Launching a Business on the Web

Learn how you can reach more people for less money than ever before by bringing your business to a worldwide audience. This book gives you not just theory but also hands-on advice about starting or moving your business into the booming marketplace on the Internet. The book focuses on the World Wide Web, which is the primary money-making opportunity for business today.

Authors David Cook and Deborah Sellers, experts who have launched dozens of businesses on the Web, provide solutions to many of the complex problems involved in doing business on the Internet. They help sort out difficult issues, such as which service provider to use, how to maintain security when handling cash transactions on the Net, and how to process orders and give consumers a quick response.

1. An Introduction To The Internet and the World Wide Web
1. An Introduction To the Net
• The Internet
• The Beginning of the Internet
• The Internet Today
• Who Pays for the Internet?
• Stability of the Internet
• Commercial Uses and the Internet
• The World Wide Web
• Hypertext
• Browsers
• The Beginning of the World Wide Web
• The WWW Today
• Who Pays for the WWW?
• Stability of the WWW
• Commercial Uses and the WWW
• Taking Advantage of the World Wide Web
• The Net versus BBS and Pay Services
• Bulletin Boards and the Net
• Figuring Out Pay Services
• From Here
2. Net Components and Terminology
• Internet Terminology
• Provider
• Clients and Browsers
• Servers
• Gateways and Routers
• TCP/IP, SLIP, and PPP
• E-Mail
• NetNews
• Telnet
• FTP
• Archie
• Gopher
• URL
• HTML
• IRC
• WAIS
• Jargon
• From Here
3. Why the Net is Good for Business
• Why Use the Net?
• Demographics and the Net
• The Growth of the Net
• People on the Net
• Businesses on the Net
• Institutions on the Net
• Where the Users Are
• Using the Net as an Information Resource
• Research and the Net
• Providing Information on the Net
• Using the Net as an Advertising Resource
• Using the Net To Advertise Your Product
• Using the Net To Advertise Other Products
• Using the Net To Sell and Provide Services
• What Types of Services Work Well on the Net
• Combining Traditional Services with Net Services
• Using the Net To Sell Your Products
• Selling Your Products on the Net
• Selling Other Products on the Net
• Using the Net as a Support Resource
• Combining Traditional Support Service with the Net
• Remote Diagnostics and the Net
• Using the Net for Market Research
• Gathering Opinion via the Net
• Trying Out New Ideas on the Net
• Using the Net Inside Your Business
• Improving Communications
• Paper-Free Environments
• Remote Employees
• Benefits Common To All Businesses on the Net
• Generating Leads and mailing Lists
• Using the Net To Save Money
• Enhancing Market Awareness
• From Here
2. Your Business and the WWW — The Basics
4. Planning a Web Site
• Making the Decision
• Waiting for Better Technology
• Researching Your Options
• Doing It Yourself or Having It Done for You
• Planning Your Net Business
• Who?
• What?
• Where?
• How?
• From Here
5. Choosing Hardware and Software
• Hardware
• Where To Purchase Hardware
• What Hardware To Buy
• Learning About Your Hardware
• Software
• Where To Get Your Software
• Cost versus Quality
• What's in a Name?
• What Software To Buy
• Learning About Your Software
• Software Support and Maintenance
• From Here
6. Placing a Business on the Web
• Locating the Net in Your Area
• How To Find the Net
• How To Price the Net
• Good Deals versus Bad Providers
• Bartering Your Way To Cheaper Access
• Working with Your Provider
• The Evils of Changing Providers
• Obtaining Outside Help — Consultants versus Net Service Bureaus
• Why Use Outside Help?
• Finding Good help
• Avoiding Disappointment
• What is a Good Price?
• Educating Your Employees
• Classes
• Seminars
• Consultants
• Magazines
• Subsidies
• Contacting the System Administrator
• Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks
• Determining Who Gets What Access
• Where To Find the Right Employee
• From Here
7. Picking a Name for Yourself on the Net
• Picking Login and E-mail Names
• Identity and Recognition
• Selecting Passwords
• Domain Names
• What Are Domain Names?
• Deciphering Domain Names
• Why You Should Register a Domain Name
• How To Register a Domain Name
• Domain Names and the Competition
• If Your Name is Used
• Multiple Presences
• The Benefit of Having Multiple Presences
• Creating Multiple Presences
• Creating Multiple Entrance Points
• From Here
