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12/04/2010

 

The Virtual Revolution
The Cost of Free

 

What’s the real cost of free online searches and media appearing to be delivering information online for free?

 

Given the technology and near real time connectivity and searches; is mass advertising* the most efficient use of internet technology?

 

*Advertising is suppliers trying to tell everyone or targeted groups about their products and services. It's like shouting at a crowd. This was fine when we all lived in villages, but the global village is a bit bigger and using the same old technique, is not efficient or respectful. No wonder some advertising is bordering on intrusive and annoying.

 

We need to remember many Search engines, are first and foremost search engines that hovers up data and portrays quality of website content based on algorithms and links, and not on direct human judgement. Therefore, using search engines as a procurement platform should be done with caution.

 

The assumption that a Supplier's website is content rich and search engine optimised does not mean they will provide a quality service. We all know businesses with terrible websites, and many with no website at all, who provide a brilliant service.

 

The top ranking business services and products we find on the web are the businesses that people have been blogging about and or they have spent time and money of optimising their website and paying for add words or Social Network advertising, arguably when they could have been spending more time with Customers. Not an interesting fact, you may think, until you consider that 3.5million (i.e. 75%) of the UK's 4.6million business are one person enterprises.

 

“Social network advertising . . . undermines the impartiality of social media”

Also, it’s not commonly known that Social network advertising companies pay people to use their social network profile (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter etc) to earn extra money by promoting their clients’ products and services. A fact that undermines the impartiality of social media.

 

Therefore, too many small and start-up businesses, are finding the major search engine companies a large barrier to market. It is not ideal for time and money starved small businesses. Plus, Customers are not finding the full wealth of good Suppliers that are out there.

 

At the end of the day, these search engines are brilliant web content analytical tools and not purpose built procurement systems like AltruWorld for business services and products.

 

Solutions:

To use the internet to search for good suppliers of business services and products, you need;

• More quality controllable accounts/privacy
• More human user reviews/perspectives
• A better thought out marketing (Customer and Supplier matching) system
• More Customer prompted advertisements from Suppliers
• or in sum up in one word "AltruWorld"

 

 

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