Want to hear something truly not funny. Many minority small business enterprises have the following challenges to implementing a digital divide solution. Some seem to be made up, but I have received emails, letters and had telephone conversations during the whole of 2005 to provide proof of businesses that still think the digital divide does not exist. Hope this strikes a nerve and helps any business that still may be sitting on the fence. May 2006 bring your business a cure for BADD... 1. I have a free email account and don't need a website with our own domain name, rss news feed, blog to reach customers who may help expand my business. (BADD - 1980's business attention deficit disability for the digital divide) 2. Our Internet marketing strategy uses flyers and business cards that have our free email account addresssee diagnosis above. 3. We've told hundreds of potential clients that our 'widgets' (product or service) is only available for our customers in our city and we don't want to branch out right now to the county, state or national level. 4. The digital economy that a digital divide solution would enable our business's growth causes problems - having to hire more employees to handle clients, paying higher taxes, hiring an accountant, moving to a larger location. We are just not ready for that in our future. 5. The digital divide is all hype, I haven't used a computer in my business for years and while my business has not grown or brought in clients me and my 2 employees are happy and content. We may not have a 401k or retirement plan or any of that other fancy stuff, but we should be alright for our immediate future. 6. My computer is for playing solitare, making new flyers and business cards, or watching movies. I don't need email or the Internet with new ways to grow my business. (for this type of BADD there may not be a cure!) 7. I use my son's computer at home for everything I need (see reasons above), why would I want to try and close the digital divide in my business by using strategies that would cause my business to grow too fast. If you have any other cases of BADD to report please feel free to let someone know about it before there is no cure available... |
