Stay Connected.

In order for a small business to thrive in the digital world they need to stay connected with the world around them.  One of many mistakes small businesses will make when entering the digital/social media world is not producing relevant and useful content for their audience.  A businesses cannot only share information about their products, new innovations, etc., they must give the viewer additional information.

Therefore, businesses must do their research. Yes, I said it research.  That horrible, not so fun activity that will take business folk back to their college days. Businesses need to keep up with their always changing environment and give their audience valuable media. Flowtown has created a list of 25 social media blogs small businesses should be checking in with on a weekly, if not daily basis.  I will highlight one of my favorites I checked out.

1. Brian Solis: Solis, a digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, has studied and influenced the effects of emerging media on business, marketing, publishing, and culture. His current book, Engage, is regarded as the industry reference guide for businesses to build and measure success in the social web.  What I like about Solis' blog is the constant updates about social media news.  If there is any confusion about any social media content/updates, Solis is right there to inform business leaders.  Here is a short snip-it of Solis speaking about the idea of relationships vs. ideas.

              

Is Google Taking Over the World?

 Before you start reading let me forewarn you, I am in no way, shape, or form against Google.  This is simply a post to get you thinking and to drive conversation.

I know many people, including myself, have turned the word GOOGLE into a verb.  I am not "searching" the web, I am Googling, the web.  This made me realize how dependant many individuals are on Google.  I'm not saying this is a terrible thing, but is Google's presence monopolistic?   FairSearch (www.FairSearch.org) was brought to my attention and there is some very interesting material on the site.  Here's their About Us section:


FairSearch.org is a group of businesses and organizations united to promote a healthy Internet future, where economic growth is driven by competition, transparency and innovation in search verticals and online services. We believe in enforcement of existing laws to prevent dominant companies from engaging in anticompetitive behavior and to protect investment and choice across the Internet ecosystem.

Until I dug around this site a little bit, I never realized the impact Google was having on my life.

Like I've mentioned in an earlier post, my Dad is a small business owner.  I read an article about how Google has the power and ability to change its ranking of your site without warning, explanation, or any sort of appeals process.  This is scary for ANY small business owner.  Many small businesses do not have the means to compete with other large companies for these top rated spots.  Here's the link to the article, you should give it a look:
http://dmjuice.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110904/OPINION01/309040027/1035/OPINION

So, what do you think?