The actual statistics may vary slightly
depending on which research company has done the study, but regardless of
the minor variations from study to study, the conclusion is pretty clear:
if you want to communicate in
Northeastern Ontario
,
the internet has become the preferred method by the majority of residents.
So much so, that the use of the internet has become an accepted way of
life.
In fact, it has been estimated that as many as 80% of all
households now have computers in their homes. Furthermore, 75% of all
people in those households have access to the internet, either at home or
at work. In
Valley
East
and Capreol, 100% of all residents have access to the internet, either at
home or through work, school, or at the library.
Studies have also shown that women are
now just as likely to use the Internet as men. People of all ages no
longer view the internet as a source of entertainment and amusement. They
are using it for very practical reasons. Many regularly log on to check
the weather, the news, sports, and to find political and financial
information. They are downloading music and software, and even taking
classes online.
Email is becoming more and more of an essential communication tool
You are being asked for your email address as much as your phone number
today. The surveys find that for many activities, such as getting travel
information, finding references for health or personal problems, or
looking up a phone number, people are turning to their computers and the
internet.
Barry Wellman, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto,
said he was struck by the similarities and the affirmation that the
Internet is so integrated into the lives of both men and women that
"they aren't even thinking they are going on the Internet
anymore." Using the
internet has simply become an accepted way of life.
IMPLICATIONS
FOR BUSINESS
The wide-spread use of the internet by consumers is something that
business owners and managers must now take into consideration when making
their marketing plans. Many shoppers prefer to check out a store web site
prior to making the trip to the mall. While shopping online is still
growing, people still like to visit stores in person, but in order to make
sure that they don’t waste time, many shoppers like to check things out
on the internet first.
The internet makes comparison shopping much easier simply because a
person can examine several web sites and then decide which place to visit
on the way home from work or during those precious few hours available on
the weekend. This means that businesses without web sites are at a serious
disadvantage and must rely upon traditional, and expensive, advertising
methods.
Some of the smaller businesses are still not convinced of the power
of the internet as a marketing tool. Once they consider the “networking
factor” and understand how people use emails, they change their tunes.
EMAIL
NETWORKING FACTOR
The Valley East Today Electronic Newsletter is a perfect example of
how the “Networking Factor” works with email messages. Every Tuesday
the Valley East Today Electronic Newsletter is sent out to a large number
of specific email addresses of people who have chosen to receive the
publication. That number is rapidly increasing, but as of
February 7, 2006
, it was approximately 1500.
The “Networking Factor” comes into play when each of the 1500 people
who receive the newsletter decide to “forward” one of more of the
articles to people on their email address list. It continues when a person
who receives one of these forwarded articles once again forwards it to
people on their list, and so on, and so on…
The actual number of times a message gets forwarded will depend on
the nature of the article and interest level of the people receiving the
message. However, it is estimated that a factor of anywhere from 5 to 10
is reasonable. This means that if you take the original 1500 people who
receive the Valley East Today Electronic Newsletter and multiply that by
the factor number, you get a very good approximation of how many computers
have received the newsletter. This means that anywhere from 7500 to 15,000
computers have received each issue of the Valley East Today Electronic
Newsletter.
VIRTUAL
BOOKSHELF
The beauty of web sites and email is that what you read can be
saved and stored for future reference. When you read something in a
newspaper or magazine, unless you put it in a safe place, you will never
be able to find that article again. With the computer, you can always
return to read something of interest, because it is stored in a
conveniently located “Virtual Bookshelf” that will never be filled.
This has huge implications for businesses which are in tune with the
dynamics of the internet.
THE
FUTURE IS HERE
The bottom line is that the future is here right now when it comes
to the internet. This is just as necessary as a phone when it comes to
communication. For parents, it is a necessary element of every child’s
education and should be functional in every home where there are children.
For businesses, a web site is a must if you are going to survive and be
given serious consideration from the general consumer market. The message
– get online as soon as possible.
