[early TECH] CAIN 411: Martin Brings You The World

FACT The Internet is the first medium in history to allow you to directly interact, communicate, present, and promote yourself to the world. Unfortunately, many of you have put this Apollo in the museum before it’s had a chance to land on the moon—or in the world’s livingroom.

REALITY Let’s face it—there is probably only a small percentage of you who are truly satisfied with your Internet presence, if you have one. The biggest mistake many of you have made in regard to utilizing the Internet for its true virtues is limitation. From the minute the hype hit the airwaves, the bureaucracy police came out in full force. The results have been flat, print-ad-like websites in an interactive medium that do little to excite the target audience. The beauty of the Internet is that it allows people to communicate effectively via interaction, something that our society has long forgotten to do. Information and service are now more valuable than money. So why is it that most businesses have choked themselves on the way to the new free enterprise? The following are a few points to consider to help avoid the most common business mistakes of the new Internet technology.

1. STAY OUT of the Internet production business. It is ridiculous for companies to spend millions setting up “interactive departments” simply because they can buy the software and workstations from a trade catalog. Furthermore, it is difficult enough for experienced programmers and tekkies to keep up with an industry that changes daily.
2. Don’t believe the hype. Some technical companies promise, and accept payment for, new products years in advance of realistic delivery dates, and even then, the products can be buggy and/or not work. This is not to say the advancements in technology aren’t exciting, but neither Macy’s nor Bloomies can sell socks that aren’t on the shelf. (Don’t believe me? Read the history of Microsoft, Apple, or IBM.)
3. Open up your company to the technology. Of course, budgeting is always an issue, but I advise that if and when you decide to incorporate the Internet into your business, in any capacity, you should get every available member of your team involved. Eventually, the Internet will cut out red tape, eliminate middlemen, and in most cases, bring products directly into the consumer’s living room (with overnight delivery). The Internet will change the way business is conducted, as we know it. This is why your organization and the people in it must help develop the way technology is implemented, and change with it. This is not espionage, and it makes no sense to treat your project like a volatile substance.

Now that the initial fanfare has saturated our world, it’s time to stop embarking on the Internet projects that take the “status quo” and make it “cool.” We need to incorporate the technology into realistic business models that increase efficiency, help deliver quality products and services, and help reach global markets. This would make the Internet “way cool.”

Martin Belk is President and CEO of SenseNet Networks (www.sensory.net), a NYC-based firm specializing in large-scale global Internet broadcasting. A grass-roots entrepreneur and professional consultant, Belk has spearheaded great strides in bringing the excitement of the Internet to the masses. In this year alone, he has produced Maximum Exposure for DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids), the first charity event broadcast on the Web, and has established Squeezebox!—the popular heavy night rock ‘n’ roll event at NYC club DON HILL’S—the first and largest online broadcast available to 35,000 users worldwide (www.mediacast.com).