Communication theory

There is much discussion in the academic world of communication as to what actually constitutes communication. Currently, many definitions of communication are used in order to conceptualize the processes by which people navigate and assign meaning. Communication is also understood as the exchanging of understanding. Additionally the biocommunication theory investigates communicative processes within and among non-humans such as bacteria, animals, fungi and plants.

We might say that communication consists of transmitting information from one person to another. In fact, many scholars of communication take this as a working definition, and use Lasswell's maxim, "who says what to whom in what channel with what effect," as a means of circumscribing the field of communication theory.

A simple communication model with a sender transferring a message containing information to a receiver.

Other commentators suggest that a ritual process of communication exists, one not artificially divorceable from a particular historical and social context.

Communication stands so deeply rooted in human behaviors and the structures of society that scholars have difficulty thinking of it while excluding social or behavioral events. Because communication theory remains a relatively young field of inquiry and integrates itself with other disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, and sociology, one probably cannot yet expect a consensus conceptualization of communication across disciplines.^[update]

Currently, there is no paradigm from which communication scholars may work. One of the issues facing scholars is the possibility that establishing a communication metatheory will negate their research and stifle the broad body of knowledge in which communication functions.

Internal Marketing

Apa itu marketing? Definisi memang banyak, tetapi pengertian yang paling mutahir mengenai istilah itu mengatakan bahwa marketing adalah upaya untuk menciptakan dan melayani pasar sasaran lebih baik dari pesaing.

Kita tidak hidup di zaman Henry Ford yang mengatakan bahwa “anda dapat memperoleh warna (mobil) apa saja sejauh itu adalah hitam”. Tetapi kita hidup di zaman generasi X dan Y yang mudah mengatakan “go to hell with your product” dengan ringan dan tanpa dosa. Kita hidup di era persaingan yang bukan hanya menakutkan, tetapi juga “tidak terdefinisikan dengan jelas”. Tidak heran apabila di seantero dunia orang berteriak “marketing – marketing – marketing”. Peter F. Drucker malah mengatakan bahwa pada akhirnya, di perusahaan hanya ada dua fungsi yaitu inovasi dan marketing.

Untuk menang dalam keadaan seperti itu, tidak ada cara lain bagi perusahaan kecuali mentransformasikan dirinya menjadi the marketing company. Suatu perusahaan yang digerakkan oleh dan untuk “melayani pasar lebih baik dari pesaing”.

Pasar di sini memang bermacam-macam, tetapi dari sudut upaya untuk mengembangkan perusahaan menjadi berjiwa pemasaran, pasar dapat dibagi menjadi dua: pasar eksternal (external market) dan pasar internal (internal market).

Anda pasti sudah bosan mendengar cerita tentang external market, yaitu pelanggan. Yang menarik untuk diperhatikan adalah internal market (baca: pelanggan) yang berasal dari dalam perusahaan yang sama. Misalnya pelanggan bagian SDM (Sumber Daya Manusia) adalah para karyawan lainnya (termasuk karyawan SDM itu sendiri), nasabah dari bagian pergudangan (di perusahaan perdagangan atau manufaktur) adalah bagian pembelian, produksi, dan bagian penjualan yang memanfaatkan jasa mereka untuk penyimpanan bahan/produk.

Internal market ini memang merupakan istilah yang dimunculkan untuk menumbuhkan semangat marketing, yaitu melayani nasabah. Tetapi sayang dalam implementasinya sering kali terdapat berbagai hambatan yang membuat istilah internal market/customer ini menjadi jargon usang yang hanya ada “di bibir saja”.

Kenapa? Penyebabnya macam-macam. Yang pertama adalah tidak adanya kompetisi. Berbagai bagian yang melayani bagian lain dari perusahaan yang sama memiliki sifat monopoli atas pasar yang dilayaninya. Sejarah telah membuktikan bhawa sifat monopoli ini tidak dapat menumbuhkan jiwa marketing sejati. Malah ada yang mengatakan bahwa “tidak perlu berbuat apa-apa untuk meraih kemenangan di pasar yang monopolistik”.

