The first ever website to be published was back in 1991.
Twenty five years ago the first website was published, 1991 does not seem that long ago. If we look right back at a mobile device in 1991 it seems to look centuries old, compared to the latest Iphone 6 or Apple Mac. Technology is improving minute by minute, therefore it is crucial that we merge with the new advancements. Iphone launch a new updated Iphone every year, It is easy to feel “old” in this new generational age. The advancements of technology are ruling our daily lives, especially our work life. They have become an extension of the human body. It is great for business, because we are able to connect with clients or potential clients rapidly. We can determine whether the individual is online, or even whether they have read our message with Facebook Chat Feature. Technology can now determine consumer behaviour. Ultimately we have become impatient, we expect answers right away.
“We are tethered to our always-on/always-on-us”- Sherry Turtle 2008
Technology & Business
Computers, mobile phones and tablets allow consumers to hold business conferences within virtual space. Businesses can connect internationally, which saves the hiring of a venue, cost of transportation and delays in timing. Technology and the internet have promoted collective intelligence. Businesses can be brought together and can collectively state their ideas, thoughts and opinions. It is a cost-effective, convenient and less time consuming method for business. Businesses create a live feed online via their Twitter Account or Facebook, Blog, Google Plus, LinkedIn, letting the whole world know about their daily tasks and experiences.
Mark Zuckerberg, the internet entrepreneur and founder of Facebook stated in The Guardian online:
“When I got started in my dorm room at Harvard, the question a lot of people asked was, ‘why would I want to put any information on the internet at all? Why would I want to have a website?”
A lot of people had a privacy concern, pre-digital era until Facebook was born. Consumers of Facebook enjoy updating their status about their thoughts and experiences, letting the whole world know their location and timing. In terms of business we are able to understand and analyse our target market that extra bit further. Facebook encourages discussions, we are able to determine what your target market like and dislike. New algorithms can determine how consumers use the internet. If a consumer has been shopping online at Tesco.com, when they log in to Facebook and scroll down their news feed a Tesco advertisement is embedded into the page. Netflix for example, includes a useful recommendation algorithm, instead of spending hours trying to find the right film to watch, Netflix algorithm can recommend other films, from your past experiences using Netflix.
Facebook was born in 2004, Mark Zuckerberg stated that people were uninterested in having a website, they did not see why they would need one. According to the Atlantic online;
“In 1994, for example, there were fewer than 3,000 websites online. By 2014, there were more than 1 billion. That represents a 33 million percent increase in 20 years.”
We use the World Wide Web to research our target market, competitors, organise our daily tasks, connect with other businesses and provide products and services online. Developing a strong online presence has now become an essential part of society. With online presence increasing daily, we have a larger competitive market, therefore that is why we work with you to develop and maintain a website that beats your competitors and engages your target market.
Privacy does not seem to be a huge concern in this digital-era, people seem to enjoy posting to the world about their daily tasks. It has almost become a part of everyday life, people want to share their current moment. Businesses have also began to copy, posting information about events in their work place, advertising their upcoming products and services. For business it creates a less formal procedure to raise brand awareness. Meanwhile, Privacy will always be an important part of life, therefore it is essential that users of the internet consider what the content is that is being posted online, and to verify with the directors.
Every morning before we leave our home, the key question is, have we got our phone or laptop?
Without them we feel lost, disorganised and we cannot use our brain to determine what our plans are for that day. We rely on this means of technology to establish our daily routine. The days where we used to research the destination the night before with our big world map book is obsolete. We have no time to organise travel, we have other outstanding tasks, let Google Sat Nav take us there in no time. Technology devices are simply our brain extension. They allow us to work on the train, plane and in the car, our office is in our pocket. Sherry Turtle suggests how we are always switched on, in terms of business we are always available, this means we are never saying no to business. The best time consumers are reaching your website is between 7pm-12pm. This is your chance to shine, because online users have completed their daily duties for that day and this is when their brain triggers about what they need to be organising. Whether that be a holiday for next year, or trying to find the best mortgage provider. Your target market will be reaching you.
Is it time to say goodbye to phone calls?
“We’re moving, in other words, toward a fascinating cultural transition: the death of the telephone call” Clive Thompson, Wired
Mobile phone devices enable consumers to communicate with friends and family, on a variety of multimedia platforms. Whether that be an email, text message, Whatsapp, Snapchat or Instagram direct message. Consumers of the internet are accessible everywhere. Before all of these means of communication, it was a simple phone call, then that would be it until you next seen that person or you called them again. Now we speak 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The process is simple, quick and easily manageable. If a thought triggers, and you need to call a friend, because you have forgotten your email login details, well instead of listening to a phone call for hours on end, you can simply send a polite text message. It saves time, and it suits your current moment. Meanwhile, are we merging to an online community and being blind to the world around us? Are we less appreciating others, because we know that we can be in touch with a click of a button? Communication is a vital part of business, everyone needs to be updated frequently about the tasks they have completed, the research they have discovered and the recent conversations with clients or potential clients. Meanwhile, rather than attending a business meeting, or calling a client to update them, we can use softwares to manage our data and performance which can be shared between the business. It is in plain black and white, you can re-visit the information but you cannot revisit the meeting, you had to listen carefully.
“Collaboration used to happen in board rooms with whiteboards and bagels. Today, it’s on documents being edited by multiple people all over the world at the same time”
Technology is simply making our human lives easy, it is our bible. Meanwhile, are people always expecting a reply instantly? Consumers of the internet feel pressured to always being available, if we do not answer, we feel that we have lost a client? It is about having that balance, if your service and products meet the clients standard, I am sure they will wait.
