Sunday, August 15, 2010

Are You Ready For The Information Age?

A retailer friend of mine in Redding, California, sent this video around today called "The Currency Of The Future III". The link to it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idn4Lb-uCyg and it's just chock full of useful information.

Information....there's that word again. It keeps popping up in almost everything business-related I read anymore. According to the makers of this video, "it is estimated that 40 exabytes (4.0 X 10 19) of unique new information will be generated worldwide this year. That is more than in the previous 5,000 years".

They also predict that "in the next 24 months, it's estimated that U.S. online transactions will surpass store transactions at shopping malls". While that doesn't bode well for brick and mortar businesses, especially independent ones, they do go on to note that "in the information age, one of the most powerful forms of genius will be entrepreneurial genius".

This is exactly why I've been pushing so hard at getting WFS online in all forms - this blog, our website at http://www.webstersfs.com, on Facebook, MySpace, and any other place I can put us. I'm planning like mad to get this store's ecommerce site up and running....it's just a bit difficult in these hard economic times. It needs to be done, though. I don't want to be a dinosaur lumbering about trying to find shelter from the planetary storm, I want us to be comfortably ensconced in the promised land.

You won't find another store in the area as active in social media as we are. You can follow us and our retail life in real time. You can be assured that there are real people here, all of us working as a team to bring you the best service and product we can. But it doesn't stop there. We are forward-thinking young adults with a plan....a plan to be the agents of positive change in our community. We invite you to follow along with us - celebrate with us, think with us, learn with us and play with us. Join in the contests we have for fun merchandise give-aways and enjoy our motivational quotes.

WFS will be hosting a Social Media Networking Event in the very near future. More information about that will be forthcoming soon....make sure to check our Facebook page!

Have a great week, my friends!

Lori & Scott

4 comments:

Irina Netchaev said...

Good for you Lori!

Interestingly enough, I've been preaching this to the local real estate agents in the area as well.

Whether you like the internet or not, you need to understand it and implement it in whatever business you're in.

I remember only 2 years ago, one of my realtor coworkers told me that having presence on-line is not for everyone. All I could think of at the time was "oh boy!"

You are doing an amazing job marketing your store and using social media effectively.

I'll be presenting at our annual California Association of Realtors convention this October to help other Realtors build their on-line presence.

Great post!

Unknown said...

It's amazing to me that there are still people out there who are not internet-savvy. Especially in this economy, it makes no sense not to take adavantage of something so easy and free of charge.

Sites like Facebook and MySpace, LinkedIn, et al, have leveled the playing field for businesses all across the world. You can now get your message across to just about everyone....and if it's compelling enough, you can garner support. That's huge for small, independent businesses without a huge bankroll or corporate backing.

Thanks for dropping by, Irina. That's quite an honor to be asked to present at the Realtors' convention! Congratulations!

Rose - Watching Waves said...

You do such an excellent job in maintaining your online presence in a positive, constructive way.

I read recently that we went from niche communities several years ago to the greater social media sites like FB (big, wide net) and that we're now returning to the targeted niche communities, with people interested in being parts of a group with a special focus. Businesses are challenged to identify where they fit and to spend some of their time in those targeted areas. Maybe it's an Altadena business group, or a crafters group or ? Anyway, I am seeing things trend toward specialized groups again.

Unknown said...

I'm noticing that as well, Rose. I've joined a few local groups here, so we'll see where that leads. Thanks for dropping by!