Let’s take a look at some of these trends that might just make a big impact on our lives.

The Ultrabook

Long live the PC! Yes, dear people, the PC is not dead yet, because it’s begun mutating itself. Surprised! Why. The reasoning is very simple. People are going to fall more in love with the idea of using Tablets, so it makes sense that the PC undergoes a mutation that help it mimic the best features of the tablet. Intel is the one that has coined the term Ultrabook, a term that represents a laptop that is ultra thin, ultra light and ultra powerful. The keyword as can be imagined is ULTRA. And this is not a figment of some Intel developer’s verdant imagination; many such laptops were released at the end of 2011 during the holiday season. It’s going to take some time, but all indications are that the Ultrabook is going to be next big thing on the market. There is going to be an explosion of these devices and users are going to queue up in huge numbers to get their hands on their beloved Ultrabooks. Just wait and watch!

Mobile Augmented Reality

Technology that allows users to get a virtual view of the real world has already arrived and is increasingly being used in games, location specific apps etc. But now, the whole idea of ‘augmented reality’ is going to become only cooler. Think about a scenario where you are searching for a sports shop in your neighborhood. With augmented reality, you wont just get an on-screen view of the street that you are searching the shop on, but you will also be presented with its location and its reviews right on top of the of this view. Get set for more advancement in ‘mobile augmented reality’ in 2012.  There is no doubt that more and more apps are going to integrate augmented reality in some way or another. And with most smartphones and tablets being 3G and 4G ready, and offering high definition screens, and the benefit of multi-megapixel cameras, augmented reality is going to becoming even more real.

The Economy Powered by Micro-Payments

Recession or double digit growth, whatever the state of the economy in 2012, micro-payments are going to become an important part of all the transactions happening in the world of business. More small businesses are going to open an online shop and even if they don’t, there are plenty of online merchants out there who are willing to hawk all sorts of wares, and that too without burning a deep hole in the pockets of small businesses.  Aspiring entrepreneurs are finding their feet and on different sites all over the internet, and all they have to do is host their product/s on these sites. Sell anything and everything and get paid online. Yes, I know you are going to say that this is already happening, but here’s the thing. This is all set to become a whole micro-economy in itself. Shopping has already gone mobile; imagine where it’s headed next. All this is going to lead to a surge in micro-payments.

Exhausted Social Media Enthusiasts

Is that ever going to happen! I mean, are people really going to get exhausted with the whole idea of using social media. Hmm… yes and it’s already happening. Just because, there is no let up in the number of people signing up for Facebook and Twitter doesn’t mean that the millions of users already on it, are still as enthused about using it as they were earlier. I know it’s difficult to believe, but in 2012, an increasing number of people are going to reevaluate their use of social media sites and their place in their lives. This introspection has already begun, and right now it’s still on the low end of the scale, but people are beginning to get a grip on their use of these platforms and their social interactions on them. 2012 can well be the year, when many users realize how their lives are in the stranglehold of online social interactions. These people will then try to release themselves of this stranglehold. Let’s just wait and watch.

So, here they are. Trends that might just reinvent the wheel with respect to digital technology! Some of these trends have already begun taking shape… but we will need to wait till 2013 to find out, whether any of these trends really made themselves felt or not.

The emergence of social media sites in the public consciousness has made them an important part of the internet marketing campaign of many businesses.  Companies that are highly effective communicators on social media have not only been able to reach a wide target audience but also managed to offer consistent value to their customers through continuous feedback, which allows them to keep improving their products and services.

Sites such as Facebook and Twitter offer businesses specific features that are specially configured to help them develop a powerful social media strategy. These features help them take their marketing message in many different ways to their audience. But, more than the features and the ever increasing popularity of social media sites, what will actually get businesses the kind of results that they want is by USING SOCIAL MEDIA SITES IN THE RIGHT MANNER.

When it comes to optimizing the use of social media sites, it’s important to understand that only three things work – Communication, Communication and Even Better Communication.

If you cannot communicate effectively, say goodbye to any chances of success. And effective communication on social media sites is about doing the simple things right.

So, without wasting any more time lets look at how you can communicate effectively on a social media platform.

Create an Interesting Business Profile

Nobody likes a boring profile, even if it’s a professional profile, or shall we say, especially if it’s a business profile. Remember, an interesting profile is half the battle won when it comes to communicating on social media. You might be selling the most mundane products and services, but you have all the scope in the world, to make your products and services interesting through your social media profile. Infuse the profile with your personality, the right attitude, lots of chutzpah and see it work its magic.

