I discovered the Internet early in 1998 in South Africa.
When I was back there on a speaking tour earlier this year I realized how far behind the US they are in terms of Internet use. I was amazed that I was online back then. There were probably only a handful of us at that time.
It did not take me long to see the potential of this new medium. The Internet has completely changed the way we communicate and do business.
When I relocated to the USA in 1999 I worked for an Internet Service Provider who was on the cutting edge of broadband. I learned a lot and had the benefit of some very advanced thinking about how to use the Net and what it could do.
When I spoke to other PRSA members about using the Net for PR I found very few like minded souls. Mostly I got a lot of blank looks.
That prompted me to hold workshops on the use of broadband and the Internet for marketing and PR professionals - and I've been doing it ever since.
My expertise and interest in the Internet has always been from the PR angle. My long interest in consumer behavior and research ( I lectured for Oxford-Brookes University UK in these subjects for five years) has carried forward to the Internet.
I follow and participate in research that delves into user behavior and perceptions online. I have been very involved in studies about brand perceptions and search visibility in the past two years.
And so I came to blogging. When it is done right it can affect search visibility and brand perception. My interest is in how blogs affect the way people communcate, perceive and react online.
Sally
