History : The Role of Chambers of Commerce has evolved through the ages.

Down through the centuries, perhaps as long as commerce has existed, traders have banded together. In the beginning, perhaps it was for the purpose of seeking common protection against enemies and marauding bands of robbers. Later, codes were established to govern the conduct of trade. And still later, efforts were begun to exert influence on legislative matters.

The beginning of the Trade associations movement can be traced back almost 6,000 years to the City of Mari in Mesopotamia. But those early associations of traders had little in common with Chambers of Commerce as we know them today.

The first known use of the term "Chamber of Commerce" occurred in Marseilles, France  in 1599. The business people worked to establish an organization with the backing of the city council.

The oldest Chambers in the British Isles are those of Glasgow (1783), Edinburgh (1785), and Manchester (1794).

However, these European Chamber of Commerce has little in common with the modern American organization. Although, they are associations of business people, they frequently operate as quasi-public agencies, vested with certain administrative and judicial powers with respect to trade. These powers often include establishment of codes governing commercial practice, arbitration of rules of navigation, and supervision over other commercial bodies.

The American Chamber of Commerce movement started much earlier than in England. The first American Chamber of Commerce was the Chamber of Commerce of New York (essentially an organization representing the businessmen of New York) and chartered by King George III in 1770. A group of Ohio businessmen organized the first State Chamber of Commerce in 1893.

Early American Chambers, like their European prototypes were associations of tradesmen organized for the protection and promotion of commerce. Those early Chambers undertook to promote the sale of goods. They organized markets, made and enforced rules of trade, protected goods in transit, and even operated their own trading floors. But their activities were limited to those directly connected with commerce.

But the emergence of the Chamber as a true community organization came much later as businessmen began to realize that their own prosperity depended upon the development of a prosperous, healthy, and happy community. From the late 1800's on, the growth of the Chamber movement in the United States was rapid.

In the early 1900's most local Chambers were primarily interested in attracting new industries to their community. Civic and commercial development took second place. While industrial development was still often a major emphasis, gradually, Chambers came to recognize that industrial growth was dependent on civic and commercial development as well. In fact, during the first quarter of this century so much emphasis was being placed on civic problems that many Chambers began to assume the character of civic associations. It soon became evident that Chambers, in order to be true to their purpose, must remain primarily business organizations, and express the point of view of business. The importance of balance in the Chamber of Commerce program began to be recognized.

As a result of a suggestion by President William Howard Taft that some system of national cooperation between business and government be established, the Chamber of Commerce of the United States was created on April 22, 1912.

It was a new step in commercial organization--a representative federation with autonomous Chambers of Commerce and trade associations from every part of the country and from every type of industry as its controlling and directing force.

Another major change took place with the advent of the New Deal in 1933. Governmental affairs on federal, state and local levels became major items in the Chamber of Commerce program. The Chamber became the interpreter of government to business, and, conversely, of business to government. In this field of activity, the Chamber of Commerce is assuming growing responsibilities and achieving increasing usefulness.

Today, there are perhaps 4,000 such organizations in the country. The Chamber of Commerce of today has little in common with the old "board of trade" or "booster club" of fifty years ago. The change has been one of refinement; the philosophy has changed.

Unfortunately many of the Chambers of Commerce have strayed away from their original charter and mission. Providing service to the commercial enterprises of their region. The national US Chamber of Commerce has been involved in quite a bit of political turmoil and is implicated in several activities that can be seen as questionable at the least.

Although there is very little to be said about these “Self Proclaimed” business representatives at the national Chamber level.

What we do know is that the American digital economy and your bottom line is more at risk today than ever before. We know that the local Chambers of Commerce mean well and have every intention of providing a valuable service in their sphere of influence, but their expertise is not found online. The traditional “Brick and Mortar” chamber is focused on helping you network with other local business owners and representing your collective interests.

Just as Chambers through the centuries have changed and adapted to meet the needs of the time, the Chamber of today need to be constantly alert to the changes taking place in our society and adapting to meet those needs.

The Online Chamber of Commerce is founded by Internet veterans that have expertise in search engines and social media. Our entire organization (the online chamber of commerce [url]  ) focuses on making your Internet marketing andonline commerce activities more effective.

Evolve or Die

Here are some facts about the last 20 years that no one can dispute:

• Technology has changed
• Consumers have changed
• Business has changed

What is this big change. It can be only one thing....the computer and the Internet.

So with all this change to business as we knew it from 20 years ago, why hasn’t the national and local chambers of commerce changed with it?  Is it elitism? Is it a misunderstanding? Is it denial? Who knows, but what we do know is that the US chambers of commerce have not addressed the fundamental needs of business in today’s digital age.

