Scoop-Net.Info

I am addicted to the Internet. I am a busy working parent and still I
find the time to check my e-mail, chat with my friends in Yahoo Instant
Messenger, read news, forums and on and on.

I need “to know” and I need “to have” more than ever before. I want to
get my latest news. I want to spread the news to my on-line and
off-line friends, who, I might add, are doing exactly the same. I need
to get a new book or … shoes or … gadget just because it is there
and easy to buy, no need to drive and look for parking at the mall.
Don’t you love these FREE shipping offers? All this is in addition to
already being entertained on the Internet watching YouTube, listening
to iTunes etc. Do you do the same?

It is not hard to find out if you’re addicted to the Internet. Do you
find that when you get online you’re frequently surprised by the amount
of time that has passed? Do you find yourself staying home instead of
enjoying a beautiful day outside because you’d rather use the Internet?

A recent study from Stanford University School of Medicine found that
more than one in eight Americans show signs that they could be
suffering from some form of internet addiction.

How do you cure this problem? Google “Internet Addiction” and log on to
a bunch of websites? Instant Message other sufferers? Join an Internet
support group? Or buy self-help books from our favorite on-line store
(after performing an extensive price comparison)? You might as well
offer a drink to an alcoholic trying to cure his addiction.

In China, parents send their children as young as 12 to the first
officially licensed clinic for Internet addiction at the Beijing
Military Region Central Hospital. That is after their kids skip school
to spend time playing online games and visiting chat rooms. These kids
are admitted suffering from depression, nervousness, panic, fear,
agitation, unwillingness to interact with others, sleep disorders, the
shakes and numbness in their hands. The daily schedule at the center
begins at 6 a.m. and includes electric shock treatment and the
administration of intravenous drips to “adjust the unbalanced status of
brain secretions”.

This sounds a little extreme to me. How about a gentler American way of
approaching this problem? How about using a new high-tech device called
SnoopStick?

SnoopStick is a very small USB flash drive
device that will allow someone to fully monitor and limit your access
to the Internet from any other computer on the Internet. Just run the
set-up program on your computer then unplug the device and give it to
your trusted friend. Your friend will plug Snoop Stick to any
Windows-based computer (in her home or office) and at any time will be
able to monitor your Internet use and disable your access to the
Internet if needed. You can also specify the times when you will be
able to access Internet and SnoopStick will enforce this schedule.

Stay aware, alert, and in control of your Internet with Snoop Stick.

One of the prime motivations for Internet marketing is that you don’t
want to be in the same place you are right now - in 12 months.

In every business the predominant idea is to set goals that help
you conduct business smarter, learn lessons faster and bring more
business to your site.

The problem is many entrepreneurs tend to stay focused on their
bottom line and to product fulfillment issues. By doing so they may
indeed find themselves in the same place 12 months from now. They may
also find their business has declined in total sales revenue.

How is that possible?

This is an interesting question especially when, from all
appearances, the business owner IS paying attention to their business
and that the sales are brisk. It can also seem baffling when it appears
that the business owner is busier than they have ever been.

The problem may be that some of the details of business should be
delegated to other employees, especially if the business is of
significant size.

The sad truth is some business owners are spending too much time in
the mailroom and not enough time in long-term strategic planning.
Online business grows as new ideas are developed and implemented.

It is not unlike an architect spending all his or her time
developing the entryway of a new luxury hotel while failing to draw up
plans for the rest of the building. It looks nice from the outside, but
the inside is in disarray.

What this means, in the broadest terms, is that you need to pay
attention to all aspects of your online business. If you don’t feel
adequate to manage certain aspects of the business then find someone
who can. When you neglect certain aspects of your business you will
almost always run the risk of a loss of long-term business. You will
also be subjected to feast or famine cycles where you may have more
work than you can handle for a period of time and not enough work for
an equal or greater length of time.

It’s a given that you find your business to be an important part of
your life. You have invested a lot in the success of your business and
that investment is too great to simply allow glaring marketing
omissions to go unchallenged.

Sometimes business owners adopt an out of sight - out of mind
mentality. They avoid those things that are not on their immediate
radar. They push back all those things that are not fires to attend
only the tyranny of the urgent.

Internet marketing is one of the very first things to be cast from
view for many businesses. The reason this is true is because the role
of marketing seems to have little intrinsic value for those online
shops that are currently doing a brisk business. It appears to be a
sign that they did everything right and can move on to the role of bean
counter.

Learn the art of balancing your business interests and include marketing as a prime component for achieving future goals.