Podcasts about internet department

In this enlightening episode of the Millionaire Car Salesman podcast, titled "Mastering the Internet Director Department," hosts Sean V. Bradley and L.A. Williams welcome automotive industry expert Keric Davis to explore the intricacies of running a successful internet department in an auto dealership! The conversation dives deep into the importance of crafting a cohesive strategy that empowers sales professionals to leverage digital tools effectively, streamline customer interactions, and ultimately drive sales to new heights! Kicking off the discussion, Sean highlights the pivotal role of an internet director, emphasizing the need for prompt responses to inbound leads and the significance of consistent follow-up efforts! The episode also addresses common misconceptions surrounding internet and BDC management roles, shedding light on the invaluable contributions these departments make to the dealership's overall success! Drawing from his extensive experience, Keric shares valuable insights into the evolving landscape of automotive sales, emphasizing the growing importance of technology-driven customer interactions! Listeners will gain valuable insights from the hosts' practical advice on achieving operational excellence, including strategies for maintaining control over engagements, optimizing time management, and enhancing lead follow-up processes! Furthermore, the episode underscores the importance of fostering a collaborative environment within the dealership, where internet directors play a vital role in facilitating synergy between BDC representatives, sales managers, and other key stakeholders! Tune in to this episode to discover actionable tips and strategies for mastering the internet director department and driving unprecedented success in automotive sales!  

Welcome to another captivating episode of the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, hosted by the dynamic duo, Sean V. Bradley, CSP, and L.A. Williams. Get ready for an exhilarating discussion as they reunite for this week's installment! In today's episode, we have a special guest joining us: Jenna Blankenbiller, the General Sales Training Director at Bob Ruth Ford. Prepare to be amazed as we delve into Jenna's extraordinary journey, from her background in Hotel Restaurant Management to now, her current role in managing Bob Ruth Ford. Bob Ruth Ford is a single-point Ford dealer located in Dillsburg, PA with a population of only 2,500. Before, selling only a mere 75 units per month from the Internet Department, now they have soared to over 320 units per month, solely from the Internet Department, under the guidance of Dealer Synergy! 75% of their sales come purply from online internet operations, and with the post-pandemic world forcing consumers to use online avenues for their car buying that percentage is only growing! Imagine the power of selling cars to your customers without them ever needing to set foot inside the dealership. Discover the cultural shifts and transformative habits that had to be embraced to turn Bob Ruth Ford into an exceptional "Internet Dealership." Tune in to uncover crucial missed opportunities that your dealership might still be overlooking by improperly outsourcing your BDC. Listen closely as Jenna roleplays the meticulously crafted Internet Process that propelled Bob Ruth Ford to its acclaimed fame as the top Ford dealership in the country. Gain insights into the innovative strategies employed to provide a seamless 100% online car buying experience. Have you ever heard of curbside pick-up for purchasing a car? Prepare to be inspired as you learn how to implement these game-changing tactics at your own dealership! Join us for this enlightening episode packed with insider knowledge and practical tips that will elevate your dealership's success to new heights. The future of automotive sales is here, and it's time to seize the opportunities that lie within the digital landscape. Don't miss out!   About Jenna Blankenbiller Jenna Blankenbiller hails from the picturesque Berks County, just outside Reading, Pennsylvania. With a passion for hospitality, she pursued her dreams and graduated from Central Penn College with a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management. Early in her career, Jenna made waves as she successfully managed multiple restaurants, showcasing her natural leadership and organizational skills. Driven by a desire for new challenges, Jenna made a bold career transition and ventured into the world of automotive sales. She found her calling at a reputable Nissan dealership, where she quickly established herself as a formidable salesperson. Determined to broaden her horizons, Jenna embarked on a transformative journey that led her to spend the next six years at a dynamic 'Buy Here Pay Here Dealership.' This experience served as a catalyst, strengthening her skillset and deepening her understanding of the automotive market. Eager to explore new avenues within the industry, Jenna joined the prestigious team at Bob Ruth Ford as a dedicated BDC Representative. Recognized by her exceptional talents, she swiftly ascended the ranks to become the store's esteemed Internet Director. Through her relentless dedication and unrivaled work ethic, Jenna has now assumed the role of the dealership's esteemed General Sales Training Director!   About Bob Ruth Ford What sets Bob Ruth Ford apart is their affiliation with Dealer Synergy. As one of their long-standing clients and an astounding success story, Bob Ruth Ford has experienced tremendous growth. Situated in Dillsburg, PA, a town with a modest population of only 2,500, their single-point Ford dealership has witnessed an extraordinary transformation. Previously selling only a mere 75 units per month from the Internet Department, now they have soared to over 320 units per month, solely from the Internet Department, under the guidance of Dealer Synergy! Bob Ruth Ford is committed to an ambitious mission: "To revolutionize the perception of the car dealership experience, one customer at a time." They take great pride in having experienced sales staff, whose primary objective is to ensure the complete satisfaction of each and every customer we serve. At Bob Ruth Ford, we go the extra mile by offering Guaranteed Credit Approval through the esteemed Credit Acceptance Corporation. Rest assured, your financing needs will be met with ease.   Resources Dealer Synergy & Bradley On Demand: The automotive industry's #1 training, tracking, testing, and certification platform and consulting & accountability firm. The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast: is the #1 resource for automotive sales professionals, managers, and owners.  Also, join The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group today! The Against All Odds Radio Show: Hosting guests that have started from the bottom and rose to the top.  Also, join The Against All Odds Radio Show Guests & Listeners Facebook Group for the podcasted episodes. For more interactivity, join The Millionaire Car Salesman Club on Clubhouse. Win the Game of Googleopoly: Unlocking the secret strategy of search engines.   The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast is Proudly Sponsored By:  Money Mind Mapp (M3): Visit MoneyMindMapp.com for help in revolutionizing your business to help you sell more cars by tracking, projecting, and forecasting your personal sales goals! Bradley On Demand: Automotive Sales Industry's #1 Interactive Training, Tracking, Testing and Certification Platform. With over 7,500 training modules, our platform has everything you and your dealership needs to sell more cars, more often and more profitably!

