Friday last's WSJ carried a blurb on how AT&T "forgot" they needed local
data nodes to link their Internet service and now it will be maybe May for
rollout. No Mac or Win 95 (easy to miss those few million users). Perhaps
the term "not ready for Prime Time" might fit somewhere.
If you look at the Internet record of AT&T, MCI, IBM, Microsoft and other
traditional giants it is a textbook on "how not to" instead of "how to".
And I don't think the light bulb will suddenly go on very soon. Why?
IMVHO, large companies face a major disadvantage not cured quickly when
trying to compete anywhere on the Net. There is the obvious that the Net is
moving so quickly that if everything you do is not "under construction" then
you are behind the minute you offer something. Large companies do not have
quick reaction times. (Just how many Internet partners has MCI had?)
Large companies do not do well at true neighborhood retail business and I
maintain all Web business is retail. Every individual makes his or her own
decision and entry/exit has no barriers. Not a particularly easy
enviornment in which to compete nor does it lend itself to cookie cutter
solutions for the "masses" which big companies excell at doing.
But perhaps most insidious and damaging is the decision making process in
large companies. Internet related decisions must go to executives who have
NEVER been on the net and are afraid to admit it or at most have "looked
over the shoulder" of someone surfing. The Net is something you cannot
guess at and no amount of experience in any other medium prepares you for
this one. You have to get your hands dirty and making an informed decision
is impossible if you haven't been there.
Large companies will have an impact certainly but size and name in other
disciplines is no guarantee of Net success. I don't think successful Net
businesses, ISP or otherwise, will automatically be disadvantaged because a
big footprint decides the Net is the place to be.
As always, $.02 waiting on change.
David Lea
VP Marketing
PCTravel
www.pctravel.com
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