(Note: you are being sent this newsletter because
you subscribed to it.
For subscription info, and to get back issues
of The Ripple Effect see end of newsletter)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
| In Today's Issue: | |
| Quote: | Masayoshi Son, Softbank CEO and Internet Financier |
| News: | New "Shopping Bots" Launched |
| Facts: | Avg. Compensation for Web CEO's |
| Tip: | Answering Email Requests to Drive Sales |
| Biz Sites: | 1. Bot Spot - resource centre |
| 2. Eletter - postal mailing orderd over the Net | |
| Term: | "Bot" |
| Ripple Rock: | Personality Bot? |
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
*** "For the next ten years, we
do nothing but Internet. That's where the whole society is going to have
a big revolution. "
Masayoshi Son,
Softbank CEO and Internet Financier
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LATE BREAKING NEWS:
DealPilot and Dash.com both launched browser-based shopping bots last week, and iChoose is developing a plug-in that will go live later this month.
What is a shopping bot? It is a software product that travels the net with you, letting you know the best deals. Think of an online shopping companion whispering the best prices in your ear ("hey, this is cheaper at another online store..."). Each of these products vary slightly in their approach. DealPilot and iChoose both display price comparisons on bars at the bottom of a browser. Go shopping for the latest Harry Potter book at Amazon.com, for example, and the tools will show you that another store has it for $5 cheaper. DealPilot also allows you to compare shipping costs. iChoose also throws in customer ratings of merchants.
Dash doesn't offer price information, and instead provides coupons and other rewards from participating merchants. You look at that same book on Amazon, and a 10 percent off coupon for Barnesnadnoble.com pops up. Dash will also offer coupons if it detects you looking for products on search engines.
Source: ZDNet
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2392384,00.html
CyberSisters' comments:
Intelligent agents or "robots", or sometimes just "bots" are up-and-coming trends. Watch for them. Again, it's the value added services or information delivery that is the key to the Information/Internet economy. Do you ever get the feeling that the Internet is an amazing thing, if only you could find what's out there? When you need it? Without wasting hours of searching? Intelligent agents software promises to deliver some exciting things in the Internet application services market.
P.S. Diane (aka CyberSister) has just signed on to teach the "Intelligent Agents" course through the University of B.C.'s continuing education program in the Internet Marketing. The course starts in the new year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FACTOID OF THE WEEK:
The average total direct compensation for a chief executive officer at a publicly traded Internet company is a relatively modest $1.74 million, according to a compensation survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers. But CEOs on average have a 12.1 percent equity stake in their company, or a value of $468.5 million. The survey also documents the wide use of stock options to compensate directors and employees of Internet companies. Total direct compensation is defined in the survey as annualized base salary, plus cash bonus, and long-term incentives including stock options restricted stock and long-term cash payments.
Source: CyberAtlas
http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/professional/article/0,1323,5971_238551,00.html
CyberSister's Comment:
Sigh. I think I need to ask my partner for a raise. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TIP:
Answering Email to Drive Sales
So you have a web page where you've listed the "services" you provide. You've done lots of well planned Internet marketing and now, somebody sees your page, sees your e-mail name on it, and sends you e-mail along the lines of:
"Please send me some information about your products/services"
Here's some helpful hints on how to answer them:
1. Immediately bouncing back an email bombarding them with a bunch more specific questions may scare them off, so write up a relatively short "one page" of e-mail that describes the specific services you offer, and tries to give them enough information to understand how you might be able to help them. Write it in a way that focuses on them and why they might need you, not on how great you are.
2.Lead with a paragraph that goes to the heart of the matter. You want to pull in the reader with a teaser or hook that will lead them to read the entire response. Don't make it sound hyped or overblown, but rather informal, personal, and friendly.
3. Make it clear what your services/products are, how to purchase them, or contact you further and lead them into a further response on their part. (This depends on your business, but perhaps signing up to receive a catalogue, or receiving a phone call from your sales staff, or ordering a sample, etc...). Email can be intimidating or impersonal, so re-assure them that you won't re-sell their name, sign them up for anything against their wishes, handle their credit card information insecurely, etc...)
