October 27, 2009 at 6:43 pm
By Bob Speyer and Kristin Tomlinson – Web Success Team
The speed of the way we communicate has morphed into an Internet monster. Today we can virtually work in anywhere on the planet. Hotels, planes, cell phones — anywhere we can get our WiFi fix. Yesterday’s news is today’s fish warp. Our gratification is instantaneous, but like anything, be careful what you wish for. There is always a downside to hyper-productivity.
From Tortoise to Virtual Hare.
It’s hard to comprehend that it was only a couple of years ago when present day technology had yet to evolve, and business folks alike carried serious stress about meeting specific deadlines, worried about finishing work on time before departing on vacation, or were hesitant of traveling, not because of the fear of flying, but because of the anxiety that their future destination would not contain the necessary accommodations needed to get work done and lost productivity. Offices were tense, and businesses were limited.
Looking back, it would give any business savvy worker cold sweats to wonder how they could get their present job done efficiently. In America there’s a saying that we “live to work,” and with that accompanies the ideal that we have the divine right to work whenever and wherever we are.
Welcome to the land where those concerns have become extinct, and a new species has staked its claim on planet earth. It’s the virtual office.
Cars, Online Trade Shows and In-Flight WiFi. . . Oh My!
The Internet has indeed become elastic, stretching its reach into various places once deemed impossible, but now a reality. In this day and age, we have wireless Internet in our cars and on our phones; a tool that has acquired so much attention in the past couple of years that it has actually turned into a major problem. The Internet application on cell phones has only added to the controversy of cell phone use while driving, and Congress has created a law banning such use, officially putting that application in “time out” indefinitely.
Even traveling business people have the Internet in literally every country they travel to, allowing them to stay connected to the office from their “business away from home,” thousands of miles away. Everyone has jumped on the WiFi bandwith. Hotels that aren’t connected lose business. Today it is as essential as in room telephones and bathrooms.
The Web Success Team recently took a business trip to New York. Just before returning to Los Angeles, we had a rush project that “couldn’t wait.” We finished what we could in our room on the laptop, took a cab to Newark; connected to the airport WiFi to “kill 2 hours”; reconnected on the plane via gogoinflight, finished the job; emailed the completed files; then kicked back to relax for the duration of the 6 hour flight. A short time later, the client emailed from her Blackberry that they received the files, reviewed them and thanked us. Just another day at the “office!”
The Internet “Fix”. . . Good or Bad?
The Internet has come along way from the confinements of a cubicle to expanding its power to the farthest borders of the world. Not only has it offered its services to help strengthen and build your business online, but it has also allowed people to stay connected. It’s funny how you can’t imagine a world without it, but yet there was once a time when it didn’t exist at all. Looking back, it must have been an anxious time, not being connected 24/7 – or has this ultimate Internet fix made us more nervous and less laid back with even more stringent deadlines? Makes you wonder.
October 19, 2009 at 4:33 pm
By Bob Speyer and Kristin Tomlinson – Web Success Team
In the beginning, many skeptics believed that like Blackberrys and MySpace, Facebook was just another socializing tool that gave students another techno-way to communicate with friends and peers from schools near and far. But, Facebook has loosened its firm grasp on the younger generation by extending its hand towards various businesses and companies, creating a web of networking connections. What was once restricted solely for college students has become an Internet sensation, giving businesses increased exposure, sales and website traffic.
What’s amazing is how a single social outlet can lead to an instant improvement in online business and to greater community interaction. Since much of the methodology may seem foreign, that’s where you can rely on the Web Success Team; we can make those connections happen for you. We’re the golden ticket that secures you a seat on the massive train of social media networking that has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
Become A Fan… Today!
The Web Success Team has created a business friendly Facebook page that shares tips, tools, and articles necessary to assist users and companies interested in taking their business to the next level through online marketing. We offer advice dealing with a wide range of topics regarding direct response marketing, strategies for online and offline advertising, website development, corporate branding, and social media strategies. We incorporate all these aspects into our page in a fun and original ways, such as setting aside a certain day of the week to address each topic.
