Slave to Technology………

This week my domain name - achievemarketing.ie - went down. Lost, almost forever! There was a problem with notifications etc but I was lost without my achievemarketing website and email. And no ability to blog, now that I’m just getting into it!

It just reminded me of that age old question - are we a slave to technology or is technology serving us?. I was expecting an email on Monday and it didn’t arrive so what did I do? I had to pick up the phone and dial the numbers…not text, not blackberry email, not Instant message but talk. I’m a talker but I’ve noticed that I’ve let technology determine communication rather than simply talking on the phone.

I was at a fantastic seminar on Tuesday run by the Fingal Women in Business Network and lead by the wonderful Krishna De. She asked the audience (Family Fortunes style) - “In a recent survey, what did people say that would take with them from a burning building?”

It wasn’t their photo albums, their CD collection, their iPods or Wiis or their Jimmy Choos - it was their mobile phones. I’m not quite sure that I’m at that stage yet but I have been known to turn the car back five miles into a journey because I forgot the phone. But I love my photos and my Jimmy Choos!

Our phones - whether they’re basic or incredibly featuresome - will be a huge marketing tool in the future. As it is, SMS marketing is growing in popularity. I get regular SMSs from restaurants, shops having sales and my gym reminding me to go!

I wonder what Alexander Graham Bell would think now of all the add ons we can do with the telephone. I’ve realised this past week that while texting and emailing is a rich way of communicating, speaking using the telephone is something that I should use more…so I’m adding it into my marketing plan.

Expect to hear my dulcet tones more in the future!