… doing business in China!
Store Images on Flickr | Add SEO Juice!
May 31st
For the last five years we have used Flickr to store images, create blog posts and drive traffic to our websites. Back then, you could use the comment section under the image to place a relevant link to your website, and traffic would flow freely! Unfortunately, the spammers ruined this for everybody and search engines are no longer able to spider these links because Yahoo (who purchased Flickr in 2005) made these links “nofollow” in February, 2008.
There are still some advantages, however, in using Flickr. These factors include the following:
- You can upload blog posts conveniently, with an image, directly from Flickr.
- You can add a link to your website, from your profile, free from “nofollow”.
- Discussion Boards and Group Pages are also still free of the “nofollow” tag.
- Your personal activity in Flickr will generate Page Rank from your profile, groups and forums.
- Images in your “photostream” have an RSS feed. Use it to generate traffic from other sites.
- Images in Flickr Groups have an RSS feed. Create a group and use it to generate traffic also.
- With a free Flickr account, you can upload 2 videos and 100MB of photos each calendar month.
- The annual Pro A/C fee is $24.95 or get a 2 year account for just $47.99. It’s very inexpensive!
~ to subscribe to an RSS feed for the photostream of ‘drs2biz’.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 David Schroeter
Membership Functionality for ‘drs2biz’!
May 30th
We are pleased to announce the implementation of a membership function for this website. DRS Business Consultants is looking to use this feature to allow like-minded members to interact over business ideas, Chinese Culture, ESL Teaching, Website Hosting issues and anything else that captures their imagination! In addition, a forum has been added to allow members to post their thoughts on all of these issues.
As you are probably aware, this site has been created on the WordPress platform. It uses the theme called ‘Mystique‘ and is hosted by ‘Magic Dragon Hosting‘. The members area has been facilitated by a WordPress plug-in called ‘Mingle‘ and the forums are brought to you by ‘WP-Forum Server‘.
Please go to the members area, then sign up and login to test these new features. Your own website can be improved in a similar fashion if you are using the WordPress platform.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 David Schroeter
Build Traffic and Links With Squidoo!
May 28th
Google, Yahoo and MSN all favour sites that have links from respected websites by improving the ranking of the target page. If you have links from high ranking sites, the ranking of the target page will be improved on the search engine. As a result, traffic will increase to your site. You can spend hours of time online trying to drive traffic to your website and building links to improve search engine rankings. There are different techniques with varying degrees of effectiveness.
One very popular and well respected vehicle for this purpose is “Squidoo”. Squidoo is a now a mature service for users who have some niche knowledge – in any area of expertise. The more esoteric the subject matter, the more value your Squidoo Page (Lens) will have.
Take a look at some of the lenses that have been personally created about topics of interest for anyone wishing to learn more about Chinese culture:
- Chinese Dynasties and Historic Events.
- The Tang Dynasty ~ a Golden Age in China?
- Who is Qu Yuan? Poet Statesman and Ideologist!
As an example of how these pages can rank on Google, try out the keywords… “tang dynasty, golden age” to see how well the page on this period, above, ranks. You can further browse through some of the cities in China by reading through these lenses:
A further example of how you can build a lens on a specialist subject can be found here:
In addition to link building and traffic generation, you can earn money for yourself or even your local charity. Have a look at Squidoo and build your first lens right now!
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 David Schroeter
China Immigration Law Planned
May 25th
Last Saturday, (22nd May, 2010), Xinhua News Agency made an announcement that “Chinese government officials and academics have started planning the country’s first draft immigration law to better manage the increasing number of immigrants”. In line with its emerging economic influence, this is further evidence that the Chinese administration is taking measures to accept the realities of the global economy by controlling the influx of people looking for work within its borders.
In addition, there was an announcement that “Foreign residents will, for the first time, take part in the national census due to begin on November 1, giving experts and policy-makers more solid statistical support for a reform of migration management”.
The sleeping giant appears to be awakening to the opportunities and threats offered in the new environment it has placed itself in, and is using the experience of experts from foreign countries to advise on appropriate measures to implement immigration policy. This is a positive step towards establishing a healthy relationship with western society.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 David Schroeter
International Labour Day Holiday in China!
May 1st
Today is an official public holiday in China for ‘International Labour Day’. As this year it falls on a Saturday, there will be a further day added on Monday as an extension of the weekend. This ‘long weekend’ there will be around 100 million tourists travelling around China. So it is best to avoid coming here during this period. Prices are high, bookings are difficult to arrange, and the clamour of excited holidaymakers is overwhelming!
Read this prior post about a trip taken on the International Labour Day holiday.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 David Schroeter
Using Chinese Language!
Apr 30th
To demonstrate your company is serious about conducting business in China, You should consider preparing written materials (company profile, brochures, business plans, business cards etc.) in Chinese as well as in English. An important investment is to have a reliable translator to make first contact with potential Chinese partners. As well as having the ability to accurately translate your messages, this person should also be absolutely loyal to your enterprise. A good way to ensure this is to provide an attractive remuneration package for them, as well as position and title!