So stop wondering in the dark, and step into the light. Facebook is just the right tool to get yourself and your business noticed in order to prosper and grow. The Web Success Team can assist you through this process by helping you tap into this hot new media explosion. Check out our page on Facebook NOW and become a “fan”. . . and I promise you, if you come aboard you won’t regret it!
To Your Web Success!
October 12, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Back when blogs didn’t exist…or did they?
By Eric Pangburn Web Success Team Contributor
Looking back, it is hard to imagine that there was a time when things such as “blogs”, “blogging” and “bloggers” didn’t exist. Yes, some of us have been around long enough to remember when everyone didn’t have some sort of online presence. Things are a lot different today as blogs are routinely used by everyone in order to achieve web success, implement corporate branding and act as an effective tool in direct response marketing. In fact, direct response websites – of which blogs are only some of the more recognizable incarnations – can be some of the most effective tools to have at your disposal to grow your business online. The online world is a constantly changing environment and you neglect the blogging phenomenon at your own risk.
Communication in the pre-blog age
This is not to say that people didn’t have any means by which to share information, we have indeed advanced dramatically since the “two cups tied to a string” phase, thereby enabling peers to interact with each other before the advent of blogs and blogging. Back then, there were actually numerous thriving digital communities, among which the legendary USENET, GEnie, BiX and CompuServe reigned supreme. In addition, there were also e-mail lists. By the time the 1990s rolled around, certain enterprising individuals and companies banded together to create WebEx, which was the first online service to introduce the concept of “threaded” conversations. Tell that to the Facebook-happy online cowboys of today! This early online communications model – which can be paralleled to posting and replying to messages on a corkboard– served as the blueprint upon which virtually all online communications services that have come along since then have been built on.
While CD’s were busy outselling vinyl, blogs were busy putting outdated and old fashion norms of communication six-feet under… permanently. The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 indeed marked the end of an era that was defined by ancient forms of communication, and introduced an uprising of technological advancements in blogging and the online world.
Online diary and so much more
The next significant phase in the development of blogging occurred between the years of 1994 and 2001, where the concept of “the blog” as an online diary first took root. This essentially meant thousands of people kept an online record of everything that went on in their lives. The term “blogger” wasn’t used then obviously – in fact, it probably hadn’t even been conceptualized yet – and most people who engaged in such online activities referred to themselves as “diarists” or “journalists”. Many of these practitioners were members of the academe and the scientific communities, and these people are recognized today as the earliest “bloggers” in the modern sense of the word.
It is surprising to note that these early blogs actually had more in common with modern blogs than you would think. An early blog called the Wearable Wireless WebCam utilized text, graphics, and video in pretty much the same manner that modern blogs do today. Of course, the results were far from the smooth and slick displays that confront you with some of today’s more impressive blogs, but you can definitely see the roots of today’s current blogging scene at work in these early examples.
Blogging trickles down to the masses
As significant as all these previous events have been, these wouldn’t have been much different if it weren’t for the introduction of easier to use blogging tools that essentially served to democratize the entire blogging process. Back then, blogging remained a “black art” for many of the less technologically inclined Web residents, many of whom didn’t have the slightest idea about how to go about putting together a blog. Apparently, Borders didn’t carry “Blogging for Dummies.” This eventually led to the rise of a new stream of online publishing and made it easy for anyone anywhere to post his or her thoughts online without having to know very much about the underlying technologies. These days, you can simply download some sort of browser-based blogging software, of which services such as WordPress, Movable Type, Blogger and LiveJournal are some of the most widely used.
The origins of the word
All this still hasn’t explained where the term “blog” came from. As it turns out, the term “weblog” was introduced by Jorn Barger, with Peter Merholz later coming up with a shortened term “blog”, and the rest is history. It was shortly afterwards that “blog” came in the popular usage as both a noun and as a verb.