Sehubungan dengan hal tersebut, maka harus dibuat kompetisi bagi unit internal perusahaan yang memungkinkan unit tersebut hilang apabila tidak dapat bersaing. Misalnya biaya rekrutmen yang harus dikeluarkan oleh unit rekrutmen per karyawan adalah Rp. 3 juta. Apabila dapat ditemukan biaya jasa Human Resource consultant untuk mengerjakan hal yang sama dengan biaya di bawah Rp. 3juta, maka unit rekrutmen perusahaan dapat dibubarkan karena tidak dapat bersaing dengan kompetitornya, dan pekerjaan tersebut di-outsource-kan ke konsultan luar.

Hambatan yang kedua adalah masalah performance measurement (pengukuran kinerja). Ukuran keberhasilan bagian yang melayani nasabah luar (misalnya bagian penjualan) sangat jelas, yaitu pertumbuhan bisis dan pelayanan pelanggan. Apabila pelanggan tidak dilayani dengan baik, ia akan mengatakan “good bye”. Yang mengukur kinerja adalah pelanggan. Atasan hanya menerjemahkannya dalam bentuk yang berbeda, seperti penurunan/peningkatan jumlah penjualan, pesanan, kepuasan pelanggan dan sebagainya.

Pada unit internal, pengukuran kinerja tidak melibatkan pelanggan. Walau pun telah dikampanyekan budaya pelayanan pelanggan/nasabah internal (internal marketing), tetapi pada akhirnya pelanggan yang dilayani sama sekali tidak memiliki “suara” untuk menentukan sukses/tidaknya bagian tersebut. Yang menentukan bagus/tidaknya kinerja adalah atasan yang bersangkutan, bukan pasar. Dengan demikian, penilaian menjadi bias, bukan penilaian marketing yang sebenarnya. Mungkin ada yang protes dan mengatakan bahwa “seharusnya-atasan tersebut sudah dapat menilai dengan objektif”. Well….we wish that’s true, tetapi sayangnya dalam kebanyakan perusahaan, itu hanyalah harapan dan suatu wishful thinking.

What It Takes To Make Money Blogging With

2006 has seen many extraordinary changes in the blogosphere as well as Adsense. More and more people are entering the world of blogging, and many of them are putting their hands on Google Adsense to generate a part-time income. Some of them made it successfully and become full-time blogger. They are able to climb to the top of the Adsense ladder and cash their tens-of-thousands checks, laughing all the way to the bank, while
others are still scratching their head in dismay trying to figure outwhat went wrong. This special report is written specifically to outline what works andwhat doesn’t. Without further ado, let’s get started.

What Doesn’t Work:

1) Duplicated Content

It surprises me when I receive emails asking me where to scrap content to make money from Adsense. Don’t waste your time. Google is penalizing on duplicated content. If your blog is filled with content copied from article directories or free-to-copy articles, you will end up in the recycle bin of not only Google Search Engine, but the mind of blogosphere. It is so easy to detect a piece of duplicated content. Don’t use them unless they are really that good that you need to let You may give this report away for free.

your readers read. If you currently run a blog full of duplicated content, consider dumping it if it is not making you money. If it is making you money, it won’t be long. You have to insert unique content into the blog to save it from being swept.

2) Merely A Diary

If your blog is merely a diary without a theme, it can be hard to make money from Adsense. You can make much more if your blog is closely focused upon a theme. If you are planning to start a blog in 2007 for
the purpose of cashing with Adsense, forget about a diary. The ads appearing on a diary cannot be well targeted. People will not click if there is no relevancy of the ads to the content. People are hungry for information, especially information that solves their problem, provides convenience or provides entertainment. Think of a creative theme and rock on it, just not a simple diary.

