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Friday, September 25, 2009

The Problem with Blogging

Posted by Jessica Madrazo on July 3, 2009

Working in an industry that pays you to blog carries about difficulties that most bloggers face, with some additional toppings. Going to work everyday, churning your brains to dish out about four blogs on a client’s service or product creates a thin film that seems to block the usual consciousness of those who blog for personal reasons. It creates the illusion that it’s okay to flood out all thoughts and publish them on the web. It creates a false illusion that yes, the whole of the internet is your friend.

So you publish a post, receive both positive AND negative feedback, and all of a sudden, you say, well, it’s my personal blog. You cannot hold what I say against me because they are purely my opinions. No matter how rotten I write it, no matter how intrusive the topics, no matter how dangerously private the information is, others should not care because this is no longer for the company. These are my own opinions. Wrong.

Writing something and publishing it on the web for all the world to see is no longer something as private as an email to your closest friends. It is there, everyone can see it, and everyone also has the right to place whatever opinions they have about it. You both have equal rights. Face the facts. You get immediate responses, both bad and good. And this is the juice of the brilliance of blogging.

If you’re not open to face the facts, you either cut back on writing, or, swallow your disillusionment and deal with it.

There are a lot of wasted internet space that talk about the nonsensical world. However, that is not for me, or any reader tojudge. The blogsphere is a medium for those with similar ideas to converge, communicate, and share. And, whether we like it or not, there are those who share the same love of the supposed nonsense of who their favorite heroes are, or whether Megan Fox is as hot as the movies portray her to be.

Applying the Art of War in Web Content Writing

Posted by Jan Rodrigo Evangelio on April 30, 2009

With all the struggles for optimal ranking in search engines, free-for-all skirmishes for the internet surfers’ attention, and online campaign for intellectual property rights, the Internet has indeed become a battlefield of information.

What do we do to take the upper hand when there are millions of enemies? The main weapon, perhaps, would still be quality content. Simple as it may seem, most battle-scarred and successful web generals still recommend the tried and tested strategy, which is to equip their top fighters (the writers!) the right training, and of course, the guns and ammunition.

Aside from learning the basics such as producing brief and concise, keyword-rich write-ups, the writers should be able to write FOR the readers’ sake, NOT for the website. And there is no better training than to write and write and write. Guns and ammos? Well, the people who do the technical side.

We are speaking of the internet as a battlefield. How do we apply then the oldest, most successful and influential book in military strategy? The Art of War by Sun Tzu has been deemed relevant, not only in real battlegrounds, but also in business and a lot of other fields. Let us now apply it in web content writing.

“Know thy self, know thy enemy, and know when to strike.” Essentially, this is what the Art of War is all about. If the writer knows his strengths as well as weaknesses, he will use these to his advantage by doing what he does best and working on the areas he needs to improve on. As a company, knowing your goals and potentials, and where you are right now, create a sense of direction and dedication to achieve these goals.

The enemy does not only mean your rivals. Knowing your rivals, knowing how they operate and wage war, is very helpful. But the enemy also includes the rules that need to be followed in the internet. Being aware of the rules of battlefield, knowing how to play by them, and having the ability to bend them a little, give you a lot of advantages. Examples of these are recognizing intellectual property rights, rules on keywording, etc.

“Know when to strike.” Planning is also key to winning battles. A firm grasp of what to do and how to do it provides a lot of advantage. But in a competitive world as the internet, sometimes plans collide and strategies overlap, just as ideas and opinions in writing do. The ability to respond quickly is the way to go. In content writing, specifically, a writer needs a lot of repackaging and enhancement to do in order to create something new.

Theoretically laid down, the Art of War guides writers to battle it out in the internet. The book also states that winning battles does not happen overnight. And the same goes for writing content. The right training is not only to write and write and write, but also enjoy.

How to Get the Best Out of Your Outsourcing Experience

Posted by Jenny-Lyne Cagadas on

“The offshore outsourcing market will continue to grow nearly 20% annually through 2008…” -META Group October 2004

As predicted, the times have changed favorably for the field of outsourcing since the turn of the millennium. Amidst the rise and fall of the economy, outsourcing firms have managed to grow into profit-making and profit-giving empires. From a dark corner, it has broken out into the limelight, gaining an incredible amount of popularity in the business sector due to the fact that it promises commercial development for its clients, with minimal amount of stress. Outsourcing basically works with the concept, “service at your fingertips, delivered how you want it, where you want it, any time you want it.”

