UKNM: RE: UKNM Digest V1 #196

[John Braithwaite]

Just a quick one -


Are the general Information sites really content? Essentially world news

is transmitted through various channels and presented in the way that

would appeal to the consumer (i.e. 'Slobba Basha' for the Sun Readers,

'Milosevic is going down' for Mail readers and 'Space ship found in my

bathtub' for Sport readers). The information is not owned and is not

unique.


This is the same for a site, say, telling you where to go on what night

and which films are on where.


And the same for a site that gives you, say, a streetmap.


HOWEVER if a site owns unique information THAT PEOPLE WANT, then they

will pay for it. For example the university in Portugal that paid us �7k

for a Chemistry CD-Rom (o.k. it wasn't on the net, but was IT stuff).

Equally we, as people in the industry, will find that when we really

WANT information, the chequebook will come out (if required).


It is no good using a general news site as an example... there are too

many out there offering information for free already. Equally, getting

back to the 'Free ISP' equation. Free ISPs will continue to appear by

the bucketload and we can safely see the paid-for ISP disappearing

pretty soon.


Although if I was a sensible person - I would choose a buy a domain name

for my surname that would always be my mail address ie.

johnsmith [dot] com

and always forward the mail to wherever I was. I would hook up to a free

ISP and then use my favourite news-related site as my homepage (again,

remember, your homepage does not have to be the homepage of your ISP!).


Luckily - I'm not sensible - I pay through the nose for AOL, don't use

any of their added benefits and won't change because I can't be bothered

telling everyone that I have changed my email address (well - perhaps

the market will end up like bank accounts, and people having inertia

will be enough).


Cheers



JOHN B

GBG DIRECT


********************

UKNM is sponsored by Excite UK, visit us at http://www.excite.co.uk.

Email Khalil Ibrahimi

khalilexcitecorp [dot] com (mailto:khalilexcitecorp [dot] com)

 to advertise on Excite.

********************

Change your UKNM subscription use http://www.chinwag.com/uknm.html