March 2005

Tech Tools and Tips

Kathie M. Thomas

by Kathie M. Thomas

We hear and read of new buzzwords and phrases constantly every day.  Virtual Reality, VA (Virtual Assistants), VBO (Virtual Business Operator), Viral Marketing (what is there about ‘V’?), B2B (Business to Business), Database Marketing, eBusiness, eCommerce, eZine, eMarketing, HBB (Home based business), SOHO (Small Office Home Office), WAHM (Work at Home Mom), DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), and others are being coined for our every day business use.  How many of these words and phrases do you know and/or even understand?  Even WWW was relatively unknown by most of the world only as little as eight years ago.

Webmasters (another new term?) are quick to pick up these buzzwords and place them on their web pages and include them in meta tags and keyword descriptions.  They enlist the new words and phrases with search engines for their client websites and all wait breathless for their hits (another new meaning) to increase.  But do the hits increase? 

How much of the general world out there understands our modern day (IT) terminology?  If they do not work in our respective industries, chances are that they have not yet caught up with the new catch phrases and buzz words – in most cases.  And a good percentage of these people are our target audience.

If you own a website, have you considered checking your stats for keyword searches?  Do you know what words your visitors are using to find you online?  If you do not, you are missing out on a (good) percentage of your audience.  If the counter service or stats service you are using does not provide you with this information you need to reconsider the service you are using.  Some webhosts provide this service but there are also many free counter/stats services available as well.  And if you don’t want their banner showing, usually a small fee can be paid to allow an invisible counter to be placed on your website.  Knowing what word searches are being used to find your product, service or industry, should be fundamental in your web design approach and marketing.

Sometime ago I was involved in a discussion with others about the use of buzzwords for our industry.  I tend to still go for some of the ‘old school’ words – perhaps it is my upbringing; perhaps it is my schooling, or even my work life education.  Perhaps my age, but I hope not.  I started to wonder if I was being left behind?  A lot of my associates are considerably younger than I and the majority, if not all, of their work lives have included the use of computers and in some cases, the Internet.  Whereas computers have only been used in the corporate world during the latter half of my working life.  However, I am quick to embrace new technologies and consider myself to be an early adopter in many cases.  My website was designed and is updated constantly with all the new buzzwords in all the right places but articles and press releases I write, often go back to the ‘old school’ words and thinking.  After that recent discussion, worry started to nag at my mind.  Am I doing my business a disservice?

A quick look at the stats on searches for my website soon proved my worries unfounded…. for now.  Only 3 in 10 searches use the current buzzwords for searching.  Relief.  I have not missed the boat…. yet!  Which brings to mind something we all need to be aware of – and that is how others perceive us, and what they would do to find our products and/or services?  Do you know?

Keep reading; keep abreast of changes in your industry, new technologies, and new buzzwords.  Adopt the buzzwords, but not at the exclusion of old familiar phraseology – your clients will not adopt quite so quickly, although some will.

About the Author

Kathie M. Thomas, AFAIOP, MVA, ASO is founder of the Australian based network "A Clayton's Secretary" has 30 years secretarial/administrative experience and a background of working with computers for over 17 years. She can be contacted via her website at www.asecretary.com.au.