Reply to: Mark Taylor <themet@mindspring.com> X-List: fraudnews@silverquick.com In This Section: Commentary Consumer Web Sites Subscription Information Classified Adveritising ____________________ Commentary A recent special report in The Ecnomist looked at commerce on the internet and its future. The report was particularly insightful as it looked very carefully at many of the trends and possibilities for the internet. On the whole The Economist found it to be optimistic but also that the road to making money will have many obstacles. When the internet exploded into the consciousness of the world, many ran to it in the hopes of making a fortune. Certainly some of the companies that put out browsers, like Netscape, have succeeded as have others. Internet providers though are being squeezed by enormous competition in the industry. Small internet providers are most at risk but even some of the large ones have moved away. PSI sold off its consumer base and focuses now on businesses. Netcom plans to do the same. AOL was forced by the low cost competition to change to a flat rate plan which immediately outstripped its capacity to handle. As competition gets even more fierce more consolidations and reorganizations are in the offing. Information providers have a tough sell. It is hard to sell information on a medium in which many people view as low cost. Slate, Microsoft's foray into cyber publishing, has failed to live up to expectations. Other information service providers have subscriptions to be unpopular. Advertising, as it does in the print, radio, and television world is going to be the bread and butter for many information providers. Another problem is dealing with copyrights. Many writers are leary about putting their work on a medium in which it can be quickly reproduced. A [182 lines left ... full text available at <url:http://www.reference.com/cgi-bin/pn/go?choice=message&table=05_1997&mid=2588859&hilit=COPYRIGHT+COPYRIGHTS+LEGAL> ] -------------------------------- Article-ID: 05_1997&2668029 Score: 80 Subject: Electrical Wiring FAQ [Part 1/2]