Strategy vs. Tactics

September 17, 2008
 

Visiting the Bruce Clay, Inc. offices, Kevin Ryan, global content director for Search Engine Strategies and Search Engine Watch, sits down with Bruce for a conversation about highlights and lessons from SES San Jose, speaker submissions for SES Chicago, and upcoming webcasts on Search Engine Watch. Kevin also explains how the Orion panels cover high-level strategies, which help in gaining buy in from the top levels of a company.

Susan, Virginia and Michael use Kevin and Bruce’s conversation as a springboard to discuss the difference between strategy and tactics. While strategy is the overall plan devised to achieve a business goal, tactics are the tools used to perform the strategy. Susan uses the analogy of a battle, saying that if the goal is to win the war, the strategy is to send troops, and the tactics include parachuting down soldiers. Strategy is most often overlooked, even though the success of tactics may depend on a sound strategy.

Then the group takes a look at the issue of net neutrality. Net neutrality refers to the claim that everything on the Web (email, videos, Web pages) should be treated equally. Net neutrality advocates argue that ISPs should not be able to degrade or block any content or access to it on the Web. Net neutrality detractors argue that ISPs should be able to manage the Web content as the providers of Internet infrastructure. An instance of where the net neutrality debate is playing out in real life can be seen in the case of ComCast’s blocking of torrent seeding. The little-known issue of net neutrality legislation could have far-reaching effects that include changes in the way the Internet is accessed, how fast it will be, who will have access and what can be accessed.