Estonia Internet Marketing increased to 70%

In earlier periods we witnessed the rise of radio, and then television, now with the dawn of the Internet era there has been extensive speculation about the potential consequences of this development for news, media, political campaigns, and civic society.

Internet led to a prospective transformation in the major sources of rise in online newspapers, broadband television and radio, and new forms of interaction like online forums, discussion boards. At social level, the new technologies have also proved critical to economic development in societies. An analysis based on Gemius audience research for the period of 2006 and 2008 exposes two main trends leading the Estonian Internet. It has revealed a significant increase firstly in the rate of older groups of Internet users. Furthermore, as the results indicate, secondly Estonian Internet users began to earn more.

Ninety-five percent of banking is done over the Web. Two Internet powerhouses — the Skype online phone network and the Kazaa file-sharing system — as well as the technology behind Baidu (the Chinese search engine) were invented by savvy Estonians.

Estonian citizens pay their 21 percent national flat tax online in a just few minutes. Though the bad part for the H&R Block, Estonia, with its 1.3 million population is that it has little labor to spare for paperwork.

In 2000 Estonia become the first country in the world to adopt a system of e-governance. The online system works through use of an electronic identification card. Since 2002 the card has been mandatory for all Estonia residents older than 15. The card is intended as a means of proving one's identity at any place--from banks to government offices--that normally requires identification to process forms or transactions.

The government works heavily online, with cabinet meetings run using a paperless Web-based system, and draft bills posted online for comment by citizens. More than 70 percent of Estonians now conduct their banking online, with many of them using a mobile phone service instead of a PC connection, according to a recent survey.

"It is time to say that electricity and the Internet are very similar in end users' eyes," says Veljo Haamer. In Estonia Wi-Fi is setup in cafes, hotels, hospitals, city parks, local governments, airport and even major gas stations to start offering Net access, helping to design and set up the networks


Under Tiger Leap project all Estonian schools got computers and went online. This project objective was to modernize the educational system in the country by introducing information and communication technology. And also to decrease the differences in education between the capital city and other parts of Estonia, and to give the children living on small islands equal chances to obtain more knowledge. It builds up structures for distance learning and continuous learning for teachers and students.

The Internet as a whole is an extraordinarily serious topic in Estonia. The country's policy-makers have dedicated substantial resources to modernizing Estonia's technological infrastructure over the last decade, and have been widely applauded by international economic groups for their efforts. Specifically this study would compare the social characteristics of net users in Estonia and the Baltic’s, examining the evolution of the information society and the online community.

Estonia's well-educated, wired workforce is a key asset for foreign investors, especially for its Nordic neighbours Sweden and Finland. Liberal economic policies, low taxes and low wages are also ringing the changes.


“Turnover of internet marketing in Estonia increased last year by 70%”. In this era weblog and wikis are been used in classrooms and in other field to enhance literacy and critical thinking skills. Internet is changing society and helping transformation of Estonia.

Due to low prices and a dynamic market, Estonia is booming in Internet usage. The growth of the Estonian economy has been fast and steady and today it is an attractive market for business perspectives. The basic engine for Estonia's e-revolution was the internetization of all schools in the course of the Tiger's Leap project and the development of Internet banking. In today's Estonia 66 percent of the population uses the Internet, and more than half of households have a home computer, of which 90 percent are connected to the Internet.

Internet Usage Statistics:

760,000 Internet users as of Aug./07, 57.0% of the population, according to the ITU.

Latest Population Estimate:

1,332,987 population for 2007, according to world-gazetteer.

The new information technology is becoming an important factor in the future development of financial services industry, Private sectors and especially banking industry. Advantage of new technology opportunities, change the ways customers interact with the financial services provider.

The goal of Internet in marketing is to get attention by making the product or service visible to those who search thus analyzing the wishes and habits of the target audience and since the goal is to keep them browsing. Internet doesn’t distinguish rich and poor, big and small, people and companies - everyone is equal. It’s still probably good, but better if one knows how to make oneself visible.

Visit to - Tartu University

I was so excited to visit Tartu. It is education hub of Estonia. Yesterday was the day I visted this place. It was 2 hours distance from Parnu. The journey was enjoyable on european well versed road connectivity.

Tartu visit purpose was to meet our Indian friends and see the university. As I am MBA/ PDDBA passed out, my main excitement was to meet head of that department. I got chance to meet Maaja Vadi. She is head of business administration. She gave her precious 15 mins to meet me and talked about courses. She was so learned and down to earth.

Here in my blog you will see the pics of Tartu University and the professor's wall. Seeing this I felt that all great professors are so happy and motivating students of Tartu.I liked the crowd here which I hardly see in Parnu. My whole day was fantastic. We came back at 11PM. I will always cherish this day my whole life. Wished to study at Tartu in future.

