So we've started this blog to share with you some of the over lunch, on-the-road, out-at-the-bar, Sunday reading, surfing-online-way-too-late-into- the-morning things.And for all of you to talk back to us. Let's pretend we're at a cookout...there's shrimp and ribs on the barbie, a cold red stripe or white rum n cranberry in hand and nuff tings to talk about and listen to. Let's get started.>

So we’re making the switch. From Cable & Wireless DSL to Flow’s Fibre.
God knows we need it. Guaranteed, always on bandwidth is crucial to our business, and we really couldn’t stand Cable & Wireless's system slow downs from Thursday evening, and forget about surfing on a Friday afternoon. Flow will hook us up by the end of the month, we're moving into sweeter and bigger digs, so we’ll see if we’ll be screaming Viva La Difference or what the hell?!!

We like this site. We also wish him luck in the industry here!

It's a site with product categories ranging from Aromatheraphy,clothing,painting,gourmet foods,jewellry - it encourages Caribbean small and medium sized businesses to register their businesses and products online.

A trip to the 47 Half Way Tree Road branch of Cable & Wireless jets you right back to their true DNA - not very customer friendly. Since we're moving into our new digs in less than 30days, we're applying for a landline.

First you are handed a photocopied version of the business application form and after completing it, you hand it to the sole and highly stressed customer service rep there.Previously, when they had offices in New Kingston shopping centre and Sovereign Shopping Centre, you actually got to sit with a relaxed and pleasant rep, they'd input your details into their system and was able to tell you if there is service available in your area, in fact, you left there almost knowing when you'd get the service. Not this time.

You left there with a promise, promise to call you to give you a reference number and information on when you might get your service. For a small and fast growing company this is less than encouraging. But we have no choice, so we wait.That experience alone, along with molasses type internet access and customer service agents who are as helpful as the 30th cup of coffee, makes me feel that Cable & Wireless still doesn't get it. The one reason why Digicel will always beat Cable & Wireless, it's because Digicel fawns over their customers, and makes it their mission to please them, reward them and excite them. And man do they look like they have fun doing it

I wish we could be accused of curry favour because we've done work for Digicel, but we can only call it as we and other colleagues that we know experienced it. It could be perceived that you really can't teach an over 50 year old dog new customer service tricks.But if I'm wrong, I'm sure I'll hear about it.

The past couple of months I've been hearing the same thing. My site is up, but I have little or no traffic or at least not the traffic that I want. How can I get more visitors to my website? What can I do to stimulate traffic? This kind of made it clear that there are companies, small to medium-sized entrepreneurs still throwing up sites without it being part of their overall business and marketing plan, or simply not having a marketing plan for the site at all
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Without question, putting a website online is not a case of building it and they will suddenly come. You have to work it, like everything else. Marketing your website as with everything else begins with the product/service offering and you have to build out a plan for the site.
But here’s is a mini DIY list to get you started.

According to the Planning Institute of Jamaica, the sales of computers and computer accessories grew by 61% since the 16.5% General Consumption Tax (GCT),the sales tax was removed on April 1, 2005. One of the better decisions by the Jamaican Government.

...so I was just checking to see what you guys do and how maybe you can work with him on this site.

What we say:"Hell No!, Let him do it! The money you save by using him is nothing compared with the cost in time and money required to undo his mistakes."

Yet another reason why customers cannot always be right.

If you have a small company (10 people or less) and work in Jamaica, then you've met THEM. And who are THEY? THEY are represented by the large company marketing person who like small companies because they believe they are too hungry to care about being respected, paid on time or having their ideas stolen. THEY come to get inspired from the creativity and unique ideas, grab as much as they can for as little as they can, because there is always a small company who thinks it's better to suck salt to build a portfolio, thanstand ground on worth from the get go. THEY getaway with it because THEY think, maybe even know that small companies here don't speak to each other, help each other as a culture. And in fact THEY are right!