Wednesday 19 November 2008

Blogging Back On

About three years ago we set up a blog for Channel Chamber... I wrote a few articles and it did not really catch on!!

Fastforward and we now have The Insider - which is a weekly email to over 1000 subscribers and more and more local businesses are embracing web.2 and its time to revisit the blog.

Here at the Chamber we are getting ready for the Chamber Xmas lunch - there are still places free and its a great way to socialise and entertain at less than £30 a head

We have signed up some new members - most recently this morning the View in Folkestone - visit the Chamber site for more information on them....

Also on my linkedin site I posted a question...


What should a modern Chamber of commerce look like?
In these trying times, needs and priorities change - as businesses people, some members, some non members, what are you looking for from a chamber of commerce/membership organisation that is not just about networking ?

So comments please... thats all for now.

2 comments:

Alison Chapman said...

I think a modern Chamber of commerce should have a strong web base and from what I can see Channel Chamber certainly has that.
This I view as very important, for though I have a shop, my principle source of income is from the internet. Without my internet sales I could not survive, in fact every year when I to see Phillip Hindle at Berrisfords, I have to hear the bad news that the internet is the mainstay of the business and the shop is the drain. This always makes me sad and I defiantly carry on. Earning a little less undoubtedly, but still of the mind set that the shop is something solid, with the internet I worry, is it totally safe for me to wholly rely on?
Even I marvel that I can sell Jewellery on the scale that I do through the internet. Jewellery is something you think needs to be caressed and lovingly handled before you buy? I have learnt this is not the case.
Initially I had my own website and within the first month of it being on line I made a single sale of £6,500. I thought I had opened a gold mine!
My website languished with no sales after my one and only “hit”, though, I advertised it, tweaked it but all to no avail, so I turned to ebay, and I have been a power seller for the last four years and I have not looked back.
I wonder if it is now, more than at any other time, that turning to the internet is what may help businesses survive?
I would be happy to give help or give advice to any other business that would like to try ebay, especially in the strange times we are currently in, perhaps that is something for the chamber to consider collecting a data base of business skills that can be provided for free where possible to other businesses?
I would like to say Thank You though to Caroline and her Team who do a sterling job, hope you have an excellent Christmas.
Alison Chapman www.owlets.co.uk

Anonymous said...

Thanks Alison there is some great stuff here, and I also think the idea of a bank of experts is great - and we will put something in insider to see what feedback demand is. Thanks for your kind words ;-)

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