8. Etiquette and the Net
• Etiquette in Informational Postings
• Appealing To the Largest Audience
• Expressing Emotion in Informational Postings
• The Pros and Cons of Using Signatures
• Responding To Rude People
• Etiquette in Live Discussions
• Identifying a New User
• Understanding Lag
• Expressing Emotion in Live Discussions
• Private Discussions
• Handling Unruly Guests
• Handling Channel Hackers
• Knowing When To Quit
• Dealing with Foreign Users and Different Cultures
• Etiquette in Mass Mailings
• One Word of Advice: Don't Mass E-Mail
• If You Do It Anyway, Here's How To Do It
• Etiquette in Bandwidth Use
• What is Bandwidth?
• Is Bandwidth Conservation Important?
• How To Conserve Bandwidth
• Dealing with Net Dummies
• Identifying a Waste of Time
• Handling a Waste of Time
• From Here
9. Information on the Net
• Looking for Existing Information
• A Brief Introduction To WWW Browsers
• How To Search for Existing Information
• How To Search for People
• Using Robots and Worms
• Using Lists and Libraries
• Asking the Experts
• Using NetNews To Find New Information
• Using IRC for Instant Answers
• Intelligent Agents
• Other Interactive Discussion Services
• From Here
3. Selling Products and Services
10. Advertising on the Net
• How to Advertise on the Net
• Choosing the Best Place To Advertise
• Generating Awareness for Your Advertising
• How To Keep People Coming Back
• Mixing Traditional Advertising with Net Advertising
• The World of Multimedia Advertising
• Using Still and moving Graphics
• Using Audio
• Using Hyperlinks and Other References
• Using Too Much of a Good Thing
• A Word About Plagiarism
• All About Storefronts and Cityscapes
• The Concept of Virtual Communities
• Belonging To Multiple Communities
• The Future of Storefronts, Malls, and Cityscapes
• How to Correct Your Advertising
• The Horror of an Incorrect Posting
• Retracting Incorrect Information
• Changing E-Mail Addresses
• Changing Net Providers
• The Advantages of Multiple Providers
• From Here
11. Order Taking and the Net
• Taking Orders by E-Mail
• Writing a Simple Advertisement
• writing a More Efficient Advertisement
• Automating the Response System
• Pros and Cons of E-Mail Order Taking
• Taking Orders by Interactive Forms
• Using a Simple Input Form
• Using a Multi-Window Input Form
• Narrowing the Scope of User Responses
• Widening the Selection of User Responses
• Other Input Form Tools
• What Happens To the User's Input?
• Examining How Forms Work
• Using a Server To Process Input
• Pros and Cons of Interactive Forms
• Other Alternatives for Order Taking
• Handling Orders with FTP
• Simulating a BBS with Telnet
• Dispensing Order Forms and Information with Gophers
• Tying Net Orders into Your Existing Order Stream
• Providing User Receipts
• From Here
12. Methods for Collecting Cash
• Credit Card Transactions
• How is the Card Information Transmitted?
• Who is Clearing the Card?
• How is Validation Handled?
• Commerce Servers
• Acceptance of Checks
• Purchase Orders
• Membership Systems
• Alternative Methods for Collecting Cash
• From Here
13. Order Filling and Tracking
• Effective Order Filling Systems
• Accepting an Order
• Fully Integrated WWW Systems
• Handling Taxes
• Handling Shipping Issues
• Handling Incomplete Orders
• User Receipts and Feedback
• Handling Bouncing Mail
• Order Fulfillment
• Internal and User Tracking
• From Here
14. Subscription Services, Virtual Malls, and Instant Products
• Subscription Services
• What is a Subscription Service?
• Attracting the User To a Subscription System
• Pros and Cons
• Instant Products
• The Unbelievable World of Instant Products
• Creating Instant Products
• Self-Managing Products and Services
• Virtual Shopping Systems
• What Are Virtual Shopping Systems?
• Databases and Virtual Shopping Systems
• Implementing Virtual Shopping Systems
• Pros and Cons of Virtual Shopping Systems
• From Here
4. Marketing and the Web
15. Acquiring Demographics About Your Users
• The HTTPD Log
• The HTTPD Log File Format
• Getting Access To the Log
• Using the Log File To Count Users
• Using the Log File To Improve Your Pages
• Other Methods for Collecting Demographics
• Page Counters
• Sticky Pages
• Demographics Through E-Mail and Forms
• Using Forms To Solicit Demographics
• Using E-Mails To Solicit Demographics
• From Here
16. Your Presence on the Net
• Everyone Looks Good on the Net
• High Profile Invisibility
• How To Make Invisibility Work for You
• The Pitfall of Invisibility
• Your Home Page