For smaller companies, it is best to investigate existing staff for Chinese language skills, as they will already have a company work ethic. Promotion to overseas trade negotiation duties will help cement their loyalty. Great care should be exercised if you hire translation staff in China, as loyalties can be divided between ‘local’ Chinese business and ‘foreign’ companies. The Chinese people favour family then friends, local people, people from the same province, then Chinese people before foreigners.
Many Chinese companies have staff with English language skills, particularly written English. It is, therefore, possible to conduct business by email or fax once initial contact is made.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 David Schroeter
Circumlocution or Chinese Water Torture?
Apr 27th
When participating in a business meeting in China, you will typically be confronted with a ritual show of many words that take a long time for your translator to absorb and relate back to you in a few short sentences. This does NOT indicate your translator’s skills are poor. You are simply being introduced to a standard Chinese negotiation tactic ~ circumlocution. The purpose of this type of communication is to overwhelm you with time-wasting and confusing messages that will eventually leave you exhausted and confused. Eventually, your natural ability to negotiate an acceptable outcome will be averted and your bargaining powers overcome. Don’t be distracted by this. Awareness of this tactic will allow you to overcome some of its more negative aspects, and you will need some patience and a few tactics to counter it.
In the situation, above, you need to advise your translator to not allow the other party to ramble on and on. Tell them that their words will be translated sentence by sentence so that nothing is forgotten and this will help to prevent time wasting tactics. Be aware that the other party will try to enlist the support of the translator, as a foreigner elicits less loyalty than a fellow Chinese citizen.
Time is a totally different concept in China to what we are accustomed to in the west. The ability to soak up time works in favour of your Chinese associates, as they know we are broadly an ‘instant gratification’ society. Many times you will notice that your Chinese counterparts are late for a meeting. This can lead to pent-up hostility on your side, if you are not careful. Simply, and calmly, advise your hosts that you have other meetings scheduled and place a time limit on your current visit so they cannot take advantage of this situation. Another important point is to ensure that the person you are meeting has the authority to conduct negotiations on what you are discussing. Otherwise, they will simply tell you at the end of the meeting that they will report back to their superiors and let you know the result.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 David Schroeter
Negotiating a Contract in China!
Apr 26th
Image | Wikimedia
“A written contract in China is just the starting point for new negotiations”, or so I often think when pondering the way that seemingly “rock-solid” agreements are ignored for the sake of expediency (and usually to make a quick profit). This would seem to infer that there is no legal recourse for breaches of contract, but that is becoming untrue. An increasing number of foreign teachers and businessmen are successfully taking legal action to protect their rights. Let’s look at how you can protect yourself by ensuring your contract has little chance of being disputed by the other party.
First, ensure you retain your own legal counsel. Don’t fall for accepting the counsel of your new Chinese business partner “to save money and time”. Make sure you have clearly identifiable performance indicators, quality control measures and payment schedules. Don’t accept any provisions in the contract that you have no control over. For example, having a penalty clause for late payment during a holiday period when banks are shut. Don’t assume any parties in the contract have the ability or authority to perform specified tasks. You need to undertake exhaustive due diligence. Make sure you are able to obtain any legally required licenses or permits to fulfil your obligations. Don’t accept any statements that certain covenants or clauses are required under Chinese law without checking with your legal counsel. Also ensure that you correctly sign the contract and initial each page. The most important thing you should do is uphold your part of the contract. You could find it an expensive exercise otherwise!
Good luck with your contract negotiations. Remember that often you will be tested on your ability to foresee problems before they occur. Many business operators in China are seeking a fast profit rather than a steady income stream!
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 David Schroeter
Protecting Intellectual Property ~ a Note About Copyright!
Apr 14th
Recently, we needed to assert our copyright ownership over content on a web page of one of our sites. As a result, you will see a new page on copyright added to this site outlining the measures you need to take when engaging in this type of action. This page describes the steps to take if the jurisdiction of the infringement is within the USA (a large percentage of sites are hosted there). When conducting business in China, it is imperative you monitor the business environment you are operating in, as plagiarism is rife here!
In the digital domain of the internet, things are simplified somewhat by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in the USA and the European Copyright Directive (EUCD) in Europe. If the party that has plagiarised you has their website hosted in either of these jurisdictions, a simple process can be undertaken to remedy the situation.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 David Schroeter
Reading About Chinese Culture!
Apr 12th
The entries you will see, prior to this date,have been imported from “Blogger” in my personal weblog and give personal experiences of life in the People’s Republic of China. At that time I was a TESOL (Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages) teacher under contract with various schools in Hainan and Sichuan Provinces.
I still have some English classes, and you will be able to read an advice section for students and teachers very soon. The core content of this site, however, will be for business related matters.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 David Schroeter
