Hi Cheryl,
Great forum.
It is such a vast subject.
As a source of information the internet is without doubt the biggest thing ever to happen in human communication terms since writing and printing and telepyhone. We can view art galleries, get specialist medical advice, keep in touch with the latest world news, learn about other religions and cultures.......................need I go on?
As a source of Mis-information the internet is again the biggest purveyor of this.
Every day millions of dollars are raised, spent, received and promised to charities and great causes and every day the internet causes thousands of people to lose money they can ill afford.
Every day thousands are exploited for sex by being forced to take part in acts for illegal distribution, many underaged kids being subjected to horrors at the expense of their innocence.
So, what am I saying? The internet is just a mirror of the world. A mirror which reflects all of the wants, fears and goals and lives of its users. It's a world in which everything has to be taken on trust and here is the crux of the matter.
Risk has to assesed by us based upon our personal knowledge, financial security and our carefully protected identity.
I for one like to have SOME risk. I would hate to go through life mistrusting everyone I met. I prefer to assess, take reasonable steps to protect my safety and then make a decision.
There are GREAT benefits for users by masking true identities. This can be a plus. If I really knew something about a very vogue form of music I would be hard put to make money from it if my prospective customer knew that I was 60. Young people prefer to think that they have an exclusivity when it comes to new music. I could run an online business selling to the most switched on folk in that genre whilst being 60- years old. I could learn where the market is going and keep up and nobody will know that I'm an old 60+er.
Whatever you can think of that is positive then there is always a reverse.
The biggest problem will online marketing is ensuring that your product or service is seen. The next is to capture those leads for future use. This is where most people come unstuck. Not everyone knows the best way and for everyone thaty doesn't there is another waiting to sell them a method. Let others be the first, join when you know that things work. Join when you know that there are real gains from doing so. Join when you have been able to prove, through referrals, that the thing does what it claims.
At the moment, to my knowledge, there are no reliable systems that make proper use of peoples offline skills and share them for the good of all.
I am working on a scheme called the Glacial Movement where everyones major on and offline skills are combined to the benefit of all. Much work still to do.
I hope that this helps the discussion which has to date been very interesting.
Roger