Indeed, there are many advantages in subscribing to outsourcing firms. For one, they allow global companies to avail of low-cost labor in other countries that only demand cheap tax payments. These countries are filled with personnel, gifted with the required skills, background and know-how in building and handling business processes. With them, clients have the advantage of saving on time and costs for hiring, training, and providing the necessary tools and work space for their employees, with the possibility of doubling their investment and gaining momentum in competing with rivaling businesses. A statistic has confirmed that companies get an average saving of 40% due to outsourcing. In addition to this, outsourcing allows clients to specialize on certain services to fit their business requirements. And in as much, with the use of a contract, customers can demand outputs that satisfy their standards, thereby, ensuring quality. Companies also gain the privilege of accessing avenues for innovation when there is limited supplementation in their own business backyard.

Sadly, there has been a lot of bad publicity lately. The risks in dealing with outsourcing, such as that opportunism, information asymmetry, language barriers, and lack of supplier expertise/resources/ability, have driven investors out the door. There are plenty of relatively negative feedbacks on outsourcing and they unfairly taint the whole industry. It must be understood that these risks are preventable through choosing the correct lines to tap. It’s easy to get excited over the idea, but interested parties should consciously scrutinize the characteristics of the helping hand they take into service.

With numerous outsourcing firms out there, it is difficult to distinguish which one is the best. So at the very least, choose an outsourcing firm that has an exceptional work history and pool of professionals. As business partners, ensure that the outsourcing firm you get operates in a mutually beneficial way and has your best interest at heart. That’s how you will get the best out of your outsourcing experience.

Blogging: Is Shorter Better?

Posted by Jessica Madrazo on April 28, 2009

Blogging: Short or Long?

As you’ve probably noticed, blogs are getting shorter and shorter as the years progress. Blog entries are limited to 250 with a maximum of 500 words, and the gaps between paragraphs are forever bombarded and drowned with images. Is this due to the fact that bloggers are getting lazier, or is there an underlying principle behind this word count cut?

Maybe there is. There could be several reasons for this trend, both on the blogger, and the reader. Placing myself on the reader’s shoes, if I were to read something I was interested in, I would probably stick to it for as long as I can, until I get bored. However, if I were to read something I was interested in, and the article happen to be as amusing, then, I’ll make it a point to finish the entire read.

The point is, there aren’t too many blogs out there who can actually deliver all informative, long and fun. If there were, they would probably have monotinized their niche. If unable to deliver these three, the reader would jump to a blog that’s just as informative, but more interesting than yours. There are millions out there, and all very likely to be found. Attention has to be caught early on, or the reader will be lost half-way through the article. Even I would ditch some articles I used to appreciate if I got the same ideas presented in something shorter.

On the other side of the wall, bloggers also have something to benefit from shorter entries aside from having more time to do other things. One is being able to write more than an article a day. Drafting, editing, and finalizing a really long article takes a very long time. Write shorter entries and be able to reach around 3 or 4 blogs a day. Since your ideas are pieced, there are less chances of not being able to write at all. Stuffing a lot of ideas into a single article could lead to a burn out, and you could end up digging for ideas on the next article.

Another thing you should also consider is that readersare most likely looking for specific information. The drill would be to scan the article for their search terms, and with long articles, it will prove to be a daunting task. Hence, they move on to something shorter and concise.

Before you decide that short is for you, keep in mind that it should be matched with quality information. The term is brief; short, and direct to the point. So, is shorter better?

Anything More With RP Outsourcing?

Posted by carisa on February 17, 2009

Dubbed these days as the “sunshine” industry, the once undervalued business, now amid the current global economic recession, has once again proved its unexpected might.  Business Process Outsourcing has successfully generated $6 -billion revenue last year, and positively targeting $8 billion this year. In a bid to be one of the top outsourcing location in the world, representing the BPO sector, the Business Processing Association of the Philippines  unveiled new programs to widen its path to get to the peak namely, language skills, competency assessment, scholarship programs and leadership training aimed to further develop local talents. But in an industry where strong partnership, collaboration of brilliant ideas and confidentiality are involved, there could be no shortcut to glory. Let’s trace the shadow of our outsourcing models. India’s case is much like the Philippines that, as an offshore partner, possesses the niche to be chosen as one good location by clients abroad. English-speaking workforce, pool of talents, and cultural flexibility still remain as constant criteria in the competition. What else do we need to work on? What other attractive offering to post? Maybe we might just have overlooked on a minor but blowing idea. How about offering an added value that goes beyond cost and fulfillment of a client’s business needs? Consider expertise, yes, it is a cutting-edge advantage that unfortunately others maybe offering but with a corresponding added premium. Would it be an uncommon innovation that stands alone aside from the commonly campaigned quality?

