Thoughts on internet training for SME's

Between October and mid December I delivered 17 training sessions across 5 courses to SME's (one to ten employee's) across a variety of topics. Some thoughts on this.

• The demand from SME's is developing/maturing - more call now for search engine optimisation/website marketing than ever previously seen.
• Email newsletters are starting to be embraced - partially down to the critical mass being achieved in usage numbers in Ireland
• Blogs are better communicated (by me anyway) in a one to one environment where their  benefits can be explained in the context of the needs of a particular business.
• Layers of training are required - varying from the short, entry level sessions provided by us in the helpyourself.ie monthly gatherings to basic and advanced training. This layering is important as it was evident from the 5 courses which I gave that business owners are choosing to do courses that are not really relevant to them because they do not have other choices.
• In 2007 myself and Kilkenny CEB are going to experiment with the setting up of a network of non-techie SME's with websites who have spent time learning about the medium and are open to expanding on that. The group will be managed/facilitated to present their experiences to each other - a variant on the barcamp philosophy where outside experts are not necessary if your peers will share their own stories.
• Sitekreator.com is the best tool I have found for non-techies to develop their own sites - I have tried a couple of others and non match it for ease of use and functionality offered

It's great to be finished those evening sessions and starting to find time to read and blog again!

keith

Comments

[Paul Browne - Technology in Plain English]

Keith,

What's your view on the uptake of blogging by SME's?

Paul

[keith bohanna]

Hi Paul

there is serious resistance to it in most quarters - partially lack of interest, some lack of understanding and a lot because the persons reading blogs/comsuming RSS feeds are very sectorally specific in Ireland and so the audience may not be there.

In my work (as with a lot of people in the space) I advice appropiate technology/tools so email newsletters are of stronger interest to my SME clients.

Blogs are where email and websites were 5 or 6 years ago and will get adopted by businesses - but slowly.

How about you - what is your experience?

keith