 August 1998
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July 20, 1998 As I look back through my
12 previous issues I think we have done well. The Internet as an industry
offers incredible opportunity and excitement for those of us who report
on it. I have always liked a fast paced environment, but the Internet and
World Wide Web moves like nothing ever before. The focus is constantly
shifting as new products and applications and new variations of older applications
wax and wane. Some issues people thought were insurmountable, like eCommerce,
are now commonplace. If you want to buy a car or a refrigerator magnet
you can do it on the Web. In fact you can buy damn near anything you want
on the Web. If you can't buy it there, you can find out where you can,
there. Nearly every business in the world with a product or service to
sell knows they can use the World Wide Web to help them do it better. The
naysayer's battle cry, "You can't make money with the Internet." is
a dim and laughable memory. Hundreds of thousands of secure transactions
are done everyday by the 75 million people who now have Internet access.
But it isn't just a way to
sell. Where business profits most from this new technology is in minding
their own business. Companies using browser technology to manage and communicate
are saving billions of dollars collectively. Gains to be made from Internet
implementation are proven again and again and again, for manufacturers,
lawyers and day care centers, and the numbers are staggering. These figures
came from a recent Dataware Technology white paper.
A year ago I had doubts too.
I believed then, as I do now, that the proliferation of the Internet/World
Wide Web was the most significant single event in the twentieth century,
but how could we use it to create revenue. Retailing, marketing, advertising
were the obvious choices. They were what the Web was about. Pretty pictures,
video, music and SFX being delivered for free into homes and businesses
was the Web. It was a medium to be used like newspapers, radio or television.
It is those things, but that's "just the tip of the iceberg" to
use a Titanic reference. The Internet can create new revenue streams for
some businesses, but more importantly, it can create cost savings for every
business.
It is iBiz' job to continue
telling our readers that. To constantly expose them to the success others
are enjoying from their application of this technology. To make them aware
of products and strategies that can help them succeed as well. IBiz is
pro-Internet but more importantly iBiz is pro-business. While no one can
know everything about the 'Net, it moves too fast, changes too quickly,
we consider it our job to be watchers, readers and listeners to all the
static and ballyhoo about Internet business and cull what's important to
you. Following the course Internet business takes is a journey of discovery
for us just like it is for you. The difference is, it is our job to try
and help you understand how you can use the discoveries to benefit you,
your company and your family.
We will continue to write
about the best Twin Cities sites. We'll continue to interview the people
who are making the Internet work for their companies' and the clients.
We'll continue to look for new technologies and applications and new methods
for applying them in new ways. It's our job.
We took the job because we
thought the Internet was a good thing. We'll continue doing it because,
a year later, we think it's better. Hopefully so is iBiz. Happy birthday
Sidewalk! And Happy Birthday to us!
Robbin Schindele
Editor
IBiz Magazine
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