Virtual Assistant Services

Posted by carisa on February 4, 2009

The best modern-era solution to costly traditional office assistants, Virtual Assistant Services are varied jobs through the internet, email, phone, fax and a lot of other communication channels imaginable, however the amount that can be saved will be quite unimaginable. Just imagine delegating backdoor jobs right at the comfort of wherever you are, without the need to actually go to your office and instruct assistants about jobs needed to be done at the time you need them most, thus, saving you of your precious time, equipment, recruitment and training cost and other overhead cost.

From administrative, information processing, web design and management to a lot of other creative services, virtual assistants amazingly provide for an agreed time and cost. Therefore, a small, medium or even a large scale business gets all the best in concentrating on the most strategic business development aspects and benefit a tremendous business growth and even a quality personal life.

Customer Care Representative

Posted by carisa on

To act as a direct point of contact for customers is what a Customer Care Representative should be, one that should ensure that queries and concerns of customers must be properly assisted and addressed. A customer care representative represents the credibility of a company therefore, it is imperative to hire representatives who can provide the best service to all types of customers.  Before the hiring process, among other things, the following must be considered first.

1. The needs of the customers must first be determined. The skills of the representatives should match those of the customers.
2. Representatives must fully understand what they represent, the company’s products/services and must develop loyalty to the company.
3. Voice qualification must also be seriously considered. Customer Care Representatives must have a pleasant and confident sounding voice.

With the right amount of training, updated technology and attractive incentives, the ultimate objective is likely to be achieved.

Outsourcing Philippines

Posted by carisa on

The current global economic trend incidentally pushes outsourcing in the Philippines into greater advantage. Why? Consider this primary reason. As the current global monetary medium rises, so too are the cost of services, operational expenses and other necessary cost brought about for outsourcing execution, consequently rise too. And for cost conscious businesses in the recession struck first world countries, this means a lot.  For the Philippine Outsourcing Industry, this means life.

While we are aware of the domino-effect of the first world financial crisis to the third-world, such as the Philippines, as US media reports about massive layoff of most US workforce, will soon predictably be heard of most local firms, one potential industry to soar in the middle of the crisis would definitely be outsourcing. Notwithstanding the Philippine’s world-class Information Technology and Business Process competence, just among the viable reasons for outsourcing in the Philippine shores.

It would then be safe to say that the industry will head on to its positive path of emerging to be on top of Philippine’s economic indicator along with the consumer goods industry.  So, gearing up for outsourcing business would be a better investment and diversifying to outsourcing industry could be a better option to existing entrepreneurs today.

Four types of outsourcing

Posted by anthony on February 2, 2009

Outsourcing is becoming more and more popular in today’s business environment. Most companies tend to outsource some of their work functions. It is a process in which the company or individual business man contracts another company to avail particular services. There are four basic types of outsourcing, wherein the categorization is based on the nature of work being outsourced.

The first type is Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in which call center outsourcing, human resources outsourcing (HRO), finance and accounting outsourcing and claims processing outsourcing belong. The second is Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO). It includes IT services, technical support, software testing, and website management outsourcing. The third type is Software R&D or also known as software development outsourcing. Finally, Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO), is the type of outsourcing that includes reading X-Rays, performing investment research on stocks and bonds, handling the accounting functions for a business or executing engineering design project.

By looking at the benefits of Outsourcing, we can deduce that it is indeed helpful and a practical choice because of its cost-effectivity. You can gain access to knowledge pool that is not available inside your own company. You can also attain flexible capacity management in which you are enabled to flexibly manage the production capacity and staff as well. The Time Zone coverage that are set up 24/7/365 operation makes your business operation more efficient.

S.E.O

Posted by anthony on

Internet business industry becomes more popular in today’s world. By using the internet you can market your business through a website or a web page. SEO or “Search Engine Optimization” is the effective way to introduce your website into the web. There are things to be considered in order to increase the traffic in your web site.

Build a link that has significant referrals, remember traffic is the key. Always pay attention to where the link is placed it should be visible to the readers on the site and it should be placed either on the side bar link or content link. In the world of online business, building a valuable relationship with the readers is  the most important point, without them your website is nothing.

It is also important to visit other sites that have  relatively the same content with your site, in that way you could exchange link with them. Be careful to those links with theme distributions, widget bait and other form of link bait. These will affect your credibility and reputation on the web. Always bear in mind that SEO is not just increasing the traffic on the web but converting the readers into real buyers.