Newsletter Vol. 3, 2007
"It's all about Interaction" refers to item #1 in this issue. We look forward to interacting with you over this topic!
In this issue:
Best wishes,
Heather Maloney
When it comes to people writing about the internet at the moment, it's often about Web 2.0 or about Social Networking. Sites like YouTube (where you can upload your home videos) and del.icio.us usually rate a mention in such articles.
So what is it all about? Both concepts centre on allowing visitors to your website to post their own content for viewing / reading / comment by others. I've read recently that this trend is due to the greater narcissistic tendency of Generation Y, using YouTube's slogan of "Broadcast Yourself" as a case in point.
Whatever the cause of the trend, it is worthwhile for you to consider your business model and how it might be extended to further connect in a social way with your clients, customers and suppliers. One example is via a forum such as the one recently added to the Finally at 40 website. Another example is the competition run by Team Fever allowing customers to vote for their favourite team's uniform. We'd love to hear your ideas on this topic - so we're giving you the opportunity to contribute - go online and post your comments.
"Someone to tell it to is one of the fundamental needs of human beings." - Miles Franklin
Telstra are currently trialling the implementation of a new feature called 'Caller Tones' which is due to be rolled out through Australia in the coming months. The new service presents callers, when they phone a subscriber's mobile, with music in place of the regular ring tone. They found that the service was a hit during the testing phase, with participants liking the idea of spicing up the experience for their callers.
The service uses a website to set up, change, buy and manage tones. Available tones range from songs to sound effects and comedy. I wonder if businesses will start using the tones to promote themselves during the short snippet between receiving the call and answering the call?
Businesses can spend a great deal of time and effort in the design and implementation of their website, so it can be painful to admit that it's time for a change or an update. Perhaps your visitors need more functionality; perhaps your new product range just doesn't fit logically into your current site; maybe the design just looks old.
This is top of my mind at the moment; having just put together a case study for one of our recent projects for Rapini Pty Ltd. Check it out on our re-formatted Case Studies page (yes, the Contact Point website will be undergoing an overhaul soon), which hopefully makes it much easier for you to get a glimpse of the type of work we have been engaged in.
Advertisement:
Keep your website content fresh - use a content management system to update the content
yourself; implement a blog to allow you to easily post new information and allow others
to contribute or comment; engage us to maintain your content for you.
Contact Point - Helping businesses to reach their potential through Information Technology