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Top Ten Predictions for 1999!

By: Diane Currie & Anne Louise Currie

One of the most exciting things about working in the Internet industry is that it is constantly changing! We pulled out our crystal ball, dusted it off a bit, and made the following cyber-predictions for the Internet world in 1999:

Top Ten Internet Predictions for 1999.

1. Demographics: Internet becomes (even more) mainstream 
The Internet is no longer the domain of the middle class male. 1998 saw an increase in the percentages of women, children, seniors, and lower income earners joining the Net population. The Internet has become the public library of the next decades and beyond. Next year will be the year you get email from your 4 year old niece as well as your 90 year old grandmother - watch for it!

1998 was the year that the Internet went mainstream. 1999 will be the year Internet companies and marketers start to realize it.

2. Web TV 
We think it's inevitable. The Web is coming to a television near you! Check out the WebTV web site for up-to-date information!

3. The Year of the Operating System Wars
Once again, the famous (or infamous) techie war of the operating system is going to heat up. Windows '98 was released with little fanfare, Windows 2000 is expected toward the end of '99, Apple just released Mac OS 8.5, Netware 5.0 from Novell was released in '98, and watch for the up-and-coming Linux operating system. There's a lot of competition and interest. In addition to the intense competition, this is the year of the build up to Y2K and the ongoing Microsoft vs Justice department drama. We are not predicting the demise of Microsoft, but we do think it will be slowed down this year in the race for O/S dominance.

4. Web Security hits the Front Page! 
Fueled by the anxiety surrounding the new millenium, the Y2K bug, and the transition from being an R&D innovation to an established cyberbusiness medium, we predict the security of the Internet will come under close scrutiny. There are a lot of security holes out there. Watch for some well publicized break-ins or thefts effecting consumers and causing some short-lived panics. If you have a commerce web site, this is the year to do a security review.

5. The Year of the Upgrade
Haven't you gotten tired of the old grey background, the circa 1995 buttons and the boring layouts yet? Especially for the small/home-based businesses on the net, this will be the year to upgrade the web sites of the 1994-1997 era. There's an opportunity here!

6. Personalization and One-One Marketing 
You'll notice throughout '99 that you will be asked more and more to provide personal information on the web. When you go to web sites that you've made purchases or signed up for, you'll be greeted with personal greetings, advertisments catering directly to your tastes. Like it or not, this is a trend that isn't likely to slow down.

7. Email Gets Fancy! 
The CyberSisters predict a year that everyone catches on to Multi-media email. Watch for electronic greeting cards and sound/graphics, etc to take off in '99. Once again, the technology has been around for awhile, but this is the year that you are going to receive lots of these multimedia mail. Hint: If you don't want to accept multi-media, set up your email program NOT to automatically download attachments, or you may be waiting forever next time your friend emails you a picture of her dog.

8. The Rise of the Internet Service Industry 
Watch for a new career or industry growing of online brokers or agents. The rise of the middle man (or middle woman)! We see lots of new services offering to find you the best online deal or price, information brokers, online banking or insurance brokers.

9. Faster Connections! 
We predict this one every year and so far have never been wrong! :) The sky is the limit with this one. Small and home based businesses are no longer content with the limits of a regular analog modem. Many areas now offer Internet access to the home at speeds usually only affordable and available to businesses in the "downtown core". Now, with ADSL, ISDN to the home, the Internet only going to get faster and faster. (on the down side, a lot of web developers will use this as an excuse to add fancier and fancier graphics that don't add much to their sites other than download time).

10. Control of Content - Lots of Talk, No Action. 
Expect to hear a lot more talk from the Internet censors. There will be attempts to implement a web-wide rating system. Don't expect any new legislation or agreements, nationally or internationally, this year. People are too busy with Y2K problems and it's too complex to figure out anytime soon.

Well, there you have it - the CyberSisters predictions for 1999! Now, if we only knew the lottery numbers for 1999....

Links to web sites of use to home business professionals are available to members of the Home Biz Club at the Home Biz Network web site. If you have any ideas for using the Internet for your business, that you would like to share, please send them in to alcurrie@digitalripple.com. We'll post a selection of those ideas on site.

Diane Currie and Anne Louise Currie are the CyberSisters and founders of Digital Ripple. Digital Ripple develops and maintains the Home Biz Network web site.

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To learn more about how Digital Ripple can build profits, reduce costs and answer your Internet questions, contact the Digital Ripple consultant nearest you.