Corporate Blogging: A New Marketing Communication Tool for Companies

Blogs are helpful in many marketing and communication purposes which interact companies' vision, newly launched products online, especially to external parties. It can be used internally whereby it communicates the people within the organization.

Is corporate blog must be very "marketing literature"? I would say: "Won't it be too formalized? I would like to have some humour elements, please~" If humour can be well managed (either company-sponsored or user-created humour, with the right proportion), it can make corporate blog effective and great! Humour is a way to get your blog readers' attention, create close relationship with your customers, suppliers employees and so on. What if a corporate blog looks as if the company is the author of the blog that "voice out" itself? Sounds great isn't it?

I personally find Redfin's corporate blog is interesting whereby it either introduces the life within organization or promotes its core business in the way of humour. Nevertheless, it allows its customers to participate in the humour posts as well! I would like to share here. (Redfin is an online real estate brokerage)
http://blog.redfin.com/blog/category/humor

• Creating blog is a social media strategy whereby it plays a role of communication agent.
• It is a useful extension of the company's image in the marketplace.
• Updated information is vital as it encourages users to stick to the company when people find that they can obtain some organic search or keywords on the latest information from the blog. This could be done in a dialogue form. For instance, conversation between employees and customers can be included in the corporate blog to create a different way of customer service on enquiries. Whenever a customer types keywords to search for information, the answer for the enquiries will be shown in the dialogue way.
  
• Good for customers as they won't feel so boring as the traditional one does.

Here is an example from Johnson & Johnson's corporate blog: http://jnjbtw.com/

Reputation influence the marketability of a company's services and products. With the creative and useful blog the company established, new customers will be attracted and close relationship with customers can be produced; confidence in customers towards the company will be gradually enhance, thus reputation being pushed!

In the organization, its blog is normally set up through their intranet. Everyone in the organization can access regardless which level you are in. Employees have the opportunities to interact and share information among themselves, better relationship between managers and subordinates can be developed. It provides a more comfortable working environment that not putting employees under pressure, thus they will be more commit to the organization.

It is highly encourage companies to start establish their own blogs as it no only bring benefits to the company itself but also their stakeholders. It is like the idiom : one stone kill "few" birds :P

However, corporate blog should be revisiting frequently by the organization to prevent destructive comments and loss of control of over message.

Pros & Cons from the Students Perspective toward E-Learning in Malaysian Universities

E-learning can be simply described as a learning process in which students can communicate with their lecturers and peers, and access learning materials, over Internet or other computer network. This indirectly become a strategy movement and a key challenges for universities. As for UTAR, we have our very own Web Based Learning Environment (WBLE)

Those universities whose imply e-learning strategies, oftenly try to accommodate growing student enrollment, sustain academic diversity and gain a competitive advantage. However, now we going to look from the student perspective toward pros and cons of E-Learning in our local universities.

Pros:-

1. Learning is a process of self-paced and self-directed. This give a chance for students either to speed up or slow down during studying. This enable a student to keep in path in between learning and understanding the material in the same time. E-learning also allows students to choose content and tools appropriate to their differing interests, needs, and skill levels. It;s student centered, we even can skip the subject we already know and focus the topic which we are interested.
   
   
2. Eliminates the geographical, opens a broader education options. With E-Learning, every morning they just need to activate their computers and Internet and carry on their studies as like we going to class. It also reduced or eliminated travel time and associated costs (parking, fuel, vehicle maintenance). This definely a good news for students who have financial problems or poor family background.
   
   
3. 24/7 accessibility makes scheduling easy and this become one of the most favourable for students choosing E-Learning. Students are unbound by time, which mean they can choose whatever their free time to learn the course. They can adjust their schedule which fix them. For those part time labor/students, this will bring a lot of convenience to them to balance their work-life.
   

Cons:-

1. Uncomfortable for those who lack confidence in their technology skills and believe that e-learning will lead to more work. Students from poor family background may have not chances yet to own a personal computer and learn those technology skills.
   
   
2. Face-to-face communication/meeting is threatened. Can you imagine a bunch of students keep nudging the lecturers /tutors to solve their questions and doubts? The lecturers/tutors might just forget or skipped over you during the Q&A session.
   
   Nevertheless, the main problem for E-Learning in Malaysian universities:-

1. Lack of technology support. The challenges associated with providing e-learning support more oftenly are associated with lack of knowledge than with testing the limits of availability. Lack of knowledge about course design and technology in general are cited , especially one where the system crashes can still be a problem. A low(or lousy) broadband speed also might affect the quality of E-learning. No one like to see their lecturer lagging in front of LCD screen right? (Even Millionnaire Donald Trumph said so :P)
   
   
2. Plays an increasing role in higher education as the line between face-to-face learning and e-learning continues to blur. However, i hope that our country's leaders will try to improve our facilities, technologies standard, educational level so that E-Learning only can be a truely have a big influence in education terrority.
   

