Starting Out

Internet Limitations Disclaimer

Like any business tool, the Internet has its own set of limitations you must be aware of, if you have any chance of succeeding... or maybe even just surviving...

Sure... the Internet provides extra opportunities and the potential market for your product or service may be huge, but using the internet is not a guarantee for success.

The Internet is a very good means for you to communicate to potential or existing clients and do the research necessary to prepare client reports and projects and to market your product or service.

It may even make some things easier or more interesting to do.

However... there are quite a few limitations you should be aware of...

• Attracting people to your web site is a slow, tedious progress - search engines can take up to 3 months to start reporting your site.

• once people arrive at your site, you have about 15 seconds to create some sort of favourable impression, or you will never see them again.

• if they do return, is there anything new to attract their attention, or the same old stale stuff they saw last visit?

• people change email addresses like crazy - if you keep a mailing list of any sort (and best if you run an "opt-in" one) you can expect around 10% of your addresses to bounce every time you send an email.

• things can change so quickly on the Internet, that you do need to devote a reasonable amount of your (precious) time to keeping up to date with things.

• do something wrong - i.e. get the wording wrong in a communication to your mailing list - and it may be impossible to "fix" any damage caused to your reputation.