Archive for the 'Internet' Category
June 28th, 2009, 12:00 pm by Jan Norman, small-business columnist
 Bosses and employees disagree about a company’s right to know how its employees portray themselves and their employer on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, according to the 2009 Deloitte LLP Ethics & Workplace survey.
Six out of 10 business executives say employees’ comments about their workplace are an issue companies have a right to know about. But 53% of employees say, no way. And among the 18 to 34 crowd, that number jumps to 63%.
What do you say?
Is your social network your employer's business?
In the third edition of the annual survey, one-third of employees said they never think about what their bosses or customers might think before posting material online.
And social networking is popular:
 Source: Deloitte LLC Another survey found that 67% of businesspeople use social networks for business.
Still, most employees understand the risks: 74% said use of social networks make it easier to damage a company’s reputation.
Just 17% of executives said their companies have programs to monitor the risks of social networking to the company or to mitigate potential damage to the company reputation. Such programs might not matter. Almost half of employees said defined guidelines wouldn’t change their online behavior.
For more about O.C.’s use of social media, check out Jon Lansner’s sOCial Sunday.
Other business stories..
Posted in: Employees • Poll • Social networking • Top posts • Deloitte LLP • social media | 21 Comments »
June 13th, 2009, 5:00 am by Jan Norman, small-business columnist
Entrepreneur Jan Stuart is giving away $3.74 million in advertising to small businesses. He’s putting his money where his mouth is as he launchs his e-commerce portal Jan’s Deals.
The site allows deal-seeking customers to search for types of products by city or ZIP code, and allows small businesses to promote their deals and discounts online. Stuart says he’s not just offering a deal to get deals. Call it a one-man stimulus package.
 Jan Stuart Stuart believes that the success of small business will have a ripple effect across the recovery of local communities and the economy at large. He should know. He’s seen the highest highs in business only to lose it all literally overnight.
He built a multi-million-dollar business, only to see it fail due to the Wall Street Crash of 1987.
“In the late ’80s, I felt like I had it all,” Stuart says. “I created a highly successful internationally distributed product line of men’s care products. Then the stock market crashed, and I was wiped out.
“I know what small businesses are going through today, and it hurts me to see it because I’ve been there. Through no fault of their own, the economy’s collapsed, and they’re struggling. So, I started to think, how can I help them?”
JansDeals.com lets small-business owners create their own promotions to announce their deals to their neighborhoods - or anyone who want to shop their ZIP They can post unlimited, real-time deals and can update the deal as often as they want for no extra fee. For example, a restaurant can post a lunch special and dinner special the same day and cahgne it all in time for the next morning’s rush. The site takes care of everything from web master to search engine marketing.
Stuart is waiving the initial subscription fee of $299 a year for a three-month period for the first 50,000 small businesses that sign-up, totaling about $3.74 million in free advertising.
More than 220 million Americans have Internet access, according to Nielsen. But more than half of all small business owners don’t use the Internet to market their business, an American Express survey reports.
That ability to help small businesses bring in more people via online marketing is what inspired Jan Stuart
“I believe this economy won’t recover until we help out the small business owners of America,” Stuart says.
Other entrepreneurial stories…
Posted in: Economy • Internet • Marketing • Top posts • free advertising • Jan's Deals | 17 Comments »
June 2nd, 2009, 5:00 am by Jan Norman, small-business columnist
Two-thirds of bosses and workers told a recent online survey that they use social media - Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and the like.
What about you?
Do you use social media sites for work?
The poll showing wide business acceptance of social media was conducted by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. Of the 67% using social media:
- 12% use social media only for business
- 37% use for work and personal enjoyment
- 18% use only for personal enjoyment
- 11% tried social media but stopped
- 19% have never even visited a social media site
Register colleague Jon Lansner is running a social media experiment for O.C. Check it out here.
In a separate - probably more scientific - poll, 60% of Fortune 1000 companies with web site (is there really a Fortune 1000 without one?) will use interactive media on their sites to connect with the online community and build customer relationships.
Adam Sarner, principal research analyst at Gartner, says:
“A key benefit of establishing a community is the amount of information an organization can gain about its customer base, which can be used for short-and long-term customer relationships. Data can be collected and used for product development, customer feedback, loyalty management, customer segmentation, campaign targeting, and individual or group customer satisfaction management.”
