Use a "fact buffet" to assemble customized answers to specific questions or requests for information. This will save you time and give your correspondence a personal touch.
Technology has advanced to the point where it frees us to do what we do best -- be human. Don't get caught up in technical issues. Develop a basic, fundamental understanding of the technology and then use it to connect with other people.
Form online relationships just as you would in person or over the phone. When talking to someone on the phone, the phone is not the issue. We don't speak of being "telephone-literate." Yet for years, computers have been so complex to use that there is a certain mysticism associated with them. You must discard that concept completely. The computer is simply a tool, an easy to use tool, that allows you to powerfully with other people. Ignore the computer and concentrate on the person at the other end of the line.
Just doing something in cyberspace is not in and of itself a compelling reason to be in business. If you have a mediocre product or service, promoting it online will not make it any more desirable. There was a time when online was unique, and, you could get business just because of the novelty. That is no longer the case. Just because you are online doesn't mean you can ignore the basic fundamentals of good customer service or product and value.
Be friendly. Be likable. Be a human being. On your Web site, have some personal information about yourself. Not a complete listing of your CD collection, but information on your interests, you philosophies, your hobbies. A photo of yourself would be nice, and maybe photos of your dog or your children. Something that will make people connect to you on a human level. This is very important. But don't be self-aggrandizing. Don't make it an ego trip. Simply share the things that make up your life, the things that interest you. And you can do the same thing in email. Mention in passing your interests, what kinds of things are going on in your life right now, what your kids are doing. You'll be surprised at how these things resonate with other people.
As technology becomes more advanced, as more of our transactions are handled by machines, we increasingly have a need for human contact. It used to be that buying fuel for your car and doing your banking would involve interaction with human beings. Now these things, and many others, can be done without ever seeing or talking to another person. But we still have the need for human contact. Cyberspace gives us an excellent vehicle for satisfying this need. Smart online marketers realize and cater to it.
In many ways, online relationships are much easier than in-person relationships, or even relationships by telephone. Using email, you can conduct intimate conversations free from the constraints of space and time. An online discussion gives you the luxury of taking the time to compose your thoughts, research your statements, compose witty answers. It also gives you time to carefully analyze your own thoughts and ideas, as well as the thoughts and ideas of others, before responding. You can form online relationships with people anywhere in the world. The color of your skin, your sex, your physical attractiveness, your state of health, your voice -- all these things are completely irrelevant online. The only thing that's important is your mind and your ideas. It is a liberating medium for many who feel physically or socially intimidated. Take advantage of this medium for developing personal relationships.
You'll have no trouble finding people who are hungry to establish online relationships. People with whom you can discuss the most complex and controversial issues.
© 1995 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All rights reserved.