with a former employer's attitude to care, Ms Corrance's set up One to One Personal Care.
The company now has one full-time employee, one part-time cover and five clients, and so far all her clients have come through social services or recommendations.
"I don't feel like I need a website," Ms Corrance says.
"The whole point of my business is that each client will have one dedicated carer who will offer a high standard of care.
"I don't want my business to grow more quickly than I can handle because I don't want to have to let people down if I don't have the staff to provide the services."
Vital tool?
James Pople, who runs a building contractor firm in Tunbridge Wells, is not convinced that a website is an essential tool for business success.
Nine months after his website went live, he insists it has not generated a single phone call from a customer.
Instead, his website functions as a catalogue of his work.
It was for this reason alone, after repeated requests from potential customers, that Mr Pople says he even bothered to launch a website at all.
"Perhaps it is just useful for giving clients peace of mind before making enquiries," he says.
But this view of the internet as an afterthought must change as new technologies fundamentally alter consumer behaviour, according to the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies.
"Priorities will differ from business to business but the web will be integral to a business plan on some level, whether it forms part of your communications and marketing strategy, part of your supply or customer chain, or whether you use it to trade," says the group's chief executive, George Derbyshire.
Fully engaged
Heather Gorringe, chairman and founder of Wiggly Wigglers, could not agree more. Offline companies are truly missing a trick, she believes, having experienced the power of the web for herself.
When the internet was still in its infancy, she saw its potential to expand her worm composting kit enterprise well beyond the village where it is based and the firm's website went live in 1995.
"We are based on a farm in a village of 63 people in rural Herefordshire," she says. "The passing trade is virtually nil."
The site was adapted for e-commerce in the white heat of the tech boom in 1999, when turnover surged from £6,000 in 1995 to £200,000.
And the dot.com crash did little to dent Wiggly Wigglers' performance. The company's turnover has now reached £2.5m. Its customers come from all over the UK, the Irish Republic and Western Europe and has its own group on social networking site Facebook.
In addition, gardening podcasts, featured regularly and downloadable from the website, have boosted the company's profile with a fan base from the US to New Zealand and China.
"Growing a brand globally has helped sales locally," Heather observes.
"Communicating with potential influencers is important for every business, even if you are a local fish and chip shop".
Disappointment.com
The reason why so many companies are disappointed with their website's performance is that they have failed to maximise their potential, believes Mr Scargill.
"A website is a passive device," he says.
"Unless you have a well recognised brand name you need to have some way for people to find your site.
"If you haven't marketed it properly, it's like taking a bunch of brochures, putting them in a cupboard and then wondering why sales aren't going up."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/7096900.stm
Published: 2007/11/21 00:06:42 GMT
© BBC MMVII
28/10: Comments welcome?
Category: Internet and Technology
Posted by: SaltyAdmin
One of the "nice" features about blogging, bulletin board and CMS software is that they allow visitors to a website to comment on the content... possibly providing some additional information useful to other visitors, engaging in a debate, or simply passing on a 'thanks' to the website creator.
One of the incentives for visitors to take the effort to add a post is that they can add a link to their own site within it (thus potentially boosting their site's google ranking). This small reward for posting comments has been sadly (but inevitably) exploited/abused by the spammers who post comments including links to literally hundreds of different porn/viagra/gambling websites - with the effect of annoying genuine site visitors, lowering the blog site's ranking (due to the massive increase in outbound links) and ultimately driving traffic away from the the blog.
One of the incentives for visitors to take the effort to add a post is that they can add a link to their own site within it (thus potentially boosting their site's google ranking). This small reward for posting comments has been sadly (but inevitably) exploited/abused by the spammers who post comments including links to literally hundreds of different porn/viagra/gambling websites - with the effect of annoying genuine site visitors, lowering the blog site's ranking (due to the massive increase in outbound links) and ultimately driving traffic away from the the blog.
Category: Internet and Technology
Posted by: SaltyAdmin
Have you ever gone web-surfing in your lunch-break, typed in a few innocent keywords into Poodle.com (or whatever your favourite search engine happens to be) and followed a few of the results only to get a message like ...