This week on the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, Sean V. Bradley interviews Digital Dealer's Show Director, Alissa Calvaruso, and Digital Dealer Conference Manager & Head of Education, Christine Corkran, to discuss the upcoming Digital Dealer Tampa 2023 happening May 1st - May 3rd, 2023.  Why should you attend this year's Digital Dealer? Digital Dealer is a great place for networking and learning from a wide variety of speakers, and provides interactive, hands-on, lab-based sessions created to encourage dealer attendees to connect, learn, and create memorable moments! Digital Dealer Tampa will include even more networking opportunities and an agenda packed with deep dives, labs, fireside chats, and more!  REGISTER NOW Text the word TAMPA to (267) 551-6279 for Discount Codes and Free Scholarship Opportunities!   About Sean's Digital Dealer Session - The Absolute Best Strategy for Lead Handling in 2023 Dealers spend OVER $1 billion per month ($65,000 per month x 16,500+ franchise dealerships) on marketing, advertising, and lead generation. But often, there isn't a solid strategy in place to actually engage and convert these opportunities. Sean V. Bradley has spent the last 23 years pioneering automotive internet sales and business development. He has helped 3,700+ dealerships generate over $1.5 billion in additional revenue, utilizing his unique lead follow-up and engagement strategy. In this 50-minute session, Sean will: 1. Answer the questions: What is the best infrastructure to handle Internet, phone, and BDC leads to yield the HIGHEST closing ratio and gross? Is it showroom sales consultants or BDC reps? How many reps do you need to handle X number of leads? 2. Cover lead handling/follow-up strategies for each of the main lead classifications: - New Car - Used Car - Special Finance 3. Give you the most effective CRM Strategy that will immediately increase your engagements and conversions - Show you powerful new ways to follow up with your leads and opportunities that will double, triple, and even quadruple your engagements - Social Media DMs - Facebook - Instagram - Whats App - LinkedIn - TikTok - Venmo - Cash App - Video Email and Video Text Messaging 4. Sean will also break down how Bob Ruth Ford's Internet Department went from 75 units per month to 320 units per month in a location with only 2,500 residents!   About Tianna Mick & Crissy Burton's Session - Proven Tactics and Tips from a Top Sales Performer Who Built her Brand to Sell 74 Cars a Month In this session, Crissy Burton of Hubler Automotive Group, one of the highest-performing sales professionals, will share her proven tips and formula for success! She will discuss how you/your sales team can build a pipeline and increase business from new and repeat customers. In this fireside-style chat with Tianna Mick, Crissy will discuss how she consistently breaks sales records at the dealership. Walk away with a proven formula to attract customers to the dealership and close more sales. This formula has helped Crissy to sell 74 units on the showroom sales floor with no assistants and all special finance customers by cultivating relationships. You will learn: 1. How sales personnel can achieve work/life balance while having a successful career in automotive  2. How to build a personal brand that drives more traffic into the dealership and increases sales  3. How to use Instagram and Facebook Marketplace listings to attract potential customers  4. Special finance secrets and strategies to implement at your dealership Call 856-546-2440 or Text 610-607-3231 to set up a time to meet with the Dealer Synergy Team at the Dealer Synergy Book at Digital Dealer Tampa May 1st - 3rd, 2023!   About Alissa Calvaruso Alissa Calvaruso is in her 8th year with Digital Dealer. Alissa's journey started as a content manager communicating with speakers and booking speakers for Digital Dealer. Those responsibilities grew to include editor of Dealer Magazine, and now she has moved up to Show Director of Digital Dealer, where she now oversees the whole show.   About Christine Corkran Christine Corkran has been with Digital Dealer for the past 2 years. She began as a conference agenda specialist and has worked her way up to being a Conference Manager and Alissa's right-hand woman. As Conference Manager Christine is now overseeing the education portion of the conference.   About Digital Dealer Digital Dealer Tampa – But 2.0! Learn What's New!  Join us at Digital Dealer Tampa, May 1-3, 2023, for a 2.5-day conference and expo packed with actionable sessions, impactful keynotes, numerous opportunities for networking, the latest auto retail solutions, and more!  REGISTER NOW Resources Dealer Synergy & Bradley On Demand: The automotive industry's #1 training, tracking, testing, and certification platform and consulting & accountability firm. The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast: is the #1 resource for automotive sales professionals, managers, and owners.  Also, join The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group today! The Against All Odds Radio Show: Hosting guests that have started from the bottom and rose to the top.  Also, join The Against All Odds Radio Show Guests & Listeners Facebook Group for the podcasted episodes. For more interactivity, join The Millionaire Car Salesman Club on Clubhouse. Win the Game of Googleopoly: Unlocking the secret strategy of search engines.   The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast is Proudly Sponsored By:  Money Mind Mapp (M3): Visit MoneyMindMapp.com for help in revolutionizing your business to help you sell more cars by tracking, projecting, and forecasting your personal sales goals! Bradley On Demand: Automotive Sales Industry's #1 Interactive Training, Tracking, Testing and Certification Platform. With over 7,500 training modules, our platform has everything you and your dealership needs to sell more cars, more often and more profitably!  

