Tech Forward:

According to a recent Jupiter Research survey, sharing personal information is the number-one reason consumers do not complete their purchases online. Quite understandably, they’re worried about their privacy — a concern that many smaller retailers with a lot on their plate tend to overlook. Tsk, tsk.

So what should you do? Do what I did, get the skinny on best practices for online retailers from one of the leaders in online privacy, Fran Maier, CEO of TRUSTe. (You know TRUSTe, it’s the one that gives you that nifty privacy graphic for your website, like the one on the left.)

You say you don’t know Maier? Well, it always pays to go to the top. Here are some pearls of wisdom she shared with me the other day:

• Hold onto your current customers tightly. That means better insights and better targeted messages, promotions and appeals. But it’s important to gather information about your customers in the right way. Collect data about your customers while staying compliant with privacy obligations, to gather more accurate data about your customers and ultimately serve them better.
• Enhance privacy. Don’t let trust or privacy stand in the way of your brand reputation. Participating in a certification program like TRUSTe’s and displaying a trustmark on your online retail site shows your customers that their information is safe and protected. In a tough economy, many online retailers are tempted to cut corners and take less-than-ethical approaches to increasing sales: Make sure you’re the one who’s trusted.
• Make your privacy statement both easy to read and easy to find. When your privacy statement is in straightforward language, your customer is more likely to feel confident, stay on your site and make a purchase.
• If data spills, contact the trustmark organization immediately. Take the appropriate steps if there is a security breach; organizations like TRUSTe, are able to track those complaints so you can respond to your customers quickly.
• Take advantage of your company’s reputation. Is your reputation rock-solid? If so, now is the time, with modest investment, to capitalize on that differentiator. If it isn’t, then your competition will have an easier time luring your customers away and converting new prospective customers.

Hop to it, the holidays are a’ comin’.

If you’ve ever wondered how you can get your website to yield better results, you need to know about SitePal.

If you think you already know about SitePal, you seriously need to take another look.

As an expert about these matters, even I was able to get a good, old-fashioned schooling about SitePal’s capabilities from Yujin Sohn at the Small Business Technology Summit.

I’m amazed at what SitePal is up to right now. And the future? Fuggedaboudit! Break out your shades.

While I attended the Small Business Technology Summit in February, I had the opportunity to have a Tech Forward Convo with Jennifer Walzer of Backup My Info (BUMI).

Jennifer’s company offers a much-needed service to businesses–you already know how I feel about proper backups, and Jennifer offered some really critical information about new legislation involving the use of Social Security numbers online…along with a tip about BUMI’s new service, Qwipit, to help businesses bypass such challenges. Can you say, $250,000 fine?

Take a listen…

This is like asking an architect how much it will cost to build a house.

What kind of house? Brick? Wood? Stone masonry? How many people will live there? On what kind of terrain? What upgrades and amenities do you want? What time of year do you want to build it?

Can you see how we can quickly slide down the rabbit hole here?

This is the question that tips off an unscrupulous web designer that you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. That’s when he or she moves in for the kill with slick layouts (that do nothing for search engine rankings), fancy brochures and alphabet soup talk.

The first words out of your mouth to a perspective web designer should be: “Show me your work.” But don’t let the designer send you a PDF file filled with websites that are no longer operational. Ask to see only operational websites, and ask the designer to tell you what he or she did on each project. Some web designers just design what you see, and the back-end part is done by someone else. Be clear.

The next thing you should ask is: “If we were to work together, what would be the first thing you would do?” If he or she starts talking about fancy designs or platforms, run for the hills. The appropriate response should be something along the lines of wanting to understand more about your business and how it works or what you want your site to do. Some sites sell, some are just information sources, some are for books, others are for speakers. Be clear.

This is where you should have done your homework.

One would think that price comes now, right? No.

Now, you present a list of everything you want your site to do, look like and have. Don’t worry about lingo. Explain it in plain English. It’s the designer’s job to translate for you. Why should you have to learn a new vocabulary to communicate with a contractor? Over the course of time, you’ll know the correct names for technology tools, but now’s not the time to get hung up on that. No one can tell you what you want. The designer can make best-practice suggestions once you present your ideas, but no one can detail what you want.

Use examples. Provide links to sites you like and sites that make you cringe. Tell the prospective designer why you like or dislike a site. Point out specifics. Be clear.

If a designer wants to skip these first couple of steps with you, move on. If someone doesn’t have the time to get it right with you the first time, he or she will never have the time to get it right once your check is cashed.

Interview more than one designer. I suggest three to five, but at least three. This is your brand we’re talking about here. They don’t have to be long interviews. Plan your questions ahead of time and keep it simple: Twenty minutes apiece is easy.

Know the difference between a designer and a developer. A designer is someone who makes things look pretty. A developer is the guy with the digitial jackhammer who does the construction and heavy coding. Are some desginers developers and vice versa? Sure, but never assume. Be clear.

