Corporate Blogging: A New Marketing Communication Tool For Companies

Today, corporate blogging is widely used and published by an organization to achieve its organizational goals through internal, external and CEO Blogs. Thus, all current browsers which include Firefox, Opera, Safari and Internet Explorer 7 enable readers to read the recent posts easily without truly visit the blog through supporter of RSS technology. According to research of NewPR Wiki, there was 58 (11.6%) of the Fortune 500 were blogging as of 17/5/2008. One of the successful blogs is Amazon Web Services Blog by Amazon.com that about Amazon web services, products, tools and developer information. It helps to improve the communication and its customer services, attract more people to consume and discuss new products online.

Corporate blogging provides a clear mind map or editorial guidelines of overall marketing or communication strategy to its employees and third parties with organization communication plan and media mix. Besides that, it encourages employee participation in contribution of expertise, free discussion of issues or topics and deal with it, collective intelligence, be a direct communication between various layers of an organization and shares their views with others employees, teams or spokespersons publicly. Furthermore, it can be used to announce new products and services, explain and clarify policies of the company and to react on public criticism on certain issues. Business blog can interact with a target market on a personal level by building a level of credibility and asking for their feedback on products and services.

One of the pros of corporate blogging is posts and comments are easy to reach and follow by employees due to centralized hosting and generally structured conversation threads. Besides that, it can be more accessible among the executives since the corporate blogging are an “unparalleled information gathering mechanism”. Furthermore, a search able archive of thoughts and ideas can be created and jotting down within an hour through corporate blogging that cost more cheaper than other ways. Lastly, executives can receive the important information from employees and customers’ questions and feedback that will be permanently recorded on the blog and increases the efficiency while decreases the time wasted on needless e-mails.

However, corporate blogging might make it easy for defamation and invasion of privacy or to breach information security and loss of company confidentiality. (Wired News, 2005) Hence, this fear has stopped 22 percent of employees from writing a corporate blog. Besides that, it will create an expectation of updating the blog regularly and the time that taken in writing a blog will cause loss of $ 759 billion in productivity every year. Additionally, a new style of communication will be mastered since corporate blogging become popular in these recent years. In conclusion, corporate blogging is getting important for corporation to deliver the message privately or publicly since it has brought many pros even thought the cons come along with it.

References:

http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/28/news/companies/pluggedin_fortune/index.htm
http://www.thenewpr.com/wiki/pmwiki.php/Resources/CEOBlogsList
http://mariosundar.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/the-5-types-of-corporate-blogs-with-examples/
http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/06/30/most-corporate-blogs-are-unimaginative-failures/

E-Government in Malaysia: Its implementation so far and citizen’s adoption strategies.

E-government is small form of electronic government. E-government is an activity that takes place by digital process over computer network. It builds interaction between the government, public and private sector. E-government may define as new or transformed ways to build relationship and improve government process between citizens and government by networks.E-government was launch and lead Malaysia to Information Age. It used internet technology as a platform in exchanging the information, providing services for citizens of Malaysia. It seeks to improve the convenience, accessibility and quality of government services. It improves information flows and processing speed of deal with government.
Implementation of e-government started since the introduction of Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) in 1996 by the Malaysian government.

The implementation status of e-government project in Malaysia:

* Project Monitoring System (SPP II)

* Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS)

* Generic Office Environment (GOE)

* Electronic Procurement (EP)

* Electronic Services (E-Services)

* Electronic Labour Exchange (ELX)

* E-Syariah

Ways to encourage more citizens to use the e-government applications:
1) Provide websites with multiple language versions.
2) Increase awareness through TV and radio advertisements, and organizing workshops at shopping malls.
3) Provide consultation services on how to use those services.
4) Simplify procedures needed to access to the e-government services.

The most important factor that drives the implementation of e-government services to another greater height is the satisfaction of customer. “give the people what they want” is the phrase that drives the adoption of online government services. As government executives focus on tailoring online services to meet the needs of specific customer segments, just as businesses do, e-government programs will be more successful and deliver greater returns on the investments.

Things to take note to prevent e-auction fraud when consumer participating in an e-auction

E-Auction

Auctions are common in markets where the goods sold are valuable (like art) or when their prices can't be easily determined. Buyers make bids and seller place offers; characteristic by the competitive and dynamic nature by which the final price is reached. But E-auction is becoming very common in recently, for example, we can bid a price for products (eg, watches, computer hard/software and tickets) at e-bay.com. Somebody will treat this as an entertainment when they are free because it is very convenience and easy.

The ways to protecting against e-auction fraud:

• User identity verification- The validity of a user is very important; we can identify the users’ personal details to verify them. Eg, IC number, date of birth.

• Authentication services- To determine whether an item is genuine and described appropriately.

• Grading services- To determine the physical condition of the item. User can estimate the price for bidding.

• Feedback forum- A platform that to allow buyers and sellers to exchange the experience in E-Auction and build up their online reputations.

• Escrow services- Each transaction in the E-auction, both buyers and sellers are protected with a independent third party.

• Non-payment punishment- That will be a record that if an user no fulfill the payment and taking some actions against them.

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• Physical inspection- Can eliminate many problems especially for collectors’ items.

Review of Local E-Comerce Site

There are many local E-commerce website in Malaysia. i had chosen one website which is http://www.blooming.com.my/. This is a website that specializes in gifts and flowers for various occasions.