This week on The Millionaire Choice Podcast, Tony talks with Sean V. Bradley, professional speaker, entrepreneur, and author. Tony and Sean discuss life after prison, entrepreneurship, and how Sean turned his life around. After spending three years in juvenile prison from age 12 to 15, and then three more years from 19 to 22, Sean decided to turn his life around with nothing but a backpack and $1,000 dollars he had saved from working at a deli shop in New Jersey. About Sean V. Bradley Sean V. Bradley CSP is a worldwide, expertly trained Consultant, Speaker, and Trainer. He is a 9-time NADA/ATD convention speaker, FranklinCovey Certified Facilitator, National Speakers Association member, where he received his CSP designation, and a State Association Speaker and Trainer. He is also a member of Toastmasters International. Sean started Dealer Synergy over 15 years ago but has been in the automotive industry for over 19 years. He has spoken at over 100 NCM and NADA 20 Groups. Sean learned the business from the ground up. Beginning as a sales consultant, he has since held positions at dealerships as Sales Manager, Internet Sales Manager, Special Finance Manager, and Business Development Director. At his first dealership, he averaged over 30 units per month, taking the sale from start to finish. On the heels of his success, Sean was recruited to a Dealer Group, Pine Belt Automotive, where he moved their Nissan/Kia/Cadillac store from 20 units per month online to over 110! He repeated those results two years later when he took over the Internet Department of a major Nissan store in the Philadelphia market and grew their volume from 27 to over 100 units per month. Learn more about Sean V. Bradley, https://dealersynergy.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining Audrey for this week's REELTalk - YONA KOBO is the curator of a new exhibit at the Internet Department of Yad Vashem, and will be sharing about, "Remember Your New Name: Surviving the Holocaust Under A False Identity" from Jerusalem! PLUS, the media never seems to tell the truth anymore. But especially when it comes to world & religious leaders. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is one example. What's the truth about his legacy? We'll get the facts with Dr. PETER HAMMOND in South Africa! AND, How has the bombardment of disinformation affected the population and is there a way out of the fear trap? We'll get answers with Psychotherapist ALEXA SERVODIDIO! In the words of Benjamin Franklin, "If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately." Come hang with us...