Network with your Target Audience

Your social media profile allows you to connect with your target audience. That’s the great part about these sites. You can choose to connect with people who are most likely to buy your products and services and who would like to connect with you too. The fact that you can select your audience by keeping in mind specific demographic parameters makes your communication much simpler.

Start Conversations

Yes, you need to start talking. You need to start sharing some information about yourself (Read business) with the people who are following you. Begin with a bang and share some interesting tidbits about your business, how it came into being, a little about yourself, and your objectives from the business etc. It’s important to note, that there is a very thin line between a conversation and a monologue on social media. Your objective is to start a dialogue, so talk about your business, but don’t forget to ask the people on your list, about what they like, their interests, preferences and a whole lot of other things.

Build a relationship

In other words, you need to keep talking. Conversations are alone not enough, what you must focus on are sustained conversations, over a long period of time. A presence on social media allows you to connect with people at a personal level, so don’t waste this chance. Make full use of it and leverage its potential to the maximum. Your objective must be to build a strong relationship with your target audience, so that they trust you enough to buy products and services from your business.

Stay Active

It’s important to remain active on each of your social media profiles. After a point of time, there is a tendency to take things easy, if the levels of communication have reached the desired levels, but it’s important that you don’t rest easy. When it comes to social media and your presence on them, it should always be “full steam ahead”, nothing more, nothing less. You need to stay active on each of your profiles and keep communicating with your audience. Concerted efforts always pay rich dividends.

Reply to Each Requests

Keep track of all the friends’ requests that are coming in. Don’t ignore anyone. Yes, there might be a case where you might be flooded with requests, but you need to reply to each one of them. By ignoring even one request, you will actually be ignoring a potential customer. You cannot afford to take that chance. Over time, as your profile gets older and you spend more time working on your profile, you will get a better idea of the kind of people who are more likely to buy your products and services. This is the time when you can consider ignoring requests.

As can be imagined, communication and effective communication at that is never easy, but social media gives you leeway to perfect it by using different strategies. The flexibility offered by social media sites is immense and you have tremendous scope to keep perfecting your communication till you develop a powerful strategy that ensures business success.

It might come across as a surprise to many people, but social networking and social phobias walk hand in hand and are a partnership made in hell. From the outside things look rosy, but dig a little deeper and the problems start pouring out. If you are addicted to being a part of and making regular use of a social networking then it’s of paramount importance that you are aware of the various dangers that are a natural occurrence of addiction to this form of social interaction.

Internet and Social Isolation and Loneliness

There is a dichotomy at work when it comes to the internet. At one end, it is a platform that helps encourage social interaction, but in the same vein it also encourages our isolation from society and prompts loneliness. It’s the kind of social phobia that the internet was supposed to act against, but it’s doing just the opposite. People are spending a large part of their waking hours in the virtual world and socializing with people whom they don’t even know. They get so absorbed in this pseudo-socializing that they ignore live social interaction and the people who really matter in their lives. The outcome is that they are disconnected from reality. People are increasingly not giving importance to physical contact that is a prerequisite of a healthy social life and long hours spent on the internet are resulting in isolating them socially.

Loneliness leads to Depression

You must have come across such statements before “I love Facebook”, “I simply can’t do without my daily dose of socializing on the Net” and so on and so forth. While there is absolutely no doubt that social networking sites have loads of benefits, it’s important to put things in perspective and not to get fooled by these statements. So if you think, you or a person you know is spending a lot of time on social networking sites, its time that you got a reality check. You are susceptible to depression and this is a fact that psychologists do not deny. Addictions to sites like Facebook, results in sleepless nights, a tendency to feeling listless if you are not on such sites and basically being disinterested in the world around you.

This is not an exaggeration. There are plenty of people out there who are being treated for depression linked to an incessant use of social networking. These are the kind of people who simply cannot stay away from their favorite social networking site for any length of time. Be it home, office, school or college, they find ways to stay connected. What they don’t realize is that too much of a good thing is also bad.

The Anxiety Problem

And if depression wasn’t enough, you also need to contend with another social networking phobia –anxiety. This condition is a direct result of obsession with the various forms of social media. The problem is that a people post quite a bit of information about themselves that can be regarded as highly sensitive and then wonder whether they have gone overboard in sharing information with people. Let’ say a person ‘A’ posts certain private information about herself regarding her views about a certain topic. She does this on good faith and as natural consequence of a vibrant process of interaction. But when the interaction is over ‘A’ stops to think a bit, anxiety can begin to rear its ugly ahead.  She begins to obsess about the post and keeps wondering whether it was right to share such information with people who she hasn’t met in real life.  This condition worsens overtime as the person cant let go of interacting through social media sites and at the same time is worried that her messages, pictures etc and everything else that she has shared with people might be used in various was against her.

