-----------------------------------------------------------
Kid in the Candy Store
by Mike Banks Valentine
A little boy approached the candy counter to peer through
the glass case at the assorted sweets in huge piles and
colorful arrangements. His mouth watered as he thought of
the rich chocolate covered crunchy peanuts in front of him.
He saw his reflection in the glass as he slowly licked his
lips in appreciation of the jelly beans near his right hand,
inaccessible through the thick, cool glass. Licorice whips
tempted him on the left as he longingly looked over the neat
rows of twisted black and red treats.
Sometimes it seems as if the promise of success online is
like being tempted by every imaginable technical goody. Do
you choose a web developer or buy (then learn to use)
software to create your web site? Do you choose a domain
name or maybe use a free web host and an URL redirection
service? Do you buy the currently fastest modem or choose
ISDN service? How about that new cell phone that recieves
the web or the laptop with satellite reception?
The shopkeeper smiled as he watched the little five-year-old
press his nose against the display case with his eyes wide.
Those of us currently online are already building our future
on the web but are still confronted with new services daily
that promise success to users of the latest advancement. It
will continue to evolve and there will always be choices to
make.
"What do you want?" the shop owner asked kindly.
Not even looking up and without hesitation the little boy
answered enthusiastically, "I want all of these candies!"
The man chuckled and said, "If you choose just one, I'll
give it to you."
The boy scowled with deep concentration, then scanned the
length of the case at the wide assortment of taffy, then at
the brightly colored hard tack candy arrayed in sections of
various colors and shapes, then the chocolate which encased
cherries and coconut and almonds and cremes of all sorts. He
imagined the tart flavor at the center of the jawbreakers
and the individually wrapped pieces of chewy caramel and
couldn't make up his mind. He lingered at the end of the
counter staring longingly at the gummi bears.
Sometimes we let the selection of web goodies arrayed in
every direction dazzle us and look longingly at every option
from America Online to our neighborhood service provider and
worry over choices as tempting as Direct Subscriber Lines or
as colorful as "broadband" (cable) and can't make up our
minds. Do I need a "Shopping Cart" and a site search option
or just domain multihoming and a single e-mail account? Do
I want a database linked site and my own server or does the
local ISP provide all I need for now?
Ultimately he couldn't decide among all of the flavors and
colors and his mother returned to hurry him out of the drug
store and home in disappointment.
Getting online is easy. Making choices is sometimes more
difficult. But if you don't get your business online, your
competitors may force you to abandon your dreaming and make
a move before your mommy hurries you out of the candy store.
--------------------------------------------------------
WebSite101 "Reading List" Weekly Netrepreneur Tip Sheet
Weekly Ezine emphasizing small business on the Internet
http://website101.com/arch/
e-tutorial online at: http://website101.com/shortcourse.html
By week's end you're ready expand your business to the web!
--------------------------------------------------------
