We all love the internet!
Information about anything, is at our fingertips at any moment. For those encyclopedia sales men that used to hit the streets packing those large books, this is a miracle! Along with ALL of this information comes a lot more required research on the consumer/ info seekers part. As a consumer today using the internet to gather information to enhance their business and their lives, sifting and sorting through much information becomes a vital part of the decision making process.
The number one thing a consumer should ask themselves when getting information online is:
Is the source of information credible?
Here are a few things to consider to ensure the information you gather, is in fact, valuable.
1. What is the credibility of the person making the offer you are interested in?
Is the person with the offer getting the results you want in life?
This seems obvious and yet can be easily overlooked. Google their name, check out their facebook page, their blog, etc.
Does the person with the offer have your best interests in mind, or looking to make a quick buck?
After doing the research, being in a direct conversation with them, is a valuable way for you to discern; to give you the confidence you require to make an informed decision about the product or service being offered. Are you a quick sale to them, or do they take the time to be with you about your questions? Much is revealed of a person’s character in a quick five minute conversation. (more to share on this in an upcoming blog).
2. Reviewing what others have said about the offer you are interested is a way for consumers to get information. Reading reviews and comments sections about the product/ service can be valuable if you keep the following in mind:
Is the person posting comments/ feedback about the offer you are interested, using their name?
If a person is not willing to use their name, or if they using a false name, it is an indicator that their feedback whether positive or negative, could be as valuable as the writing on the bathroom wall.
Does the person offering the feedback, speak with reason?
If the person posting is disgruntled in anyway, proceed with caution. There is a difference between sound feedback and someone giving up their responsibility in the choice they made. Notice their level of responsibility. If they take NONE.. beware. Blame is very typically a person pointing over at something/ some one else so you won’t notice what they themselves have done.
Note: Unethical marketers may use reviews/ feedback sections in attempt to sway the customer’s attention. When you see this, be warned. If someone is throwing another under the bus to get your attention, steer clear. It’s a sign of Unethical Behavior Ahead.
These are a few simple things to do to ensure the information we are getting on the internet is in fact true. Let’s do our research! Although it’s out there, soon the MIS information will be so invaluable. The Truth Always wins! and finding the truth to assist their business and their lives, is what every successful consumer and entrepreneur will do!
Yours in Success,
Google Buzz
24 Comments on Information Age or MIS Information Age – the Internet
24 Comments
Lisa,
Very sound advice to follow. Information abounds on the internet, yet is it always validated. I agree with your opinion about trying to shift the blame. Being open, honest and transparent are the keys. If something you’ve done or said turns out to be wrong, own it! It’s all about learning experiences.
Thanks for your refreshing outlook on this area of information & mis-information.
Val
Val Wilcox´s last blog ..It’s All About The Story
Val, I love what you said about being open, honest and transparent. SO TRUE. and the best way to do business. I’ve made my share of mistakes around this early on in my career as an entrepreneur – trying to make things look a certain way. So much more advantageous for all involved, to put all the energy into being the best ME (Oscar Wilde says – be yourself – everyone else is taken..) Now there is some great advise! Best, Lisa
Hey Lisa,
I enjoyed this post. There is so much junk on the internet that is passed of as “real information”. So many people take information at face value, but I have found the best way to get true information is to talk with the source or to get credible references.
I am looking forward to getting to know you.
Thanks,
Scott
Scott – so agree. In our technology world, I am happy to say, I love email, I love skype and successful entrepreneurs do not hide behind those tools. Sometimes I think people have to be reminded to just pick up the phone ; )
Excited to do just that with you this week! Best, Lisa
Hi Lisa,
You’ve given some great advice to your readers… I hope that they heed the considerations that you’ve laid out before them.
The Internet is a fabulous source of information, but one has to use their discretion to sort out the hyperbole from the facts… the promises from the reality.
Your post is a very helpful guideline for all of us to adhere to and remember. Thanks for sharing…. and may ALL the tips you receive be GOOD ones!
All the BEST, Chris
Chris McCargar´s last blog ..Welcome to a Video Email Universe
Thanks for your comments Chris. I must admit Chris, I’m just a cool 40, (just turned earlier in the week.. ; ) but I definitely resisted the internet with the reason of too much MIS info. Then I realized, I can complain about it – aka be part of the problem, or assist with the solution. I take a solid stand in real, authentic, valuable info on the internet and I see that you do too!
Thanks for that. Best, Lisa
You make a great point. I’m glad you mentioned the disgruntled voices…We are in the “THANK YOU” Age. Paying attention to customers and followers is no longer an option. Staying on top of the pulse is crucial. You simply can’t please everyone, but if the majority of the feedback you get is bad, you will not survive.
Sometimes people want the world without taking responsibility for their role in the transaction, so you will sometimes see a negative comment, or disgruntled customer that isn’t quite seeing the big picture. Regardless, everyone has a voice in this day in age. It just means those with integrity and those with the best content survive. Great Point Lisa
Nick, Well stated – that we are in the THANK YOU Age!
I have found unethical marketers or naysayers, often will go to great lengths to perpetuate controversy in attempt to divert a customer’s attention. Sometimes the feedback is not only false, it’s an attempt to disrepute an individual or a company altogether. Just to be educated on the rules on the net is not enough, one has to also apply them with integrity, and of course the ones focusing on great content and integrity, as you mentioned, will always be the long standing!
Cheers to you for educating and demonstrating how to stay on top of the pulse! Glad to know you Nick.
Great advice, Lisa!
