Boldly Heading To The New Frontier

My name is Rory Graham and I have been producing videos since 1984. It was not to many years ago that I would begin a video project using a very large camera. It was a Betacam SP camera that was big, heavy and expensive. But of course it was the quality standard at the time and what I needed to use to get the result that I wanted. Today a small HDV camera can run circles around that one providing better quality at about 1/3 the price.

If I wanted to, I could still shoot with the Betacam, but it would be more difficult and my results would certainly not be as good. Fortunately I realize that times do change and our businesses need to keep up with them or die. In fact, if you think about it, no matter what business you are in, your marketplace has changed just like my cameras did. In this series of articles we will explore these changes that are affecting all of us and explore how we can take adjust and harness them to our advantage. We have a lot of information to cover so let’s get started with the topic of this article that we call the new frontier.

This is what I mean by the new frontier. Not too long ago, starting any business was a really big deal. It was costly, risky and not for the faint of heart. I know I started several of them. You needed a product or service, distribution, advertising and on and on. Today is certainly no easy ride either but there are some very real differences. For example, depending on your business, the high start up costs in the past have, in many cases been substantially reduced or eliminated. This is very good news if you are just starting a business and bad news if you are already established because it invites more competition.

Which brings us to our second difference, competition.

In the past it was not uncommon to have a competitor in the same town but today they may not even be from the same country. Businesses are constantly facing competitors offering competing products and services from vendors from all over the world.

The third thing that is changing is our customer’s. Today’s consumer is better informed about your product and or service, your competition and your field of expertise than ever before. Research is easy and instantaneous and they are taking advantage of it in huge numbers.. The reason for this paradigm shift in business operations, competition and customer knowledge is the Internet and its impact on everything around it.

The Internet has connected us to information is such a way as to transform how we work, buy, interact and live our lives. The technology that has evolved with it has made science fiction of yesterday science fact of today. This rapidly expanding technology has killed some businesses, changed the ones that stayed and created many others. Some have found opportunity in the crisis and have adapted to this new fast paced environment.. Others stubbornly clung to the old ways of doing things and were left wondering what happened.

The simple fact is, the Internet is changing how we interact and communicate with each other as both consumers and businesses. Let me give you a personal example. At the start of this Internet boom, I saw a few people involved with new technologies such as chat rooms, ICQ and message boards. I had no interest in this at all. By the time I finally started to see some benefit in it they had moved on to something else and I was playing catch up. I decided right then that I would never wait to start using something personally before recognizing that others all ready did.

In a more recent example I found myself looking at text messaging and just shaking my head. I have seen people in the same room texting each other. I myself do not use text messaging much at all. I do not really see the point of texting someone instead of just talking to them. In fact, I find it frustrating, but I am aware that there are millions out there who do not share my point of view. So when I see a technology like texting or Facebook or an application that is connecting with millions, I no longer need to wait until I want to use it myself. I don’t need to wait until I personally see the value in it. Instead, I study and analyze how I might make this new technology, trend or product work for me and my company. If it makes sense, I use it and then track the results.

There is no denying that the Internet is a tremendous force for all of us in business to harness if we want to succeed. Let me show you what I mean. Here are some interesting statistics. The internet is now reaching over 1.5 billion people on a daily basis through computers and the mobile phone crowd is starting to really expand with smart phones and they represent another- 2.5 Billion. 89% of Internet users claim that they use the internet to look for information. 81% say they research online first before buying many products and services, maybe even yours. 71% say they shop online with the age group 33 to 44 leading the online shopping crowd.

Speaking of ages, lets take a look at how different age groups are using the Internet. Generation X: (30 – 45) now spends more time on the computer than watching TV, and tend to use technology that supports their lifestyle like online banking, shopping, research.

Gen Y (19 – 30) integrate the internet technology into everything they do. They watch more online video, and connect and socialize on the web very easily

We called this introduction, the new frontier which depending on your age might conjure up image of cowboys and cattle drives or Captain Kirk and the Enterprise. In either case we are in for an adventure with plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting. The Internet is here to stay and the associated technology has opened the doors of wealth to all who want to learn, work, innovate and create.

If you look across the entire business spectrum you see a shift happening because the big players in these fields are no longer calling all the shots. Think about it, newspapers, magazines, books radio, retail stores the travel business they have all been impacted deeply by the Internet. This is because the power has shifted to the individual, to the small business and to the entrepreneur. You just need a desire and a plan of action to take your product or service to the world. That’s what the following articles are all about. Helping you take command and tame this new frontier. Its not about access anymore. Nowadays anyone can have access to the entire connected planet but what you do with that access will determine your level of success..

Allied Video Services is a 26 year old video production and website company offering the best in custom marketing services for your business. Video Production, Search Engine Optimization, Website Design. Check here for free reprint license: Boldly Heading To The New Frontier.