It’s time to make money in the Web!

With more than 20,000,000 users worldwide— many of whom are affluent and highly educated professionals, the Internet is a fertile field for companies advertising everything from silicon chips to luxury cars.
Businesses that explicitly target the Internet’s technocratic culture can gain a competitive edge and boost sales. Some companies also have found that supplying a free sample of what they’re offering can whet Internet users’ appetites for a product or service they’re willing to buy. It’s the same idea as giving away a free taste of an ice cream flavor at a soda fountain; bait the hook right and the customers will reel themselves in.
Advertising on the Internet can be perilous, however, especially for those who don’t know or don’t respect the Internet culture. Witness the Arizona law firm that blitzed the Internet with direct-mail—and became Internet pariahs.
Remember that business success on the Internet comes from treading lightly and learning the culture before launching any commercial ventures. There are many opportunities for profit, but there is just as much potential for failure, too— failure that can ultimately prove quite damaging to a company.
One company that learned the importance of treading lightly in the Internet culture is Magma, a small San Diego-based computer board manufacturer. Late in the summer of 1993, the company used the Internet to send a blatantly promotional new-product announce¬ment to over 3,000 e-mail addresses concerning its newest products.
The direct mail blitz brought in more than $30,000 in new business, but the company also was pummeled with hate mail from almost 100 Internet users, all of whom were outraged that the network was being used for such a blatantly commercial purpose. These sorts of experiences leave a permanent record in the collective memory of the online community.