websense

So, one industry is showing remarkable growth for the last year or so…wanna guess which one? Yep – tech jobs. 3500 of them added in December alone, nationwide. Pretty awesome, if not entirely surprising. I think most people would assume that tech jobs were among those with the most growth amidst the flagging economy, and of course, now that things are starting to turn around, I’d imagine those numbers will keep climbing steadily.

It’s good news for the economy, one sector has things moving in the right direction. TKG has been hiring for months – we’re still looking for some folks, so be sure to check out the TKG jobs page.

“While still well short of regaining all of the positions that were lost during the downturn, the gain of 100,000 IT jobs in 2010 is most welcome news,” commented Mark Roberts, CEO of TechServe Alliance. “Based upon both the government data, our own survey results and anecdotal reports of my member companies, 2011 promises to be a strong year for IT employment,”.

I think that’s the kind of report everyone is hoping to hear. I know we have a ways to go as far as regaining momentum, but there are definite signs of life out there folks. Keep on working hard, we’re turning this economy around! The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate at 9.4% in December, falling back under (just) the 10%. It’s a start.

So, of course the FCC passed this thing. The only thing we can hope is that the new Congress, with a Republican (believers in Free Enterprise) House, can do something to stop it from being implemented. Net Neutrality has already been taken to court by Comcast, and ruled unconstitutional. The FCC had no authority to do this, so hopefully this will be undone, overturned, and shelved.

But, what if it’s not? That’s a prime question, isn’t it? If it’s not overtuned I see a lot of fallout for Web based commerce. These new rules, and there are a bunch of ‘em apparently, will make doing business on the Web harder. Over regulation always does. So far, things have run smoothly, for the most part. People have been able to find a market for products that was otherwise unavailable to them – just check out Ebay and Etsy. Do you really think the big Ebay sellers would have had as much success without the Web? And as for Etsy, most of those products are handmade and so niche that finding a market for them took a pretty broad spectrum of shoppers. You’re not gonna find that at your average flea market, craft show, or what have you. Even if you did well, you couldn’t touch what was possible through Etsy, while doing business from your home. The FCC is going to make this type of enterprise really difficult. The regulations are going to be expensive, and time consuming. There is no need for any of this, so the FCC will spend a lot of time trying to legitimize it’s own existence. Part our job, as Web developers, will be to know how to work with and around the FCC regs and still help our clients make as much money as possible.

I’ll reiterate what I’ve heard so many times already – this is a solution looking for a problem, because there is no problem. This is a power grab by the current administration. No one knows, yet, what exactly the rules are going to be, as they are being decided on. What we do know is that the FCC has decided that they can police the Web. This is going to go far beyond regulating ISPs and SEs. The FCC will go for control over commerce and content – just watch. It’s about to get real interesting.

So, I really want to hear from you. What are you seeing as potential fallout from the Net Neutrality vote? How will it affect you, or your customers?

I recently read an article on Fox New’s small business that said the Facebook was like a cocktail party for small business. I have to take issue with this a bit.

We all know that Facebook can be leveraged for marketing purposes, but not all small businesses are going to get the greatest benefit from it. Take for example, the wedding photographer featured in the article. She states that for her:
“Facebook is huge for networking. As far as marketing goes, it’s the best tool,” said Guenin, 32, who promotes weddings and other events she has photographed on the fast-growing social media site. “

I can see why Facebook would be a great fit for her. Her business is highly social. She friends her clients when she accepts a project. She can upload pictures from her weddings and other events, allowing her clients to share them, all marked of course, with her logo. Free advertising. People like what they see, especially if she uploads the best or most interesting shots, gets lots of comments on them, and remember that when they need a photographer for their own events. It’s a great setup, especially with such ease of use and low or not cost. The only cost would come from the time involved in updating her profile, if she did not maintain it herself.

But, all small businesses are not so socially oriented. I don’t see this working quite so well for a dentist or a metal fabricating company. I mean, you can’t really post about the great root canal you just gave, or the awesome filling you just did. You might be able to get away with some shots of tooth whitening, but, really, who wants to shop for a dentist on Facebook? A metal fabricating company might have the same experience. Your friends and family aren’t going to “share” your pics of guys welding in helmets, or the finished product. Friending clients on Facebook might come off as strange. It’s not a natural fit, by any means.

In the end, there are Web marketing solutions to fit every small business. Some will do well with social media, while others might need to concentrate more on their email campaigns, SEO, and some local search – that dentist will want to spend more time on local search than Facebook. It’s just a better fit. It just makes sense.

A couple of years ago the new administration passed a law called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. This newer law regulates the living daylights out of just about every product made for children in the United States.

Now, I am all for safety – I have six kids, I want them to be safe. If you ask my wife, she may tell you I have never learned the definition of safety, but I’m safe where it counts. Many of these regulations, all 3000 pages of them, are ridiculous. They are expensive for the manufacturers, sellers, and resellers. This of course, is going to make the product more expensive to purchase.

This type of government interference is going to tie the hands of manufactures and business owners. If you make everyone jump through expensive, unnecessary hoops before they can sell a product, the end result is going to be less money spent on product development or marketing or new employees. That money will have to go towards testing and retesting products, repackaging products, product warning labels and so on. To use the example given in the video below, do you, as a consumer, need to be told NOT to eat rocks, as they may contain lead? Or do you think you would probably avoid ingesting inorganic materials that won’t comfortably make it through your digestive system?

This administration so far has refused to change this law. Perhaps, if enough business owners and consumers start demanding a change, the incoming House of Representative can help effect some changes. Here’s hoping.

If you’d like more information on this topic, and how you can protest the 2008 law:
http://knowledge.emory.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1236
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/08/the_winds_of_overregulation.html

As Black Friday looms in the very near future, it’s time to get ready for what looks to be a more promising shopping season than the last two years. Recent projections indicate that most shoppers plan to spend about 30-35% more than they did last year. Brick and mortars are also hiring more than they did last year, close to 600,000 jobs will be added for the holiday season. More than last year, but still less than 2007 and 2008.
While all this seems like good news, it’s not as good as it could be. If you own an e-commerce site and want a piece of the Cyber Monday, Black Friday, whatever you want to call it, pie, you are going to have to compete with the big retailers offering some pretty steep discounts.
Some of the things you might want to consider doing:
1. Offer Free Shipping (no brainer)
2. Offer free gift wrapping (Makes most guys happy because they won’t have to do it.)
3. Discounts (A 20% discount makes girls get all happy – I’ve seen it happen.)
4. Free promotional materials with each order (T-shirts are a big hit)
5. Promote your business on Facebook and Twitter – make sure people know where to find you!
6. Hold a contest or giveaway to draw in customers. (People love to win, use this to your advantage.)
7. Use your email lists to send out special discounts and offers to current and past customers. (Remind them why they purchased from you before!)
8. Remember to offer other items alongside your cart, to temp buyers. (The online version of the “impulse” isle.)
9. Almost last, consumers are smart, and getting smarter. Do your best to provide the best possible price, and you’ll get the sale. (Money talks, right?)
10. Lastly, remember those less fortunate. Offer a portion of your proceeds to a worthy (and popular) cause. (People like giving back this time of year, especially if they get a good deal while they’re at it.)

Ten tips to turn this into the best holiday season since…2007. Hey, better than last year, right? We’re gettin’ somewhere, folks!