I recently spent four days on an island with no internet and mobile phone access. It was absolute bliss…..but as you will read in this article….for some it may have been hell.

Read why…

‘THE average Australian spent 17.6 hours a week online in 2009, according to Nielsen’s Australian Internet & Technology Report 2010.

And if you’ve got broadband, or are aged between 16 and 29, you’re likely to fritter away even more time, with the biggest internet users clocking up as many as 22 hours a week.

If you think we’ve cut back elsewhere to compensate, you’re wrong. According to the same report, we spend 13.4 hours a week watching TV, and more than eight hours watching DVDs. In part, it’s because we’re multitasking, with 49 per cent of us watching TV while we surf the net.

It’s also never been easier to go online – 43 per cent of people with internet access also own a smart phone, meaning they spend another two or more hours a week browsing, even when their computer is nowhere in sight.

Our favourite websites? Google takes the cake, but social networking site Facebook is giving it a serious nudge.

In fact, for the first time ever, the internet and social networking sites have overtaken mobile phones as the preferred way for Australians who have online access to communicate with family and friends.

Which means we’re spending less time talking, and more time “chatting” with our fingers. Or updating our “profiles”.

Or taking a look at other people’s websites.

TECH ATTACHED

Dr Rob Cover, a media expert from the University of Adelaide, thinks there are a few reasons why the country’s internet usage figures keep creeping up.

“Social networking sites are highly compelling because they’re very ‘social’ in nature, which is different from TV – networking is highly interactive. And the level of compulsion to social network is higher than other activities because of the nature of an online computer, which also acts as a tool for work and study. It’s easy to have a browser with Facebook open while you’re working.”

That is why the number of times Australian employers blocked access to social networking sites jumped from 2000 per day in 2008 to 6000 in 2009.

Dr Darryl Cross, an Adelaide-based psychologist who regularly sees clients with “technology attachment” issues, says the appeal is also the fact that the average person can nab a slice of the internet for themselves.

“That wasn’t possible five years ago,” he says.

“Now people can put pictures and thoughts up, and are buzzed when other people are interested in what they’re doing and saying – it feeds the ego. And being able to snoop around in other people’s ‘lives’ not only feeds into our natural urge to be nosey, but it gives us a sense of importance.”

COUNTING THE COST

So are we fast becoming a nation of online addicts? Is it time to follow the UK’s lead, where earlier this year a London hospital opened the first technology addiction centre?

Dr Cover is wary of using the word “addiction”, at least in relation to social networking. “I’m currently involved in a project looking at ‘digital addiction’ and the findings suggest social networking isn’t addictive in the way we think of drug addiction. But I agree that it’s a powerful procrastination tool.”

Earlier this year, youth and self-development group Oxygen Factory released the results of a survey which found that four out of five Australian high school students think Facebook distracts them from their homework.

And while there’s no question technology has, in so many ways, changed our lives for the better, some experts say all this flitting between texting, emailing and browsing undermines our ability to focus.

What’s also of concern is that Dr Cover says he’s noticed a definite drop in confidence among 18- to 23-year-olds when they’re speaking in “real-life” situations.

“But on the other hand, there’s a very significant increase in confidence and ability to contribute to an online forum. “I think there’s a perception of the computer screen as a barrier or protection, whereas face-to-face communication doesn’t offer this.”

Dr Cross adds that the “instant gratification” nature of the technology adds fuel to the fire. “There’s no buffer, no time to cool off. It’s all too easy to send someone a text in the heat of the moment. That can get people into trouble.”

ARE YOU DEPENDENT?

Has your relationship with technology become unhealthy?

Find out by seeing how many of the following questions you answer “yes” to.

1. Is it starting to interfere or disrupt other activities?

2. Do you regularly check your messages before doing
anything else?

3. Do friends and family criticize you for the amount of time you spend online?

4. Does the thought of not being able to access a social networking site for a period of days or weeks make you anxious?

5. Do you prefer on-screen activities and communicating with people online, rather than leaving the house? ‘

Source: The Sunday Mail

Are You Online Addicted? is a post from: OE Design Blog

But most small and medium-sized firms prefer to ignore the comments rather than deal with the problem head-on, as Mocks founder Lara Solomon has.

Last year Solomon decided to swap PR for social media as the main marketing method for her business, which sells sock-like mobile phone covers in Australia, Britain and the US.

She focused on a Facebook page but didn’t anticipate the full consequences of engaging with her customers on social media sites.

