Email Dead? Not Quite!

The COO of Facebook recently announced that email is dead. Why, because only eleven percent of teen-agers use email on a daily basis. They prefer Facebook and Twitter. Today’s teens have been conditioned to over share. Their every thought, every picture and every experience is on the internet in seconds of the occurrence. With youth often comes indiscretion and subsequent regret. In our teens we have yet to filter what is appropriate, maybe not appropriate, but what can be shared with trust. Items shared with a few friends can soon become viral and instead of a joint laugh or romantic exchange can become a huge embarrassment. Social media is in many ways the high school of the internet. Is anyone volunteering for a do-over of those four years?

Forget what is exchanged on Social media but remember who controls it. As an example Facebook can drop you from its rolls at any time without warning or reason. It currently only allows personal profiles though savvy business owners have learned to use it to their limited advantage.

There is no point in denying that in time email will be replaced or will evolve into another medium but much must happen before that will take place. Email is a trusted and timely tool that allows businesses to set rules for use in their own environment. Until technology offers something that can be used with security and business driven, not personal, guidelines email will continue to be the workhorse of daily business.

Do not take this as a get out of jail free card. Watch what the kids are doing and how they communicate. You don’t have to be ahead of the technology curve but it pays to know what is on the horizon. The only certainty is that technology is driven by change and that change happens at a rapid pace. The technology writer for the Wall Street Journal said he expects a bold new technology announcement to occur at least every six months. Think about that. Human generations are timed at about twenty years but technology generations are timed at six month intervals. You can perhaps afford to be two or three generations behind but you will limit your business if you are more than six generations behind. This doesn’t mean you personally have to be technology savvy but you do need to have someone on your team who is. Isn’t it better to manage the curve than to have it manage you?

Strategy vs Tactic

Are you running your business with a strategy in mind or following a bunch of to dos that really come down to tactics? We often face every day doing what we must do to get the job done. To do that we often operate tactfully, completing tasks that get us through the day. A strategy makes us more thoughtful as to the who, what, where, when and why; often dictating the tactics to make the strategy successful.

I like to work with clients on their strategy. The most important thing to understand is who you want to be and what you want to accomplish with your business. From there you can assign the how you do it, when you do it, and why you do it.

If you are confused about Strategy vs. Tactics let Little Harbor Technology know. We will gladly help you lay out a plan that accomplishes all of your goals and in the right order. LHT offers business solutions with a particular emphasis on website, graphic design, database design, and social media planning. With the right strategy we can make you more profitable and work less hard.