Now I would definitely not agree with the last comment. Internet marketing works very well indeed, IF done professionally. I spent over a year studying the workings of e-commerce and believe me, the possibilities are endless. A friend of mine wrote this marvellous commentary:
The Internet is in many respects is very similar to what was unfolding out west between 1865...and 1885. And every bit as exciting!
Every element that made the opening of the western territories such a dynamic time in our history has a counterpart in the online phenomenon now unfolding before us. The plot is similar. And if you look closely, the characters involved are startlingly alike.
There was the visionary...
Who went out west, looked around and quickly realized that there were empires to be built. There was the land baron...
Who went west with the bankroll that he'd made back east, seeking to buy up & tie up all the resources.
And the shopkeepers and blacksmiths...
Who moved their businesses out west, in order to service the boom towns springing up everywhere.
There was the immigrant farmer...
Willing to sacrifice everything to own his own land.
And the 49'er...
Convinced he's just one more day's dig away from striking it rich.
There was the shyster...
In new territory looking for new ways to make a fast buck.
And the bandit, the gunslinger,and the town marshall...
Just look closely, and you'll see that each has his online counterpart.
Then, as online is today, it was a time of new beginnings...
For many, the magnetic pull of the west must have been the chance to start over...
or to create something new...
in a place that wasn't so hemmed in. It was a place where folks could put their own spin on things. Like online today, the west was a magnet to creative and often eccentric people. And just like online today, being unique was rewarded, instead of discouraged.
There was the broad sweep of it all...
Where there were vast chunks of untamed, unclaimed land. Land just waiting to be developed into whatever the new owners had the vision and determination to mold it into. Out there, the visionary could paint in bold, colorful strokes...with as big a brush as he had the ability to wield.
Then, as now, the timing was critical...
The Internet is very much in it's infancy. And just like the Wild West, the rules are being made as we go along. But trends and patterns are developing. Those who choose to invest the time in learning the rules and studying the emerging trends, can get out in front of them and buy property at $1 an acre. Property that will soon be worth $100 an acre.
Then, as now, money helped...but it's wasn't the absolute bottom line. Online, the make-or-break issue is not the size of your bankroll...but the quality of your commitment...and the creativity that you apply to your challenges.
Then, as now, not everyone struck it rich...
Many a dreamer was lured out west by the get-rich-quick stories they'd heard. "Thar's gold in them thar hills!" Most of them rushed out west without any survival skills...or work ethic...and were never heard of again. Those who made it back home, often did so as broken men.
History can teach some valuable lessons. And one of the most important ones lies in the fact that the real window of opportunity in the west lasted only a few brief years. If you waited too long to stake your claim, the best land was gone; and you were faced with the same problems that you went west to escape. Just like today...there were no guarantees...only opportunities.
Then, as now...
If you caught the vision...and if you could hold that vision...you could carve an empire. One that would radically alter your family's available options for generations to come. The same magnitude of opportunity exists today.
------------------
You are welcome to visit HELIDRVR here
[This message has been edited by helidrvr (edited 06 February 2001).]