Dont be affraid to surf internet July 15th, 2007

One of the more curious phenomena to happen on the web is that people are afraid of showing themselves. Yes, they are scared to be online. Yet they want to be online.

I say this in all honesty because I visit many websites in a day. Some websites are garish and ugly beyond belief. Some are stylish and downright mindblowing. Some are just plain and simple.

My problem is that each time I click on “About Us”, all I get is the average About Us spiel. What’s that? Well, that’s the problem. Even IF I don’t read “About Us”, it makes no difference. I STILL don’t know them any more than I do their company.

Glowing words and praises aside, where’s the human factor in “About Us”? Why is the page even there when there’s nothing but the usual “we’re a team of highly-committed and creative individuals with years of experience in our own industries”.

So what?

Is that even about them? Or their experiences? Or maybe, just maybe, they’re making these things up? Who knows? They’re so unspecific! And my biggest problem is that I don’t see a face. A real face. A face of the owner. A face which tells me I am dealing with a real person here. Not some stock photos pinched from some stock photo gallery. A bunch of models in crisp suits and synthetic smiles.

Because all this annoys me, I make it truly personal when you visit the “About Us” page on my business website. You see me and my wife, and yes, we don’t look like models or even wear suits. But what we do is that we show you that’s who we are, that’s whom you will be talking to, when you ring us up.

We tell you about us in clear, precise words. What we’ve done before. What we do now.

If you want to run an online business, stop being a scaredy cat. Show the human side of you and your clients will love you for it.

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