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 10 of the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast!  This week, Justin Nischan of Allentown Kia explains how he sells 120+ through the internet department while grossing $4300 per COPY!  New Reps, New Pay Plans, New Expectations set his Internet Department up for MEGA Success!  Justin explains his formula and tells us how he achieved the unbelievable numbers that he does!  #AutoSales #AutomotiveIndustry  #Marketing #DigitalMarketing #AutomotiveMarketing #CarSales #PersonalDevelopment #MillionaireCarSalesman #Podcast #BlindPhoneMaster #OrangeTie #DealerSynergy #BradleyOnDemand   Books Recommended during this Episode:   Win the Game of Googleopoly For More Free Resources and Knowledge: Dealer Synergy | The Automotive Industry's #1 Training, Consulting & Accountability Firm   Check Out The #1 Virtual Training Platform for Automotive Professionals   Join the Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group

Just got promoted! Congratulations! Now this is how you do business in the Internet department. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Do you want to take your Internet Department to the next level? Birthday Boy Jason Koons gives a sneak peek into the mind of an Internet Manager who has more than double his department's sales and is continuing to increase month by month.  Jason believes that true success starts at the top. If the "boss" believes and lives out a system when he trains his people on that system it will inevitably become who they are. Jason sees the value in his employees having a good work/life balance in order to come into work with "their heads on right" so they can focus and plan out their day and get their processes in order.  Jason started as a salesman but felt that the internet gave him a better opportunity to connect with more people. He has taken his internet department from 75 units per month to 154 units, and is on track for another increase for the month of April. Jason accredits the continued success to the structure, accountability, phone training, and his ability to make sure everyone follows the same process.  Jason is a successful manager because he has a firm grasp on the fact that respect is a two-way street between himself and his employees. He also knows the importance of continued training, which is why he is a Bradley On Demand client. Like LA put it, "Training is like showering, once you stop you start to get stinky!"

Marilyn Batres had a career with Sharp but made the decision to enter an industry she knew nothing about 12 years ago and has never looked back.  Marilyn increased her Internet Department by 200 units per month as a result of her motto - "If you work hard and do what you are asked the sky is the limit!" To Marilyn working hard is having your priorities straight. As a manager, your priority should be to touch and stay aware of the work that is being done in your department on a daily basis.  You're only as good as your team. To keep the attrition rate low managers must realize that people like training and structure, create that environment! Entering a foreign industry, Marilyn quickly realized that focusing your training on your weakness is the most beneficial for your success. She has implemented that philosophy into her department and continues to build her team. 