This website has a large selection of flowers as gifts, yet,Noel has much more variety and is much more customizable. I would even come to the conclusion that Noel's main competitor in the e-commerce scene is Blooming.




VS


Flowers is the main product of Blooming but other like cookies, cakes, selwin pewter are also be provided. Each of the products is exotic and hard to duplicate. This is a good choice when you struggling for selecting present to friends.

Compare with its competitor, Noel is focusing present on Valentine day such as flower and toys.
Besides, Blooming not only provide valentine present but also provide festival type flower such as Chinese New Year.

Other than that, i think Blooming has a advantage compare with NOEL. Blooming has a clear and attractive web design. On Blooming's homepage, we can find that it is colourful and it show the most popular products.

At last, Blooming consider nowadays e banking is one of the trend of the e-commerce. Hence, it cooperation with many bank to do the e banking such as visa mastercard, Hong Leong online and pay pal.

Electronic currency

Electronic currency also knows as e-money, electronic cash, digital money or digital currency. Electronic currency is essentially a system that allows a person to pay for goods or services by transmitting a number from one computer to another. . Thus, electronic currency is the digital representation of money, or more accurately, the digital representation of currency. Electronic currency also includes internet-based purchase and sales transactions involving almost anything to be safely conducted at lightning speed.

A private currency may use gold to provide extra security, such as digital gold currency. Individual open an account to deposits money with an online electronic currency company that then converts the amount into gold bullion. The account holder can transfer ownership of some or all of that gold into someone else's electronic currency account. Electronic currency has been widely used by perpetrators of pyramid scams. Experts estimate that about half of e-currency transactions are related to scams or online games.

An electronic currency system may be fully backed by gold (like e-gold), non-gold backed, or both gold and non-gold backed. Two major types of electronic currency their backed base. One is backed by precious metal such as e-gold is backed by gold .Another type of electronic currency is backed by hard currency like Pay Pal. Both of them are all called electronic currencies.

Nowadays, nearly all of the deposit currencies in the world's banking systems are handled electronically through a series of inter-bank computer networks. Although banks have been able to move currency electronically for decades, only recently has the average consumer had the capability to use electronic transfers in any meaningful way.

The application of prepaid cash card for consumers

The prepaid cash card is of use in several ways, namely:
1. Pay bill – Rent, utilities, insurance, car payment, and cell phone bills can be paid instantly.

2. Shop anywhere as long as the card using is accepted at different retailers, buys fuel at the pump, pay by phone, and shop on the Internet.

3. Get cash at ATMs, any time of the day, and any day of the week.

4. Transfer money – For some prepaid cash card they provide the convenient such as send or receive money via bank wire transfers, between two cards.

5. Pay for toll – Use Touch n Go card as an example, it can be used at all highways in Malaysia, major public transports in Klang Valley, selected parking sites and theme park.


Other than as mentioned above, prepaid cash cards can be used as a replacement for travellers’ cash. Customers buy prepaid debit cards denominated in the currency of destination, and then use them to withdraw cash at ATMs or pay for goods or services. It is indeed a great way to carry prepaid cash card, carry prepaid cash card as we travel is much safer and more secure than carrying around large amounts of cash.

Prepaid Cash Cards – Why use them?Nowadays so many people tend or already have their own prepaid cash cards, why is it so? The reasons are as below:

1. Remain in control of one’s money, keep track all of activity online or by phone.

2. Free balance alerts –Some card providers will inform users on how much cash they have.

3. Eliminate check cashing fees and enjoy immediate access to your money through direct deposit of your paycheck, government payment or other income sources, no bank account needed.

4. Avoid bounced check fees; always know exactly how much money you have to spend. The prepaid card can help protect you from over spending.In a nutshell, prepaid cash card is indeed a good invention that makes life easier, it contributed a lot in eliminating debt risk with no chance to spend too much as the balance is limited to the amount reloaded, and the convenience that it provide is indeed great.



References:

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/cards/prepaid-cards-guide1.asp
http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/index.html
http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/aboutourcards/gift_prepaid/
http://www.electronic-payments.co.uk/solutions/Splash_plastic_card

Mobile payment systems in Malaysia: Its potentials and consumers’ adoption strategies

Mobile payment is a system that direct or indirect transaction conducted and facilitated through a wireless telecommunication network. It collects money from users by mobile devices. Mobile money is one of the examples of mobile payment system in Malaysia. It is a payment service that allows users to TAP to pay by using MM card and SMS to Pay by using mobile phone with their account. In Malaysia many users purchase digital products (eg.E-books, ringtones, and games) by GPRS/WAP or SMS through their mobile phones. Recently, M-payment is rapidly developing in Malaysia. Many users are prefer to use mobile payment rather than other alternatives (eg.cash, credit card and cheque).

The potential of Mobile Payment System are it is very convenience and saving cost. Users can make transaction cashless and without need to visit a bank. Mobile phone is a new and powerful channel to developing business. It can attract youth segment to using the system rather than using those traditional channels because they are early adopters of technology. Nowadays, mobile phone is become one of the most important necessities in our life. So, M-commerce is very easily accepted and adopted by many peoples. The security of the mobile payment system will be the most concerned issue by the users. The issue will decide the development of m-commerce in Malaysia.