My View of the 'New' Economy
March 03, 2004
A good article from Fast Company about the New Economy and where it's at. If you scroll down to the girl's photo on the right, around there is where it really sums up my opinion of what the internet is all about...
And if you're in a hurry - that is: the internet is nothing more than an alternative distribution channel. It brings efficiencies to some businesses, such as book sellers who no longer need to stock obsolete books in all their stores. But it is not an efficient channel for all products, such as selling petfood direct to online consumers.
When I returned to Ireland from Australia in 2001, there was a very strong feeling that the internet and the dot com bomb were direct contributors to the demise of the Celtic Tiger. Why blame slipping competitiveness, spiralling wage costs, and lack of investment in infrastructure when you can blame a few entreprenuers out there who've just lost their socks?
I was working on a website in an institution where the view was very much 'ah sure the dot com thing is over, we don't need this oul website anymore'. My view back then was as it is now - that internet is simply a new channel, and you've got to be seen to be offering this to your clients whether you like it or not. Just as a free phone number is a must, so too a website.
Which brings me on to my latest client site from Momentum Business Coaches. Momentum is a new business that is getting things right from the start. Intelligent marketing and sales strategies, a well designed corporate brochure, and of course an excellent website.
To Momentum and others out there like it, I wish you well. You know that a website is a must in this day and age. And if you're going to do one, you may as well get a good one, from someone who knows what it's all about!