The Value of Building a Community on the Internet

The Value of Building a Community on the Internet
by Lois M. Jeary, January 2004

We see thousands of people adopting the internet and its
offerings every day. Some will just want to browse from site to
site to see what's there. Many have started using the internet
to do their shopping for both home and business. Others are
simply looking for a way to keep in touch with friends and
family. A select group of these individuals will see the
advantages of creating a home-based business using the internet
as their platform.

It is rare though that you will find an individual who can 'wear
all the hats' required to run a successful business in today's
world. There is a huge amount of information that requires
consideration when starting your business, not the least of which
is a sound business plan.

Self-starters require talents that range anywhere from being an
accountant, a web designer to a graphic artist. Then there is a
need for copywriting skills, management and delegation ability,
technical know how, legal knowledge and perhaps software
development. And let's not forget about marketing. That's a
full plate for anyone, particularly if you are just getting
started.

With a bricks 'n mortar style business, corporations can hire the
talent they need when they need it. For the small, home-based
business that is just starting out, this can present problems.
And this is where building a community or network of responsible
people can be a real boost for you and your business.

You and I have had a chance to connect with other ethical and
responsible people who also run an online business. We've had
the chance to learn from our mistakes and adjust to the changes
taking place on the internet on a regular basis. Now think of
all the newbies who are just starting their internet adventure
today.

Experienced marketers have had some trouble understanding the FTC
regulations as well as the new CAN-SPAM law which went into
effect on January 1st, 2004. The law came into effect on January
1st, however, the FTC has until September, 2004 to 'fine tune'
the regulations.

Now we are facing more new challenges with email. Personally,
I've been very disillusioned with email delivery for about a year
and a half and I know I'm not alone. That's why you have seen
more publishers switching to rss feeds or weblogs. You're going
to see more publishers adopting a weblog-type format. Others
will send a note telling you where the latest online edition is
located. The big thing lacking here is interaction. Think back
to why you started publishing an ezine in the first place.
Didn't you love getting feedback from your subscribers? That's
what made it fun and worthwhile.

With all the changes taking place, we are losing that essential
contact with our readers. Of course we need to make money, but
that isn't the whole picture. Subscribers, your customers, are
also becoming numb to the reasons behind all the changes taking
place. How many times have you asked them to resubscribe? How
many did you lose each time? Inboxes have become so congested
with unsolicted email, it has become next to impossible to find
the information they have requested.

We need to provide a safe place for our readers so that we can
get back to providing good content as well as share products and
services that will benefit their business as well as yours.

A perfect example is the Quikonnex Service created by Jim Gray
and Carolyn Peltier (http://quikonnex.com/109). Here publishers
and members of the community can work together. They can share
resources and help each other build their businesses. Quikonnex
also offers the latest in private messaging (QMTP) which
virtually eliminates the need for email to stay in touch with
fellow publishers and members.

Quikonnex is a media-rich content management system that beats
any service currently out there. You can use Quikonnex to
publish your ezine even if you don't currently have a website or
tie it in with your site if you do. The Quikonnex Forum contains
a wealth of information. Publishers and members can share tools,
ideas, suggestions or tips that help them in their day to day
business - it's all about people helping people. What a
refreshing change.

For those of you who are hesitant about downloading programs, the
creators of Quikonnex built their own cross-platform, cross-
browser reader called QuikView that makes subscribing to a
channel a breeze no matter what browser or operating system you
currently use. If you don't mind downloading a reader, they
provide a customized version of the Awasu reader. And it's all
backed up with support.

Don't let the changes taking place on the internet paralyze you
into inaction. And don't be afraid to make a change that will
benefit you as well as your readers. We all have tools that we
use in our daily business. If that tool becomes less effective,
it's time to replace it. Just because you started publishing
using email as your method of delivery doesn't mean you have to
keep doing it that way.

I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't met some of the
amazing and resourceful people who have become my mentors and
friends. My way of saying 'thank you' to them, is to help others
along the way. Imagine how powerful, how positive our internet
experience would be if we all helped each other succeed.