• Home Page Design
• Your Corporate Look
• The Stability of Your Service
• The Consequences of an Unstable Service
• Maintaining a Stable Service
• What To Do in Rough Weather
• Ensuring Accurate Information
• The Development Cycle
• The Testing Cycle
• Implementation and Verification
• Being Unique on the Net
• Why Being Unique is Important
• Having Fun on the Net
• Staying Current with the Trends
• Viewing the Competition
• Spending Time as a User
• Predicting the Future Through Related Media
• From Here
5. Security
17. Security and the Web
• Crime and the Net
• Meet the Criminals
• Misrepresentation
• Theft
• Illegal Transactions
• The Net and International Borders
• The Net Knows No Limits
• The Net and Cultural Taboos
• Staying Aware of Local Laws
• Spies and the Net
• Net Snitches and Net Police
• Government Watchdogs
• Industrial Espionage
• Crackers and the Net
• From Here
18. Security and Cash Transactions
• Can Internet Cash Transactions Ever Be Safe?
• Encryption
• Digital Signatures
• Receiving Secure Information
• Storing Secure Information
• Keeping Sensitive Data Encrypted
• Protecting Your Data's Physical Storage
• Cleaning Discarded Hardware
• Retrieving, Displaying, and Retransmitting Secure Information
• Encryption and International Borders
• From Here
19. What To Do When Security Has Been Breached
• How To Determine Whether Security Has Been Breached
• Isolating Damage
• Looking for the Cause
• Soliciting Help
• Notifying Others
• Implementing Solutions
• Creating a Secure System
• Working with Firewalls, Wrappers, and Proxies
• From Here
6. The Edge of the Web
20. Kiosks Made Easy
• Kiosk Basics
• What is a Kiosk?
• Traditional Kiosks versus Net Kiosks
• Examples of Good Uses for Kiosks
• Malls
• Airports
• Hotels
• Libraries
• Schools
• Government Access
• Benefits of Networked Information Kiosks
• Simple Architecture
• Instant Demographics
• Remote Updating and Maintenance
• Planning a Kiosk System
• Putting Together the Pieces
• Handicap Access
• Physical Security
• From Here
21. Non-Traditional Groups That Can Benefit from the Web
• Artists
• The Net as an Artistic Sales Tool
• Art Museums and the Net
• The Web as an Artitic Medium
• Musicians and Bands
• Recording Labels
• Merchandising
• Music Store on the Web
• Interactive Experiments
• Writers
• Poetry, Fiction, and Interactive
• Traditional Publications Online
• Online-Only Publications
• Online books
• Local and Regional Governments
• Access of Government Information To Citizens
• Efficient Citizen Feedback
• The Net as a mechanism for Lowering Overhead
• Private Organizations
• Allowing Members-Only Access
• Unlimited Capability for Services
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Grant Opportunities and the Net
• From Here
22. The Future of the Net
• What is Needed on the Net
• Higher Bandwidth and Throughput
• Greater User Friendliness
• Full Multimedia
• Security
• Simple Cash Transactions
• How the Future Net Will Look
• A Fully Graphic Internet
• Virtual Reality and the Internet
• Living and the Internet
• Shopping and the Internet
• Education and the Internet
• The Net After Hours
• The Global Community
• The Net's Impact on Culture
• The Net's Impact on Science and Technology
• From Here
23. A Few Last Words About Making It Big on the internet
• The Cost of Getting Involved
• The Basic Benefits To Business
• Etiquette
• Good Design and Organization
• Security
• Stability
• Use of Demographics
• Careful Watch of Future Trends
• Closing Words of Encouragement
• From Here
7. Appendix
1. An Introduction to HTML
• Basic HTML
• The HTML Element
• HTML Document Structure
• HTML Document Formatting and Document Formatting Commands
• HTML Character Formatting and Character Formatting Commands
• Working with Indentation and Bullets
• Adding Links, Images, Sounds, and External Files To Your Pages
• Adding Images To Your Pages
• Adding Hyperlinks To Your Pages
• Adding Sounds and Other External Files To Your Pages
• Adding Forms To Your Pages
• How Forms Work: An Introduction To cgi-bin
• The FORM Element
• Form Elements That Accept Types Data from Users
• Form Elements That Simulates Buttons and Check Boxes
• Form Elements That Let You Pick from a List
• Submitting the Form and Our Full Example
• From Here

This was pure bullshit already when it was written! The amateur hour, with some basic netiquette and extremely limited marketing knowledge.

I believe this was written in good faith, that is the only reason it hasn't a lower rating.