Catching the Wave

How can you and your organization take advantage of the next wave of technology? According to Leonard Brody we need to study the past, understand the present and plan for tomorrow. Mr. Brody is a proud Canadian and one of the world’s foremost technology experts. He presented his ideas on Catching the next wave of technology to the 2007 HRPAO (Human Resource Professionals Association of Ontario) Conference held recently in Toronto, Ontario. Leonard Brody received a law degree from Queen’s University but instead of practising law he has become a technology entrepreneur and futurist. And he isn’t just talking about the future—he’s actually creating it. One of his business interests is NowPublic, an Internet-based news agency that employs 35,000 citizen journalists in 140 countries. He is helping to transform the media industry by using cell phone technology and camera phones to allow ordinary people to write and record the news. What Leonard Brody has done is marry technology with the news and provide a real connection between people and the Internet; one where they just don’t observe but participate. In his view, the Internet has not only changed the way people get information, but how they connect to one another. Any organization that wants to tap into this connection will not only have to have a presence on the World Wide Web but have to nurture and cultivate this evolving relationship. To do this Mr. Brody offers five tangible suggestions: 1. Invest in SEO Optimization: Once your organization gets on the Internet, you have to get people to come to you. How do you that? By letting existing search engines like Google do the work through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Search engines are constantly prowling the Internet looking for information. You can enhance the number of visitors by having great content on your Web site and keeping it up to date. Once people find you, you still have to sell them on your merits, but increased traffic greatly improves your chances and organization’s visibility on the Internet. 2. Create a Blog: Blogs, a shortened form of web logs, were once a personal notebook for Internet users but now they’ve become valuable marketing tools for companies and organizations. Most major organizations now have at least one in-house blog that they use to maintain contact with existing customers and reach new target audiences. It might be a message from the President or new product promotion but successful organizations have harnessed blogs as the free advertising medium of the Internet and another great way to tell the world about your organization. 3. Utilize Social Networking: Social networking Web sites are becoming the place to be on the Internet. They have grown from lonely hearts clubs into another fabulous way to find and maintain customers and promote your services. Web sites like YouTube and MySpace are a modern version of the Greek agora, the marketplace of today and tomorrow. Companies that want to increase their web presence are advertising on social networking websites and using these websites to promote new business concepts. People are already going to these websites to chat with friends, develop relationships and share their stories and videos with the world. Why not tell them about your organization while they are there? 4. Establish a Trust System: Even if you master the tools of the new technology you will still need to develop a trust system between the users of your online vehicles and your organization. They need to know that your material is accurate and up-to-date and that you will deliver what you promise. Leonard Brody says that this is one of the major keys to riding the technology wave. If you can get people to trust you, then they are much more likely to not only buy from you, but to remain your customers for a very long time. 5. Ensure a Personal Touch: The final suggestion from Leonard Brody appears incongruous with the anonymity and isolation of the Internet. But to be successful and inspire brand loyalty you still need to incorporate human elements as part of your online strategy. Your goal in business may be to make money or sell products but really you are building relationships. This is true in the practical world as well as the virtual reality of the Internet. On-line help has to be accessible via a real live person and requests for information need to be dealt with by human contact and not by machines. In Leonard Brody’s view it’s not likely that the next technological wave will be any different than the ones we have already witnessed. If we want to know what will happen tomorrow we just have to study the past, and perhaps more importantly, position ourselves to take advantage of the next wave. His last piece of advice: “Have fun with the new technology and don’t be afraid to catch the wave!”

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