It’s important to note that this is just the beginning when it comes to identifying the various phobias, problems or disorders that are being linked to excessive use of online social networking. The networking phenomenon is changing day by day and so are its risks. Most people who are addicted to these sites, don’t realize or for that matter refuse to acknowledge this fact. They are well aware of the endless time they are spending on a particular social media site, but for them it’s a way of improving their social circle; it doesn’t really matter whether it’s online. So, apart from friends and family members who they interact with in a live environment, they also connect with people who they have never met, who they are not likely to meet ever and whose profile information cannot be verified or trusted.  They begin trusting them and sharing personal information with them, which lead to many different problems.

Social phobias or problems associated with online social networking come in many different hues. Their treatment requires those suffering from these problems to limit their use of online social networking or stop it altogether. By ignoring this problem users will make themselves susceptible to even more problems.

Why Invest in Reputation Management?

Your corporate reputation is extremely precious. It’s difficult to quantify customer loyalty; but all companies, irrespective of their size, are learning to put a value on their corporate reputation. The value of their corporate reputation is directly proportional to their efforts at maintaining it. Also, the revenue and profits generated are in direct proportion to the positive perception of their corporate reputation. There are two facets to corporate reputation management – building a reputation and protecting it.  Investing in both these facets plays a significant role in improving business performance and crafting the public’s perception, vis-à-vis your company.

The Role of the Internet

The internet emerged as a definitive game changer with respect to how a corporate is able to manage its reputation. It has provided businesses, both big and small, with a way to keep working on their customer’s perceptions 24×7. Take for example the case of a corporate website. It’s an online presence, which indefatigably keeps building the company brand, keeps it afloat and also helps boost the corporate reputation of the company. This is just one example of how the internet is helping fashion a target customer’s views about a company, whether good or bad.

This is why, today, the concept of online reputation management is taking hold of the imagination of businesses. The thinking is that, if you are able to manage your online corporate reputation, some pressure can be taken off from the traditional means of reputation management.

Technological Evolution and Your Corporate Reputation

The rapid evolution of technologies such as the internet has led to a more evolved and sustained form of communication. Brand reputation, today, is determined by how users are making use of these communication technologies to shape their thoughts. One of the great advantages of modern communication channels like the internet is that massive amounts of information are made available to consumers instantly. Internet based news and information sites deliver information from multiple sources directly to the user. Add to that social networking sites contributing to this information flow, and you have an environment where maintaining a corporate reputation becomes a real challenge.

A company’s corporate reputation is governed by whether they are able to use the internet to mitigate any potential risk to their reputation.

Risks and Challenges to the corporate reputation

A corporate is no longer catering to an audience of their choosing. Yes, they can target a particular audience, but their online presence is now reaching a sophisticated and powerful global audience who are watching every move they make and scrutinizing these moves on various parameters.  The risks to the corporate reputation can come from various quarters and from all corners of the globe. Today, a critical article published in Hong Kong is available to readers in the United States in a matter of seconds. Such a critical commentary can have global consequences for your business prospects irrespective of where it’s published from. The fact that it is on the internet means it can reach anybody, anywhere.

Yet another risk is to the concept of business secrecy. The popularity of the social networking sites and the fact that information can be published anonymously, means hiding company secrets becomes a full time, difficult and thankless job. A bad word here and there and your corporate reputation can be in tatters.

So, is there a solution?

Well, there is a sea change in the attitude of the corporations regarding their information policies and the way they conduct business. Gaining the public trust through slow and steady progression has become crucial. More importantly, organizations are becoming more open and honest with the public about their deals and agenda. If there is an incident that they think is going to negatively impact their corporate reputation, they are being upfront in dealing with them in a manner that can mend their corporate reputation.

But is this enough? No it isn’t. New threats and challenges need to be met with new tools and solutions. This helps companies become more nimble footed as far as meeting the challenges to their reputation is concerned.

Let’s take a look at some of these new age solutions.

