How Do I Use The Internet?

I’m often asked about how I use the Internet. Since my job is all about the Internet, (I provide SEO services) I guess folks are interested in knowing what do I do with it? Well, I thought I’d write a post about some of the ways that I use the Internet, so here goes…

1) I don’t watch the news anymore on TV - I don’t care to listen to hours of the same story and I certainly couldn’t care less about the personal opinions of each of the news anchors. I don’t have time for all of that. I want to know what’s going on, where and how does it impact me. So, I use Google news to get the headlines and read the stories and I use Google Alerts to send me news stories about the topics I’m most interested in.

2) I use iGoogle as my home page and I add blogs and rss feeds to the iGoogle page so that I can easily keep up with what’s going on in my industry.

3) I use Skype as my business phone line. Skype works through the Internet and it’s an excellent, inexpensive way to add a phone line in your establishment. But better than that, whenever I’m away (which I admit is not too often) I can get my phone messages wherever I am! As long as I can get to a computer that is! No more relying on anyone to get my messages and no more calling in the office to get my messages!

4) Whenever I want to purchase something, anything from books to lawn equipment, I use shopping comparison sites like Google Base or My Simon. I’ve been doing that for years and it’s proven to be such a great way to shop. I can feel comfortable that I got the best price for an item, I find new stores online (and locally) and I can get reviews and recommendations from other consumers. I can’t imagine shopping any other way.

5) I use RingCentral.com for my fax line. It allows me to provide a toll free fax line for my customers and I can access my faxes from wherever I am.

6) Of course, banking and bill payment services are all online through my bank. I haven’t written a check in years and rarely walk into a bank. Of course, you know all these services provided through the Internet save me quite a bit in gas money! And nowadays, that’s quite a bit.

7) I use an online P.O. Box service so that I don’t have to go to the post office for mail. And even though I do as much as I can online, you wouldn’t believe the amount of snail mail I still get!!

Of course, I use WordPress as my blogging tool. There’s no doubt that writing and maintaining a blog does help any Internet marketing campaign to bring in business - no matter what business you’re in.

9) I use Google Chats for quick conversations with co-workers. Instead of waiting for someone to open an email I can instantly “chat” with someone and even send files over this program. It’s such a nice quick way to get things done.

10) I use the Google Desktop sidebar to keep my work timer, task timer, calendar and chat easy to access. It’s indespensable and I’m always looking for new gadgets to put on there!

11) I use BlueMountain.com to keep in touch with family, friends, colleagues and even customers. It’s a great way to schedule and send an interactive and fun communication.

12) I haven’t attended networking groups in years. Instead, I do my “networking” through online programs such as Linked In, Twitter, Facebook and countless others. Find a few that you like and stick with them, use them daily, they can be great networking tools.

Well, these are just a few ways that I use the Internet for both my business and personal life. I'm sure you've got some great tools and methods, share them!