3) High Paying Adsense Keywords

The hype is still around. People are spending thousands of dollars acquiring high paying adsense keywords. They are near to nonexistent. Google has smart pricing that rules in the favor of the advertisers. Google has never disclosed how many percent of revenue it is going to share with you. If you found a keyword that advertisers are paying $25 per click, it is unlikely that you will earn $12 a click onthat keyword. In fact, it is suggested that you steer away from the keywords appearing in any suggested high paying keyword list when
you are first starting out. They do not pay what you think they will pay, but the competition is stiff. You might not even get a click at all, so why bother spending a whole 120 pages blog on the keyword?

4) Blind link exchange

Till these days, I still receive emails requesting a “blind” link exchange. I am always happy to get a request about link exchange, but when I look at the proposed link, it has nothing to do with my theme! I am writing about gardening and someone send an email asking for link exchange with his blog about Car’s Performance! Blind link exchange will not work. In fact, it is rumored that blind link exchange will not make but break your blog. You cannot control who is linking to you, but you have absolute choice on who you want to link to. If you link to spam blogs, called splogs, Google might think you have problem distinguishing what’s good and what’s not and penalize on you for that. Be careful on the link you are sending out.

What Works:

1) Content is King

It is still the King in 2007. In fact, original content has become more and more important. Sites that do not have good amount of unique content will be weeded out slowly, not only by Google, but by the whole blogosphere. Would you rather bookmark and revisit a blog with full unique, useful content or a blog with duplicated junky content? Or a blog that simply spreads affiliate links on all possible words? The answer is clear, Content Is Still The King In 2007!

2) Theme-based Blog

This is the next big thing that is going to hit the market in 2007. Last year, we have seen many successful implementations of such kinds of blogs. Instead of simply a blog, or a collection of daily musings, many
blogs are setup to closely focus around a theme. For example, if you are writing about gardening, what you need to do with your blog is to have a comprehensive, closely focused content about gardening, and only gardening. Forget about setting up a pond in your garden. Forget about the benefits of practicing Tai Ji in the garden. Focus on “gardening”.

3) Niche In A Niche

Gardening is a niche. Bonsai gardening is a niche in a niche. If you plan to start a blog in 2007, you need to consider setting up the blog within a niche, not on a niche. The competition has been furious. Most popular niches have already been filled. Now, people are You may give this report away for free. moving into niche in a niche. It is a race on who gets to root into a niche first and establish a name. So, try to think if there is a niche in a niche that complements your current venture. You might want to start a launch into a niche in a niche.

4) Contextual Link Exchange

This will rock 2007! Many services have been setup for this purpose. Contextual link exchange happens this way: You are writing about Bonsai gardening. You see someone else writing about Bonsai gardening. You write about that blog and give a link to it. You then email the blogger about the link, and ask if he will review your blog and give you a link back on his blog. Both of you are talking about bonsai gardening. Both of you write a post and give a link to each other. It is so natural that Google is going to put weight on this type of linking. Contextual Link Exchange will stay in 2007.

5) Video Blogs

Yeah, this is going to rock 2007 as well. If you are setting up a blog, and you want heavy amount of targeted visitors, use video. Write some content and capture some videos. Post the video on YouTube, Google Video and every place that allows video. Embed the video in your blog. If you do it correctly and frequently, you can gather a mass of loyal repeat visitors. You can also get links easily. Video is one of the easiest way to link bait! This will help you build up your ranks in Google and give you even more free traffic from the search engines. Try to use as much video as possible in your blog, because this will be the trend for 2007! To help you get started with video, I am giving away a free bonus, called CamStudio. This software is used widely by internet marketers and bloggers alike to create on-screen video. You can use it to create tutorials or anything you like. It records into .AVI format, and you can convert it into .SWF format right from the recorder itself. Then you can embed into your blog or post it on YouTube and Google Video.

6) Outsource Content Writing

This has become popular. Successful bloggers are not building one blog. They are building a network of blogs. We call it a Blog Empire! We do not write the content ourselves. We outsource the content
writing. We do, however, tell the writers what to write and what not to write. We do, as well, edit the content to add in some passion and personalization. With the right outsourcing, we are able to manage not one, but more than 30 blogs at one time, and still have time to research and develop new blogs!