Cloud Computing
Article by Corri Byrne, dLook General Manager - Like dLook on Facebook
Are businesses ready for Cloud Computing? Are we on the verge of a major corporate overhaul of systems, drivers and methods?
Cloud Computing is as useless as a Newborn Baby
A revolutionary new way of doing business is taking place. It started as information technology within business enterprises, and has now been embraced and extended by consumers. It is making sweeping changes to every aspect of today’s economies. It is radically changing the importance and speed of information communication for enterprises, individuals and demand / supply networks.
It is a revolution in network process dynamics, their creation, combination, bifurcation, recombination and patterns of behavior.
It is not being led by Chief Financial officers or Chief Information Officers, who introduced Management Information Systems (MIS) in large enterprises or technology vendors.
Consumer Driven Systems
It is being led by consumer driven dynamic networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), who’s implications Business Information Industry leaders have in the past tended to ignore.
It is Cloud technology which is now beginning to be adopted by business and government institutions. Like a newborn baby, it presents society with open possibilities around the way we collaborate, cooperate and compete as individuals and groups.
Historically business operations were all about analyzing the year-over-year business model within the physical constrains of individual enterprises:
- Balancing capital, resources, work activities and customer service
- maintaining in-stock levels
- effective asset management and product assortments
However, customer conversion in retail is not just about setting-up a store or even a multi branded distribution network. Consumer preferences from product research to product purchasing has become multi-dimensional, it is now combined as a digital and physical experience and is geographically global in its reach. Sustainable business models must become aligned, agile and adaptive with their demand / supply value networks.
This entails orchestration, loose integration and coordination of clustered demand / supply network partners; digitally linking their enterprises, distribution centers, and business processes, into a seamless experience for the ultimate consumer of their products and services (the use of shared assets, combined business processes, social, mobile, voice, and video networks. and multi-channel retailing.
Despite the consumer / retailer relationship changing at net speed, bricks and mortar retailers have been unable to respond to this consumer led disruptive business model. Retailers are now compelled to manage product assortments and inventory across multi-brand, multi-channel and multi-distribution strategies, (what products to range, across which channels, what inventory to keep, when, where and how much to keep and distribute).
Demand / supply network partners must rethink how their combined operations interact, react, cycle and feedback to accommodate the new physical - digital retail selling environment.
Changing Consumer Shopping Experience
As Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, iPhones, iPods and iPads change the customer shopping experience - Demand / supply network partners need to understand how end-to-end network value is created, transformed, exchanged and consumed in this new environment.
All of these events are network driven and yet all computer business applications to date are enterprise (department) driven.
Vertical industry networks have a compelling need for dedicated real time network support (Cloud Process utilities that coordinate and manage people-to-people and system network-to-network dynamics) that cannot be predefined or pre programmed … the way that current system-to-system interactions are.
Connected Consumer
Article by Corri Byrne, dLook General Manager - Like dLook on Facebook
This article explores the Connected Consumer and why traditional marketing struggles to attain the penetration rates it used to.
Once upon a time consumers depended on retailers to access information as to which product would best answer their needs. However the advent of the web and social networks means that access to product information has been separated from the product and retail store.
In many cases consumers no longer depend on retail outlets for anything other than price comparison and availability. Now with software applications like Red Laser, consumers can use an iPhone to scan a bar code, then search online to find the best deal.
Rising Consumer Awareness
Increasingly, consumers are now better networked and more informed than many of the staff that are trying to sell to them.
When consumers choose to buy online, products are easy to identify, procure and pay for; service responsiveness and product fulfillment is just a click away, and product delivery can be tracked from source to home.
Consumers can also feel more secure in the buying decisions they make; because their purchasing decisions are backed up by online reviews, blogs, recommendations, peer support and advice that is simultaneously available 24/7. All communication is in English – or the consumer’s language of choice.
The real time process between online business and consumer is aligned, agile and instantly adaptive to market change.
This has brought about a gap out there in the market, between retailers and buyers. Retailers are using newspapers, TV and radio broadcasting in an attempt to reach buyers, and it just doesn’t work anymore.
Broadcast Spam - Consumer Filters
Buyers have too many filters available to them. Buyers can limit the content they consume by using caller ID to filter out unwanted phone calls, record television programs and skip through the commercials, or siphon off unwanted junk mail.
Consumers awareness of spam has crossed over to all forms of marketing.
Marketers assume a 1.0% response rate to broadcast marketing campaigns, which is fast turning out to be clearly ineffective.
The Dell System
Consider the worldwide manufacturing operations of Dell Computer. When a consumer designs their computer online, Dell beams that demand signal to its 30 tier-1 and 400 tier-2 suppliers scattered across the globe, they all work asynchronously, against their own clocks, using human and system resources in non-predetermined ways.
That solves the critical challenges in synchronizing the 20% exceptions that must be dealt with in real business— which consume 80% of resources—if an enterprise is to achieve a sustainable competitive edge.
Consumers can stay in touch with their purchase product’s journey manufacture through shipment to final delivery; and the consumer can continue to have ongoing direct relationship with Dell’s support desk without any retailer providing middleman assistance.
The retailer no longer offers any value add to the equation; unless the consumer requires finance.
The question then is how long it will be before finance is tied to online purchases?
Constantly Connected Consumer
The Universal 2008 McCann Report: Power to the People, Social Media Tracker stated:
- 57% of Internet users have joined a social network
- 73% have read a blog
- 34% post opinions about products and brands on blogs / social media networks
- 36% think positively about companies that have blogs
- 83% have viewed video on multimedia channels
- 184 million people worldwide actively maintain a blog
These figures are rising with each year … so where is the future for disconnected retailers?
Improve your online presence and market awareness with dLook online business directory.
Life Without Facebook
Article by Simone Cooper, dLook Account Manager - Like dLook on Facebook
Simone looks at the ramifications of increasing Facebook use - is it just a great social networking tool or a modern addiction?
Millions and millions of hearts stop around the world.
Loud gasps of shock …
A life without Facebook!
Is Facebook really … all that?
Facebook has been embraced by millions as a way to keep up to date with friends and families, or to connect with all sorts of different people, but is it really the best thing since sliced bread? Or the best thing since John Logie Baird invented the first operational television?
People use Facebook everywhere, at home, at work, on public transport; on their mobiles, on their laptops, their iPads. To suddenly have a life without Facebook would it really leave people without a sense of meaning?
Okay, maybe I’m being dramatic here, but many people would find it hard to cope without Facebook. While I’m at it, speaking of people’s fickleness, I can never understand all the Apple “freaks” – those who line up for hours and hours outside the Apple store just to be the first to get their hands on the next iPhone or iPad … but that is a whole other topic.
Back to Facebook … it’s an addiction for a lot of people. I know of a friend who as soon as she gets into work in the morning has to log onto her Facebook account to see what messages are waiting for her and then spends fifteen minutes or so responding before she starts her working day. I also know many of you are thinking … is that wrong?
Influence on a mighty scale
I would have to be one of only a few people who don’t embrace Facebook. I was on a crowded train with a friend recently who’d just signed up to Facebook. I remarked to her with a laugh, “You know, I must be the only person in the world who’s not on Facebook!” This man standing near us turned to me and gave me a big, beaming smile. He obviously thought I was right!
Now obviously I’m not the only person in the world who’s not on Facebook, and doesn’t need to use it, but it seems I’m becoming the minority.
Following the masses?
Do people join Facebook because they genuinely want to? Or because they don’t want to feel like they’re missing out on something? Maybe there’s some peer pressure or media pressure to join Facebook because most people have a Facebook account and you don’t want to feel left out.
To me Facebook seems like a waste of time. Okay, it has its benefits if you have friends overseas, but locally, what is so wrong with face in a book, or catching up, meeting up with friends and family for coffee, for lunch, for dinner? Talking on the phone, or – staying up to date - through VOIP on Skype?
