My old dumb phone had more power than that first computer in our home and I have flash drives with more memory than some of the computers I used to own.
20 years ago, heck 5 years ago, we had a much different web world than we do today.
Take a peek at this history of “Social Media” if you want, but the direction is clear.
As consumers of the web, we have stopped thinking in the silos of the past.
When asked I asked a university class last January if they were involved with Social Media, most really didn’t think of it in those terms.
Everyone had a Facebook account, but we were introducing them to Twitter, LinkedIn and blogging.
Now days you can set up a website for your business or hobby or club using WordPress, which is a blogging platform!
By the way, if you really want results from your online presence, just setting up a website won’t cut it. There is an incredible amount of work that goes into a successful online marketing program. Contact me and my team at Cirrus ABS can set you on the right path for success, as we have for hundreds of other clients the past 15+ years.
Here’s what I see as the current factors that are melding all things web related:
The rise of smartphones (iPhones, Droids, and the like).
The huge rise in tablet computing (iPad, Amazon Kindle Fire, to name a couple).
The growth of cloud computing where your stuff is stored online instead of in your computer.
Also consider that static webpages are not as valuable to Google Search as sites with fresh, current content.
Your website needs to be alive. You need to feed it. If you don’t and your competitor feeds his website, they win. It’s that basic and simple.
Social Media follows that same methodology naturally.
20 years ago, my youngest daughter was 5 years old. She has grown up with this evolution. She is now a Mom of a 7 month old and expecting her second this summer. Those kids will know nothing about a world without the web.
It is because of all of these changes going on now and in the future around us along with the change in my own career when I left the world of radio to join the web world professionally, that I’ve dropped ScLoHo’s Social Media Adventure and instead created ScLoHo’s Web World.
Daily at noon, I’ll be updating this column with insights from me and others as we venture forward in this new year. Join me, won’t you?
Google+, Facebook, Twitter and a few others have this as part of their options, but I choose not to participate in those.
Ricky Potts and I have talked a few times about how to make Four Square check ins more fun and Kevin Mullett has spoken quite a bit about the bigger picture of how business are a little slow on the learning curve of how to use LBS effectively as a marketing tool and to build relationships with customers.
Last week I discovered two opposing viewpoints on the subject sent to me in the same newsletter.
Recently I was talking to a friend who had not heard of Google Voice.
Today’s tech tip is about a free service that most non-techies haven’t heard of.
Google Voice.
Google Voice is another free service from Google that gives you another phone number and probably has more features than your current cellphone.
Whenever I make a call from my cellphone, I can call using my Verizon number and have that call use my Verizon plan minutes, or I can use Google Voice and the call doesn’t count against my minutes.
Why do you need a second number? Maybe you want a personal line and a business line. I don’t know… you decide.
This week Kevin Mullett, my co-worker at Cirrus ABS hosted a webinar on Google+ for Brands and Businesses. Now if you are within driving distance to our offices in Fort Wayne Indiana, you can attend this live Seminar on Tuesday morning 11/22 starting at 9am.
The preview:
Key Points Covered:
Is it worth creating a page now and if so, what do I need to know about doing so?
How do we build engagement and connections?
How will this impact search engine optimization and the visibility of my brand?
What are ripples and hangouts for?
How do I use Google+ for myself as well as my brand?
Looking into the crystal ball and reading between the lines. What is next for Google+?