With over 18 years of proven auto sales experience, Jeff has held multiple roles in the industry, including being the top performer 50 of 58 months while on the sales floor, to managing the top Internet Department in the Billions organization, selling 1300+ vehicles online in 2013. Jeff has also held positions as Used Car Manager to General Manager in the 18 years of being in the automotive industry. His true passion though, is complete customer satisfaction and the opportunity to train and develop new sales people in the automotive business. Here is how you can reach Jeff: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeff-larsen-30654961 Mobile: 605.321.5757 Email: jeff.larsen@billionauto.com

In this episode Jasen Rice goes over why it is important to track the front and back end of your internet deals and how these stats can help you increase your internet closing percentage and get better ROI with your lead providers at the dealership.

Avoiding Phishing emails, snooping with drones, browser wars (Chrome vs IE vs Foxfire, Foxfire least secure), sending anonymous emails (Hushmail and others), installing iso files, Profiles in IT (Chuck Hull, father of 3D printing), most expensive domains names (and its not sex.com), skull replaced with 3D printed copy, Office for iPad (finally releassed, free app with great reviews, requires $5/month Office365 subscription), and US giving up control of Internet (Department of Commerce contract with ICANN will not be renewed, many are worried). This show originally aired on Saturday, March 29, 2014, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM).

Avoiding Phishing emails, snooping with drones, browser wars (Chrome vs IE vs Foxfire, Foxfire least secure), sending anonymous emails (Hushmail and others), installing iso files, Profiles in IT (Chuck Hull, father of 3D printing), most expensive domains names (and its not sex.com), skull replaced with 3D printed copy, Office for iPad (finally releassed, free app with great reviews, requires $5/month Office365 subscription), and US giving up control of Internet (Department of Commerce contract with ICANN will not be renewed, many are worried). This show originally aired on Saturday, March 29, 2014, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM).

Lindsay Toscano, Business Development Director for Nelson Mazda, shares how she took a start-up Internet Department into an award-winning profit center for her dealership.