Useful Links:-

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0316.pdf

http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=cshe

Review on "New Rules for Cyber Cafe Soon"

The Government will be implementing new rules for cyber cafe soon.

Among the new rules are:

1. Have to close by midnight daily.
2. Banned from using tinted glasses in their premises. (must be able to see through from the outside)
3. Only allowed to operate from the ground floor.
4. Those under 12 years old must be accompanied by parents or guardian and only allowed to stay up to 10.00pm.
5. Prohibited from providing gaming activities, gambling, pornography, music and publications with negative element.
6. Cigarettes and alcohol to be prohibited from being sold.
7. A book log to record the entry and departure time of the patrons.

Nowadays you can see cyber cafe anywhere on the streets. Cyber cafe are growing non-stop like mushrooms. The original objectives or purposes of introducing the cyber cafe to public is to cultivate learning habits among citizens and also to expose citizens to the cyber world. Unfortunately, people had misused cyber cafe as a gaming zone, gambling zone and etc. Instead of molding citizens to be more educational, cyber cafe is now seen as an outlet that would harm youths mentally and socially.



It is no surprise that the Government is being strict and taking actions against cyber cafes now. In fact, all these should have done earlier by the cyber cafe owners. Owners of cyber cafe should have taken necessary actions against youngsters who surf sites like pornography, gaming, gambling and etc. Youngsters as young as 12 years old were seen hanging out with friends playing online games such as DoTA, making bets, smoking and drinking alcohol in cyber cafe. Such sight is an eyesore to others. The Government wouldn't have come out with such rules if all youngsters have self discipline and knows of their limits. However, we could not blame the cyber cafe goers entirely. Sometimes, it is the owner of cyber cafe that are in thirst for money. Some owners allow such activities to happen to attract youngsters and make profit out of them. Sigh.. if only these youngsters knew this! Sadly, these youngsters are more willing to pay more to satisfy their addicts towards games, pornography and so on. I strongly agree with the Government's actions and sad to say, for the cyber cafe businessmen, they might suffer some losses. Well, what goes around comes around. Some people just prefer to learn the "hard" way.

*Ahem* See what I mean?

Related Links:

1. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/8/nation/21760296&sec=nation
2. http://www.onlinecasinoextra.com/casino_news_2526.html

E-Government in Malaysia

Just like every other countries, Malaysia too has its very own dream of becoming a first class nation. One of the initiatives taken by Malaysia to achieve this goal is to introduce the usage of E-Government in 1997 which was said to bring the citizens of Malaysia and the Government closer. The implementation of E-Government is able to improve the convenience, information flow and processes with government, and quality of interaction with citizens and businesses. The Malaysian Government main website can be accessed through here Perhaps one of the latest and most proud achievements of E-Government recently is the implementation of the system which allows citizens to replace their MyKad quickly. With the well built up system, Malaysian citizens can now replace their MyKad in one day in Putrajaya and Melaka. I personally find this fascinating as I can still remember the days of waiting in the JPN office when I was young. It was dreadful. Other services that are popular among citizens are the job application via TheJobsMalaysia, checking traffic summons, checking the EPF statements,and filling in tax returns. After providing numerous services, perhaps the most feared outcomes that Malaysia might receive is that no one is using it. People used to say that Malaysians have first world infrastructure but with third world mentality. In order to boost acceptability and inviting more people to use these services provided, Malaysia needs to educate the users and create awareness of the availability of such services. At the same time ensuring the users of their safety and confidentiality on every aspect. Also not forgetting making the sites more user friendly and easy to navigate.

The application of pre-paid cash cards for consumers

People have been frantically looking for newer ways to make payments. One of the few types created is using Prepaid Cash Cards. This card is not to be mistaken for credit cards or debit cards. Though their concept is the same, all of them allows you to purchase items without literally handing in cash, there is one major difference.

Credit cards allows people to buy first, and pay for the items later. Debit cards on the other hand is directly linked to the user's bank account and if any purchases is made, it would be deducted through the amount in their bank account. Which also means that one should not be able to purchase anything if their bank accounts are empty. Pre-paid cash card is a whole different thing altogether, it does not give you a loan (like credit cards) or neither is it linked to your bank balances (like debit card). It has a whole account by itself. In order to buy something using a prepaid card, money must first be deposited or pre-loaded into the account of the card.

