talkingDigital

Do you know the difference between the internet and the World Wide Web? Many people don’t.

READ COLUMN AS IT APPEARED IN THE BEACON

The internet is the massive network of computers that allows you to use email, send pictures via your phone, and see who’s at the door from all the way across town, using that new video doorbell you keep seeing on the home shopping channel.

The World Wide Web is the collection of websites that you access by typing an address into the web browser of your device.

It’s acceptable to say, “I went on the internet to find out if giraffes can see in color.” But it’s more accurate to say that you did your research on the web.

Everything you do on the web is done via the internet, but not everything on the internet is done using the web.

Where does social media fit in?

Sometimes you’ll hear the argument that social media is the new World Wide Web, suggesting that Facebook is the preferred channel for information. Rather than visiting www.beaconseniornews.com to read the news, for example, many people simply follow the BEACON Senior Newspaper on Facebook and let the news come to them. This is a totally acceptable way to get the news, but you don’t want to use social media as your only source for gathering information online.

Don’t limit yourself

The biggest downside of using social media sites exclusively is that they only show you what they think you should see. If you follow The BEACON on Facebook, you won’t get all of the paper’s updates. You’ll only see updates that Facebook thinks you will interact with.

It’s also important to remember that there are great sources for news, information and shopping that you’ll never find if you don’t go directly to sites like news.google.com or www.cnn.com.

But there are some things social media does better by design than the web ever could.

Social media’s advantages

If you lose a pet and don’t post about it on a Facebook page designed to help find lost animals in your area, you miss out on the best possibility of reuniting with your furry friend.

The reason it’s so effective is because when you post your lost pet update, everyone in the group shares the post on their own Facebook pages, connecting with their friends. Suddenly you have a whole network of pet sleuths helping you.

Social media is also becoming the best place to sell your used items. Unlike sites like Craigslist, Facebook shows you the first and last name—and usually the face—of the person with whom you are dealing. It’s also becoming the best place on the web for job searches, business recommendations and even product reviews.

So the next time you hear someone say, “I don’t use social media because I don’t want to see what my friends ate for lunch,” explain to them that social media has as many practical uses—like videos of cats getting scared by cucumbers.

It’s no doubt that companies exist to sell a product. If you think about it, everybody’s selling a product, even if they’re not aware that they are doing it.

Starbucks has a presence through billboard, commercial, film, internet, mobile app and obviously their stores, among many other things. The reason they exist is to sell coffee, and other coffee related products. Just because you don’t own a Starbucks or any other business, doesn’t mean you’re not out there to sell a product.

Everyone’s Out to Sell

When you go to Facebook or Twitter, or Instagram, or when you write a blog, you’re doing it because you want a response. Nobody puts up a social media profile and then says…”Ehhh, I don’t want any friends…or followers.” It isn’t natural.

So in the way that Starbucks is selling coffee, you too are selling a product, and that product is you. The product would more specifically be your words if you were a writer, but the point is-the world is a giant network of cogs all working and moving as a giant commercial machine.

Now that it has been established that this is a natural way of life, let’s talk about some of the different ways that companies are using devices like the mobile phones that everyone owns to sell a product.

Text Messages are Bigger Than You Realize

What may have started out as an innocent way to chat with friends has developed an entire life of it’s own. Text messages are the form of communication preferred by Americans. In other countries, it is still popular to carry out conversation through messaging apps. The reason is because wireless companies in other companies haven’t made texting as affordable.

Today, companies on a global scale are realizing the power behind text messaging. The way that they use it can be very diverse, but it proves to make operating business more efficient, and it also helps to bring in more customers and boost sales.

Convenience Rules All

People are willing to pay a price for convenience, and the companies know this. Businesses that create mobile apps for customers to browse and buy products are generally way more successful. It’s much easier for a person to shop from their couch and have a product delivered than it is to get up, warm up the car, drive to a store, browse and buy their product, pack it up, and get it back home. Convenience wins almost every time.

Look at your phone right now. Do you have the mobile app for Target, Nordstrom Rack, Modcloth, or Kohl’s? This is how companies sell products. They study you intently and know what you want. It can be a little overwhelming to think about, but remember, everyone is out to sell something.

LinkedIn (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No matter what type of business you’re looking to get into, these days it’s important to have a positive online presence. You never know who’s going to view one of your online profiles, and depending on what they see it could lead to incredible opportunities or it could cost you.

Whether or not you’re currently in the middle of a job search, here are some things that everyone should keep in mind when they’re posting things online. Read the rest of this entry →