The Mocks brand attracted about 12,000 Facebook fans (it now has more than 15,000) within three months, with the result that sales doubled in the final quarter of last year compared with 2008. What Solomon didn’t expect was the magnitude of the task of dealing with online comments from mainly 12 to 20-year-old girls.

Many of the comments related to postal problems, particularly in the US, with fans saying they were angry and leaving negative comments.

Others were just upset they hadn’t won competitions.

Solomon’s YouTube channel, where she gives simple social media advice, received personal insults. On YouTube one person called her a “foolish woman” because her advice was basic. She responded with a polite “you are entitled to your view”.

“I did respond to them all and I didn’t delete any,” she says. “And I responded in a polite way.”

At Mocks the five-strong team tackles criticism head-on and puts extra effort into ensuring delivery or any other problems or criticisms are solved, turning disgruntled customers into happy fans.

“I’m a big believer in taking those negative comments and turning them into a positive,” Solomon says.

With negative and offensive comments she often will take a deep breath first rather than tackle the issue in the heat of the moment.

“Sometimes I will come back half an hour later when I have thought of a polite way to respond,” she says.

When Theo Thomas was running the listings site Dlook.com.au, which he sold last year, he encouraged people to leave comments and for listed businesses to respond.

What he found was that 78 per cent of comments were negative against 22 per cent positive, and that most businesses preferred not to deal with negative comments.

“The biggest problem was that more than half the businesses that had negative comments insisted that their listings be removed from the site,” he says. “People get very intimidated — small business particularly — by negative feedback.”

“Nobody can say every single customer they service is happy. What I was trying to do was encourage businesses to respond to negative comments and offer some kind of recompense. I found many small businesses and many large ones just have blinkers on.”

“But with the exponential growth of social media you have to respond.”

Solomon admits that things do go wrong in business all the time.

What counts is dealing with each problem in a positive way and turning negative customers into fans, just as a company would when dealing with people on the telephone.

While Solomon signs off on all content on her social media and websites, her employees are trained to handle comments, most of which are responding to questions, positive feedback and minor delivery problems.

“It’s all about trust and making sure staff are trained well to deal with comments,” she says.

Simon Foster, who runs the Australian version of Shoeboxed, a site that stores online receipts and paperwork, actively sought comments on local websites when the venture launched earlier this year.

Foster found that a lot of traffic was directed to Shoeboxed.com.au from the Ozbargain website, where some people were disgruntled with a special offer. He responded politely and factually, and many other people posted comments defending the company.

“If you do it well it will amplified positively,” Foster says.

“If you are short with a customer and hide behind anonymity people will see through it. Treat customers exactly the same way you’d treat customers on the phone.”

DEALING WITH ONLINE REVIEWS

• Always identify yourself as coming from your company. Many businesses make the mistake of leaving anonymous positive comments on their own behalf, which customers can see through.
• Don’t be nasty. Treat negative comments with respect and answer politely. If issues are especially tricky ask the customer to email you and take the discussion offline.
• Don’t delete comments. Deleting negative comments is a sure-fire way to inflame disgruntled customers. But it is OK to delete offensive language. Email the user to say you are deleting offensive language or the whole comment if nothing can be salvaged.
• Be real. Corporate and PR speak doesn’t go down well in social media. Be helpful and deal with the problem as you would deal with a customer on the phone.
• Deal with comments as a company rather than as an individual.
• Ensure comments are dealt with immediately. Social media is immediate and commenters get aggravated if they have to wait days for a response.
• Deal with the good comments and not just the bad. Social media is about having a conversation, not one-way feedback.

Source: The Australian

Tackling Social Media Head-On As A Business is a post from: OE Design Blog

Life in business is always changing , and if you already have a basis of loyal followers of your products on a social media site like Facebook, then you are ready to tack, turn and  weave with whatever winds of change come your way. And change will come. And only those who are ready to embrace change by utilizing new technology will be here tomorrow.

Even when it comes to fruit….

‘As fresh fruit prices fall, Australian growers are turning to social networking sites and food celebrities to woo consumers. Prices of fruit fell 4.8 per cent in the June quarter, latest inflation figures show.

The chief executive of peak horticulture body Growcon, Alex Livingstone, said plentiful supply and retailer price wars were driving down prices. ‘The flip side is the returns to growers are not good,’ he said.

Tropical Pineapples sales and marketing manager Joe Craggs, who represents 22 Queensland growers, said prices were 10 to 15 per cent lower than the same time last year.