Prepaid cash cards are not new in Malaysia. One of the most highly used prepaid card in Malaysia is the TouchNGo card. Thanks to having many many tolls in Malaysia, this prepaid cash card becomes a necessity in order to not slow one down while travelling. The TouchNGo card was firstly created for the purposes of tolls payment which then later started to expand. Now they are allowed to be used in KTM's and so on. Of course prepaid cash cards have their advantages such as they provide control to people so that they don't over spend and at the same time removes the risk of becoming in debt like credit cards. But at the same time they too bring their little disadvantages. Imagine yourself in a supermarket after a long queue to purchase some groceries, then when you've reached the counter, you realised there is not enough credit in your prepaid card or the counter does not accept the prepaid card you are holding. One word.. "pissed".

As much as many different ways have been formed for payment, nothing feels more secure than cold hard cash in your pocket. It certainly makes me feel safe because cash can bring you everywhere and cards without a reader is nothing more than mere plastic. Till Malaysia is equipped with a card reader at every store even a mini market or grocery shop, I prefer to always have papers with Agong pictures in it by my side.

Review on - Using Touch n Go to buy Fast Food

Good news to fast food lovers! Previously created as an e-purse to be used at toll, KTM stations, LRT, and parking, on April 2008, Touch n Go customized its services by giving Malaysians the privilege to use Touch n Go card to purchase at selected retails and fast food outlets. Using Touch n Go Card to buy fast food would be AWESOME!! No more digging out money from your wallet and waiting for the cashier to give you back the change.

Now, there is no need to carry a bulky purse when you want to go out to Burger King. A&W or Dunkin' Donuts for meals. You could just simply touch your Touch n Go card on the scanner and walk away with your food. Isn't that simple and convenient? All you have to do is pay in advance and you could use the money all you want. You can even reload up to RM1,000.

With this new feature, customers need not have to wait in a long queue for their turn to purchase their food. It saves time and also takes away grumpy faces of angry customers. Business in fast food outlets will be much more improved.

But I still think that Touch n Go would be more successful if it is incorporated in McDonalds and KFC as both these fast food outlets are very famous among Malaysians. Often in either McDonalds or KFC, I have to queue in a long queue waiting for other customers to dig out money from their pockets and then wait for the cashier to give back the change. After a long queue and it finally reached my turn, I couldn't find a place to enjoy my meal anymore and this often upsets me. I would be more than delighted if there's Touch n Go in McDonalds and KFC.

Mobile payment system in Malaysia: Its potentials and consumers' adoption strategies

Mobile payment (M-payment) is a payment method for goods and services purchased via mobile devices, the most common device is cellphone. As we are moving forward to a more technology advanced era, wide range of mobile devices are available such as PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), Smartphone and so on. Now, as long as we sign up for such service and bring mobile devices along, we can pay the transaction amount in anytime anywhere!

Is mobile payment system widely adopted in Malaysia? Well, the first mobile payment service called TeleMoney was launched in 20th November 2001, nearly 8 years it is implemented in Malaysia!!!

Systems@Work was the one pushed TeleMoney in E-market. It picked TeleMoney as master merchant meanwhile Hong Leong Bank incharging the Mpayment processing. At that time, Celcom, the oldest mobile telecommunication company in Malaysia, having quite a large numbers of subcribers, coorperated with Systems@Work to prosper M-payment system in Malaysia. At the very beginning, this service was only offered to post-paid subcribers, however as this system is getting more and more developed, M-payment is available prepaid subcribers as well.

Recent growth of M-payment was the launch of world's first contactless mobile payment service--- Maxis FastTap, which uses near field communication (NFC). This new launched service is partnered with Nokia, Visa, Maybank and Touch n' Go Card. Users who sign up for Maxis FastTap will be benefited to buy goods and services at more than 1800 of Visa payWave merchant location, pay for toll and others only by using Nokia6212 classic phone.

M-payment overcomes the limitation of payment make through cash, credit cards, cheques etc. Consumers do not need to hold large amount of cash during shopping; payment will be made only if the users' have balance in their bank accounts, thus no worries about bounce cheque or unable to pay amount due. Furthermore, M-payment help consumers to save up a lot of time. For instance, consumers pay car loan through mobile phone instead of waiting in the long queue in bank. Besides, when making mobile payment, security PIN which for authentication purposes will be given to payer to keep user's information private and confidential. Isn't that make Malaysians' life easier?

There are criteria that make Malaysia's M-payment to be having a potentially bright future.

The following link is the illustration adopted from noewave.com on the process of mobile payment.

Related links:
http://www.neowave.com.my/mobilemoney_howitworks.asp