• Tap into the opportunities provided by Web 2.0. The fact that your supporters and detractors have a presence on these social media sites means you must have a presence too. Use the same tools that your customers are using to promote and defend your corporate reputation. A Facebook, Twitter account is an absolute must.
• Create a specifically designated team that works within a safe and secure online environment and is in charge of sharing and exchanging information online.
• The use of SaaS (Software as a Service) technology helps deliver information from sources such as the internet, TV, Radio, social media, etc to a single dashboard. This can help your in-house corporate branding team review and analyze all that is spoken and written about your company.
• Implementing web applications that can help report, analyze, and measure all the coverage in Web 2.0 media channels.
• Deploying specific corporate reputation management tools that fit seamless into the IT infrastructure, especially, the kind of tools that can be deployed quickly and easily.

Companies have begun investing in custom web applications that facilitate the monitoring, interpretation, analysis and reporting, of both traditional, as well as, online media conversations. Corporations are keeping pace with the changing times to ensure that there is no dark spot in their corporate reputation.

It is never enough

What can save your organization’s reputation and maintain it in the long run is a sustained and strategic investment made in trying to listen to, analyze and track the company’s coverage taking place across all media channels, especially the online channel. It’s a never ending process and needs to be handled with all the experience and expertise at your disposal. Effective corporate reputation management demands the continuous reinvention of your brand management methodologies.

Only then will you be able to keep your corporate reputation intact.

Let’s be honest here. Every website offers the same type of information. The presentation can be different, but the info follows the same pattern.  All websites start off by trying to be different, but end up being the same.

Try as you might, the basic setup of the website remains the same. Let me give you an example. I wanted a website that broke every rule in the book and took a different road towards information sharing. But, I still had to follow a set pattern. After all, even a personal website needs certain common pages that tell visitors what I am all about. I tried to be different, but failed. In order to keep the professional look and feel of my site intact, I had to tell potential visitors about my values, work ethics, approach, and provide all information that would encourage them to visit the website again and again. This is what they expect and this is what I had to give them.

But, I wanted to give my website visitors something different. I wanted them to know ME, and develop a personal connect with me. So, I thought long and hard about it and decided to integrate a blog into my website. Having a blog for my site, soon proved to be a masterstroke and it’s the blog that in large part is the driving force behind the popularity of my website.

Here are five reasons why this happened.

Reason 1: It gave my website an ‘Attitude’

Now, my website has an attitude courtesy my blog. I can offer information the way I want to and nobody will really mind. On my blog, I can throw the ‘professional approach’ inside the bin and tell it the way I want to. I can be as creative and up-front as I like and nobody is going to tell me to do it in another way. After all, it’s my blog. It’s an outlet that helps me share random thoughts, interests etc with my target audience. It stops my website from becoming boring. And this is what counts, at the end of the day.

Reason 2: Knowing the ‘Real’ Me

As a website owner, I put in a whole lot of call-to-action content and images on it to ensure that the visitors are encouraged to make a positive decision regarding the information available on the site. But on my blog, I can ask visitors to think twice about doing the same. Not because the information isn’t correct, but because I want them to make an informed decision. If you think this is some kind of split personality at work, then it is. Think of your blog as your alter ego. It is the real you. On your blog, you are not the merchant looking for a profit, but a person who wants to tell visitors more about who he/she is all about. A blog allows you to market your persona and character. You can be natural and portray your views and opinions in all honesty. It will definitely be appreciated. Some of this appreciation will rub off on your website.

Reason 3: Idea Exchange

Blog is a wonderful platform for sharing suggestions, opinions and ideas with your website visitors. Now, this works both ways. As a customer, if I have used your products, I would love a platform where I can exchange notes on how the website can be improved and how to optimize the use of the website and the information it provides. A blog provides such a platform.

Reason 4: A sense of togetherness

A blog helps promote a sense of community. For me, my website and its potential visitors were not exclusive of each other. I had to bring them together and the only way I could do that was through my blog. It helped me develop a relationship with my visitors and their comments helped me fine tune my offerings.

Reason 5: Showing that you Care

Yep, your website visitors are emotional creatures. They need to be told that they are important and you actually care for them and what they think. This emotional bonhomie is something that only your blog can bring about. The fact that you will be able to talk to them like a friend rather than a merchant or a website owner does half the job for you. It’s important to make your blog visitors to understand that your blog isn’t just another promotional tool. Your blog should be a way of connecting better with your readers.

So here they are! Five very good reasons why your website must have a blog! Such blogs are not a luxury any more, but a necessity. Even if you are not convinced about using a blog in your website, there is still no harm in trying it out.