Issue a small-scale request for proposals if you like. Make people earn your business. Don’t be so quick to “marry” a designer.

As always, it’s an excellent idea to check references, get a contract and, if you can, start small and only pay for work that’s completed. That way you don’t get stuck with a nonoperational website $5,000 later.

Here’s a clip from an email I just received:

“Properly applied, the strategies revealed during this event will allow you to have an autopilot, never-ending flow of new clients pounding down your door–PLUS–a simple technique to create info products for passive revenue. “

Or what about this one:

“Never work again. There’s a new book out that explains that you don’t have to work as long or as hard as you think you do…”

For some reason, people think that the internet is going to make them rich. It reminds me so much of the old “Fool’s Gold” days.

I do believe in working smart and being strategic. I really do, but no amount of strategy in the world is going to bring in $12,000 of online income a week in the first week of business–unless, of course, you have $10,000 per week to spend on marketing and promotion. It just doesn’t make sense.

Most of the “net marketers” are just rehashed versions of pyramid schemers. Any good marketing tip they have, believe you me, they’ve used until it doesn’t work any longer and then they package it and sell you their “foolproof system” for $2,000.

The internet makes businesses easier to start, and it does a good job of removing some of the traditional barriers to entry for business. But it, too, comes with its own set of challenges that need to be addressed.

So take it for what it is: grease on the wheel, not an overnight money-making machine. Stay focused and don’t take any wooden nickels.

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing the CEO & Founder of Viewpoints.com, Matt Moog (pronounced ‘moug’ as in mog-ul).

Although the site launched this year (May 2007 to be exact) and my interview with Matt took place in July 2007, I was surprised to find the website well-populated with reviews from everyday people.

I don’t know about you, but I’m always skeptical of review sites. I mean, how do you know that the positive reviews aren’t from some corporate lackey and the negative reviews aren’t from cut-throat competitors or disgruntled former employees?

Matt was the first person who actually had an answer to that question and it wasn’t what I expected. Essentially, he admitted that sometimes this does happen and it’s a concern for sure, but what he also shared is that people are smart. Surprise! We can sniff out whether a review is overly positive or overly negative and use our deductive reasoning from there. He also made an excellent point that if someone has recently signed up to viewpoints.com and they only have positive things to say about a certain product or service – like if they aren’t engaged across the board – they’ve probably got an ulterior motive. Good answer!

After I saw that Matt could handle the tough questions, I lobbed another at him:

Who the heck needs another review site? I mean we’ve got TripAdvisor, Amazon.com, etc, etc.

But, Viewpoints.com is a bit different. The other review sites focus on the products or services themselves. They don’t focus on the reviewer. Viewpoints.com does.

Let me explain with a short story why this is important:

When I review resorts on TripAdvisor, I always look for recent reviews from people who are from New York. Why? Because I’m from New York and I know New Yorkers have a reputation for never settling for less than stellar treatment. So, I automatically place less weight on a review written by someone in Montana than I do on one written by someone in New York. (Yes, the person in Montana could be from New York, but we’re not going there today, ok?)

That’s what Viewpoints.com does automatically. It let’s you read reviews from people who have things in common with you (or not, if that’s your preference) so that you can really get the full scoop from someone who shares your same situation, preferences and even values. Who knew!?

I’ll give you another example…

I don’t have children so I don’t know a damn thing about car seats and such, but recently I had to purchase one for a client’s baby shower. I went straight over to Viewpoints.com, selected that I wanted to read car seat reviews written by moms who are into auto-safety and don’t like minivans – that description fits my client exactly. I bought the car seat, had it shipped, everyone’s happy and my client thinks I’m the most sensitive, caring being since Barney.

And, it’s not just baby stuff – from Dell computers to Raid Roach & Ant Spray – you’re sure to find a review about your planned purchase from someone whose opinion you respect.

Bottomline: It’s about time.

The authors of Career Distinction: Stand Out By Building Your Brand, William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson created an Online Identity Calculator to help professionals evaluate their current Google search saturation and relevance. They also tell you how to improve the results of your ego-search if you don’t like what you see.

I scored an 8 out of 10. That, folks, means I’m digitally distinct.

Out of 2,500 executives, most C-level types had scores of 6.37 and VP’s had scores aroud 5.79. That means I beat them all – my question is…where’s the additional income to prove it?

Here’s the other bit of flattery that the calculator heaped on me: “This is the nirvana of online identity. Keep up the good work, and remember that your Google results can change as fast as the weather in New England. So, regularly monitor your online identity.”

And, it’s no surprise that C-level women (6.59) averaged better than men (6.33).

Although women had less search volume (number of results returned), they did have more relevance in their results (the number of results that were about them and their brand specifically). And, we all know that quality trumps quantity any day.

Women are social by nature (save the negative comments, please) and as we start to toot our horns more and more – we can expect that our collective GQ scores will hit the digital stratosphere.