ACCESS DENIED - THIS SITE HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS PORNOGRAPHY
... in bright red letters in 48 point so that everyone in the office can see what a perv you are?
If so your company has a proxy server with an internet filter. Yes Big Brother is watching you - but don't worry, you are unlikely to receive a disciplinary for accidental hits (you meant "chain mail" for your medieval re-enactment society costume, not "chained male" right?)
So you've now left Big Brother plc, and set up on your own, hired a few staff and doing pretty well. But what are your staff doing while you are out of the office?
Whatever side of the the debate you are on regarding porn etc in general, if your staff are accessing it whilst your back is turned they are not helping your bottom-line - in fact, they could be exposing you to a whole heap of legal fees.
But internet filters are expensive/complicated aren't they? I can't afford/don't know how to run a proxy server. Maybe - but for smaller organisations (with less than 10 PCs) there is a simpler solution...
There are many programs out there designed for home use (search for "parental control") to block children's access to porn/illegal download sites etc. These can equally be installed on your office PCs too, offer free trial periods, and often offer discounts on multiple seat purchases!
Some of the better known examples include:
CyberSitter
NetNanny
Cyber Patrol
If your organisation has more than 10 PC's then it may be more more cost effective to run a gateway server with a product such as Cyblock or SurfControl.
ACCESS DENIED - THIS SITE HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS PORNOGRAPHY
... in bright red letters in 48 point so that everyone in the office can see what a perv you are?
If so your company has a proxy server with an internet filter. Yes Big Brother is watching you - but don't worry, you are unlikely to receive a disciplinary for accidental hits (you meant "chain mail" for your medieval re-enactment society costume, not "chained male" right?)
So you've now left Big Brother plc, and set up on your own, hired a few staff and doing pretty well. But what are your staff doing while you are out of the office?
Whatever side of the the debate you are on regarding porn etc in general, if your staff are accessing it whilst your back is turned they are not helping your bottom-line - in fact, they could be exposing you to a whole heap of legal fees.
But internet filters are expensive/complicated aren't they? I can't afford/don't know how to run a proxy server. Maybe - but for smaller organisations (with less than 10 PCs) there is a simpler solution...
There are many programs out there designed for home use (search for "parental control") to block children's access to porn/illegal download sites etc. These can equally be installed on your office PCs too, offer free trial periods, and often offer discounts on multiple seat purchases!
Some of the better known examples include:
CyberSitter
NetNanny
Cyber Patrol
If your organisation has more than 10 PC's then it may be more more cost effective to run a gateway server with a product such as Cyblock or SurfControl.
26/04: Pimp my Site?
Category: Internet and Technology
Posted by: SaltyAdmin
I found a great website today - www.pimpmysnack.com - where people post images of their attempts to create supersized versions of their favourite snacks.
It certainly helped break the tedium of a another day in the office, and after we spent a few minutes digging around the site we got back to work with renewed vigour (although I did have this strange craving for Jaffa cakes afterwards!)
Its ludicrous and anarchic websites like this that makes internet surfing so much fun, but recent research shows that we are increasingly reliant on a smaller number of 'supersites' - in order to attract repeat visitors to your website you need to provide a compelling reason to keep coming back. This might be a great interface, regularly updated content, originality, breadth of features.
So have a think - could your rusty old Cortina of a website do with losing the furry dice and go-faster stripes, and instead get some slick chromed alloys, body kit and a paint job?
It certainly helped break the tedium of a another day in the office, and after we spent a few minutes digging around the site we got back to work with renewed vigour (although I did have this strange craving for Jaffa cakes afterwards!)
Its ludicrous and anarchic websites like this that makes internet surfing so much fun, but recent research shows that we are increasingly reliant on a smaller number of 'supersites' - in order to attract repeat visitors to your website you need to provide a compelling reason to keep coming back. This might be a great interface, regularly updated content, originality, breadth of features.
So have a think - could your rusty old Cortina of a website do with losing the furry dice and go-faster stripes, and instead get some slick chromed alloys, body kit and a paint job?
25/04: SaltyWeb Search
Category: Internet and Technology
Posted by: SaltyAdmin
