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Meet the Communication Challenges Posed by New Technologies

4. July 2009

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As an Internet business person, you enjoy some advantages over your offline peers, but at the same time, beware of dangers you may not see lurking just over the horizon, the computer screen horizon, that is. Let’s look at a couple of issues that challenge the online entrepreneurs’ communication skills .

For example, a few years ago we heard a lot about etiquette in electronic messaging on the Internet, about needing to be conscious of how messages might be misconstrued by receivers.

One of the ideas that came out of that effort was emoticons, little text symbols that aimed to make up for the loss of facial expressions and body language. Emoticons have pretty much disappeared, but not because everyone began communicating in a civil way.

For example, if you take part in a videoconference, you may notice you don’t watch faces as closely because you’re working harder to catch the words. And, if the camera adjusted to take in more facial expressions, then some body language is lost. Without face and body clues, which we get in face-to-face communication, we may misinterpret and respond inappropriately.

And what about the distinctions between email messages and traditional printed letters? Email certainly leads to faster responses and greater efficiency. However, when sending a printed letter we proofread it both on the screen and in print. And, the time between our initial thoughts and sending the letter is longer. That provides time for second thoughts, sober or otherwise, thoughts that might be wiser or better expressed.

Here’s another challenge: online seminars or webinars. Participants take part through their computers. In addition to getting voice feed, they also watch the screen, which is divided into three active sections. One portion shows the presenter’s notes, another shows reader questions, and a third shows something else. How well will participants absorb the material being presented in this environment? 

New technology opens many doors to entrepreneurs, but for each open door, there’s also a new need for improving communication skills . All things considered, new technologies and new media introduce new challenges to even simple communication processes. 

Don’t be too taken by the word ‘new’ though – Marshall McLuhan wrote the definitive book on changing technology a couple of generations ago, when television was supplanting radio.

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How can your Online Business Benefit from Press Release

4. July 2009

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Are you searching for means to generate massive traffic to your site and get people talking about your online company? May be you have reviewed many of the options out there like PPC advertising, social network promotion, and article writing or even tried outsource seo from PPC & SEO Agency.
But did you know that there is a cost effective way to promote your online company and and get it more traffic? It can be made possible by using press releases, you are about to find out how does this marketing tool work.
To begin with, make sure that your article contains new information, and not your ads. The best advertising looks nothing like advertising and when it comes to press releases the more they read like an ad the less effective they are going to be. Find something about your company which is unique and you believe might make an interesting story and let it be the foundation of your press release.
Once you have a newsworthy story, you need your press release to catch the attention of someone. There are several free websites which can help you to distribute your content but if you really want to get great results you should consider paying for some publicity. There are options where you can pay to have your story feature on places, like CNN and news and radio stations. How is it going to help your company?
Once you have your story and your channel picked it out it is you should pass over to writing your press release. Now there is the option of having someone do it for you and it will not cost you a fortune if you search in the right places. However, if you follow these guidelines and are a decent writer you you can do pretty good too. First, make sure that the opening is interesting and clear as to what the press release is about. Otherwise, you risk it will not be read.
Also, you want to make sure that the press release is interesting enough to stand on its own as a story. Provide not just an info, be more emotional like naming people who partake in the story. It is more interesting for people to read about other people. Finally, ensure your press release contains some educational material too. Marketing is all about providing knowledge to the audience about your product and service and and the value they are going to get so if you provide some education and not promotion you can still sell people on your message.
So go ahead and get your plan together to set up your press release and see what kind of attention it brings you.

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Who Is Your Website Audience?

4. July 2009

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Understanding the type of people who visit your site is a very important task because you can use that information to enhance your site to suit them. As a result, you will gain more loyal returning visitors that come back again and again for more.

What is the age level and what kind of knowledge does your audience have? A layman might linger around a general site on gardening, but a professional botanist might turn his nose at the very same site. Similarly, a regular person will leave a site filled with astronomy abstracts but a well educated university graduate will find that site interesting.

Take your audience’s emotional state into consideration when building your site. If a very irritated visitor searches for a solution and comes across your site, you will want to make sure you offer the solution right up front and sell or promote your product to him second. In this way, the visitor will put his trust in you for offering the solution to his problems and is more likely to buy your product when you offer it to him after that.

When you design the layout for your site, you have to take into account the characteristics of your audience. Are they old or young people? Are they looking for trends or are they just looking for online information served without any icing on the cake? For example, introducing a new, exciting game with a simple, straightforward black text against white background page will definitely turn prospects away. Make sure your design suits your site’s general theme.

Try to sprinkle colloquial language in your sites sparingly where you see fit and you will create a sense that your audience is on common ground with you. This in turn builds a trusting relationship between you and your audience, which will come in useful should you want to market a product to your audience.

About Author: David Hueber is the Managing Director of SEO Services New Zealand - a company that has been providing excellent SEO Services in New Zealand for over 5 years.

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