Network Life

New Network World Supplement Fills Home Technology Information Gap
Premier Issue of Network Life—The Expert's Guide to the Connected Home—Helps Network and IT Experts Help Their Friends and Family

SOUTHBOROUGH, Ma. – December 3, 2004 – Network World, Inc. launched the first edition of Network Life—The Expert's Guide to the Connected Home—a new publication aimed at helping home technology influentials, who are Network IT Executives by day, respond to the barrage of requests for hands-on help and product purchase recommendations from their less technical family, friends and neighbors.

According to research from IDC and Parks Associates, consumers rely on recommendations from a knowledgeable friend or co-worker when making home network purchase decisions. For typical consumer products like toasters, consumers gather information from a variety of sources such as friends, advertisements, consumer unions and in-store examination, and then evaluate the product on their own and make a purchasing decision. The typical purchase decision process for consumer products breaks down as a product becomes more sophisticated—often the case for technology products intended for the home. For technology products, the information search from traditional sources often produces complex and confusing results.

Network World research found that home technology influentials typically devote more than four hours of their personal time per month advising and guiding less technical people about which products to buy and how to integrate them with the networks and digital devices common in homes today. "Because of their professions, influentials are also expected to be up-to-date on home network and entertainment products," says Toni Kistner, editor, Network Life. "But where do these influentials go for this information?" Network Life—the expert's guide to the connected home—fills this information gap.

While word-of-mouth ranks as the highest form of marketing influence in purchase decisions of any type, the difference with home technology purchases is the weight of reliance on word-of-mouth and the expertise of the source. According to the book "The Influentials" [Keller, E. and Berry, J., Free Press, 2003], influentials create a 'spiral of influence' and are the ones from whom the broader market of consumers will take their cues. "Throwing more information directly at the relatively non-technical consumer, whether through advertising or articles, is likely to have little impact," says Keith Shaw, technology editor, Network Life. "The influential is the one who seeks more information and is the person we are targeting with Network Life."

The premier issue of Network Life organizes, into one resource, information that is of great interest to the home technology influential. The cover story "How to Be the Go-to Guy without Going Crazy" details how three of these influentials manage expectations from family and friends who rely on a personal expert in order to buy and install technology. Articles such as "Pipe Dreams" help readers pick the right high-speed access for their friends and family, guiding them through a growing list of plans, options and features to ensure support of the newest applications. "Five for '05" highlights five technologies that are mature and stable enough to recommend. Ongoing columns include: