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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
*** " There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are
far less than the long range risks and costs of comfortable inactions."
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LATE BREAKING NEWS:
According to a report issued in yesterday's Wall Street
Journal, Microsoft executives are laying plans to hasten the trend toward
low-price, or even free, Internet access. The trend threatens AOL
(the world's #1 online service) much more directly than Microsoft, which
has only about two million Internet-access subscribers. "We intend to be
aggressive with access," said Brad Chase, vice president of Microsoft's
new consumer and commerce Group and the point man for Microsoft's
new strategy. "AOL might think about it as a profit center. That's not how
we think about it."
Microsoft has already launched its strategy to help drain profits from
the Internet-access business. The company's deals with retailers and PC
makers to offer customers bounties of $400 in return for three-year MSN
service contracts has boosted sign-up rates by 50%, the company says. The
company also has tested a price point of $9.95 a month and is considering
offering free service to consumers who commit to a certain level of
spending with Microsoft's electronic-commerce partners.
Source: ZDNET
CyberSisters' comments:
Why is Microsoft willing to lose money offering such low prices for
Internet access? Why are they so threatened by AOL, an Internet access,
online service provider? Microsoft is threatened by the online
community being built by AOL, and in particular the popularity of
AOL's messaging service and software. They see it as a potential threat to
their dominance in the operating system domain (i.e. will AOL's "look
& feel" and browser software become what the majority of net
users interact with on the net). It could be an interesting little
skirmish in the war to dominate our net experience. In January this year,
the CyberSister's predicted it would be the "year of the operating system
wars" and that Microsoft's domination would be loosened a bit. We live in
interesting times!
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FACTOID OF THE WEEK:
E-commerce Savings!
The bottom line impact of the growth of e-commerce doesn't just come
from increased sales. Research indicates that companies conducting
business on the Internet are expected to benefit from significant cost
savings. Cost savings are the result of a variety of factors,
significantly sales channel efficiencies and business process
improvements.
Research published recently by the Gigi Information Group shows that
global businesses in industrial nations realized $17.6 billion
dollars in e-commerce related cost savings in 1998. By 2002,
e-commerce related cost savings in industrialized nations are expected to
reach $1.25 trillion.
Source: Gigi Information Group
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Think Big
In planning to build your first web site or to expand your current web
site, there are many factors to take into account. Important issues
including business purpose, target market, and competitive
environment must be considered, and practical details such as cost,
functionality, design, implementation and maintenance must be worked out.
These are all necessary components to developing a web site plan. [More on
this in an upcoming Ripple Effect Newsletter.]
However, before moving directly into mapping out a web site based on
a template of what's standard in your market, why not start off by getting
a team together to brainstorm a wide range of options and possibilities?
The net is such a new medium, who knows, you might come up with an idea
that will leave the competition scrambling to keep up. On the Internet,
as well as elsewhere, the best ideas are not always the most expensive
ones. Look at web sites from your own and other industries for
inspiration, but also, invest some time in thinking outside the normal
parameters of what you've seen done, and imagine what could be done. Avoid
limiting your vision too early. Start out by thinking BIG!
Remember the rules of brainstorming. Get out a flip chart or overhead
or other recording tool. Designate a recorder and a facilitator and let
the ideas fly! The important part is to generate and record as many ideas
as possible. Crazy and outlandish ideas are to be encouraged during
brainstorming. Let ideas build on one another. Record everything, without
evaluating.
Once you've finished your wish list, then it's time to evaluate all
your ideas based on the criteria you've established. That's where you
decide which ideas make the most sense and can be translated into a
workable plan. You'll find that your brainstorming has generated some
ideas that don't make sense on closer scrutiny. However, you will also
find that you've generated lots of ideas that that are both innovative,
and practical, including many that you probably wouldn't have thought of
otherwise.
Brainstorming is a great first step in planning a web site that will
stand out from the crowd--and in an increasingly competitive market, isn't
that worth the extra time and energy?
Here are some questions and sample ideas to get you started on your
own brainstorming sessions:
1. What would induce our customers to log on to our company's web site
for the first time?
2.What tools, resources, benefits can we offer on the web site
that would induce customers to bookmark our site and return
regularly?
3. What new markets and new customers could we attract through
our web site?
4. How can I make my customer's experience of my web site memorable
(in positive way)?
5. What is our most desired response from visitors to our site?
Another way of approaching the process is to turn the questions around
and ask yourself the questions: "What makes me visit a web site for
the first time?"; "What would make me bookmark a particular site? and so
on...
CyberSister's Comment:
We are alway interested in hearing your answers to what motivates
you in your use of the Internet in your business. If you'd like to share
your answers to these questions, or you would
like more information on how to set up a web strategy session with Digital
Ripple, please email us at: editor@digitalripple.com
As a thank you, we'd be happy to send you a copy of our Web Content
Ideas Checklist--a work in progress checklist of interesting and
affordable things you can do to add value to your business web site.