Business on a global scale has been effected by both new technology and its effects and changes in society.  Many say that technology is changing our society and this is true.  What few people discuss is the fact that consumer choice has never been greater. This is rooted in the great fragmentation of information online.   It is becoming more and more difficult every day to get your products or services in front of consumers. Not only because of the fragmentation of information, but also due to the  increasing competition both domestically and foreign for the same customer.

Yes the traditional chamber of commerce has marginally evolved over the last millennia, yet in the last 20 years it has not adapted to the rapid change in communication and consumer purchasing habits.
consumers now pull or search the information they need to discover the services and products the need or desire.

What we do to help you.

The online Chamber of Commerce focuses its energy not on politics, but on representing your interests in the world’s largest marketplace, the Internet.

Information today is transmitted at a speed of light, computer systems talk to each other autonomously, and mobile phones make it possible for consumers to communicate and find information 24 x 7.

Paradigm  changes in communication have changed the way we digest information.

In a report according to BIA/Kelsey’s (www.bia.com and  www.kelseygroup.com) “User View” report.

Nearly all consumers (97 percent) of American consumers have used the Internet when researching products or services. Among consumers surveyed, 90 percent used search engines, 48 percent use Internet Yellow Pages, 24 percent use vertical sites, and 42 percent use comparison shopping sites.    

“The Internet has indeed become an integral part of consumers’ local commercial activity,” said Steve Marshall, director of research, BIA/Kelsey. “The data suggest we’re at an inflection point where the balance of power in shopping is shifting to online.”                 
According to the study, on average, consumers are using 7.9 different media sources when shopping for products or services in their local area, up from 6.5 sources in 2009 and 5.8 in 2008, revealing a noteworthy increase in audience fragmentation.

“The increase in audience fragmentation presents challenges for companies looking to connect with consumers,” said Peter Krasilovsky, vice president and program director, Marketplaces, BIA/Kelsey. “These challenges may be outweighed by the targeting opportunities available with tools like coupon promotions and appointment scheduling, the latter being among the best lead sources possible, since you know where people are actually going.”        

In a recent study by  PEW (http://www.pewinternet.org)      sated the following:

24% of American adults say they have posted comments or reviews online about the product or services they buy, indicating a willingness to share their opinions about products and the buying experience with others.“Many Americans begin their purchasing experience by doing online research to compare prices, quality, and the reviews of other shoppers,” said Jim Jansen, Senior Fellow at the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and author of a new report about online product research. “Even if they end up making their purchase in a store, they start their fact-finding and decision-making on the Internet.”

What now?

Given the evidence that consumers have changed their purchasing habits why hasn’t the US Chambers of commerce adjusted their model to address and assist the businesses that they service?

It is time for a redefinition of a Chamber of Commerce. It is time for an online organization to represent your interest in the biggest marketplace ever built. It is time for you to join the Online Chamber of commerce (url).

The traditional chambers of commerce still have their place in this economy, we don’t dispute that.  But what we see is that there is a clear and evident discrepancy in how these organizations are assisting the small business of today.

The online Chamber of Commerce (url) specifically represents your interests online and only online.  We do not get involved in politics or try to sway elections. We do not lobby for special interests, or take sides in social and economic debates.
What we do is make you online presence and brand more consistent while providing much needed education and guidance regarding Internet etiquette, ecommerce, and social media.

Many business owners do not fully understand the implications of the Web.  

If you are in business today with license to operate as a business in your state or residence, you are online and can be found by the 300+ million Americans.  Whether you like it or not as a business owner, there is information out there.

1. Are you taking control of your online presence?
2. Do you know where your business is listed?
3. Is the information about your company correct?

The Online chamber of commerce tracks and manages your online presence on your behalf.
We address your needs and desires pertaining to the Internet and electronic commerce.

How do we do this?

1. cOc provides you with a free listing certification service.  What this does is establish a baseline or master contact and business detail data in which all other websites can refer to.
2. This data is shared with the hundreds of websites that already  publish  or disclose your business information online.
3. The benefit is that our data is certified by you the business owner, cerified to be correct and accurate.
4. What happens is that this data gets a metaphorical stamp of approval that travels with it as it is published on web-pages through out the web.

Why should I use this service?

As you may very well know, most of the websites today that list your information expect you as an individual to register on their website in order to correct / update / remove the data.
what this means is that you would have to set up hundreds of accounts and spend weeks of time tracking down each and every single directory listing. a daunting task to say the least.

1. Save time
2. Save money
3. Our professionals handle searching and discovering the incorrect data
4. We correct / remove the data from these other sites on your behalf