Re: [uk-netmarketing] The Rules

[Ben Thompson]

On Wed, Jan 24, 2001 at 08:15:26PM -0000, Mat Morrison wrote:


And some comments, but as I know the value Mat will place on them I'll be outspoken.

> 

> THE RULES:

> 

> Open systems, good; closed systems, bad


It's all about support and easy of enhancement. Open systems are fine provided you have or can afford the staff or consultants to support them. If you don't have much money and can live with a standard look and feel closed systems will probably be fine. But don't modify the system too much as you will introduce problem or encounter bugs they never thought people would see (and I've seen some real beauties (both very recently and in the past).

 

> If you want to sell it, it should fit through the letterbox


Hmm, only works for small cheap items where delivery does not require a signature. Personally I think Amazon have the sub �25 market virtually sewn up. Otherwise remember everyone likes a discount (even if its not really one).



> Take the product to the customer, don't bring the customer to the product


> Frames restrict access,

don't aid navigation and confuse search engines totally.

 

> Commercial communities aren't.

Communities are what their members want them to be. Motley Fool is a commercial entity but it is very much a  community. The book reviews in Amazon could be called a community. 


 

> All splash screens are evil

But not as bad as poorly implement flash detection or worse flash based splash screens.


Pop-up window adverts are of course the spawn of the devil.

 

> The last thing people want is more websites.


More good websites will be fine. More dedicated, specialised websites fine. Another portal, football, entertainment portal may not be (unless it offers something above and beyond the others (note Fingertip friendly cop-out).

 

> What counts is traffic through your server, not traffic through your web

> site.


What counts is loyal customers and visitors that contribute something. It may be cash, content or recommending other customers. That doesn't matter provide they contribute. Lurkers need to be encouraged to contribute (it doesn't matter if you make a prat of yourself I usually do that on UKNM on a weekly basis).


 

> A website is just one way of letting people play with your information.


and possibly less embarrassing. 

 

> Online, brand is a function of utility


Pass, but the usual methods of branding (TV adverts, radio...) are far to expensive for a discount cheap medium. The land grab has finished and it appears that AOL, Yahoo and Amazon have won.



> The online equivalent of space is time. Don't waste people's time.

But time is money and they are still interchangable. The 1995 ideal that shopbots and other agents would destroy the economic theories on cost of information hasn't come to pass. People still have to spend time searching for information. Granted certain pieces of information are now easier and cheaper to find but obscure areas still take as long to find (and cost as much to find) as they used to do. 


Price comparision engines that live on commission are prime examples of this. They make finding lower prices easy but there are probably lower prices available elsewhere (i.e. without the 50p or 5% commission they charge for listings).


> Don't be big brother.

Do onto others as you would have done onto you.


> Our busines is people, not demographics

Demographics hide trends. However people are too random and small. Groups are easier to deal with.


And as a final thought:-


Everything I've learnt online comes from the porn industry.



Disclaimer (I very rare addition for me). Some of the comments above are to provoke comment and thought. They my not represent my complete and true opinion on a subject and are definitely not my companies opinion of these topics.


Ben

 

-- 

Ben Thompson

babyhippo.com


t: 44 191 230 1213

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