Sure, maybe a lot of it didn’t make any business sense (we all found that out a few years later), and I didn’t even pretend to understand the actual technology that powered it, but I was pretty confident that I “got” what it was all about. Though even now, I’m not exactly sure what that was (or is), though we had plenty of buzzwords that we used to try to lay out the boundaries of the space: many-to-many, disintermediation, on-demand, always on.

There were plenty of people who didn’t get the Internet, though; they were marked (often proudly, perversely) by the flashing “12:00″ on their VCRs, and we often called them “Mom & Dad” — it conveniently marked the generational divide between folks who may have, perhaps, used computers as adults, versus people who grew up with them during the boom years of personal computing, when it moved from the realm of hobbyists to the mainstream.

During those introspective pauses, I used to wonder: Even as we made fun of those folks who didn’t get it (in retrospect, largely because the technology hadn’t matured enough to make things easy for people to do things without a lot of tinkering), what technologies would come along to shove me into that generation gap — what technologies would I just not be able to get, that would mark me with the flashing 12:00?

I figured it would be some sort of thought-controlled interface — maybe direct-brain controls and sensory inputs right out of sci-fi (just as a global network of interconnected computers had been sci-fi). But the reality has been much more prosaic, as there are plenty of things that I don’t get in the Web 2.0-ish world.

For example, take Friendfeed: In theory, I know what it is — a status aggregator and publisher, that along the way has morphed into a conversation tool in its own right. In practice, I never got it and never used it.

In a broader sense, all this federated, distributed stuff makes me a little uncomfortable. Sure, I know that we control our publishing, which means that (in theory) our data and digital selves are portable and not tied to any one provider anymore, which means that my Foursquare can update my Twitter which goes to my Facebook (and I’m sure the Friendfeed is in there somewhere), but in my heart of hearts, I still think in terms of having a home base somewhere that I can control.

Another thing I don’t get is lifecasting. I understand the hows, I just don’t get the whys — at least, not in any way that matters.

Related is a lot of stuff that goes to mobile technologies, especially the desire to be continually, socially, geolocated. It still creeps me out.

The more I think about this, the more I see that these generational technological differences are actually just attitudinal differences. I’m planning on posting a followup entry (or two), but in the meantime, if there are things that you just don’t get, please leave a comment below.

“Technophobia is the fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex devices, especially computers.[1] The term is generally used in the sense of an irrational fear, but others contend fears are justified.” (www.wikipedia.com). I was surprised to find that technophobia is as old as the Industrial Revolution!

Many therapists are technology averse, or don’t know where to begin, or don’t know what they don’t know . . . as opposed to being actually technophobic. Don’t let that stop you from harnessing technology to your advantage. We can joke all we want about using a desensitization process, or EMDR, but the bottom line is that technology can help you in your practice.
First, ask yourself what the technology is for? What results are you seeking? Do you want a website and/or do you want technology for business use (such as billing, tracking financials, writing reports, etc.) We’ll look at websites in this article and discuss business uses separately.

Things to Consider for Your Website
Let’s break it down into small steps.

1.    So you want a website. What features do you want and why. You can have an information only website, or one that is interactive such that a client can schedule appointments, pay online, etc. Many “bells and whistles” exist so it’s important to keep focused on the results you’re seeking.
2.    What’s your budget? $500 or $5000?
3.    Can/should you do it yourself or outsource it?
4.    Finding a website provider

Consider what features you want and why you want them (this will save money). Just like writing a paper in school; answer who, what, where, when and why. I want clients and potential clients to know what I do – my areas of specialty, where I am and how to get there, how I work, my general philosophy about therapy, and to provide resources for them. I have sections specific to grief, to couples, and to Personality Mapping, including a registration form that can be printed, completed and faxed. Other options may include email contact (consider legal and ethical issues of timeliness), online payment or appointment scheduling, databases, and so on. Use technology to support your business the way you want to conduct your business.

Your Budget
What are you willing and able to spend on your website? This will help determine the features you select, whether you build it yourself or have someone else build it. Keep it simple, especially at first. Beware of “feature creep” – this can happen in any project. You begin by wanting to update your kitchen; just new knobs and paint. The next thing you know you’re tearing out cabinets and putting in granite countertops! This happens with technology all the time, too. Decide what is essential and what would be nice to have.

Can/Should You Do it Yourself or Outsource it?
There are really two parts to this question: are you comfortable enough and do you have the time to build your own website? Outsourcing is a fancy way of saying that you’re hiring someone else to use their expertise for your benefit. Trust your intuition in this decision.

Finding a Website Provider
Here are a few important tips for finding a website provider:

-    Look at sites you like; who did them?
-    Remember that when you search the internet for providers, the first providers are usually the ones that pay to be first.
-    Ask your network of colleagues for referrals to three website vendors. Check their references and be sure to ask how problems were resolved, if the site was done in a timely manner, etc.
-    How long has the provider been in business?
-    Check the Better Business Bureau
-    Check your local chamber of commerce.

There are three parts to having a website: 1) the domain name (the URL or www.yourwebsite.com), 2) hosting the website itself (a server that has your website on it), and 3) developing the website (the features and content structure – you will provide the actual content). Providers offer one, two or all three services. For example, I use Network Solutions. I was able to search for and have them register my domain names (www.chandramaanderson.com and www.personalitymap.com); my website is on their servers, and I used their simple drag and drop system to create my site with the features I wanted. One can also pay them to develop your website.

What Options Are There For Therapists?