The New York Times says the recession has helped make social media, like Facebook, a vital part of job hunting.
There’s a warning for businesses that reach out online.
Linda Evans at Search Engine Watch notes that Gartner also predicts 50% of the Fortune 1000 that try social networking will fail. And if they botch the job, what hope do smaller businesses have?
All businesses should take the social media outreach seriously because the cost of failure is so high, says SmartBlog on Social Media.
However, the cost of failure to adequately invest in this relationship once started can be more damaging than not engaging the consumer in the first place. For social media outlets that fail, either ending up as a static site with no regular updates or disappearing all together, the message is sent that the opinion of consumers is not a priority and is unimportant.
In fact, the Gartner study found that (the failures will) “erode customer and company values.”
Among Evans’ tips for social media success:
- Identify your audience
- Plan a strategy that includes all stakeholders
- Recognize that it’s not about you
Click here for more of her advice.
Other business strories…
Posted in: Poll • Reports • Social networking • Top posts • social media | Post a Comment »
May 29th, 2009, 5:00 am by Jan Norman, small-business columnist
Some Orange County LinkedIn members don’t want to be identified as part of “the greater Los Angeles area” on the popular business networking site.
So they have set up a LinkedIn group - We are Orange County! - as a quasi-petition for a separate geographic designation for members in Orange County.
The group was created by Sven Johnston, a resident of Laguna Niguel, business development officer at Escoe Bliss Professional Resources in Irvine, and self-described super user on LinkedIn.
Here’s his explanation of We are Orange County!:
We have our own identity and community that we would proudly like to display on our profiles. Everyone I have met on several networking opportunities has complained to me about the fact that we get lumped into the Greater Los Angeles classification. Networking in its core is about building a community and we want to be able to easily identify our OC neighbors in an easy fashion instead of wondering if they might live 50 miles away in Burbank.
Please join this group and leave comments so we can convince LinkedIn to create a new location “Orange County” on their website. Its David against Goliath, but in my opinion its worth a try.
More than 630 people have joined the group in the first eight days. CLICK HERE to add your voice.
So far, LinkedIn hasn’t responded to me about how it establishes geographic designations for members.
LinkedIn has carved its niche in the social networking world as the go-to site for business and career purposes for its 41 million members in 200 countries.
A recent Business Pulse survey by Bizjournals.com named LinkedIn as the social media of choice for business:
- LinkedIn 39%
- Facebook 26%
- Twitter 19%
- Other 12
- MySpace 2%
Here’s how LinkedIn explains itself:
Your professional network of trusted contacts gives you an advantage in your career and is one of your most valuable assets. LinkedIn exists to help you make better use of your professional network and help the people you trust in return. We believe that in a global connected economy, your success as a professional and your competitiveness as a company depends upon faster access to insight and resources you can trust.
Do you think O.C. should have a separate identity on social networking sites?
Other business stories…
Posted in: Local companies • Social networking • Top posts | 11 Comments »
May 4th, 2009, 1:00 am by Jan Norman, small-business columnist
If you join the Greenwala social network for the environmentally friendly community in 2009, Irvine-based Greenwala will plant a tree in one of the world’s rain forests.
The social networking site’s goal is a million members and a million trees planted.
“The individuals who make up the Greenwala community can collectively influence how brands design products, politicians shape policy and families teach their children about sustainability,” says founder Rajeev Kapur. “Our legacy will be the steady growth of one million planted trees combating deforestation of the rainforests around the world.
Click here to go to Greenwala, create a profile and connect with people interested in green living.
If you have a resource, strategy or tip to help small businesses, send it to me at jnorman@ocregister.com. If I use it, I’ll give you credit and link to your web site.
Other tips for small businesses…
Posted in: Environmentally friendly • Social networking • Tip of the Day • Top posts • Greenwala | Post a Comment »
March 30th, 2009, 4:00 am by Mary Ann Milbourn
 David Jakubowski How many companies these days can say they are doing “fantastic?” Yet that’s how David Jakubowski describes business at Specific Media in Irvine where he is senior vice president. The company specializes in placing Internet ads based on a client’s specific target audience be it age, gender, geographic location, behavior or other characteristics.
Specific Media’s proprietary technology has helped the 10-year-old company rise to sixth largest among online providers in terms of the ad-focused audience reached, according to comScore’s February rankings. That’s down from fifth in November but still up with industry leaders like Yahoo, Double Click and Google.
