theBusinessNet GET WEB-WISE

In order to make money on the Internet you must study and learn what is going on out there... and why.  There are literally millions of people attempting to do business on the WWW... and there are very few rules or restrictions.   What is brand-spanking-new today... may be old tomorrow! 

The Internet is truly the NEW frontier in many, many ways... including how we buy, sell, and advertise merchandise and services.  It is extremely important that you stay abreast of what is going on. 

There are many ways to stay informed about new ideas, techniques and opportunities.  We will look at several methods of watching the web.

The most time consuming way to build your knowledge is surfing... and yet it is absolutely necessary that you set aside some of your time to do exactly that.  Here are a few ways to make it as painless as possible.

Use a GOOD browser  Whatever your preference in brand-name may be... download and use the very latest version to make your surfing as fast, complete and trouble-free as possible.  My personal choice (right now) is Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5... it makes things easier and faster with a multitude of shortcut options.  However... if you like Netscape or any other name... use the latest and best.

Bring the Internet to you  Use one of the big commercial portals as your browser's "home page" (the site you see first when you go online)... MSN, Netscape, LookSmart, Snap, Yahoo... there are dozens of them to choose from.  They all offer the easiest way to jump around the net... including links to what's new.

Use Alexa  Alexa is a unique add-on for your browser that will tell you facts you need to know about the websites you visit AND the companies that own them... plus give you related or similar sites to visit.  It is FREE.

One good reason to use Alexa is to help avoid the flim-flam artists out there.
There are tons of them.  You can usually spot them by their claims... TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!  If you can put up a few bucks and little effort  to make 100's/1,000's/100,000's of dollars a day/week/month... what do they need YOU for ??????????

Get a 200 Meg website and a FREE domain!

Finally on surfing...

Look for sites that are doing something similar to what you plan to do.  How are they set up... What do they offer... What techniques do they use to sell... How do they take orders... How does the customer pay... How do they position advertisements on the site... and the beat goes on!   Learn what others are doing... it will guide you to success.

NEWSLETTERS

Subscribe to newsletters about the Internet, ecommerce, computers, etc..  These electronic publications (ezines) will bring a wealth of information right to your email-box.   Here are a few I recommend... of course I lead with my own...

@theBusinessNet Insider

ZDNet Anchor Desk

The LangaList

SearchEngineWatch

NeatNetTricks

CompletelyFreeSoftware

TheNakedPC

HTMLGoodies To Go

And... there are many more out there.   Check your email host (Hotmail, Netscape, Yahoo, etc.)... they will have several to offer.

Discussion Groups or Lists

Join discussion groups that focus on topics related to the Internet.  Many of them will send you regular updates in your email.  There many, many to choose from... here are a few.

OnLine-Ads

I-Search

I-Sales

There are thousands of groups/lists out there... check out Delphi Forums... lots of discussion groups to choose from... and if you can't find the one that suits your needs... you can start your own for free.

In a nutshell... if you expect to use the internet to make money... you MUST learn how it works... you must be familiar with what others are doing... you gotta get "WEB-WISE"!