Canned Solutions
Just like in cooking, you can buy broth for your base, or you can buy a chicken and make broth. Any feature you want for your website already exists: email, electronic commerce, appointment systems, and so on. If you feel comfortable, you can put together a website yourself by finding a provider that has drag and drop canned solutions. You select the overall look of your site, easily add content, additional pages, and so on. You should plan on spending several hours if you do it yourself. Doing the basic set up is pretty quick; it can be done in a couple of hours. If you want it to look just so, it takes time to tweak it.

Vendor Using Canned Solutions
A middle of the road solution is to hire a web developer that will take care of the three parts to having a website using existing modules. This is probably the best bang for your buck.

Vendor Personalizes a Website for Your Business
Another middle of the road option is to find a local provider that will meet with you to determine your needs. You provide the images or logos and your content, and they will build a two to three page site for you. This may cost in the $500-800 range, plus hosting, which is about $15-20/month. Anything more than two to three pages of content can start to climb over the $1200 mark, depending on design, functionality, etc.

These two types of vendor solutions are probably the choice most therapists will want to make, since it is the most cost effective (other than DIY — doing it yourself) and will provide the results you want.

Proprietary Website Development
Proprietary development means hiring a web developer that will write software code to provide the features you want. You need to know very specifically what you want, what you want those features to do, etc. A large company may have strategic reasons for wanting proprietary code; as therapists, most of us just want to provide information to make it easy for clients to find us online and at our office.

Next Steps
Hopefully by now you have the terminology to ask yourself what you want and need, what your budget is, and have decided whether to be a DIYer or to hire a vendor, and what to ask when you interview providers for your website. So, pick up your phone and call your trusted colleagues to ask who they used for their website. Knowledge is power; you don’t have to be technophobic no more!

Over on Grow Smart Business, I recently had the opportunity to speak with him about his work on making companies more efficient and to see how his book, written in 2004, still applies to the fast changing technology landscape as well as what he would add if he were to do a sequel in this social media fueled world in 2009. Here is the transcript of that interview:

Steve: You consult with clients of all sizes across a variety of industries. What are some common threads you see that all are challenged with in using technology efficiently?

Kip: That’s easy; having too many choices – from what software to buy to which features to use to the equipment to how to navigate the Internet to what to do with what you find there. It’s a long list. People are simply drowning in options.

Not surprisingly, lots of folks decide to tune out. They may start out enthusiastically but go from confusion to feeling overwhelmed to frustration at their inability to decipher what alternatives makes the most sense. They end up sticking to what they know, a completely understandable reaction, albeit one that can be deadly as a business strategy – especially if you’re in a highly competitive job or industry.

So then the question shifts to “How? …how DO I get my arms, and my head, around which technologies I should be utilizing?” The good news is there are all kinds of resources – people and sites – that can assist you in answering that question. We’ll talk about a few in a moment.

The second common thread I see is people recreating content unnecessarily, whether it’s a proposal, letter, email, presentation, web page… whatever. Because they don’t have a good way of organizing what they’ve already developed, most folks end up reproducing variations of the same stuff over and over again simply because they can’t locate – much less repurpose – what they’ve created previously.

Personal experience with that challenge years ago is how I developed my knowledge journal concept. Journaling is a powerful, easy way to create a dashboard of frequently used content in Microsoft Word. Using one can save you a ton of time. You can download a full explanation of how to build a knowledge journal from the Winning Clients web site at http://www.winningclients.com/excerpt.php.

What’s more, today there’s a whole category of software – Desktop Search – that will index the contents of your hard drive so when you want to find the sort of stuff mentioned above …material you might subsequently catalog in a journal …you can search on a word or phrase from that content – a file name, a piece of an email, a snippet of presentation text – and these tools will instantly list everything stored on your computer that matches what you asked for. Google offers a version (http://desktop.google.com) as do X1 (http://www.x1.com) and Copernic (http://www.copernic.com). These are truly magical tools, available for free or next to nothing ($50), that can make your life infinitely more efficient.

To read the rest of this article and get some great advice on small business technology, check out out Grow Smart Business.

For more information on Kip Gregory and The Gregory Group’s services, visit
http://www.gregory-group.com. To sign up for Kip’s Tips newsletter, go to
http://www.gregory-group.com/register.php.

After browsing Ramon’s informative site I had the opportunity to ask him some questions:

Connie: What do you see as the biggest challenges that small businesses face in the economic downturn?

Ramon: I think keeping their current customers & finding how to add value with their current customers. Getting new customers & cash flow will also be factors to consider.

Connie: Do you feel that brick & mortar businesses should have an online presence?

Ramon: ABSOLUTELY. There’s no question about it. They must and it should be HIGH quality.

Connie: What advantages do you feel that brick & mortar businesses have by being online?

Ramon: They can better service existing customers (online coupons, basic contact information; buy online and get in store…etc, etc, etc)

Connie: Are there any opportunities that they should be leveraging in this economic downturn?

Ramon: For sure, marketing to their customers with ‘sales’ type information for some customers and “INFORMATION” (how to and etc) for other customers

Connie: How do you feel about small businesses utilizing social media tools to promote themselves?

Ramon: They must CONSIDER social media and see if it’s right for them. Social media is still a bit new but must be considered. Where are there customers? Online? If so, they must also be online!

Connie: Are you writing about those technologies & to what extent?

Ramon: I do indeed. At first social media was a “toy” or something for “consumers” but it is clearly a tool for business. It’s all about GO WHERE YOUR customers or potential customers are!

Here is a sampling of the great articles you can find at Smallbiztechnology.com:

Christmas & Thanksgiving: It’s Not Too Early To Prepare

Constant Contact Raises the Bar. Emails As Web Sites.

How to choose your Software as a Service (SaaS) Provider

There are also many helpful articles at My Solution Spot.com

Check out his blog then tell us what topics you’d like to see us write about here? What interests you?