Growers had enlisted Facebook and MasterChef Australia contestant Skye Craig to raise the profile of a fruit oft sidelined as a summertime food, Mr Craggs said.

Citrus Australia chief executive Judith Damiani said consumers were toying with purchasing cheaper fruit, such as bananas.

But Gary Fattore, a manager at national wholesaler CostaExchange, said banana wholesalers were entering their thirteenth week of sales below production cost.

A warm winter had yielded a bumper crop this year, but he hoped prices would rebound as supply dropped off in the coming months.

Apple and pear prices had softened over the last two to three months, and were 10 and 20 per cent lower than at the same time last year…….

Meanwhile, poor citrus crops in Brazil and Florida are driving up costs for beverage makers…’

For those of you not in the fruit industry…..scary isn’t it?

So are you ready for change in your industry?

Do you have a Facebook page for your business?

Maybe it’s time to get organized for change – because change is coming your way – sooner than you may think.

Source: Michaela Whitbourn The Australian Financial Review

The Fruit Salad Of Change on Facebook is a post from: OE Design Blog

If you choose not to be a part of the Social Media revolution, you are potentially sabotaging the future of your business. The impact you can make can be quite substantial; you just need to choose to join in the Social Media revolution.

Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the number of people collaborating, researching, and interacting online through the different aspects of Social Media.

Google

1. Over 1, 000, 000, 000, 000 (one trillion) unique website’s are listed in Google.
2. Over 121 million searches are made every hour.
3. Daily page views exceed 7.2 billion.
4. Google has 19,835 employees.

YouTube

5. Over 2 billion views a day.
6. 24 hours of video are uploaded every second.
7. Average person spends 15 minutes on YouTube every day.

Facebook

8. More than 500 million active users.
9. Over 695 status updates are posted every second.
10. More than 250 million users log onto Facebook each day.
11. Average user has 130 friends.
12. Average user spends more than 55 minutes per day on facebook.
13. More than 100 million people use facebook on their phones.
14. More than 1.5 million local businesses have active Pages on Facebook.

Twitter

15. 300,000 new users sign up every day.
16. 180 million people use twitter every month.
17. Over 50 million tweets sent per day, at about 600 tweets per second.
18. 600 million searches are made on twitter every day.

Other Social Media Sites

19. Linkedin has 50 million users worldwide.
20. Wikipedia has 14 million articles.
21. LinkedIn has 60+ million professionals worldwide.
22. Yahoo has over 12 million searches every hour.
23. Bing has over 3 million searches every hour.

If you need any help or have any questions regarding social media, feel free to contact us.

Sources:
http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
http://mashable.com/2010/03/19/global-social-media-usage/
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/014511.html
http://blog.twitter.com/2010/02/measuring-tweets.html
http://webtrends.about.com/b/2010/03/15/the-top-10-most-popular-social-networks.htm
http://compete.com
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Social-Media-and-Young-Adults.aspx

Warning: 23 Social Media Stats You Can’t Ignore is a post from: OE Design Blog

As a worker we are continually bombarded with what is happening in the world, in the lives of our friends and through all forms of online advertising and alerts. And as employers we are presented with the challenge – should we create an environment that is totally devoid of this interference, or should we encourage our staff to engage?

New research shows almost three quarters of Australian workers say ‘watching YouTube’ is the most common online activity at work. The survey from Dynamic Business Magazine also shows more than a third of Australians spend at least an hour on Facebook while at work.

‘Many of us are in front of a computer for the majority of our work day, often in our own cubicles or offices and now we know what’s really going on,’ said DBM’s Jen Bishop. ‘This kind of online activity is often generated by emails we receive promoting sales or new products, emails about new messages or posts on Facebook or friends emailing about new YouTube videos we just have to watch.’

But a Melbourne University study recently suggested productivity improves among staff who have more freedom to surf the net. The study of 300 workers found productivity rose 9% among those free to surf compared with those who were not.

Source Material: The Courier Mail

Is Social Media Creating Online Distraction Or More Productivity? is a post from: OE Design Blog

‘Facebook has overtaken Google to become the most popular website in the United States for the first time, according to new data from Hitwise, which measures Internet traffic. For the week ending March 13, the social networking juggernaut registered 7.07% market share, beating the search giant’s 7.03% market share.

“The market share of visits to Facebook.com increased 185% last week as compared to the same week in 2009, while visits to Google.com increased 9% during the same time frame,” Heather Dougherty, Director of Research at Hitwise wrote in a blog post. (Facebook briefly topped Google last Christmas and New Year’s, but this is the first time the website’s weekly numbers have beaten Google.)

