topics: |  business | history | internet

The fate of internet commerce

In 1997, Jaclyn Easton, an occasional writer with the LA Times, breathlessly listed these 23 enterprises as paradigms of the web-based business process. There is little material that binds these themes together, though an introductory list seeks to categorize them superficially.

As of April 2009, of the 23 websites, more than a third have folded (9), some 4-5 appear to be limping along, and another 3-4 may be doing well, but their websites don't seem exceptional. Just about a third (7-8) appear to be thriving, dynamic websites

In general, websites that try to consolidate information, such as finding experts to solve problems, or find partners for product ideas, or ethnic sites (e.g. korealink), or gaming sales sites appear to have done poorly compared to sites that consolidate niche-specific in-depth topical information along with possible sales and marketing linkups, e.g. movies (reel.com), weddings (knot.com), motorcycling, etc. Others with tie-ups to other media, such as the radio and columnist DIY expert Tim Carter also are doing well.

"The unspoken truth about Internet commerce is that the true trailblazers are the sex site proprietors...They were the first to offer real-time credit-card approvals, use streaming video and audio on demand, find foolproof subscription systems, and eliminate credit-card fraud. Despite their value to us as business people, they don't qualify for profiling. Their subject matter has been in demand since the world began, making their product an easy sell in any environment and hence not applicable to mainstream business.

Jeff Bezos has written a foreword, in which he talks of the importance of keeping customer's happy - a single bad customer generates more word of mouth / newsgroup reports than hundreds of quietly satisfied ones.

Status of the 23 "incredibly successful websites"

Here are the 23 businesses, and how they are doing, chapter by chapter: 
My classification may be idiosyncratic - I use these categories:  
    - DEAD (website not working), [9]
    - MINOR (seems to be small time; not much content), [3.5]
    - WELL (in same business, doing OK, but may not be superlative), [3]
    - THRIVING (dynamic website, appears to have good customer base) [7.5]
The .5 scores come from some that are rated as inbetween. 

 1.  Ask the Builder, Tim Carter 
     askthebuilder.com : founder is a syndicated columnist THRIVING
 2.  Cassette House (tape.com) - "cassette house" WELL
 3.  Coastal Tool and Supply coastaltool.com THRIVING
	Our satisfied customers are our sales people. We are now one of the
	largest discount tool outlets in the East.

 4.  Discount Games  discountgames.com --> links to other sites MINOR
	Originally established in ancient times (1995), Discount Games is
	currently playing the role of path finder, guiding gamers to sources
	of great information on discounted games...
5.  The Expert Marketplace expert-market.com  : DEAD
  6.  FragranceNet.com perfume sales, THRIVING   
7.  Gamesville 	gamesville.com: not much, MINOR
8.  HorseNet	  	horsenet.com : DEAD [listings]
9.  International Golf Outlet igogolf.com : DEAD [listings]
10. iPrint.com : WELL business 
11. Ken Crane's Laserdiscs    kencranes.com : DEAD [searches]
12. The Knot knot.com : expanded; links to facenet etc THRIVING
	The Knot (www.theknot.com) is the Internet’s most-trafficked one-stop
	wedding planning solution. Founded in 1996 to offer a much-needed
	alternative to the white-gloved, outdated advice of the available
	etiquette experts, The Knot has quickly become America's leading
	wedding brand reaching out to millions of engaged couples each year
	through our award-winning website, books, magazines, and broadcast
	offerings. 
13. KoreaLink		 korealink.com : DEAD  "Coming soon" 
			[Copyright © 2008 Asian Entertainment Group] 
14. Long Island Hot Tubs lihottubs.com --> poolandspa.com [slow] MINOR?WELL
15. Motorcycle Online    motorcycle.com THRIVING
	Motorcycle.com is owned and operated by Verticalscope Inc.,
	publishers of more than 40 other motorsports, sports and technology
	web sites. For the past 13 years Motorcycle.com has been the
	definitive information resource for motorcycle enthusiasts around the
	world. It is home to thousands of reviews and performance tests,
	giving consumers all the information they need on the latest bikes,
	parts, and accessories. Motorcycle.com covers the full spectrum of
	bikes, including sport bikes, choppers, cruisers, adventure bikes,
	fat boys, and everything in-between. The Motorcycle.com archive,
	which also includes thousands of photos and videos, is second to
	none. Today, over 1 million motorcycle enthusiasts per month rely on
	the site when they are shopping for a new bike, tuning-up their
	current bike, or getting ready to head to the track. 
16. The Mountain Zone mountainzone.com: articles / info / how-to videos /
	google ads; WELL?THRIVING
17. Practical Online Weightloss Clinic practicalprogram.com david humble : DEAD
18. Product Partners  productpartners.com melanie mccarthy : DEAD
19. Reel.com stuart skorman : active, info on movies, sales THRIVING
  	Reel.com (http://www.reel.com and AOL Keyword: REEL) is a premiere
	destination for film-related content and commerce. Reel.com was
	named the most popular Web site for gathering information about
	films playing in movie theaters, according to a consumer survey
	conducted by Greenfield Online and ASI Entertainment (March
	2000). Reel.com is operated by Movie Gallery US, LLC and Hollywood
	Entertainment Corporation (Nasdaq: MOVI), which, combined, comprise
	the second largest video store chain in the United States, with
	more than 4,500 stores, serving urban, suburban, and rural markets.
20. Ridout Plastics ridoutplastics.com elliott rabin : plexiglass site MINOR
21. Tradeshop tradeshop.com : DEAD
22. U.S. Wings  uswings.com david and lani hack THRIVING
	A retired U.S. Army man, Sgt. David Hack (CEO of US Wings) has
	partnered with his wife Lani Hack (President of US Wings) since
	1986. Forerunners in marketing, the couple tossed aside mail order
	marketing and took to the web early. They were one of the first brave
	web marketers in the country. What inspired them? Call it a great
	marriage between military bravado and confidence in a classic,
	authentic product. 
	There will also be a movie based on the life of Sgt. Hack coming in
	the near future and a book on Sarge's life story has already been
	published ("Life of A Warrior" -- which US Wings includes free with
	all orders). 
23. Weirton Steel weirton.com : DEAD

---
blurb: 
"Striking It Rich.com" is not a how-to book. It's better. It's a
"how-it-was-done book" revealing 23 unique blueprints which lead to
incredible success. Exclusive stories which have never been told... until
now.

from review at barnes and noble:

StrikingItRich.com does have failings ... One is the disjointed nature of
Easton's prose, which sometimes reads like clippings that have been sorted by
topic and then concatenated.