What is Racism? Why So Much Stigma Attached?

'Racist' is the ultimate stigma word going around. Being seen as being racist or doing something racist is apparently the most evil thing that someone can be accused of.

But what is racism? Let us decipher and break down the stigma attached with this word.

Racism as it exists in the English language explains someone who supposedly judges someone else because of cultural differences.

Most people believe it is putting someone down because of their skin color or race.

However despite some colored Westerners having a inferiority complex, don't they basically have the same cultural identity?

Okay, in the western world there are minorities that are treated differently because of their skin. But surely it cannot be their skin color alone. I mean can you be racist to someone of color who has the exact same cultural background?

Sure there are still sensitivities that exist out there in regards to this. I just would have thought that you can only be racist when you are dealing with someone because they actually have a different cultural background i.e. they have indigenous background or they grew up in a different country with a different language.

I would be curious to know in countries like China if they have a word like 'racist' that carries the same stigma.

I mean this is a nation that is united by their ethnicity, the Han people. Of course they also do have ethnic minorities and their own issues.

In the Western World it is hard to be proud of the fact that you are white. We cannot express pride in our ethnicity. We cannot even take pride in our own achievements, accomplishments and put it down to the intuitiveness of white people.

Understandable the white world has done some very bad things. Just look at slavery in the US, the apartheid in South Africa and the way indigenous cultures have been treated. This is all modern history and the legacy is still fresh.

Yes, white folks have a dark past that has shrouded our own ability to feel pride. How much have we achieved at the expense of others?

I think it has sprung up because of foreign cultures face challenges when they move to white western countries. Though didn't these people move there in the first place because they acknowledge that white people are the leaders of advanced society at the moment?

It is apparently a bad thing to even acknowledge that your culture is superior but it might be true. If your educational institutions, economic structures, cultural impact are the leading in the world is that not something to be proud of on an ethnic level?

There's nothing wrong with being a thinker

When I was younger I won a rugby trophy and my coach named me 'Scotty the Thinker'. This was quite an amusing name to give a rugby player, who are usually associated with aggression and physicality.

In the business world there are different kinds of players but it is the thinkers you've got to watch out for. The thinkers go about things in a careful manner. They sum up all the various different options, constantly assessing and readjusting their positions according to their environment.

Don't mess with the thinker

When the thinker attacks it is often more than twice as effective than that of your average punter. So much analysis has gone into the reaction that it is bound to have some kind of impact. The thinker has absorbed so much in so when they finally pounce it is so much more meaningful.

The thinker knows when to retreat

Coming away from a loss or a nasty situation, the thinker pulls back into their own world. The thinker knows that they need to pull back from an intense situation before they get themselves into trouble. At this moment the thinker allows things to sink in so they have an even superior knowledge base on which to ponder.  The process of allowing things to sink in can take weeks, months before things are clear. The thinker is then able to sum up all their different options, getting a better idea of how to handle the situation the next time.

Opportunities are handed to thinkers

These thinking folk, they never give up. They look at the wider context of things and that's why many of them become leaders. At the end of the day most people trust the thinker. Everyone is aware that the thinker has sound judgement and has consider all aspects of each situation. One could say they are a safe pair of hands.

Let's talk about what tradies think of online marketing

I worked in Sydney as a telemarketer for a search engine optimisation company. We were told we could target any industry - doesn't matter what it is it can be any industry. I called quite a lot of tradies (tradespeople) and came up against some pretty fierce rejection.

The thing is in Australia not a lot of tradespeople even have websites. I have spoken to people from Europe and the UK and a lot of these people are surprised tradies don't all have websites. It has made me thinking is Australia behind the times or is this just a unique cultural phenomenon?

The thing is that Australians are somewhat hesitant to change. We don't embrace new innovations like other cultures and this includes online marketing. Tradies use Google a lot themselves but in the psyche of your typical Australian, we just don't see the value in investing too much in a website, SEO or any internet marketing.

It would be an interesting study into seeing exactly how far behind the UK and America Australia is. The thing with Australians is once the attitude changes then everyone jumps on board. After that the initial hesitancy and resistance disappears and it's happy days. But what is holding us back? This would be another interesting cultural study.

Australians are aware of all these online platforms and we use them and love them. But small business is behind in regards to utilising it extensively to get new clients. There are some businesses doing really well from it but there is still an element of resistance there. I believe it boils down to the fact that these kinds of services are still not mainstream. It's going to be all in or holding back. Once every other Tom, Dick and Harry has it then everyone will jumping on board. I'm looking forward to the day everyone realises it.

SEO is something that not a lot of people have heard of and that is because there is a element of mystery to it. A lot of business owners just cannot wrap their minds around what it is. But once again once all this becomes more and more mainstream it will become clearer. This is still going to be very gradual but I believe we are going to get there. But until then there is a lot of growth and opportunity for internet marketing service providers in Australia.

The Google My Business app is currently not working on my phone

t the moment on my phone my app is not working - that's right it is the Google My Business app. I cannot contact Google about  because it is Saturday so I am going to rant about it here. On my phone I cannot open my brand page for my business.

This is interesting because I think this feature of Google is currently under developed. There are ways that people can be available on Google and really make themselves noticed. one of the most accessible ways is Google+. Google has really been trying to push the use of Google+ as a part in the process of performing search engine optimisation for a business.

I have also noticed that I cannot share posts from Google+ onto social media - namely Facebook.I cannot share a post directly from my Google brand page to facebook. This is somewhat scandalous because if this is not possible it means there brand pages are not social media friendly. If i want to get the word out about my business Google brand page but I cannot do this through Google then what is going on?

This is a bit of an awkward situation because I really want to get into it and promote my Google brand page as part of my search engine optimisation efforts. But if this is not easy to use and functions nicely across all social media platforms then I won't people able to do this. SAD FACE EMOJI. The other option is that I call Google customer service and ask them what is going on on Monday. The tow questions I need to ask them are:

1. Why does my the Google My Business app on my phone not work properly?
2. Why is my business Brand page for my website not working so well?

I am looking forward to hearing what they have to say especially because having a good Google + seems to be important for getting a presence on Google Maps which is crucial for search engine optimisation. I am looking forward to it,

Google+ is more important than Facebook and Twitter

In Australia Google is the number one website, it is where the vast majority of people are going when they are shopping around. Google My Business is a free listing enabling businesses to place themselves on Google Maps and be available for customers in their local area.

As confusing as it sounds Google+ is now tied in with Google My Business. This means that you need to start focusing more of your online activity on your Google+ Account.

• The things you post on your Google+ account are going to be seen by more potential customers than Facebook and Twitter

Most people still don't take Facebook or Twitter seriously when they are looking for services to buy. This is because these social media giants are used mainly for pleasure more than anything else.

• Google rewards businesses with well ran Google+ account by showing their Google Places page on the front page of the Google Search

Google+ offers a great opportunity for businesses to show themselves off. User interaction is still quite low because Google+ has not taken off with the mainstream (and probably never well). But what is important to note is that if a business has a well ran Google+ account, their business will have a better presence on the front page of Google.