Fingers do the talking...

By: Jake Dimare

A long time ago, before the dawn of the world wide web, there was the Yellow Pages. At the time they were undeniably the best way to find what you were looking for. If you lived in a large metropolitan area...the Yellow Pages were also the cheapest way to make it possible for a 6 year old to sit at the grown up table for dinner without being nose level with the peas and carrots.

I remember Yellow Pages had a popular campaign they used for a long time which included the tag line "Let Your Fingers do the Walking"...in other words use the book instead of walking around trying to find the best store to buy tires or whatever it was you were looking for.

Today things are much, much different. A measurable percent of my day at at work is dedicated to creating new and interesting ways for my business clients to communicate with their constituents online. Long gone are the days when businesses could simply increase the size of their print advertisement in order to get the phone to ring more frequently. Today a persistent, metered approach which includes frequently putting your name out there where your buyers are directing their attention. The one size fits all approach is over.

The Internet and related technologies have also changed the way we communicate with one another. The ease and simplicity with which an instant message, wall post, myspace comment, email, text message or bulletin post can be transmitted and consumed has dramatically increased the number of exchanges between individuals. I am fairly certain this is not a short lived phenomenon.

Because increased communication means increased possibility of some social blunder...For a notoriously distracted and, as a result, sometimes insensitive guy like myself this can only mean I am destined to offend, embarrass or cause discomfort to myself, someone or some group of someones unless I can adopt practices which will limit the ways which I will communicate. Or, as a good friend put it...put my brain in gear before my fingers do the talking!

There are probably a hundred books on this topic, any suggestions? I'd look it up in the Yellow Pages but...In the meantime I will try to remember...keep it light out there! If there are any feelings or adversity involved...a Phone call or face to face is most likely the best approach.