Okay, so some people may argue they do that as well, but do people spend so much time on Facebook that it has become an addiction? That they can’t get by without their Facebook fix?
Personal Facebook Review
If I were to give my take on Facebook, then I’d have say the functionality is great. As a tool Facebook plays a role but should not be the central form of connecting.
Too many people spend too many hours on Facebook; airing their views, their vents and putting in their 10 cents worth. Appears quite often that the comments and content are trivial and probably their use and input is linked to boredom or, worse, a need for social contact that is missing due to Facebook addiction!
If this is a reflection of our modern “social networking” society (that we would prefer Facebook to meet up) well I’ll stick with the “old ways” and catch up for coffee!
If Facebook, online gaming or gambling is a problem please seek help.
Facebook: Effective Advertising?
Article by Mande Crnjak, dLook Account Manager - Like dLook on Facebook
Mande poses the question corporate Facebook pages - are they effective advertising or just another “like”
With more than over 500 million active users, Facebook has quickly become the most influential social network in the world.
But who’s on Facebook? And how effective is it?
Let’s face it, who’s not on Facebook or at least looking at something off a friend’s iPhone during a lunch break?
All people, young and old are “connecting” with people and places from around the world.
An average user has 130 friends and will connect or ‘like’ at least 80 pages.
Facebook has created so many outlets for you (over 900 million) to express how you’re feeling, what you’re doing, where and who you’re with and what you like, that you just can’t help but “update your status” or ‘like’ something, for everyone to see.
No matter what age group you’re in, everyone “likes” everything!
From their favourite movie to their local gym, if you recognise that page, you’re “liking” it!
The Facebook Virus: Like
These ‘likes’ are like a virus!
Whether you’re looking at a friend’s profile or just skimming through your Newsfeed, you’re bound to come across a funny quote, brand, or business you know, and without even thinking, you’ve clicked the button to ‘like’ it.
Maybe even clicking into it and sharing it!
Or suggesting more friends!
And then that’s it!
Within minutes, a few others have clicked ‘like” and that business is getting further exposure by spreading through peoples newsfeeds all over the world.
Or is it?
More and more businesses are creating not only their own websites and directory listings, but are turning to Facebook for extra exposure.
If you don’t already have a Facebook page about your business, or didn’t even know it existed, you will!
It is now rare to find a SEM/SEO professional that isn’t recommending you sign up!
What about those businesses that are already well known? Like Gucci.
If you search “Gucci” in Google, you’ll find their website, a Wikipedia site and of course, their Facebook page.
That’s what’s happening for a lot of other small, medium and large businesses too.
You find a personal site, followed by a directory advertisement and closely followed by a Facebook page.
But which would you choose?
Would you really click on a plumber’s Facebook page? Would you trust him or her?
Say you do click in. Wow, what about those comments on the front page?
The first one says “Highly recommend, fast and reliable service”.
You think great until you see below, “Hunni I locked my keys in the house, can you pick up the kids from school lol”.
Would you use this guy?
Or you’ve clicked onto a page, for example a kitchen renovator’s Facebook, where beautiful photos have been ‘recently added’, displaying examples of the work you’re looking for.
Do you automatically ‘like’ the page and you haven’t even called the guy yet?
How do you know those photos aren’t copied from some other website?
Or are you a business owner with a Facebook page?
You’re wasting all your time adding on videos and photos and testimonials to your Facebook page and forgetting about your website or directory advertisement.
People only find your Facebook page if they know your business name, so how much exposure is your page really giving you?
However, what if you link your website or directory listing to your Facebook page?
We Found You
So people have finally found your business on Facebook.
Are these potential customers taking the extra step to look at your extra (more professional) website or directory listing to get more information?
And if so, how do you know that they found you via Facebook?
The same route applies for directory listings, which create so many links for customers to find more information, directing them to websites, that by the time you get an enquiry, the person calling tells you they found you “on Google mate” or “on your website”.
This leads to the closing question … is a business on Facebook, with information, photos and ‘likes’ providing actual exposure and potential business, or just another page for you, your friends and family to ‘like’?
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