(or Batman and Superman)

Right?

Well that seems to be the trend, as things get tougher out there for the traditional marketing media of print, television and radio, internet spending is increasing, and the expectations of what the net can deliver are getting higher.

Thing is, what we instinctively know is that while people might be cutting back on their subscriptions to magazines, pay television and newspapers, and consciously avoiding the advertisements that are the bread and butter of those media, they are spending more time online – in the world of free entertainment and connectivity that only the internet can deliver.

So how are you making the most of that for your business?

Are you ensuring that your website is delivering both content of value, and entertainment? Is it providing a chance for people to connect with your product, service and staff in a meaningful way, and with each other through your site?

What we are finding in our daily business of helping clients develop new sites, rebuild existing sites or optimise their existing sites, is that they need to understand the importance of developing two things:

1) Valuable content that is regularly updated and that people will return for, and link back to

and

2) Interactivity – the chance for your customers, readers and potential customers to talk to and see each other, to ask questions, discuss your products and services and bigger issues in your field. Provide them with a platform or a forum to connect in a meaningful way.

The challenge with both of the above is that there are no shortcuts to doing this in a meaningful and genuine way. There are no bots or algorithms that will replace the role of intelligent human beings thinking about and creating content and interfaces that other human beings will find of value.

Only you can do this.

So starting thinking about how you will add value to your internet presence and make the most of having those extra eyeballs looking for ways to be entertained and engaged.

Till next time,

Karen

And we all know that sometimes images can be a lot more powerful than words.

Except, you can’t interact with them (unless of course your images are moving, and it’s an embedded YouTube vid or a Ustream live feed).

And right now, interactivity is where it’s at. Thanks largely to what most people are calling social media or Social Media. I like to call it interactive media – and it’s something I’ve been participating in online for maybe 10 years now, primarily through message boards and forums.

Not a huge number of different ones, a small, select group … I have started a few, currently moderate one, have been a very active participant in three or four.

One of them is an online Success Team (once again, a la Barbara Sher) that originated from her message boards … we started out with 7 or 8 members, had a few fluctuations over the years, now down to just four of us and these days we probably all blog more and post more on Facebook than we do on the message board itself.

The thing that has held that little group of women together – since none of us have met in person, are the words we share, the words about our lives, our families, our jobs and businesses, our sorrows and our joys. And in more recent years, technology has allowed us to share some images too … which is great since two of our members are artists and it is always a treat to see their work.

My membership of the SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy) message boards, firstly Camp Sark, and then the Marvellous Message Board (MMB for short) took me to the US to stay with women I had only ever met online – a hugely brave thing for me to do at the time, and a wonderful adventure I will always remember.

Then there’s the Tavern – where I am one of the “buxom wench hostesses”. This inspiring group of women is spread between New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, the UK, Europe, the US and Canada. Over the years I have laughed, cried, lived and loved with them. They are some of the most supportive, intelligent, creative and downright hilarious women I have ever come across and my life is richer for having them all in it. Some of these women I have met in person, some I have had in my house, some I have travelled to meet in Melbourne for our “wenchfest”.

Once again, we mostly share in words, but we also upload pictures of our lives, the places we live, people we love, food we make … all that jazz.

Then of course there are the raw boards, the most important one to me being a spin off from the Tavern (yeah kinda like a sitcom). Started by my friend Lucie Walker in Canada, this board has also been a powerful source of information and inspiration for my raw food journey, and her blog is a font of tremendous wisdom.

I guess this truly is a stream of consciousness ramble tonight, but my point is that our words are very powerful for building bonds between you and the very real people who are out there reading what you have to say.

Never forget that.

Don’t be afraid to open up and share, and be open to the fact that the internet has become an incredibly powerful way of building relationships from one side of the world to the other, and of helping bring about change on an international level.

Oh and, back to those flashy websites that are all about the look. So often they have no soul – they just look pretty, but we get bored with them really fast, because they are not a place where people feel comfortable about hanging out. Bit like a fancy show home where you are afraid to sit on the white leather couches. It looks really cool, but you wouldn’t want to live there.

To me, the trick of creating websites that really work is making your site feel like a place people feel comfortable – and want to come back to. Because you have interesting stuff to say – and because you are happy to listen and have made it possible for your customers/readers/members to get onboard and share.

If you have a moment please share in the comments some of the online places you feel relaxed hanging out in.

Thanks again for reading.

Karen

What does that mean in practice? Well basically, that there is no such thing as the “general public” – so don’t try to write for them.

As a speaker, the best advice is to speak directly “to” someone in your audience. It is not possible to connect with every single person, but the more you are able to focus your message, the more effective it will be.

The nasty, bland, politically correct ‘corporatespeak’ that we as web content professionals are steering clients away from is the exact opposite of this.

If you try to speak to a really broad audience, not offend everyone, include everyone … you simply end up with content that no-one really identifies or connects with. And that really really doesn’t work.

Individual stories are the ones that connect and resonate – don’t try and “universalise” your story – you risk taking the humanity and the passion out of it.

If you keep it personal, not only people with similar stories will relate to you, other people will connect to your authenticity and learn from it in some way – perhaps be inspired by your experiences, perhaps learn from your mistakes – whatever. Keep it real, and it will work so much better than generalised blurb that connects with no-one.

There are plenty of brilliant examples on the web of people with inspiring, incredible stories … and of course, the plethora of “mommy bloggers” is an example of how people telling their very personal stories can generate a significant audience of readers who are interested to follow what is happening in their lives on a daily basis.

If you are not already following her blog, or her twitter feed,  check out www.dooce.com – a very personal blog that now provides a full time income for its author.

Whenever someone asks me why the personal content gets such a large following, I liken it to why soap operas are so successful (even though they are not the best examples of cinematic art). It’s because we all like an insight into the minutiae of other people’s lives. Helps us feel better about our own, and often distracts us from our own – it’s called escapism.

No matter what the psychology behind it, it works.

So keep it personal, keep it real, keep it authentic.

Ciao for now,

Karen