In the summer of 1996 I presented a series on CBC Radio’s Island Morning program, produced by Ann Thurlow, called Consumed by Technology. I’ve managed to recover the audio of the episodes, along with the “show notes” and transcripts, from The Internet Archive and I’m posting each episode here for posterity. This fourth episode of Consumed by Technology focused access to information; it aired on July 30, 1996. Karen Mair was the host. It used to be that in rural communities on Prince Edward Island, the local telephone operator was the “central clearinghouse” for all types of information. If you wanted to know what the hymns were for church on Sunday, or whether Mrs. MacIsaac had given birth yet or what the price of apples at the general store was, you’d just pick up the phone and ask. The last rural telephone operator left service almost 20 years ago, but the idea of a “central clearinghouse” for information is still alive and well. Show Notes These are the original links that I released with the episode; each is a link to the Internet Archive’s cache of the site at the time. The Numbers Canadian Social Insurance Number Disclosure Regulations Special Joint Subcommittee Studying State and Commercial Use of Social Security Numbers for Transactional Identification How to get a Second Social Security Number Government and Privacy Federal Information Commissioner Federal Privacy Commissioner Privacy Protection across Canada Information For Sale ServiceOntario Kiosks Internet Department of Motor Vehicles Sherlock International Research Bureau Transcript INTRO: It used to be that in rural communities on Prince Edward Island, the local telephone operator was the “central clearinghouse” for all types of information. If you wanted to know what the hymns were for church on Sunday, or whether Mrs. MacIsaac had given birth yet or what the price of apples at the general store was, you’d just pick up the phone and ask. The last rural telephone operator left service almost 20 years ago, but the idea of a “central clearinghouse” for information is still alive and well. For another in the series “Consumed by Technology,” Peter Rukavina joins me now to talk about this, and to tell us what he found out when he asked the question “What have they got on me?” QUESTION: So the operators are all gone, but their spirit lives on? ANSWER: Well, perhaps a vague shadow of their spirit, a distant cousin, you might say… As you suggested, in days gone by, rural telephone operators played a central role in community life as the chief “keepers of information. “ After telephones came along, pretty well anything important that had to be communicated had to pass through the local telephone exchange. This meant that the operators had a pretty good handle on everyone’s life and goings on, and so if you wanted to know something, there was a good chance the local operator would either know themselves, or could tell you who did. In their own way, they were pretty powerful people in their communities. Today, telephone operators are gone, but what has lived on is the notion that having a central clearinghouse for information makes you a pretty powerful person. In this “wired world,” the place that information gets stored — the clearinghouse — is not in the minds of telephone operators, but in databases in computers. And so today, it’s really the person with the fastest computers and the best databases that holds the most power. Now with all of that in mind, I decided to set out to answer the question “What have they got on me?” I was curious to know how much information about me and my everyday life is sitting out there in the computers of the world, what it’s used for, and who can get access to it. QUESTION: Well… what did you find out? ANSWER: I started by sitting down with a piece of paper and listing out all of the businesses and organizations and governments that I knew had a file on me. I started with things like my driver’s license, my bank accounts, my Social Insurance Number, the credit bureau and continued on to things like the local video store, my Internet provider, and all of the magazines that I subscribe to. And on and on. Now I don’t tend to get surprised about much when it comes to information and technology, but I must say that I was overwhelmed by the size of this list when I was done… in 10 or 15 minutes I came up with almost 50 places that had some sort of information about me in their files. And those were just the places I knew about. Once I had this long list in hand, I decided to zero in on a couple of the items, make some phone calls, and see what more I could find out about exactly how and what was being recorded about me. I started with my driver’s license, which I figured was a good place to start because it has a reputation as being a sort of “universal card” — people ask for it when you want to rent cars or videos or sign up for a cheque cashing card at the grocery store. I assumed that if someone had my driver’s license number they could just phone the driver’s license people in the government and find out where I lived and what kind of car I owned and whether I’d run over anybody lately. QUESTION: And were you right? Well, actually, no. Much to my surprise, when I talked to the Highway Safety people in the Department of Transportation and Public Works I was told that driver’s license information is absolutely, positively confidential. The only people who could get at it were them, me, and the police. I asked them why, if this was the case, people still asked for my driver’s license number when I signed up for things that had nothing to do with driving. They had no idea. If it was useful to others, they said, it certainly wasn’t because of anything they were doing. Now, as I said, this all came as something of a surprise to me; I’d always thought driver’s license information was public. And then I found out why I’d always thought this. Being an Ontario boy, I got on the phone to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. I never actually did get to talk to a real live person, but I was told by the talking computer that answered the phone that if I sent them $12.00 and an Ontario driver’s license number, they would send me what they call a “Driver Record Search,” which lists the name and address and three years worth of accident and speeding ticket information for the person with that license. And if I lived in Ontario, I could do the same thing simply by