Here in our little community we might be a bit behind the times. Still, you can’t help wonder when it comes to the mobile web, where the line these days between the reality and the hype?  It’s no surprise that many small business owners are either getting stressed out or simply rejecting social media outright.  It’s not hard to understand. Today we shop, plan our trips, get our entertainment, communicate and  interact in so many ways that it’s easy for small businesses to get overwhelmed when they think about reaching out to their potential customers.  Working in this field I’ve talked to business owners who’ve taken every approch imaginable.  There are some who simply refuse to move beyond their “website” feeling that there is just no real value in all that “chattery” stuff. Others are going the other way, having Twitters, Facebooks, blogs, Posterous pages, Delicious accounts, Flickrs, YouTubes and more. That’s in addition to their websites which may or may not have mobile versions as well. (Now, whether they are keeping up with it all is another question entirely!)

One of the most common questions I get asked these days is not, “How do I do this or that,  but, “Do I really need to do all this stuff?”  I understand.  It’s a fair question. The answer of course is NO!.. and Yes!, and well, maybe.  It depends.  But for the moment I won’t go into my thoughts about it because I really want yours.

Let me give you a perfect example.  Our site DevilsLakeWisconsin.com serves thousands of visitors each and every day (Thank you, by-the-way!).  The  website is really set up for folks who are researching or planning their next trip. Lots of folks stop by just to see the pictures and reminisce as well. It’s fair to say most folks are doing this from home or the office.  We talk to park visitors each day and offer updates, news, gossip or whatever else is going on through our Twitter or Facebook accounts.  We map through Google, share links on Delicious, and repeat our blogs on Posterous… Not to mention what’s going on with Yelp! or Foursquare or the myriad other SM sites out there. Most recently we’ve been talking about offering an Ipod/Android optimized version of the website as well. Which begs the question; Other than to grab a phone number, why would you visit the “.com” website on your mobile?  Could it be that some websites are simply meant for the “big screen”.  Maybe they have a place as an anchor in the midst of all the other social media balloons we send up each day?   We’re actually asking our visitors that question right now on Facebook.

Obviously I have my opinions on if and where the lines should be drawn and for the most part every business is different. There’s no, one right answer. But I’m really curious what you think. Especially if you’re not an IT professional.  How do you use the web these days?  Do you do everything on your mobile?  Can you?  (Here in Baraboo we’re  not in a good place on AT&T’s “map”.) Is your desktop your main access to the web?  Do you split time depending on what you’re doing?  Is the hype right or just hype?  So here’s my question… How do YOU use the web these days?

BTW, if you are a small business owner who’s been thinking about just this topic, feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to do what I can to help you sort it out.

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