Learning on the Net
Before changing the entire modus operandi of your business to fit the Internet, you have to understand this new medium.
The Internet as a business arena requires rethinking traditional business practices and methods. The pace is fast, the risks unknown, but the opportunities are unlimited.
But before you can get to all that exciting stuff, you have to learn the Net itself. Both you and your employees (customers and suppliers too), need time to get the required software, to learn the basics of email and the WWW, and to find search engines and directories.
A Strategy for Learning about the Internet Itself
The best thing about the process is that it can all be done online. There are hundreds of free tutorials that teach the Net.
- Set your web browser homepage to a site that will help you use the Internet for your business. Possibilities include: Yahoo Small Business, CEO Express, or My Excite.
- Subscribe to a small number of mailing lists that provide brief daily or weekly tips and links for learning the Internet. Dummies Daily sponsors a number of lists related to the Net including: The Internet, Searching the Web, and Online Shopping.
- Use Internet savvy contact management software and record useful web and email addresses. You can even use HotDiary's free web-based contact manager.
- Set aside chunks of time to explore specific aspects of the Internet, such as business resources, marketing tips, trends in electronic commerce.
Helping Your Employees, Customers, and Suppliers Learn the Net
Just as you need time to learn how to use the Internet to make your business grow stronger and more efficient, so too, do your employees. If you expect them to deal with customer email and website feedback forms, they need to be trained to use email programs and utilities effectively.
When you setup your website, include pages that show your customers how to use not only your products but also your website itself. For example, if you want them to fill out a form explain exactly how to do it. Don't forget to tell them why they should fill out the form, too. Online orders will increase if the process is explained beforehand.
Just-in-time Learning
A small business person is constantly in the process of learning new skills and applying them to his or her own business. The Internet offers a wide range of free and low-cost tutorials and online classes.
Finding tutorials is as easy as searching the Internet itself. Go to your favorite search engine and look for "tutorial" and the topic you are interested in learning about online. For example, you could search Google for: "marketing tutorial." eHow offers a number of free consumer-oriented tutorials ranging from buying used cars to cleaning bathrooms. It also features a few that might be helpful to business people, such as language tutorials and the number one ranked "Tie a Necktie."
It is also possible to complete an academic program online as more colleges and universities turn to the Net as a source of new students. Although the potential student population is worldwide, the competition for each one is fierce as more schools vie for them. That's very good news for anyone who wants to earn a degree online. Visit Peterson's, a familiar guide to educational opportunities, and check out the sections on distance and life-long learning.
