By Penny Power

Over the past 12 years I have led a Social Network, Ecademy. It was created in 1998 to support business owners and enable them to get along socially and as a result help one another. It has not been easy and it has taught me many things about human nature, the good and the bad. I have also been able see the difference between the cultures around the world. Ecademy has members in over 200 countries. We also have a feedback system that allows members to say how they are feeling, and sadly the British online are not always great at being an ambassador for UK plc.

One thing that sets the British apart is the culture of the media, Freedom of Speech is taken to a limit that seems to allow bullying and a level of transparency that I think is disruptive. The hungry mouths of the British may also create a feeling of ‘selling’ online rather than social networking. On the whole I am thrilled to be British and proud of our heritage and our attitudes, but a minority online and offline, in my opinion are being the wrong type of role models for the young entrepreneurs and for the new comers to the world of ‘starting your own business’.

The biggest obstacle to overcome when people go online is a mind shift. The online world is about being supportive to others, not transactional. Ecommerce was transactional, Social Media and Social Networking are about ‘leading, serving and creating followers’.

Currently the market is flooded with ‘how to’ people, teaching how to use the tools, with a targeted and transactional mindset, people feel they are achieving a great deal, but are they? Is there a short term gain from creating manipulative internet marketing traps? Or perhaps taking a longer view and building a network of followers would work better. This is the role of a Coach, before focusing on the technology, let’s help people understand this new world and how to adopt a ‘Digital Mindset’. Perhaps this way we can turn Internet Access into Economic Growth.

About the author

Penny Power is a published author, a highly engaging speaker, author and successful UK digital entrepreneur. Penny founded Ecademy, the UK's first social network for business, in 1998. Ecademy is today a global operation, present in over 200 countries. Ecademy offers accredited Digital Coaching programmes and is a Race Online 2012 partner.