Bottomline: I think the GQ scores are relevant but don’t place too much emphasis on your score if it’s not what you expected. Focus on making the results better so that when someone Googles you, you show up how *you* want. This is an active way to positively impact your personal and professional brand.

I just told someone the other day that we’re moving more and more away from being a written word society. It starts with print and eventually the same thing will happen online. Mark my words: 95% of our communication will all be audio or video in the next 5-7 years – possibly sooner.

How do I know?

1) Because people are basically lazy. The energy it takes to type something, it’s much easier to say it.

2) More and more ‘newbies’ who don’t know how to type and want to squash the Mavis Beacon learning curve will want a short cut. That short cut is audio and video. We all learn how to talk. Not everyone learns how to type fast enough to keep pace with today’s flow of information.

3) Heck, even Tom Peters is raving about the latest version of Dragon Naturally Speaking.

4) These days it’s all about leaving a “zero carbon footprint”. You can’t do that if you’re cutting down trees, printing on them and sucking down tons of ink.

Here are some things you should consider:

* Brush up on your oral communication skills. If you prefer to hide behind text-based email, woe be unto you. But, then again, you can always send an audio email – this is becoming more and more popular.

* If you’re a print designer, learn how to code CSS and customize blogs. Now.

* If you’re a print advertiser, start making plans to digitize and track your ads online – it’s easier this way anyhow. Also, consider how your company can uniquely leverage being an event sponsor.

* Are you a project manager at a print publication? Make sure your job isn’t solely tied to the print portion of your company. If it is start volunteering to take on web-based projects.

* If you’re a printer, start looking into digital distribution.

* If you’re a copywriter for print publications – learn how to write for the web. Now.

* If you’re a writer, develop a system for leveraging your online materials both online and off. Leveraging print materials offline still works effectively – for now.

* If you’re a reader, get used to reading articles online – and for crying outloud learn how to subscribe to RSS feeds!

* Publishers be prepared to go mobile. There’s a reason online music has caught on the way it has. Music is personal. People want their music to be portable. Hence playlists were invented. People already have a playlist for their reading. It’s called and RSS feed. Just wait until more people learn how to really use them. That’s the ticket.

* Publishers should also prepare to go online. With trendy trade pubs like Blogger & Podcaster popping up with easy digital delivery one must remain relevant and competitive.

Some people will still want to savor the feeling of paper between their fingers as they read. There’ll be some die-hard types for sure but, digital is where this train’s headed. All aboard.

There are 4 key elements to a good website that produces qualified leads:

1) It has to be aesthetically pleasing. Invest in good quality design so your website passes the 3-second-catch-their-attention test.

2) The copy has to be legible and understandible. Don’t fill your website with buzzwords and industry lingo. That will put your company on a rocketship to Whocaresville. No amount of slick design can make up for crappy copy. Take yourself out of yourself and think about what you would like to read and learn if you were a potential client.

3) Leverage quality lead generation. Nothing takes the place of a good in-house marketing list. Remember: people don’t want to just sign up to get another mailing list anymore. No one cares. Give them something that’s worth them giving you their e-mail address – a special report, an exclusive audio interview, an e-mail e-course that delivers one lesson per day… Earn your spot in their inbox.

4) Make it usable. This is the trump factor. No mystery meat navigation – people should know exactly what they’ll get when they click a link. Make sure your website’s layout reflects how people really use the Internet – not how you WANT them to use your site. If you want people to sign-up for your lead generation tool (see item #3), actually give them a box to fill in at either the top-right or top-left of your website’s home page.

Bottom lines:

• Don’t make potential clients work to read your website.
• Give them a reason to keep coming back and/or reading future communication from you.

Recently Google has purchased several small businesses – Grand Central and Feedburner – to name two.

I personally think it’s all a part of their plot for world domination But, all jokes aside, Google is making some seriously smart business moves. Now, I bet you wish you hadda bought that IPO, huh?

The folks at Google are no dummies. They know that social media is where it’s at – for right now anyway. And, anything that comes after this current Web 2.0 phase is only going to be some hopped-up rendition of the same so, why not dominate early?

I can’t say that I know what makes Google want to purchase a company but a couple of things are clear:

1. Innovation. The product or service has to have a high degree of innovation. Like Feedburner’s enabling the social media-challenged to subscribe to blogs by email. Ingenius.

2. Usefulness. In the case of the Grand Central acquisition, this kind of service would become more and more useful as geographic boundaries are disintegrating and

3. Solid user base/adoption rates. Google wants to see that people are interested in the product or service. And, with good reason. No one – no, not even Google – wants to own what no one else wants.

I’m sure there are more reasons but, my invitation to be on Google’s Board of Directors must have been lost in the mail so, I don’t have much more to say about the alleged selection criteria.

However, I do think it’s safe to say that if you’re hoping your company will get bought by Google – or any other Google-like company – your company should at the very least meet the three criteria above and you might want to give me a call…I have this great bridge that’s for sale…