Here’s Jakubowski’s take on his business, Orange County and the economy:
Q. How’s business?
A. “We are actually doing fantastic. I’m almost a little sorry to say that because not everyone is,” says Jakubowski. He says that, like every industry, business has softened with Internet advertising now relatively flat compared to other media, which have seen ads fall. If anything, the economic downturn has helped business. “As budgets are cut, the Internet is the beneficiary because they see they are getting more bang for the buck,” says Jakubowski.
Q. What has Specific Media done to respond?
A. “In 2008, there was a lot of crazy growth,” says Jakubowski. “The 2009 economy is what it is. You can’t be stupid. You have to be smart.” In Specific Media’s case, he says that means being completely focused on the customers and delivering what they need. Specific Media listens closely to what the client wants and, in some cases, uses the company’s technology to mine data that will help the client decide what it needs.
Q. What are your plans for the coming year?
A. Grow, says Jakubowski. “We’re busy as we have ever been. We’re hiring and now have more than 200 people.” The company just began an expansion this month into Northern Europe, with new offices in Copenhagen.
Q. What are you doing to innovate?
A. Jakubowski says company just completed a new development center and is building what he describes as a state-of-the-art engineering center here and in Seattle “to have the tools and technology to enable us in getting better every day.” The company is also on lookout for talent. “The quality of the people we’re hiring makes you better at what you do – more work is processed and other people step up.”
Q. What’s good about doing business in Orange County?
A. “Orange County is spectacularly beautiful. I can’t tell you who many of our people who work in other cities want to move here,” says Jakubowski. “There’s a lot of tech and media in New York City, but no one moving to Orange County complains it isn’t New York City.”
Q. What’s the downside of being here?
A. “There’s not a lot of Web 2.0 people here – the employee pool is relatively limited,” says Jakubowski, citing the lack of an algorithms lab or a strong computer science department – “something that would put us on the map like Stanford.”
Q. What’s your best advice for other businesses?
A. “Focus on your customers. They will give you a value proposition (of something) they can’t live without,” says Jakubowski. “Deliver it, show it to them and tell them ‘here is the profit.’”
For more small businesses news …
Orange County Register Economic Outlook
Posted in: Customers • Economy • Internet • Local companies • Marketing • Top posts • customer service • Marketing • Specific Media | 4 Comments »
March 8th, 2009, 12:44 pm by Jan Norman, small-business columnist
EBay and other online auction sites are popular solutions to the need for extra cash, so the Orange Post Office is offering free seminars on how to sell online.
These free sessions will be at 6 p.m. every Thursday in April at the post office at 1075 N. Tustin St. in Orange. The U.S. Postal Service has been providing these free classes since 2004.
Attendees will learn everything they need to know to buy and sell online, says U.S. Postal Service spokesman Richard Maher. Instruction covers everything from taking pictures of merchandise to closing the deal and getting merchandise delivered. You’ll also find out about USPS shipping solutions at usps.com, such as Click-N-Ship, Priority Flat-Rate Boxes and free Package Pickup.
Seating is limited so advanced reservations are recommende. E-mail robert.a.lockovich@usps.gov or call 714-662-6428.
Other business stories…
Posted in: Entrepreneurship • How to • Internet • Top posts • eBay • online auction web sites • online shipping • U.S. Postal Service | Post a Comment »
February 9th, 2009, 1:00 am by Jan Norman, small-business columnist
In this competitive job and business climate it is more important than ever for employers and job
seekers to manage their online reputations, says Brett Good, district president overseeing Southern California for Robert Half Technology.
Since the word google became a verb, that reputation includes information that can be found online. This is
 Brett Good particularly true for IT professionals who are evaluated on their technical savvy, Good says.
It is important for applicants to actively monitor and maintain their professional reputations online, but it is also important for companies seeking the best workers to do the same.
Any information that raises a red flag can quickly take candidates out of consideration for a job and companies off the A-list for top workers.
Here are seven tips for managing your digital reputation:
1. Take stock. Discover what information about you - if any - already is online by performing a search using popular search engines.
If you discover an item that you wouldn’t want hiring managers or job applicants to see, ask the person who posted the information or website administrator to remove it. Similarly, untag any inappropriate photos of yourself or your company.
2. Activate privacy settings. If you belong to social networking sites or have a personal blog, adjust your privacy settings so you control who has access.
