Web Education & Thinking Outside the Box...

By mid-year, most of us are already tired of talking about new year's resolutions. I know I am. The closest I've got to a fitness class is calling to find out the price. So this article is not about new year's resolutions. It's about something that is going to help you be successful in your business, and live up to some of those business and personal goals you may have set for yourself.

In order to achieve these goals, you are going to have to adapt to a rapidly changing business environment. One of the things that your company will have to do is to develop a web strategy. As an entrepreneur, it's crucial to take business education concerning the Internet and Electronic commerce seriously.

Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft Corp, at a recent mini gathering of his executive staff (which I listened in on through the wonders of net-casting over the Internet), said " the college kids today live in what I call a Web Lifestyle". If your web-savvy customers have adopted a "web lifestyle", don't you think that you need to know and understand this lifestyle? And how it may effect your bottom line? Internet technology, especially electronic commerce, is going to effect your business. Make sure you are up-to-date, informed and knowledgeable about conducting business electronically over the global Internet.

You don't have to be an expert in everything, but as an entrepreneur, strategic business decisions often fall on one set of overworked shoulders —yours. So get the kind of help you need to succeed.

The first step (like going to that first fitness class) is to just get started - find the course or program you are interested in. Luckily there are lots of choices out there. Adult education has come a long way from the "expert lecturing in a classroom" model. How you learn and what program you register for depends on your learning preferences, your schedule, and your goals. My suggestion (because I know what overworked shoulders feel like), is to look for a dynamic, flexible program that combines basic education with dynamic interaction and follow-up. Some options are classroom-based courses, online web-based training, teleclasses, (A teleclass is a course taught via telephone conference call, often with corresponding web-based course notes, a real advantage for a busy entrepreneur), or a combination of web, telephone, email, chat forums, and discussion groups. The most successful web ventures are the ones whose founders were able to "think outside the box". Try thinking outside the box when you are planning how to learn about the web.

Some entrepreneurs have been successful hiring a "web coach" to tutor them on the aspects of the web they need to know about, or to design a custom web education program. The amount of information and educational opportunities on the Internet can be overwhelming. Each business will be looking for different answers and asking different questions. One person may want to take a web strategy course concerning marketing, positioning their product, and setting up web alliances. Another entrepreneur might want to know more about budgeting for a web site—how much should I pay? What's the best "bang for my buck"? Another may want to know about conducting research online—how do I find contracts and bidding opportunities? This is where finding a program that will allow you to learn and interact with others looking for the same answers will be very helpful. None of these answers can be found by looking them up in an almanac. They come from qualified instructors, well written course notes, question and answer forums, tutorials, online networking—web education at its best.

Keeping up to date on web trends, strategies and opportunities is an ongoing commitment that will help your company grow, and help you reach your own personal goals. Become a wise consumer of educational services. It will serve you and your company well.

As for me, well, I think I'll pick up the phone and register for that fitness class...

This article was co-authored by Diane Currie and Anne Louise Currie, the "Cybersisters" and co-founders of Digital Ripple. Digital Ripple offers WebSuccess training programs, WebSuccess coaching, research, writing and strategic web development services. For more information, click here