4. Most email programs now handle HTML links, so imbedding a link right into your email message that leads them into a further interaction with your company is very useful. (perhaps a link into your online catalogue, or an analysis tool, etc..)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BIZ SITES OF THE WEEK:
1. Bot Spot - Here's a place on the net where you can find out all about the latest in intelligent agents or "bots". It provides listings/reviews of the latest robot based ASP's or software products. It features sections covering: Bot Design, Chatter Bots, Commerce Bots, Data Mining Bots, E-Mail Bots, Fun Bots, Government Bots, Knowledge Bots, Miscellaneous Bots, News Bots, Newsgroup Bots, Research on Bots, Search Bots, Shopping Bots, Software Bots, Stock Bots, and Update Bots. Confused yet? See our "Term of the Day" for a definition of a "bot".
2. Eletter - postal mailing over the Net
ELetter is a new business service
that enables you to send postal mail directly from your desktop. You just
upload your addresses and mail content, and their automated system
produces and mails your letters, postcards, and booklets.
http://www.eletter.com/
CyberSister's Comment:
I find this interesting, since there's
nothing particulary new about companies that do automated mailings (e.g.
one of our subscribers, http://www.marketedgedirect.com/
)
However, it's all in how the service is marketed ("eletter" sounds cool
and hip) and the ease of online ordering. In the Internet economy, we have
to learn how to make it easy for the customer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TERM OF THE DAY:
" Bot "
Short for "robot" - a program that runs automatically without human intervention. Typically, a robot is endowed with some artificial intelligence so that it can react to different situations it may encounter. Two common types of robots are agents and spiders. See also the "What is a Bot?" article from the BotSpot site.
Source: PC Webopedia
http://webopedia.internet.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ripple Effect "Rock"
What's a Ripple Effect Rock? Well, think of a rock thrown in a lake, and how the water ripples outward. This section of the newsletter covers developments and technologies that we think might soon cause a "ripple effect" in business or society.
Ripple Rock for Nov 12, 1999:
"Personality Bot"
Ok. This is freaking me out. I just had a conversation with John Lennon. No, I haven't dropped acid or time travelled or anything else like that, but I signed on to the "John Lennon Artificial Intelligence Project" where you can have a real-time online conversation with a chat robot that has been programmed with the personality of the late John Lennon. The Artificial Intelligence chat robot (chatbot) technology was programmed with John's own words as expressed to those who knew him.
Want to talk to John Lennon? Go to:
http://www.triumphpc.com/john-lennon/
Why is this a "Ripple Rock"? Well, with
the tremendous strides in computing power and network speed, (two previous
"Ripple Rock" topics), the interfaces that we use to interact with the
computer/network could become more seamless, more life-like. What would
it be like if your personality could be modelled online? Could it ever
be so life-like that you couldn't tell whether you were conversing with
a person or a software program? Implications are enormous for education
(online mentors), customer service (friendly, human-like assistance), and
of course, games.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On this day after Remembrance Day
(Veteran's Day), the CyberSisters pay tribute to our Cyber-brother-inlaw,
Michael Curdyck, a veteran of the Canadian peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia.
"Blessed are the Peacemakers" - The Beautitudes
That's it for now! Have a great
week!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have any one who you think should be added to this list, let us know--or better yet, let them know by forwarding a copy of the newsletter to them directly.
To subscribe to the list, go to:
http://www.digitalripple.com/joinlist.html
Back issues of the Ripple Effect Newsletter are available on the Digital Ripple web site at:
http://www.digitalripple.com/joinlist.html
If you wish to be taken off this list simply send an email to: ripple_effect-unsubscribe@listbot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
British Columbia
21327 91B Ave
Langley, British Columbia
Canada V1M 2C1
Telephone: (604) 888 3911
Facsimile: (604) 646 9063
E-Mail: dcurrie@digitalripple.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: (416)430-5726
Facsimile: (416)430-5726
E-Mail: alcurrie@digitalripple.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: (905)721 0285
Facsimile: (905)721 1335
E-Mail: alcurrie@digitalripple.com
"Exploring the Ripple Effect of Digital Technology"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~