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BIZ SITES OF THE WEEK:
1. SmartClicks - Business Banner Exchange
What's a banner exchange? It's when you agree to display other
companies' banners and they agree to display yours. There are a number of
popular banner exchange services. The CyberSisters from Digital Ripple use
one called "SmartClicks". Check it out at:
2.. E-Commerce Research Room
Here's a great resource, with lots of ecommerce information. It covers
Internet marketing, payment methods, banner ads, special programs, some
technical resources. It also has articles and book reviews. Check it out
at:
http://www.wilsonweb.com/research/
3. Free Sound Files from MSDN Online!
Want to jazz up a presentation or web site with some sound files?
There's a bunch of free sound effects and music bits available through
MSDN Online. Note: sound is good as an option on a web site. Don't
overdue it or your visitors will get tired of waiting for the audio to
play. http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/sounds/toc.htm?
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"Portal"
This is an Internet marketing term used to describe a web site that is
intended to be the first place through which web surfers access the web.
The original models for portal sites were online services like AOL or
Sympatico. Now, most search engines and many other business web sites have
transformed themselves into web portals to attract and keep larger
audiences.
Typically, a portal site will offer extensive links to other web sites
of interest, a search engine, as well as email, web hosting or other
services to entice web surfers to use the site as a 'point of entry' or
portal to the web.
A good example of a general interest portal site is About.com
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Ripple Effect "Rock"
What's a Ripple Effect Rock? Well, think of a rock thrown in a lake,
and how the water ripples outward. This section of the newsletter
covers developments and technologies that we think might soon cause a
"ripple
effect" in business or society.
Ripple Rock for Aug 5, 1999:
Media Fusion, a new high-tech company in Dallas Texas, says that
they're close -- within one year -- of being able to transmit data
at
exabits per second (one exabit/second is one billion gigabits/second!)
over the power grid, bringing a "highly conservative" end-user data rate
of 2.5 gigabits per second to any electric plug connected to the power
grid!
Their web site is a little sketchy on how their proprietary
technology
works, but it seems to be trying to use radio waves on top of power
lines to transmit communication signals at near-light speed. If it
works, (they are in the R&D stages), then anyone with a simple
electrical
outlet will be able to plug into unlimited telephone, television
and Internet services. What a Ripple Rock!! Think about what it would be
like if virtually unlimited bandwidth became available through your
electrical
outlet--it would ripple out in all areas of the technology and the
Internet.
AOL, MSN, AT&T, cable companies, broadcasters, WebTV, etc.. would all
be frantically trying to re-write
their business plans. I see a boom in home offices, distance
education,
collaborative video conferencing, true global virtual reality learning
and play environments, a huge demand for application service providers
(ASP's) (see our July 5 '99 edition for an explanation of ASP's).
Everytime I think we reach a limit, someone exceeds it!
Read about on their web site:
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"Exploring the Ripple Effect of Digital Technology"
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AUGUST 5, 1999
Welcome to "The Ripple Effect" Newsletter!
Brought To You By Digital Ripple
For subscription info, and to get back issues of The Ripple
Effect see end of newsletter)
In Today's Issue:
Quote:
John F. Kennedy on risk
News:
Microsoft's battle with AOL heats up!
Facts:
E-Commerce Savings
Tip:
Think BIG when planning your web site!
Biz Sites:
1. Smart Clicks Banner Exchange
2. E-Commerce Research Room
3. Free Sound Clips!
Term:
Portal
Ripple Rock:
Net Access
through your power outlet - almost unlimited network speed!
--John Fitzgerald
Kennedy
http://www.zdnet.com
http://www.gigaweb.com
TIP:
[idea starters: contests, discount coupons, web events, links
from otherites]
[idea starters: regular updates, tips, links, surveys, tools, bargains
etc...]
What would the site have to offer to attract
those customers?
[idea starters: international customers? new channel customers?]
[idea starters: useful content, helpful tools, flash animation,
music, innovative theme or approach, etc...]
[eg. to buy, to click through to advertisers, to request more
information]
How do we encourage that response?
[idea starters: easy-to-use ordering tools, search tools, discount
programs, privacy policy, well explained and implemented security for
online orders, affiliate programs, etc...]
TERM OF THE DAY:
That's it for now! Have a great week!
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3rd Floor - 319 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V6B 1H6
Telephone: (604)608 1714
Facsimile: (604)608 1719
E-Mail: dcurrie@digitalripple.com
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: (416)430-5726
Facsimile: (416)430-5726
E-Mail: alcurrie@digitalripple.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: (905)721 0285
Facsimile: (905)721 1335
E-Mail: alcurrie@digitalripple.com