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The advertising
industry is on
the verge of
being shattered
into a thousand
fragments due to
the knowledge explosion
and the proliferation
of new technologies.
There are no
more grand theories
that hold sway
over the entire
industry.
Michael Strangelove


Advertising is
one of the minor
arts, so don't
be intimidated
by it. Try
not to lose
your sense of
playfulness.
Keep it fun.
Robert Bly



Reality
is more
complex
than
it seems.
John Gall



The System
is its own
best
explanation.
John Gall



It's better to
do a few things
really well than
than to do
a lot of things
badly.
If you can't
make the necessary
commitments of
time and energy
to your
electronic
marketing
efforts
scale back
your plan.
John Sumser


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August 15, 1997

PIU

Pathological Internet Use (PIU) is a condition identified and named by Dr. Kimberly Young, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, in Bradford, Pa.

She classifies excessive Internet use as addictive, in the same way that drugs (including alcohol), gambling, video games, and some types of eating disorders are today officially considered addictive.

So how do you rank in the addiction stakes?

Apparently, if you answer "YES" to four or more of the following questions - relative to a twelve-monthe period - you would be classified as "dependent":

Do you:

  1. feel preoccupied with the Internet (i.e., thinking about the Internet when offline)?
  2. feel a need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction?
  3. have an inability to control your Internet use?
  4. feel restless or irritable when attempting to cut down to stop Internet use?
  5. use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a poor mood (i.e., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or depression)?
  6. lie to family members or friends to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet?
  7. jeopardize or risk the loss of significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet?
  8. after spending an excessive amount of money on online fees, often return another day?
  9. go through withdrawal when offline (e.g., increased depression, anxiety, etc.)?
  10. stay online longer than originally intended?

Take the full survey, and find out if you're addicted to the Net. --John Blower

August 14, 1997

Another Search Engine?

We recently took some time out to attend the launch of (yet another) Search Engine, Northern Light.

What could they tell us that we either didn't already know or hadn't already bemoaned the lack of?

Well - quite a lot.

VP of Product Development Mark Sprague very kindly walked us through a demonstration of his new product.

And it is a major move forward.

The Northern Light search engine classifies the results of your search, so that, instead of the undifferentiated jumble that one gets on, for example, Alta Vista, you have all your references sorted into categories, sub-categories and so on as you drill deeper.

Minor catch is that you have to buy credits which are used at the rate of $1/search if you wish to make use of the "Special Collection" option.

In essence, the concept is that differentiated data is worth more than undifferrentiated data.

We can't argue with that. After all, time is money, and Northern Light appears to buy you time at a modest price.

And, of course, the major advantage is that you appear to be able to find what you want in two or three clicks instead of having to wade through a mountain of "404's".

We've bookmarked this site. --John Blower

April 13, 1997

Small Office/Home Office

The structural change in the economy we are currently experiencing has given rise to an explosion in the number of small businesses. This new business sector is known as Small Office/Home Office - or SOHO. This sector is the fastest-growing in the economy, and will continue to be for the forseeable future.

There are two aspects to be aware of with this phenomenon. The first is if you are a SOHO business yourself. The second is if you are a corporation attempting to sell into this market.

If the former, there is an excellent online resource in Business@Home. This journal runs the gamut of issues affecting small businesses, with a number of regular sections including one on Marketing, which includes an index to previous articles.

You can alsosubscribe to the magazine for $9.98/year.

Consultant Jeff Berner has written a number of books and booklets on working from home. This former San Francisco Chronicle columnist also works with companies attempting to sell into this dynamic market. --John Blower

August 12, 1997

Dancing With the Gorilla

Most Web pages are built on Mac machines. Fact.

Most graphic designers use Mac machines. Fact.

(Both assertions completely unsubstantiated, but based on solid gut intuition.)

Apple and Microsoft?

The announcement was greeted with horror:

''What're they doing? They're going to kill us!''
said Josh Sahrmann, a self-described Macintosh computer fanatic from Charlottesville, Va., who is trying to build his own Mac-based computer business in his home.
[Boston Globe, 8/7/97, page A1]

Your intrepid correspondent evinced no surprise at the news, having accurately predicted this outcome to Apple's woes some eighteen months ago.

The only problem with starting to dance with the gorilla is that the gorilla decides when the dance is over... --John Blower

August 11, 1997

Deep Throat

Dr. Edward Yardeni is the Chief Economist and a Managing Director of Deutsche Morgan Grenfell (North America).

His Center for Cybereconomics is a somewhat dry but terrific find.

The articles available cover such topics as:

  • NEW ERA RECESSION: Deflation, Irrational Exuberance, & Y2K
  • Economic Consequences Of The Internet (October 22, 1996)
  • World Wide Web Rush (July 3, 1995)
  • Notes From Cyberspace (May 15, 1995)
  • The High-Tech Revolution in the US of @ (March 20, 1995)

Don't be deceived by the apparently expired "sell-by" dates of these articles.

Morgan Grenfell tends to take the long view (well, at least the good Doctor does), and, as such, provides a welcome perspective on current trends,

There's also a big chunk o' stuff on the "Year 2000 Problem".

And believe us, it's a lot worse than we've been lead to believe. --John Blower

August 04, 1997

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Take a look at the Archives. We've indexed all the past issues with topic pointers.



Check out the Archives....130 Weeks of Back issues including:

August 10, 1997
  • Internet USA
  • Nation of Spammers
  • Lifetime Values
  • ENode
  • Tovarich
August 03, 1997
  • Too Good To Be True
  • Who's Pushing Whom
  • A Recent Poll
  • Sidebars
July 27, 1997
  • Talking The Talk
  • Modest Proposal
  • eMail Ads
  • HEITML
  • Mark Me Up
July 20, 1997
  • Silence
  • WordsWork
  • Ugly
  • Video Banners
  • Virii
July 13, 1997
  • Some Print Resources
  • Security Breach
  • Bits and Pieces
  • Domain Confusion
  • Caxtonian Thinking...
July 06, 1997
  • Not Rocket Science
  • Money for Junque
  • Slow, Quick, Slow
  • WEBTV?
  • Cookie Cutter
June 29, 1997
  • Interoperability
  • Marketing Resource
  • Confereces
  • Industrial Strength Ideas
June 22, 1997
  • Promote One
  • Europa
  • Design Resource
  • Media Kits
  • Style Sheets
June 15, 1997
  • Using eMail
  • New Morality
  • Odds 'n' Sods
  • Fast Modems
  • Which Search Engine
June 08, 1997
  • Events
  • Hard Copies
  • Banning Junque
  • Another Survey
  • Networds
June 01, 1997
  • Shop Til You Drop
  • Coffee Time
  • Jaundiced
  • Push To Shove
May 25, 1997
  • Microscope
  • Gadfly
  • Marketing Your Site
Complete Indexed Archives(24 months of marketing and design) Complete Indexed Archives(24 months of marketing and design)

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All material on this site is © 1995, 1996 by IBN (The Internet Business Network), Mill Valley, CA 94941