Read More about Tartu :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Tartu

http://www.ut.ee/index.aw/set_lang_id=2

Main Goal to achieve a positive population growth in Estonia

Family and population policy

The main goal of the Governing Coalition is to achieve a positive population growth in Estonia through an increase in the birth rate, longer average life expectancy and improvement of the living standards.

To that end the Governing Coalition shall plan and implement through 2007-2011 the following fiscal, economic, legal and education policy steps:

1) enable parents to stay with their small child – to that end the Governing Coalition shall extend the period of payment of the parental benefits until the child reaches the age of 18 months (i.e. by four months in comparison with the present arrangement);

2) to value the role of fathers, pay the father during the mother’s pregnancy and maternity leave or within two months after the birth of the child an additional benefit for 14 calendar days on the basis of the father’s salary similarly to the principles of payment of the parental benefit;

3) encourage the birth of third and fourth children in families – to that end the Governing Coalition shall amend laws in such a manner that as of the third child a parent receives an additional benefit at the rate of 0.5 times the parental benefit and as of the fourth child at the rate of single parental benefit (the so-called Estonian rebirth bonus is legalised). The amendments to the Parental Benefits Act shall be adopted in the first half of 2007;

4) pay 2,000 Estonian kroons a month for the third and each consecutive child as of cessation of payment of the parental benefit;

5) to provide families which have small children with care and medical assistance the state shall pay health insurance tax at the rate of 13% of the parental benefit for the parent receiving the parental benefit – the health risks of families with small children shall be insured;

6) to value raising children the annual state pension insurance coefficient of the parent staying at home shall be raised to 1 for the period following the payment of the parental benefit until the child has reached 3 years of age;

7) increase the child care allowance payable as of the cessation of payment of the parental benefit until the child reaches 3 years of age from 1,200 Estonian kroons to 1,600 Estonian kroons a month by 2009;

8) for the purpose of increasing the number of nursery school student places and contribution to payment of a minimum salary to nursery school teachers, which is equal to that of basic school teachers, create a national investment programme titled “Nursery school available to each and every child!” in the annual volume of 400 million Estonian kroons and initiate amendments to legislation, which help to reduce the deficit of nursery school student places;

9) add a provision to the Preschool Child Care Institutions Act, according to which a local authority that fails to provide a parent requesting a nursery school student place with one, shall pay the parent the so-called poll tax of the nursery school child so that the parent can arrange the provision of the child with the nursery service and general education;

100) in order to increase parents’ options upon developing their children and combining work and family life and to make the return of parents to the labour market easier, develop flexible work and child care opportunities, support employment training of the parent staying at home with the child and calculate the time spent by a parent in the parental leave as part of the length of the unemployment insurance;

11) establish national hobby school money: A poll tax of 2,000 Estonian kroons for every child of school age (6-19-year-olds) which can be used only for paying for participation in sports or hobby groups. Hobby school money shall be administered via local authorities. The goal is to keep the children away from trouble and give every child the chance to participate in at least one sports or hobby group.

12) allocate 100 million Estonian kroons in the annual state budget for compensation for the expenses of treatment of childlessness;

13) to enable children left without parental care to be raised in a family, the rate of support paid to foster families from the present level of 1,500 Estonian kroons a month to 3,000 kroons a month, i.e. to the same level as the actual costs in a children’s home;

14) pay the benefit for families with many children as of the fifth child (currently, as of the seventh child);

15) allocate 50 million Estonian kroons a year for resolution of dwelling problems of families with many children;

16) weigh the impact of the national family policy steps on the birth rate and effectiveness thereof upon contributing to raising children;

17) in order to increase the average life expectancy and living quality of the people of Estonia the state shall improve notification of HIV, drug abuse, alcoholism, smoking, traffic hooliganism, unhealthy nutrition and sedentary lifestyles, and allocates at least 20 million Estonian kroons for it annually out of the state budget. In order to reduce occupational deaths and severe injuries the state supervision over adherence to occupational safety shall be made stricter.


Read More at:http://www.valitsus.ee/?id=1468

Flag of Estonia -blue black white

There are a number of interpretations attributed to the colours of the flag. A historical interpretation of the colours has blue representing ancient freedom, black symbolizing lost independence and white, the promise of a brighter future. Another interpretation made popular by the poetry of Martin Lipp is as follows:

* blue: vaulted blue sky above the native land;
* black: attachment to the soil of the homeland as well as the fate of Estonians - for centuries black with worries;
* white: hard work and other more abstract human values;'


Read more at:
Flag_of_Estonia
History of Estonian Flag