To borrow a story…

Two young fish are swimming. They run into an older fish, who turns and asks, "Morning, boys. How’s the water?"

The two young fish swim for a few moments before one looks at the other and goes, "What’s water?"

For anyone who thinks of Internet culture as being like a wading pool they can just dip a toe in when the sidewalk gets hot… nope. You’re in it.

You’re in it right now reading this blog. You’re probably in it within minutes of waking up and going to sleep. It’s so immersive, so all encompassing, so environmental, to treat it casually at this point makes you (ahem) a fish out of water.

The Internet is no longer a force for building business. It is the force. Everyone and everything ties to it. 

Now… how well do you swim?

That’s what this blog has been about, and what it will be about in even more direct ways in 2010. In the new information age, Web literacy equals currency. It’s all about harnessing the propulsive and fluid tendencies of Internet engagement to make business boom.

Social media? If you’re trying to target an audience, engage it, grow it, and sell to it, nothing gets it done as speedily as social media. Facebook, Twitter, and the rest… these are incredibly powerful for anyone trying to sell anything. And not just for boosting your message/wares/product awareness. It’s just as critical for feedback and operational efficiency.

Search engine optimization is the lifeblood of any serious effort to be seen online. Whether you sell websites or life insurance policies or artisanal cheeses, you’ll want to be found. There are simple ways to ensure this happens. We’ll talk about them.

The best part about all of these tools is that with each passing year, the financial barrier of entry lowers. With some wisdom, some instruction, some practice, and some community, anyone hoping to make a splash can create a tidal wave.

What we’re talking about is bigger than the marketing models of earlier generations. It’s the water from the fish story. It’s environmental and everywhere. It’s busted apart the old models.

In the coming months, we’ll be discussing a lot of online tools to help your business grow. Some of them use plays from the current playbook. Some of them tear out those pages and do something new. But what these online tools have in common is the ability to make your business grow — and sustain growth — like never before.

We’re going to have fun. This is not about binary code. Ultimately, it’s not even about business. It’s about stories. The stories of people with whom I’ve talked, and, more importantly, the story you want to tell.

What gets me so excited about these web strategies is seeing what businesses do with them. It’s when I see people awaken to the new environment and attack it with passion.

These are dire straits we’re navigating economically in 2010. No one needs to tell you that. But Web-based operations and analytics make you nimble and alert and successful, and will become even more necessary in the times (good and bad) coming up around the bend.