Getting ConnectedThe Business of the Internet
I have an online journal
I have an online journal
I have an online journal
photo by: robsmith-qld
I have an online journal
photo from: Henry of Pelham
I have an online journal
people are changingthe way we do business online
what makes the internet special ispeople not technology
five topics
1. Getting connected2. Searching, surfing
and social media3. Email4. Taking care of business5. Ecommerce
five themes
1. Identity2. Trust3. Community4. Efficiency5. Connectivity
IdentityIdentity
you have a brand
every action you take(or don’t take)
contributes to your brand
when competing against the rest of the world in today’s economy
you must be able toanswer the questions:
Who are you?What do you do?
How are you shamelessly special?
product, person, company
the person made the sale
I am a person witha unique identity.
I am:[email protected]
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]@gmail.com
Who are you?info@mail@laura@
Be a person witha unique identity.
Create unique email addresses.Ask your provider for options.
“Some of the best brands are those where personality
does shine through.”Jennifer Rice
Spend 30 minutes every day establishing your brand.
Use this time to:1. followup on customer email2. update your web site3. participate in your
business community4. participate in your
customers’ community
TrustTrust
TrustTrust
Photo by: xt0ph3r
verify the story
Who are you?Who are you?
Photo by: carbonnyc
Evaluate identitiesEvaluate identitiesbefore giving your trustbefore giving your trust
On the web:1. Look at the address bar
https:// and URL2. Look for the lock3. Assess the credibility of the vendor
Take your business online by starting as an online consumer.
Experience buying online and understand what you do (not) like
selling online:offer the same assurances you
want as a consumer
investing in an ecommerce system is not cheap.explore alternatives.
look for other market placesto sell your products
Etsy, eBay, Amazon
use a trusted, thirdparty commerce system
PayPal, Yahoo! Stores, Google Checkout
develop your identitywith a goal of gaining trust
CommunityCommunity
in the beginning web sites were updated infrequently and only by
a computer technician
Photo by: geo
Photo by: geo
Photo by: geo
now web sites arecreated by individuals
or a collaboration of individuals
Web 2.0Social Media
community and collaborative
www.wikipedia.orgcollaborative encyclopedia
www.facebook.comsocial networking (and online Scrabble)
www.linkedin.combusiness networking
www.myspace.comsocial networking, music focused
Using Facebook1. Find friends, share updates.2. Create groups3. Create events4. Create (business) pages
communications withinyour own web site
update your Web site on a regular basis to encourage repeat visitors
do you already havea newsletter?
blogfodder
convert your print newsletterinto an online “blog”
blog: contraction of“web” and “log”
submitting new stories on a regular basis is good for search
engine rankings
all the keywordsand with incoming links
updated regularly
updated regularly, actual information about the yarn shop
add audio to make a podcast
add video to make a vodcast
CommunicationCommunicationPhoto by: ehnmark
newsletters are a great way to “push” content to customers
enewsletters are cheap (yay!)
but safeguards have been put in place to prevent you from
sending bulk emails
Photo by: Grumbler
most providers allow you to send 2050 emails at once
if you have more names (yay!) you will need to use abulk mailing system
a bulk mailer is software that combines your message and
your list of contacts tosend individual emails
Services: Yahoo! Groups, Constant Contact
Software: PHPList, Mailman
know your audiencebe polite about attachments
wherever possible: use plain text
EfficiencyEfficiencyPhoto by: xoe
1. alerts2. summaries
3. finance efficiencies4. useful software tools
Enter keywords in thesearch engines to find
customers and competitorsrelated to your business.
Repeat daily.
Or have the search enginenotify you when
things of interest show up online.
remember this story?
google alertswww.google.com/alerts
monitor your competitorsmonitor your customers
watch for trends
don’t forget to search for your own name too
an “egogoogle”
keep track of what others are doing through bookmarks
(“favorites” in Internet Explorer)
or use a news reader to help you keep track
visit only one site for a
summary of all other sites
Photo by: trainman74
visit only one site for a
summary of all other sites
Efficient financesEfficient finances
Photo by: Loneprimate
online bankingonline bill payments
exporting bank statementsimporting statements into your
accounting software
use useful tools
this presentation is made with:OpenOffice.org
Creative Commons licensed photosfrom www.flickr.com
“OpenDisc is a high quality collection of free and open source software (FOSS) for the Microsoft Windows operating system.”
www.TheOpenDisc.com
ConnectivityConnectivityPhoto by: ppdigital
Dialup – through the phoneDSL – through the phoneCable – through the tvWireless – over the hillsSatellite – up in the air
http://www.greycounty.ca/broadband/providers.cfmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadband_Internet_access
DSL – Digital Subscriber LineAvailable intown.
Bell Aliant, Bruce Telecom,Wightman Telecom
high frequency noisehigh frequency noisegets tired quicklygets tired quickly
source: wikipedia
CableAvailable where there is cable tv.
Amtelecom, Markdale Cable, Persona, Rogers Cable
Where you have cable,Where you have cable,you have connection.you have connection.
source: wikipedia
WirelessAvailable in rural areas where there are
towers in place
Nine providers locally. Check GreyCounty.ca for more information.
If you can see the tower,If you can see the tower,you can have power.you can have power.
Photo by: Andy_pants_in_Fred
SatelliteAvailable everywhere
Computer Service Center,Logans Satellite and Internet,Leeson True Value Hardware
The sky is the limit.The sky is the limit.
connecting your computerto the world
typical home
businesssetup
1 2 3
Computers can alsoComputers can alsobe connectedbe connected
Photo by: Chainsawpanda
WAN:Wide Area Network
Lots of computers
a router
LAN:Local Area
Network
Lots of computers
a router
connections are generally
made byrouters
although sometimes they have more complicated names
Lots of computers
a router
The router is your gateway between the two worlds.
Photo by: Troy B Thompson
Please close the gatePlease close the gate
Photo by: Pikaluk
five tips to closing the gate:1. add/change the router’s
admin password2. enable your firewall3. be suspicious of suspect things4. create accounts that aren’t
administrators for every day use5. ask for help
throughout the presentation we talked about the experience I
had with mr. speck.
email daniel and thank him for using google alerts
www.henryofpelham.com
1. Identity1. Identity2. Trust2. Trust
3. Community3. Community4. Efficiency4. Efficiency
5. Connectivity5. [email protected]@hicktech.com