Blogging is a potent political tool
Beginning roughly around 2001, blogging became particularly prevalent among certain individuals in the American political scene. Blogs such as Politics1.com, Political Wire, Instapundit, and Little Green Footballs all greatly contributed to the wider spread exchange of information among political analyzers and the public. One blog called The Daily Dish achieved considerable popularity in the days after the September 11 tragedy involving the WTC twin Towers.
More recently, blogging has been used to marvelous effect during some of the more newsworthy political campaigns, such as the drive to instill now-President Barack Obama into the White House. If that doesn’t drive home the influencing power of the blog, then we don’t know what does!
Blogging made easier
By the end of the year, blogging was sufficiently popular to inspire the release of several blogging how-to guides, all of which aimed to instruct the general public on the finer points of blogging. At the same time, blogging’s role in the community outside of the Internet increased exponentially as well. In fact, even many of the more established journalism schools all over the world were looking into the implications of blogging as it related to traditional journalism.
Blogging today and in the future
Today, blogging has undeniably penetrated the mainstream, with everyone from high-powered corporate executives (and those involved in scientific and academic pursuits), to housewives (and even younger children) blogging on a regular basis.
It remains uncertain as to what the different forms of blogging would take on in the coming years. Even now, many bloggers have moved on from the Web into various other media such as radio and television. The migration process has gone the other way as well, with many personalities associated with “traditional” media having gone on to become influential bloggers in their own rights. One thing is for sure, with the many benefits that blogging continues to offer, anyone who is looking to achieve web success, grow your business online, launch a direct response marketing campaign, or simply get their thoughts out for the world to read, blogging will remain an important facet of the online experience for many years to come.
October 6, 2009 at 4:23 pm
By Bob and Janette Speyer
Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (S.C.A.O.) is a learning center for orphaned, homeless and poor children in Cambodia. This year the Web Success Team traveled to Phnom Penh as tourists and left as volunteers committed to improving the lives and futures of the children of Cambodia.
Cambodia is a great nation that is still recovering from the atrocities of genocide, war, mass starvation and the Khamer Rouge regime that devastated the country from 1975-1979. Approximately 33 percent of the population is under the age of 15, most of which are impoverished and orphaned. Children roam the streets selling small items in hopes of making enough money to eat and to help support their families
S.C.A.O. is a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) in Cambodia that provides homecare, nutritious meals, healthcare, education and clothing to orphans and children living in conditions of poverty and social isolation. In a loving, caring environment, 17 children and Mr. Samith, the director of S.C.A.O., and his wife also live at the Center.
Mr. Samith, himself a victim of Cambodia’s tragic history, has created a haven to help rebuild Cambodia and its future by dedicating himself to the children in his area. We visited the center and saw first hand its volunteers from around the globe, teaching them English and helping provide them a way out of a life of poverty. With all the criticism of our self-centered youth, these young people are an inspiration in their social consciousness to make a difference.
Upon our return from Cambodia, the Web Success Team created a website for the center with a means to raise awareness and make donations. All funds go to the care and feeding of the children for food, clothing, books and education. I personally sent money online via westernunion.com and it takes only a few minutes. Simply go to the donations page for more information: www.savechildreninasia.org/donate.html.
And if you would like to visit Cambodia for tourism, you are always welcome to visit the center. It’s a short tuk-tuk (motorcycle taxi) ride from the center of Phnom Phen, the capital city. We encourage you to go to the website for more information at www.savechildreninasia.org.
October 1, 2009 at 11:41 am
By Bob Speyer and Eric Pangburn Web Success Team
You can have the flashiest and most visually impressive website on the Internet, but if no one ever visits it, then your site isn’t really doing you that much good. By the same token, an e-commerce site that pulls in a fair amount of traffic but very little actual sales isn’t living up to its potential either. In both cases, the one factor that can tip the scales in your favor is effective lead generation. And not just any leads, mind you; what you want are leads that are targeted specifically to build your business.
Continue reading “Effective Tips For Generating Leads in Today’s Changing Online World” »
