I love to hear people announce, “Before I jump into something new, I need to go home and do some research.” Often, what this research entails is going home and doing a search on the Internet to see what everyone is saying about whatever they are investigating. I have nothing against research, but I do believe the vast majority of the population is very ignorant about what real Internet research should entail.
Let me give you an example of how the average Joe views research. This is strictly hypothetical. Let’s say you were trying to recommend to someone that he/she join Costco as a member of their wholesale buying club. This individual offers this response. “Before I join, I need to go home and do some research on the Internet to make sure I am making a correct buying decision.” Here’s what happens. This individual logs onto his/her computer and types in something like this in the search bar. “Costco is a rip-off.” Or “Costco is a scam.” This search immediately pulls up articles with this wording.
An uninformed, ignorant researcher looks at the online articles and makes a false assumption.”Oh, look at all the bad things that people are saying about Costco.” So based on his/her “research,” this individual will refuse to make a buying decision because he/she read something online about Costco.
So what’s the problem with this? Well, first of all, the Internet can be an ocean of great information. But it’s also a cesspool of rants, ravings, and writings from angry people who have nothing better to do with their time than spend it online complaining about how they got royally screwed over by some company. You’ve heard the old saying, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” The same can be said for business. Most people never take the time to go online and write about their positive experiences at stores, restaurants, and hotels, etc. However, if the service is bad, if the product malfunctions, if the rooms are dirty, then look out. Angry, dissatisfied individuals are highly motivated to voice their displeasure both offline and online.
So, going back to my Costco example, the millions of people like myself who visit Costco on an annual basis never spend time online writing about what a wonderful shopping experience Costco is. And by the way, Costco provides an enjoyable shopping experience, and I love telling people how much I love Costco. But, when people who probably got up on the wrong side of the bed, to begin with, have a less than desirable experience, you can bet that the world is going to hear about it via social media or through some blog post.
It is quite often that people voice their displeasure via social media, not because the products or services were unsatisfactory, but it’s more likely that these individuals had unrealistic expectations. During my brief time in retail sales years ago, I was amazed at the level in which people would stoop to voice their complaints, and that was before the proliferation of social media. Today, 99.9 percent of a business’s operations can run seamlessly and flawlessly, but it only takes one mistake, one mishap, or one miscommunication and then it becomes viral. Today’s landscape of Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs leaves little margin for error in business.
So, what’s my point? Well, it should be obvious that you can’t always believe what you read online. That seems like common sense to me. However, I have discovered that common sense is uncommonly practiced. I am continually exasperated at how seemingly educated people will tell me, “I did some research on that topic, and you won’t believe what I read on the Internet.” When I hear this, I want to cringe. It is truly unfortunate how people are uninformed and ignorant on how to differentiate between accurate and inaccurate information.
As I stated before, the Internet can provide a wealth of information if you know how to make the distinction between what’s legitimate and what’s garbage. Unfortunately, a lot of the trash can be located in blogs where people write negative information about companies not just because they are unhappy with the service, but quite often, people post negative information about businesses because they are financially incentivized to do so. This happens a lot, and these blog writers are very savvy in their use of keywords that will generate more traffic to their blog posts. Words like “scam” and “rip-off” generate a lot of hits and therefore are often found in these articles.
So how can an individual know if his/her research is accurate? Well, first of all, sites that end with .gov and .edu are considered very reliable. Sites that end with .com and .org can be reliable, but you need to vet that source using other reliable sources. Here’s a good example. If you are looking for accurate information about Russell Wilson, the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks, then you will find current and accurate information at NFL.COM. This .com website is owned by the National Football League, an internationally recognized professional sports organization. This recognition validates the website which therefore corroborates any research about Russell Wilson.
ESPN.COM, the worldwide leader in sports television, is also recognized across the globe as disseminating accurate sports information. However, if I were to purchase a domain from Godaddy.com or Blue Host and call it Big Bill’s Sports Report, which I could for around $10.00, I could post a blog and report about anything I wanted. That blog could be seen on the Internet, and an unsuspecting reader might deem the information as accurate. This is not a far-fetched scenario; it happens daily, and people are reading the Internet as if everything they read is factual.
It’s time to get educated. The Internet is wonderful and because of technology, we have access to information within a split second. That’s the good news. That bad news is that because of technology, people can disseminate bad information within a split second. How many bad buying decisions did people make because of something they read online? And worse yet, how many people stayed away from a potentially life-altering opportunity because someone posted false information online and the reader assumed it was true? So before you tell someone that you need to go home and do some research, make sure you know what you are doing. Be confident that you can differentiate between what’s legitimate and what’s not.
To your success!
Bill Garner
205-317-1031
#abudantpath2020
#abundantlivingclub
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