Power of the Internet?

[CocoPops]

So, in light of a recent thread lock, I thought I'd ask a question.

Is the Internet good or bad for businesses?

I mean, in a time of discussion, often with and without facts, companies face a hard decision. They expect to reap the benefits of widespread advertising, yet if they are questioned on something they often withdraw from discussion. Is this because the people faced with the questions don't have the power to respond? Is this because they are afraid to respond?

Word of mouth has moved on and I think companies are struggling to deal with the effects of this.

I believe the internet is a good thing for business, as long as they are willing to be open with us, rather than hiding behind bluff and bluster. If companies are not willing to be open, honest and truthful then they shouldn't be partaking in internet discussions.


*Please don't name companies in this thread, I'd rather we were allowed to discuss rather than have this thread locked also.

[Nasir]

Is this a uni assignment?  

Seriously though, I think the internet is really good for business. They can widen the customer base and inform there customers about their company in a discussion. But as you've said, it can go very wrong when the company acts in an unfriendly manner. No doubt that the company which was being discussed recently has had it's reputation damaged, I for one see them a bit differently now.

[CocoPops]

No, not a uni assignment 

It's about companies who pay to support the forum we post on, but yet when a customer relies on them to help, don't want to talk about it.

[Janner_Sy]

i dont think they pay to support the forum, thats why SteveP asks for donations

[CocoPops]

As I understand it.... the "club schemes" pay a referral.

[stealthwolf]

I think it's valid that if they have a forum presence, then they should be able to give responses to questions. Where I would draw the line is at specific cases as you need all points of the argument. It may breach confidentiality and also impede the case on either side if it comes down to a legal battle.

Small businesses will always depend on word of mouth and any negativity can be bad for business. It takes only one person to bring down a business and all they have to do is bad-mouth someone. The internet gives a voice to the little people but it doesn't differentiate between those who are in the wrong and those who are in the right.

[chungster]

The Internet is great. We wouldn't be having this convo if the Internet wasn't available for a start!

As a medium for marketing and mass selling - invaluable.

but this also exposes businesses to potential negative publicity on a big scale too if they get it wrong. Nowadays...it's unbelievable how some rumours can lead to actions of a few to actions of sooo many! Chinese whisper so to speak at its most extreme form!

I mean look at what happend to a certain cleaning accessories company we all used..and how quickly due to a few disgruntled customers let to alot more not using them again.

In the situation you are involved with, I personally think it's the company behind the scenes that's the problem and not the "shop" that sells the product IYSWIM.  There have been stories over the years of what they're like to deal with in these situations and that's one reason why I've stayed away from them. 

[Greeners]

As I understand it.... the "club schemes" pay a referral.

If you are referring to this particular forum you are wrong.......

[CocoPops]

Then what benefit does it have having a named company as a "club provider" and why would you have to quote a specific reference number (067)?

[Greeners]

Then what benefit does it have having a named company as a "club provider" and why would you have to quote a specific reference number (067)?

The forum will only allow a company to utilise the forum if the forum members benefit from it. If they then decide to contribute to the forum when funds are required then that is there decision and no former agreement is in place.

I would say this is standard procedure for the companies you are referring to enable them to track where sales leads are coming from.

As you say Lee the internet can be a dangerous place if the facts are blurred and people 'presume' rather than confirming the 'facts'.

[CocoPops]

This is also why forums are good for discussion then, rather than locking threads ;)

As with here, you're clearly in the know and so have cleared something up 

[Greeners]

I'm not sure which thread was locked but threads can be locked or removed for many reasons. Above all else this forum is not here for people to have slanging matches or give abuse of any kind, plenty across the pond people can peruse if that's there bag! 

[CocoPops]

It was neither slanging, nor abuse.

Anyway, lets not discuss the merits of why a specific thread was closed.

This was a discussion about the usefulness of the internet for open and honest discussion between businesses and their current/prospective customers. :)

[RedRobin]

This was a discussion about the usefulness of the internet for open and honest discussion between businesses and their current/prospective customers. :)

....I think it's beyond any doubt that internet forums are valuable for businesses to both have an insight into customer perceptions and also read their criticisms and praises. It's often helpful and useful for customers to receive responses from the supplier/manufacturer. However, consider the business's point of view for a moment: Some forumites are totally subjective and are also unable to see a business's point of view and as long as they get a huge discount that's all they selfishly care about. If businesses were to respond on forums every time their product was mentioned or to correct misinformation they wouldn't have time to continue their business.

Those businesses who respond on forums are brave and have to make sure they're not wasting their time.

[Hurdy]

 

The internet is probably THE most powerful influence on any business that trades through it. Businesses can be made or broken online simply by their acts or omissions. I can see why companies pay people to simply browse the internet for any content that even mentions their names. the company I work for is a massive multi-national corporation and spends a large amount of money simply protecting their online interests.

I read the thread that ended up being locked and could see why it would have been locked. This site itself has to protect itself by being responsible for any posts upon it. It doesn't take much these days for companies to sue small sites into oblivion.

Power of the internet?  hell yeah!