Fast Forwarding Your Business with Instant Messaging

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.

Lee@intelective.com

---

What is EMarketing? A New Discipline is Evolving

Before trying to define the term of eMarketing (or electronic... Read More

Visitor Traffic Statistics 101, or, The Who, What, When, Where, Why & How of Web Analytics

As we all know, visitor traffic is crucial to the... Read More

How to Make Money with Your Own Internet Business

Many people fail to realize how they can really make... Read More

Creating Multiple Streams Of Income Part 2

Over my years of experience in doing business on the... Read More

4 Tips to More Online Party Sales

I know most of us have held our own online... Read More

How To Make Money Online

Catch the cash on the net?in more ways than one.Thousands... Read More

How to Start a Successful Import Business Using the Internet

The Internet has opened up a whole new era of... Read More

Subconsciously Command Your Readers To Buy

Tell your readers what they are probably thinking, feeling or... Read More

Viral Marketing: Is Your Website Infected?

Viral?Viruses?Infections?not pleasant subjects for most situations. Unless you're discussing Viral... Read More

How To Increase Your Profits By 40% Or More With No Extra Work!

Before I expand on the above heading, I do have... Read More

Want To Make Money Online? You Need To Sell What People Are Buying

For several years now, enterprising individuals like you have been... Read More

What Not To Do?

As the Internet grows in popularity and importance, the quality... Read More

If you Sell a Product, Use Online Marketing, Part 2

When you offer your products via an email campaign to... Read More

How To Be A Web Entrepreneur With No Capital

With the advent of the technology age, the Internet has... Read More

How Knowing Your Customer via Direct Marketing Helps Your Online Business to Prosper

What is direct marketing? Put simply, direct marketing is a... Read More

Are You Running Your Online Business On Half Empty?

The idea of paying $1000 for a marketing package to... Read More

The Free Viral Marketing Technique You Cant Afford to Pass Up

Have you ever seen the movie "Pay it Forward"? This... Read More

Triple Your Profits Easily With The Right USP

Convinced you have a fantastic idea for your online business... Read More

Internet Marketing Tip - Go For The Bronze

Go for the bronze.Repeat...go for the bronze.That's right, DO NOT... Read More

Is There A Future For Spam?

Will you always be buried underneath a mountain of spam?... Read More

10 Unique, Free Product Bonuses

Are you looking for something unique or unusual that you... Read More

Think Outside The Box: Home Internet Business Ideas

Imagine never having to leave your home to work. Not... Read More

The Truth Behind Guaranteed Sign Ups

I've got a confession to make... I have been into... Read More

Flat Tires, Slow Leaks, and Online Marketing

Does your online marketing campaign have a flat tire? Or... Read More

The Most Important Marketing Tool

As an online marketer, there are many tools available to... Read More

My 7-Step Secret Formula For Cashing In On Content!

Copyright 2005 Kurma GroupContent, content, content - everybody's talking about... Read More

In Internet Marketing You Must Have a Strategy

When you make the decision to start an Internet business... Read More

Dollars In The Details!

When it comes to your marketing message, the little things... Read More

How A 7 Year Old Boy Discovered The Secret To Niche Marketing Success

Niche marketing enthusiast...I'm about to tell you a short story.... Read More

Are You Looking For A Long-Term Or Fly-By-Night Business?

I have received many emails or calls from my network... Read More

Internet Marketing Success is a Cumulative Effect

Being successful at Internet marketing does require doing the right... Read More

I Finally Figured It Out - The Largest Stumbling-Block To Online Success

We're going to talk about one of those issues that... Read More

The Vital Tools To Marketing Success

Special Article Report: Theses Keys Work!Many times over the past... Read More