Maybe,Women,Should,Run,the,Web DIY Maybe Women Should Run the Web!
When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in
We all know that the idea of business on the web came on witha roar and now lies whimpering and licking its wounds in the safety of the shadows. Who was the enemy? Who or what was it that clawed and scraped the potential of online business so brutally that early enthusiasts are now seen as foolish, wild-eyed dreamers? What brought down an idea that was bigger andmore powerful than a raging beast at full roar?The Greed Monster. Greed and fear always do this to us. Greed drives the spammers that clog the in-boxes of even themost casual email user. They promise instant gratification ofour every desire -- financial or erotic. Just send your money.Greed drove the venture capitalists that dumped huge amounts ofcash into poorly conceived ideas for internet businesses. EarlyVC losses can be directly tied to the greed factor in investing."Gimme your money and fast!"Greed drives the multi-level marketing programs that quicklysprouted wings online as more promises of instant wealth were strewn across the web. "Just send your money, hurry while thereis still time to get in on the ground floor!"Greed drove the corporate behemoths to launch "web initiatives"so they might beat their competition online. "Hurry before ourcompetition kills us and drains our profits!" But to what end?So now that we know the enemy. What do we do to vanquish him?I use the masculine here because it evokes the warrior image.Maybe the failure is in applying traditional male attributesto the web. Power, fighting, hunting and killing don't work onthe web. What does work?Co-operation, community building, helpfulness and sharing. All attributes that are applied most often to women and are seen asfeminine qualities.We may be better off seeing this medium as a feminine one.When looking for valid business models online, just take alook at what works and who is making it work.Membership models proliferate online where sites seek ouropinions and want us to "join in." Most successful web sites encourage visitor participation and feedback in discussionforums. Ebay asks for ratings of active sellers from the buyersof their products. The highest ratings earn more business.Amazon publishes reader reviews of purchased books andencourages you to "Be the first to review this book!"People read those reviews and appreciate them.Personalization and community building are incorporated intoall of the major portals. Discussion forums are available atevery one of the major online publishers. The web encouragescommunication and sharing of knowledge - not hoarding, hidingand greedily seeking to outsmart the consumer. America Online pioneered in community building and was rewarded with rapid growth and customer loyalty. I believethey have lost their way now as greed leads them to keep afence around their technology, refusing to allow their AIMinstant messaging system to be accessed by non-members. Greed, exclusion, proprietary systems and monopolisticmegacorporations are giving way to community, inclusion,open source code and peer-to-peer sharing and swapping ofinformation. As long as old ideas are applied to the webit will go nowhere. Napster was killed by the monster.Online content providers are talking "Digital RightsManagement" and seeking ways to "monetize content", whichsimply means monopolizing information. Scarcity doesn'twork online. Community building, cooperation and beinghelpful, open, giving and sharing does work.Businesses that work those traditionally feminine ideas into their online vision will be the winners on the web. Article Tags: Community Building
Maybe,Women,Should,Run,the,Web