Instant Messaging is rapidly becoming accepted in the business community as a viable communications tool and process - it's faster than e-mail, free on the client side, even a novice user can easily grasp the interface in just a few minutes and it enables remote workers and business partners to "talk" and share files and information effortlessly using the in-place infrastructure of the internet. Its mushrooming in popularity too - according to IDC, corporate and general business users will jump from 5.5M in 2001 to close to 200M by 2004.
What are some of the pitfalls and concerns you need to have when assessing and integrating Instant Messaging ("IM" another biz acronym) with your business processes? Be aware you are sending clear text messages over the public Internet - so all IM technology is inherently insecure. Privacy issues can also be raised - these messages are typically archived via the IM servers of the company whose services you are using and can be made public at a later date. Anyone with a network scanner may have access to and be reading your messages and if your are downloading files, you need to ensure your anti-virus software is setup to scan these files when you open them.
One of the biggest pitfalls of the technology and process is that it adds another communications layer to your busy day - but you can offset this by selecting or filtering who you communicate with at any point by using the IM interface to block all or selected individuals from "seeing" you when you are online.
Finally, like all things in today's computer industry (or many) each of the Instant Messaging vendors are trying to build applications which don't integrate with the other (no surprise here - arrogance has not faded away in the business community!). So, you need to assess the installed base of the market leaders and make a decision on which company's product you want to utilized - my recommendation would be to review Microsoft's or AOL/Time Warner's products - their installed bases are in the 200 million users plus when combined (these numbers include consumer and business usage) and they both work well and have user interfaces that are intuitive.
There is one alternative company that is solving the "IM Tower of Babel" issues and claims to integrate well with all proprietary apps by utilizing XML technology, Jabber, Inc., www.jabber.com So, if interoptability is important to you then I would recommend assessing their products.
Most of the IM providers including Microsoft are integrating voice communications with their IM clients - you may be able to bypass your local telephone carrier at some point using this technology, but don't bet on it anytime soon - all of those lobbyists here in the states need to keep generating fees on behalf of their telecom clients in Washington D.C. We use Microsoft's IM product and we have upon occasion utilized the voice and video features (you must of course have a multimedia setup for your PC and camera) and they do work. Although the video quality is a little jerky and the voice is akin to the old Citizens Band ("CB") radio - your Internet connection impacts the quality of both.
Whose technology do you choose? There are some clear market leaders in the Instant Messaging marketing including Microsoft (no surprise here)http://messenger.microsoft.com But, like most Microsoft technology/tools you pay a price for the software/services, albeit a small one. You have to register with Microsoft's NET Passport www.microsoft.com/myservices/passport service which is designed to be a universal login - this only takes a few minutes but be forewarned they also try to get you to setup a Hot Mail account, but you can work around this.
The other dominant IM product is AOL's ICQ product http://web.icq.com - it has similar functionality as Microsoft's application. The original technology was developed by a great Israeli company, Mirabellis, Inc., subsequently acquired by AOL. My chief complaint with this product is the irritating banner ads that AOL keeps pushing at you when you are utilizing their product. But, it's a small price to pay for a free product on the client side.
Yahoo also has an IM product ("Yahoo Messenger") but I am not convinced this will stay as a core part of their business, as they appear to be still trying to figure out what they are going to become in the post ".com gold rush era" market; i.e. Portal, Directory, Media giant, software/services company, etc. And, they've certainly jettisoned parts of their business the last 12-18 months and I would wager they've had discussions about getting out of the IM business.
Finally, IM is also quickly moving into other markets and devices including PDAs and Pagers - if you're a real geek and you can't stand to be out of touch while your in the shower and you have a water proof device you can ping away. But, I think we all need some down time for friends and family, but wanted to make sure I covered all possible bases with this column - until next time!
About The Author
Lee Traupel has 20 plus years of business development and marketing experience - he is the founder of Intelective Communications, Inc., http://www.intelective.com a results-driven marketing services company providing proprietary services to clients encompassing startups to public companies.
I, myself, being an internet marketing "newbie" (endearing term used... Read More
Developing a successful web site takes more than simply building... Read More
Placing those ads on your site are designed to do... Read More
Not everyone is comfortable putting their personal information online. It... Read More
1. Most people like surprises because it's a change of... Read More
I recently posted an article titled "Internet Marketing and Public... Read More
1. Offer to write exclusive articles (that means you only... Read More
So you've got everything in place, busily working away for... Read More
Have you ever been told to find your niche? In... Read More
Back in the ancient days of 1994 when Mark Andreesen... Read More
A joint venture is when two or more businesses work... Read More
1 Planning:When starting your marketing strategy, it is wise to... Read More
Last week, I wrote my first marketing/list building article. Could... Read More
Have you ever been horrified and intimidated at the convoluted,... Read More
In my opinion, one of the 'Golden Rules' of Internet... Read More
Unless you have been living under a rock for the... Read More
Have you ever felt disappointment and dismay when trying a... Read More
What does the internet owe me for all my hard... Read More
One of the most exciting things about doing business online... Read More
Over my years of experience in doing business on the... Read More
The current climate on the internet is very unfavourable to... Read More
Launching a new product or service is an exciting time... Read More
Are you new to Network Marketing? If you are, then... Read More
In my earlier article, "Online Network Marketing 101A", I wrote... Read More
What is the secret of being the best at Internet... Read More
Establishing a web presence on the internet is based on... Read More
Public relations is popular because it is very cost-effective and... Read More
The average person today is exposed to a never-ending deluge... Read More
Instead of giving you advice on how to make a... Read More
Basic IdeaAround the world, companies spend over $250 billion dollars... Read More
Everybody wants to learn how to make money on the... Read More
It's a difficult creating a website that brings you business.... Read More
Nothing and Everything!Tucked discreetly away on my modest marketing website... Read More
To most people Internet Marketing looks like a good way... Read More
While a virus, in Medicine, is the smallest infectious agent,... Read More
A banner exchange program is a network of websites that... Read More
There is no reason to be afraid of creating an... Read More
Copyright 2005 Tinu AbayomiPaulIn my last article on site promotion,... Read More
If you haven't started your own niche business yet because... Read More
Attitude is a key part of each of us. A... Read More
Being online is not only about getting your piece of... Read More
Using limited time offers can spark a feeding frenzy that... Read More
For the last several months I've been collecting and organizing... Read More
According to Google.com there are over three billion web pages... Read More
Building a website is easy. Building a successful e-business is... Read More
If you have ever studied search engine optimization, then you'll... Read More
Despite any failures or slow starts you may be experiencing... Read More
Everyone has heard about viral marketing but what is it... Read More
What is Viral Marketing?"Viral marketing is word of mouth marketing... Read More
If you are like most internet based home business entrepreneurs... Read More
It's well known that internet marketers are in the business... Read More
There are thousands of marketing tool kits available online for... Read More
Many people join internet business opportunities online blindly. By this... Read More
RSS marketing is a tool used by many on the... Read More
The Digital Object Identifier otherwise known as the DOI is... Read More
I've been "seriously" working the Web since late 2000. I... Read More
There is no internet marketing chore that I enjoy more... Read More
"For which one of you, when he wants to build... Read More
Everybody wants to learn how to make money on the... Read More
Copyright 2005 Javier SalcesVisitor conversion is a challenge faced by... Read More
If you are new to the Internet Marketing arena, or... Read More
So you've started your business and you have a website... Read More
If you're like most of us, you're not on a... Read More
Have you ever felt disappointment and dismay when trying a... Read More
Catch the cash on the net?in more ways than one.Thousands... Read More
What's in your name?I'm not trying to be funny here,... Read More
Internet Marketing |