Every now and then I get scared. Technology is racing ahead faster than my ability to assimilate all the changes. And when I see my friends wondering what is happening to their businesses (but convinced that technology has nothing to do with it). I fear for all of us.

Our children are learning to use PCs as tools in every aspect of their work. Yet we are convinced that we don't need technology! What is going to happen to us when these kids come into the job market? Their knowledge of technology will mean that their brains are effectively three or four times bigger than ours.

The Internet is the biggest repository of information in the history of mankind. It's also a free training ground. Yet we, Luddites that we are, ban our employees from surfing the Web -- and we don't even want to spend money on training them in these technologies either! Why? It's a little like asking a child to learn to ride a bike but not allowing him to climb onto the saddle. I don't understand it.

A few days ago my son did something he shouldn't have. He then asked me to take him somewhere. As punishment (and a Dad's cunning plan to educate his son) I gave him a simple task. "Find Stewart Alsop's latest article for me first."

"But Dad, who is he?" I was so unhappy with him that I refused to give him any more information. He gave me one of those long-suffering looks that 11 year-old boys are so good at giving us old farts, and wandered off. About ten minutes later he had found Stewart Alsop, printed the latest article, and was ready to go! That terrified me -- how many of us business owners could do that?

Even now I am stunned at the progress we have made over the past few years. I am dictating this article and watching the software magically turn my sounds into words that you will understand. Simultaneously I am listening to Sarah Brightman on my headphones; my PC is downloading some trial software; and my e-mail program is clearing my mailbox. Yet not a single piece of equipment, nor any software, that I'm using is the latest version. It is all more than a year old.

I guess I am lucky because I get to change equipment fairly often. Most of us are using PCs that are truly old -- more than three years old!

The best advice I can give you as a business owner is to chill out in front of your PC every now and then (hopefully more now than then) and just surf. Start somewhere interesting like Yahoo or Google and search for anything at all. If it makes you feel any better (or less guilty) try a few words specific to the work you do. These search engines allow you to read millions of Web pages in a few seconds -- making you (temporarily at least) brighter than Einstein! (That's how Mikie found Stewart Alsop.)

Your PC is not going to bite you when you do this. Nor is it going to be invaded by a virus. But you will find a bunch of interesting sites, and learn a lot more than you knew this morning. And if you do this every day or so, you're going to end the year a lot more knowledgeable. If you really want to have some fun, try downloading demo software and playing with it. I did this some time back with a little product that is now the foundation of all my writing and creative efforts - and I simply couldn't produce as much work without it. Yet I wouldn't have found it without the messing around.

And for heavens sake - let your staff surf the net during business hours! It's the cheapest way for them to learn where to find stuff; what's happening in your field; why their own PC is doing funny things; get free software upgrades; test new software via free downloads; and a bunch of other good things we haven't even thought of yet...

I am going to stop dictating until next week as Eric Clapton has decided to play some real sad songs, and I feel the need for some red wine. Have a good one.

P.S. If you've already given up on finding the Stewart Alsop article [fascinating, but scary] click here.

© Peter Carruthers, www.petesweekly.co.za

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