The new data is sure to unnerve Google, which has been trying to crack into the social networking market — with controversial results. For Facebook, the data will add further fuel to its push to go public sometime in the next year or two, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg has suggested. Analysts predict that when Facebook does go public, it could see an immediate valuation of $35 billion — a figure which could rise to $100 billion by 2015.

Since December 26, Hitwise’s data shows Facebook steadily closing the gap on Google in terms of weekly U.S. visits.

Of course, it’s important to put these traffic numbers and charts into context. Google is a giant, $130 billion public company with a fantastically profitable business model that churns out $23 billion in annual sales. Facebook, though huge, is still a start-up in search of a sustainable business model that can justify its current valuation, which is estimated to be anywhere between $8 billion and $15 billion.

Even though Facebook has passed Google in terms of online market share in the U.S., according to Hitwise, it faces many more challenges. Simply put, people go to Google because they are looking for something — the inquisitive act of seeking naturally lends itself to advertising. Whereas people go to Facebook to socialize and share with friends and relatives in an environment in which advertising is viewed by many as an intrusion and a distraction.

So while Facebook may have passed Google in terms of traffic, there is little chance it will overtake the search giant in terms of revenue or profit anytime soon.’

Source: Daily Finance

Facebook More Popular Than Google is a post from: OE Design Blog

A vook is a new innovation in reading that blends a well-written book, high-quality video and the power of the Internet into a single, complete story.

You can read your book, watch videos that enhance the story and connect with authors and your friends through social media all on one screen, without switching between platforms.

Vooks are available in two formats: As a web-based application you can read on your computer and a mobile application for reading on the go. With the web-based application you don’t have to download programs or install software. Just open your favorite browser and start reading and watching in an exciting new way.

You can also download and install the mobile applications through the Apple iTunes store and sync them with your Apple mobile device. To find out more about what is on offer as a vook go to: http://vook.com/index.php

Let’s Take A Look At Vook is a post from: OE Design Blog

I would like to think that she is smarter than the rest, because she has her dad’s brains, but read on and find out what a whole lot of her generation are doing when it comes to buying cars.

“Computers are turning into the hot rods of the 21st century.” states Neil McDonald of The Courier Mail.

“Unlike their parents, Gen Y is bypassing car ownership and driving the cyber highway to stay in touch with friends. Few see cars as necessary and increasingly they are staying at home, using social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace to hook up with friends.

A study into young buyer attitudes by global automotive analyst company JD Power has global implications for car brands increasingly trying to snare a younger audience.

The company’s Australian managing director, Brian Fine, believes the findings could change the way brands deal with younger buyers. ‘For car companies, younger buyers are their starting point,’ he said. ‘If they don’t get them at the early stages then they are probably going to have a tougher sell later on.’

The survey found that the global economic crisis has made young people more aware of the costs involved with owning and fueling a vehicle.

JD Power analyzed more than 300,000 online conversations among teenagers aged 12-18 and more than 475,000 online conversations among uni graduates and young workers aged 22-29 over an eight-month period.”

Source: The Courier Mail

Generation Y Taking To The Cyber Highway is a post from: OE Design Blog

So before I share with you 10 Social Media tips – allow me to introduce you briefly to each of these three media.

1. Blogs

A Blog is a website usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary and descriptions. You can either have a Blog created by a web designer as a separate entity, or as part of an existing website, or you can set up your own at www.blogger.com . With 40,000 blogs in Australia and 130 million in the world, they are providing a powerful place to share information in text format, photos and even video. One of the effective ways to drive traffic to your Blog is to find other blogs or forums that relate to the industry within which you wish to launch your career, and start commenting. Find your niche and communicate. If you would like to design a blog that complements your brand talk to the team at www.oe-design.com.

2. Facebook

Facebook helps you to connect and share with the people in your life. With over 5 million users in Australia alone and growing, it can open up a large audience. The average user has 120 friends on their site. An interesting statistic is that more than half of Facebook users are outside college and the fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older. These could represent your future bosses.

3.Twitter

Twitter can advance your career by allowing you to access the leaders in your industry. Through using search.twitter.com you can identify your specific niche and begin to engage influencers. Don’t forget to use www.tinyurl.com as part of your brief posting strategy and drive traffic back to your Blog.

So when you create your Blog, your Facebook account and your Twitter account – what next?

Position yourself in a positive light by using the following 10 Social Media tips.