We’re always 100% responsible for what we say and there’s always a way to say something constructively without being negative. But, there are also people who will interpret what they hear based on their own “filters”. And there are people who are just out to be negative period (was you pointed) for personal gains.
Janette
Janette Stoll´s last blog ..Another product launch? How to use it in marketing your network marketing business
Janette,
Thank you for your thoughts! I have learned that anytime I blame.. it means I want all the attention off of something I did! However, I, like every successful entrepreneur, want to be informed and do also rely on feedback to make decisions and better myself. It is important to be able to discern a person’s intentions. I love people, and have learned the hard way, that everyone does not have pure intentions. And gratefully I have learned from my mistakes! ; ) I look forward to getting to know you. Best, Lisa
Lisa,
Great post We want to work with & gather information from others who are authentic, & not from those trying to make a quick buck. By connecting first we can build lasting relationships!
Take care,
Becca
Becca´s last blog ..Video Branding For Beginners….What NOT to do!
Amen, sister! : ) It is becoming more simple for people to discern if they apply a few principles, who is authentic online and who is not. Being able to effectively communicate online is one thing. Doing it with a well intentioned purpose is in a league all it’s own!
I really look forward to getting to know you Becca.
Best, Lisa
Hey Lisa, great post. With freedom comes great responsobility. One of the things that I love about our community is that everyone takes responsibility for their actions and for they way they live. To live in Truth is great and means you don’t have to have a great memory (untruthful people have to remember their stories and often contradict themselves).
The internet is vast and on the positive front, it’s given a voice to those who were previously unheard and great things are being done on a global scale that were not possible before. As always and with everything, do your research and be careful.
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” Buddha
Howard´s last blog ..Getting The Word Out There
Very well said Howard! and that friend of yours, Buddha, he is a wise one! xo
Hi Lisa,
I agree the internet is an awesome resource but can also be a nightmare for the uninitiated.
I can remember about 7 years ago buying my first e-book online for $67 and it was a complete piece of junk.
Fast forward to today and I’ve learnt the skills to check out the credibility of who I’m buying from. But how many newbies do this? I know I didn’t.
The great thing about your post is you are educating people to take responsibility!
Google is an amazing resource if used wisely.
Michaelé
Michaelé Harrington´s last blog ..How To Brand Your Blog With A Favicon
Michaele, What a great point you made about the article. Like you, I do believe in educating people to take responsibility.
Best, Lisa
I connect with people everyday who are unwilling to take responsiblity – and they have all this hesitation to move forward in their lives because they say they were scammed before. I gently remind them… You were scammed by you! Authenticity and Value will outshine any sort of scammer. However, in my opinion, the consumer must educate themselves! Knowledge is power – and APPLIED knowledge crushes it!
Lisa,
I couldn’t agree with your more. There is so much information online today that often takes a fine tooth comb to sort through it. Your tips are great advice to help aft through all of it.
There’s 2 tip offs for me that make me beware. One is “Is XYZ Co. a Scam?” The other is when some one IS SCREAMING THEIR MESSAGE TO ME. 2 red flags in my book and I see them all the time.
Don Enck´s last blog ..Video…The Ultimate Personal Branding Tool!
Thanks Don for the additional tips! Anytime someone is making the comment to “don’t use x” or “don’t buy y”, To me, it’s like them holding a beacon sign saying “STAY AWAY FROM ME” – Don’t they know that what they say about another, they really are thinking/ saying about themselves?! Thanks for your friendship! Lisa
Hi Lisa!
I laugh at the email forwards that I get
that are totally ridiculous. People need
to check out their information before
they pass it on as true like on Snopes.com
Heck it’s your reputation on the line
when you recommend and promote content.
Thanks for your great tips,
Kary
Kary Rogney´s last blog ..Top 10 Reasons Why I Use Katie Freiling’s Unified Tribe Syndication Platform
Great point about reputation Kary! I believe that as more people take a look at how and what they communicate, and how it impacts their own reputation, it will allow the integrity level of our industry to continue to go up. I guess for me this is a reminder that I still have work to do to educate
Thanks Kary for being a solid stand in our industry that Authenticity IS the way to go! Best, Lisa
Hi Lisa,
It amazes me how much garbage is floating around out there on the Internet, and how many people pick it up, thinking there has to be some magic tunnel to fame and fortune there! A good friend of mine recently confessed how embarrassed he is about putting his name and reputation on a totally junk “opportunity” that went belly-up before it even got going. I see this kind of thing happening all the time, and it is just so hard to believe! At the end of the day, a person MUST do their due diligence. You remind us all of how essential that is!
Mary Lou
Mary Lou Kayser´s last blog ..The Sweetest Words an Entrepreneur Could Ever Hear
Mary Lou, Thanks for that example about your friend. I find it comical when someone expresss their dismay about being scammed. Really what I hear them communicating is their dismay about their own ignorance.
In my opinion, if everyone took the responsibility to be educated, there would be no scams! Great to get to know you! Lisa
What great advice to give to people. I am laughing as I read this because I get so many people trying to “sneak in” to my channels it gets to be funny.
You would think by now, with all the education on the internet that people would learn something. (smh – shake my head)
Thanks,
Donna
Donna, it amazes me too.. and after listening to a team call today on forgiveness, I realized that thank goodness I was able to forgive myself for SOOO many mistakes that I made when I was new. Guess that is why I have a passion for educating and assisting others, as I know you do! We still got work to do – Lol! Excited to stay connected. Best, Lisa
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