3. Exercise discretion. When interacting online, be selective about which venues you participate in and who you allow into your personal and professional networks. If you or your staff regularly contribute to blogs or forums, give thought as to how your statements may be interpreted by those
outside your community.
Consider using a pseudonym if you wouldn’t want a potential employer or job candidate to see your posts. You can use BlogPulse or Technorati to track online conversations about you or your sites.
4. Network wisely. When using professional networking sites such as LinkedIn to look for job opportunities or candidates, behave graciously with everyone you encounter and follow posted protocols. Thank anyone who assists you, and be sure to return the favor when possible.
5. Stack the deck. Business information web sites such as ZoomInfo allow users to post information about themselves, so consider including details about your professional involvement and qualifications on these types of forums.
6. Share your insights. Posting useful advice and commentary on industry forums and authoring online articles in your area of expertise can add to your credibility.
7. Monitor the conversation. Set alerts using Google or other tracking services under your name so you receive an e-mail notification every time something new is said about you online.
Robert Half Technology provides information technology professionals to companies. For additional tips on conducting an online job search, click here to download a free copy of Search Smarts: Best Practices for Conducting an Online Job Search.
If you have a strategy, tip or resource to help small businesses, click here to send it to me. If I use it, I’ll give you credit and link to your web site.
Other jobs stories…
Posted in: Social networking • Tip of the Day • Top posts • job search • online reputation • Robert Half Technology | Post a Comment »
January 13th, 2009, 6:01 am by Jan Norman, small-business columnist
Consumers are far more likely to search for goods and services online than small businesses are to have a strong Internet presence. That’s the conclusion of a survey by WebVisible, an Irvine local interactive advertising expert.
WebVisible worked with Nielsen Online to survey almost 4,000 U.S. Internet users - including 261 small-business owners - on the tools they’ve used to find local businesses when shopping.
Here is a comparison of the new results with a similar random survey a year ago (click on image for larger view):
 Source: WebVisible and Nielsen Online Custom Survey The sources growing in popularity are search engines, local newspapers, television and direct mail, while yellow pages directories lost ground.
Among the findings:
- Consumers use search engines 72% more than two years ago.
- 63% of consumers turn to the Internet first when looking for local products or services
On the other hand:
- Only 44% of small businesses have a Web site
- Half of small businesses surveyed spend less than 10% on Internet advertising
Other business stories…
Posted in: Internet • Marketing • Top posts • business search • Nielsen Online • WebVisible | Post a Comment »
January 7th, 2009, 1:00 am by Jan Norman, small-business columnist
Today’s tip is from Nick Chavis in the Irvine office of Crescent Solutions, an engineering and technology consultancy.
Not using Linkedin? Where have you been? This free professional (not social) networking platform boasts a
 Nick Chavis 30 million international member base, with a target audience of business professionals. What better way to communicate “your brand” efficiently and more effectively?
Here are five ways to improve your brand identity using Linkedin:
1. Be Found, Be Interesting: Make sure you have an up to date profile. Don’t just stop there. KNOW that whatever information, content or vibe you put out will be your “digital first impression.”
So what ever your brand’s goal is, make sure you communicate that.
2. Broadcast Your Brand: Linkedin also provides customized buttons that hyperlink back to your profile. These buttons can be added to your blog, online resume, web site and email signature.
3. Perform Social Arbitrage: Linkedin makes it easier than ever to make new introductions to your network. Help your network expand their network and perform social arbitrage in facilitating mutual benefiting introductions. Not to mention, gain a line of sight into your network’s contacts to build yours.
4. Establish Yourself As An Expert: With Linkedin’s Questions and Answers section, you can help provide advice and guidance to your network.
Answer questions in your area(s) of expertise and compete for the coveted “best answer.” If awarded, your profile will indicate your best answers and the categories you are an expert in.
5. Get Recommended: Linkedin enables you to build your on-line credibility by requesting recommendations from your network. Whether you tap your customers, colleagues, or personal contacts, each have an opportunity to write a recommendation on your behalf.
If you have a tip, strategy or resource to help small businesses, click here to send it to me. If I use it, I’ll give you credit and link to your web site.
More business stories…
Posted in: Social networking • Tip of the Day • Top posts • branding • Crescent Solutions • Linkedin | 2 Comments »
|
|