1. Ensure you project a professional image while using social media at all times. Your future employer could be watching you.
2. Discrete is the word. Use wisdom sharing in such an open medium. Share positive comments.
3. Choose photos that are discrete.
4. Build relationships. Build trust. This is a powerful form of communication. A future employer can quickly get an idea of who you are by how you present yourself in your profile.
5. Create a professional Blog to show your understanding or keen interests in line with your chosen career. Post regularly. Now when it comes to blogging – either write it, copy and paste it and give accreditation to the writer by including their website address, or hire a ghost writer.
6. Meet and interact with the leaders in your industry via Twitter and point them back to your Blog.
7. Read well and then ask strong questions. Twitter is a great place for questions.
8. Sell yourself subtly. Social Media is a ‘not in your face’ medium. It’s all about subtle.
9. Upgrade yourself and share it in your social media circles. Your next opportunity is more likely to come from a social networking referral than from a job posting or advertised job opening.
10. A little wisdom and a lot of smart work(using social media) will help you forward your career, even in a tight economy. Employers hire when they don’t advertise, and often when they don’t think they have an opening, or even have a hiring freeze – that is before they meet you.

So your three social media career advancement friends are Blog, Facebook and Twitter. Use them wisely and consistently, and they will serve you well.

And while you’re at it follow Peter Sinclair – the CEO of OE Design – The Web Designers at www.twitter.com/OEDesign

How To Effectively Use Social Media To Advance Your Career is a post from: OE Design Blog

So it is because of this major shift that small business owners are being forced, in their media planning, to start including these websites as part of their plan for posting compelling online advertisements, writing articles for this media while also using audio and video to capture their target market share.

Social media is becoming an extremely powerful tool for creating marketing leverage through persuasive communication – whereby customers can share their insights, their perspectives, and their opinions. Customers want to engage, and this media is providing them the perfect platform for that end. Small Business clients are demanding to be heard in an ever-increasing manner.

These days there are more and more examples of social media that are evolving with varied popularity. But it can start with updating your Blog regularly, contributing to niche industry forums, and creating a presence on YouTube, MySpace, FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter plus more (Follow me at http://twitter.com/OEDesign). By simply commenting on other Blogs or Forums you can create a powerful connection with your own website through the establishment of links on that page whenever you post your comment.

Although Search Engine Optimisation is still a powerful tool to be used by the business community to drive traffic to their website, Social Media Optimisation is coming of age because it can cater to the web visitor’s desire to be engaged in an auditory and visual fashion. It provides choices, where the purchaser is in control of what information they can choose or not choose to hear or see.

For the Small Business owner, who is actively using online marketing as their overall marketing strategy, this is providing a wonderful opportunity to present their consumers with educative videos while at the same time adding a fresher approach to the life of a corporate website by creating the ‘buzz’ effect on a range of social media sites that will be directly linked back to corporate landing pages that deal with specific products and services that they supply.

So what are some of the ways that a Small Business owner can begin to use Social Media Optimisation to their benefit?

1. Participate – Jump in. Social Media sites are free to join. So don’t hesitate. Talk to anyone younger than yourself and they will help you to load a photo, post a link, write an article, comment on something that another member of that site has said. Have fun., Don’t be so serious. Share a joke. Post compelling content in your Blog and use the art of gentle face persuasion and a link to take people back to your core business website. In your face sales pitches will die a sudden death in this media. So step lightly and develop trust through friendship.
2. Create A Conversation – Engage others in your conversation. These conversations need to reflect a genuineness in your concern for them and their needs. And by responding to, not running from, consumer complaints and suggestions in a real time environment you will be giving yourself the awesome opportunity to reinforce the power of your brand.
3. Live In A Glass House – One of the greatest thing that you can do online in this format is to develop trust. But you must be transparent and give answers or information in true honesty and sincerity. People are not stupid, and they can soon tell if someone is not telling ‘nothing but the truth and the whole truth’. Be known for truth and integrity. And if you are ever wrong or make a mistake. Hey we’re all human. Admit it. Get forgiven and move on empowered.
4. Find Your Niche – within all of these communities you’re going to find people who talk your talk and walk your walk. These are the people that you want to hang out with because they’re the ones who will use your products and you services. Being part of this can provide an opportunity for you to share advice in a trusting environment.

The future growth of Small Businesses is going to be clearly defined by those who choose or choose not to use social media optimisation as part of their future marketing strategy.

The Ever Expanding World Of Small Business & Social Media Optimisation is a post from: OE Design Blog