walking up to something called a “Service Ontario” machine where I could slip in my credit card, and get the goods on as many people as I could afford. QUESTION: They’re obviously a little more liberal with their information in Ontario… what about closer to home in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia? ANSWER: Again, it seems to depend on where you are. The person I talked to at the Nova Scotia Department of Consumer Services gave me pretty much the same answer as I got from Prince Edward Island: driver’s license information is not public. They seemed shocked that I would even ask. In New Brunswick, however, the Motor Vehicles Branch told me that if I sent $8.00 to their office in Fredericton, I could get the driver record of any New Brunswick driver and I wouldn’t even need their driver’s license number, just their name. I was curious to see what the American take on driver’s license information was, so I headed out on the Internet so see what I could find out. I did a search for the phrase “obtain driver’s license information” and, wouldn’t you know, that first thing that popped up was an business calling itself the “Internet Department of Motor Vehicles.” Just by filling out a form right there online, giving them a state and a name, for some states a driver’s license number, and my credit card number, for $20.00 they would email or fax me back any driver record, for any driver, anywhere in the United States. QUESTION: So it seems that we might be ahead of the pack here on the Island when it comes to protecting people’s privacy… ANSWER: Well of course some people would suggest that we’re actually behind the pack… again, it depends on who you talk to. In fact that brings up one of the Big Issues that surround keeping information about people on file, and that’s the question of who owns the information. Is, for example, my driver’s license file my property or the government’s? Now you might think that someone having access to your driver’s license file isn’t such a big deal. But what if that someone is an insurance company that turns you down because you got into an accident 5 years ago that wasn’t really your fault. Or a local car dealer who just happens to have a deal on the latest model of the car you’re driving now — in your colour! The point is that it’s hard to foresee what others might do with information about you. The situation becomes somewhat more complicated if you start looking at the issue not just of one government database or another being public, but the potential power of several of those databases combined. This is really where the telephone operators got their power: not from just knowing that Mr. Jones wasn’t at home on Sunday night because he wasn’t there to accept a long distance call, but also knowing that he used to be married to a mysterious woman from Toronto, a woman reported to be seen in Charlottetown on Sunday morning. Computer people call this “the power of systems integration.” QUESTION: So it’s not knowing all the little bits of information as much as having them all collected together… ANSWER: Exactly. Now if I continue down my list and just look at the branches of government who have files on me, I see Revenue Canada with a complete record of what I earn and what I spend in my business, the Passport Office with a record of my comings and goings in and out of the country, the Customs Office with information on what packages I’ve received from outside the country. The Department of the Environment knows what size my septic tank is, the Land Office knows what my house is worth. If I owned a dog, I’d need a license and that a record of that license would be in somebody’s computer. Now although I don’t really consider it anyone’s business but my own whether I own a dog or not, or what the size of my septic tank is, I’m not too concerned that information like that “gets out.” Imagine, however, if all of these databases were, effectively, “One Big Database.” What if it was possible to go up to a machine in the mall, slip in a credit card, and for 10 or 15 bucks find out everything that government knows about any person: where they live, how long they’ve been there, what they earn, who they’re married to… whatever. Now I should hasten to add that this is, in fact, not the case at least right now. There isn’t, at least yet, “One Big Database” of government information and, in fact, government’s have been quite strict about how they share their information with other governments. But the potential is certainly there for this sharing to happen. Take the example in Ontario where the provincial government is trying to get access to federal government files to help them track down people not making child support payments. This is another one of those instances where the basic issues themselves aren’t really that new — governments have been keeping track of us for years — but the power that computers bring to the task of collating and sorting and distributing this information changes the dynamic of the issue so much that we all have be a little more vigilant about keeping an eye on what governments are doing with information about us because they can do so much more now than ever before. QUESTION: Now that’s government information, what about information that businesses keep on file about us? ANSWER: I’m reminded of a call that my friend Leslie Niblett got when she was living in El Paso, Texas for a time. A woman from Houston whose name was also Leslie Niblett phoned her up, out of the blue, one day in the midst of a hunt for the Leslie Niblett that was making her life hell. It seems that some other n’er-do-well Leslie Niblett in Texas had skipped out on making their JC Penny Department Store card payments and that this fact had been incorrectly noted on the Houston Leslie Niblett’s credit file. She was now trying to buy a house, and was being turned down for a mortgage because of this. Her only solution was to call every Leslie Niblett in Texas until she found the one who was making her life so difficult. Lord knows if she ever did find her, and even if she did, what she could have said… I’ll be back next week to talk about how this could have happened, how it could happen to you, and generally about how businesses can use the information they have about us to sell more stuff. EXTRO: Peter Rukavina operates Digital Island in Kingston, PEI… he’ll be back next week with another in the series “Consumed by Technology.”