Re: UKNM: State of the Nation

[Aidan Cook]

> I'm worried about Europe because it is sleeping

> while the US creates a new economy. "Our customers

> aren't online yet" is no excuse for not experimenting.

> "Nobody else is doing it" is no reason to keep one's

> head firmly planted in the sand. "It's too soon" is

> the best way of letting the other guy win.


Okay, but at the same time, we're not dealing with a US-style market. I

think a lot of UK companies (not us lot, clients) have been made very wary

of the Internet after being promised too much too soon. When instant

succes doesn't materialise, they blame the Internet rather than poor

advice.


You know what clients can be like - short-termist, cost benefit analyses

of benefits they don't understand, etc, etc. However, if you can show

small benefits for a small outlay in the first year, then the budgets will

rise next year, and hopefully you will be able to show more benefits then

(n.b. I'm not talking about doing cut-price work, because that will skew

the whole market). 


Stable, gradual growth is more attractive to most clients than unstable,

exponential growth. No growth at all is obviously a bummer all round. 


> Home banking in the US is catching on just like automatic

> tellers did. Priceline lets you name the price of the plane

> ticket you want and lets the airlines bid for your business.

> Shopping bots are comparing products from multiple vendors

> for review and online purchase.


All targeted at the domestic market - but is there a comparable domestic

market in the UK? Until domestic access develops, business to business may

well be the thing for the UK (unless you're selling a global product). 


> Once each industry gets it figured out, do you think American

> Web-enabled companies are going to stay home?


No, they're welcome to come over here like Wired UK did (no disrepect to

any ex-wired posse). Its a great way to find out how different the market

is...


Ah well, on a more important note, has anyone heard of any developments in

monitor or screen technology which would let me work in direct sunlight? I

fancy spending summer on the roof.....have a nice weekend.