How we evolved to Web business

As you’ve probably noticed by now, the name of this newsletter has changed to “Web Business.” Though this seems different from the original e-commerce title, it is actually a natural progression that ties in closely with the content you’ve been reading and hopefully enjoying all along.

E-commerce, at the time this newsletter debuted in 1999, was THE buzzword. Everyone wanted an online storefront. Everyone wanted to put their products “on the ‘Net.” And everyone wanted a “virtual catalog” of their offerings.

Since then, the technology and the attitude has evolved and in some ways, matured. Organizations – public and private – are being more selective about how they do business over the Web. And I’d say they are far more sophisticated about the methods they choose.

I’ve enjoyed discussing examples of good and bad “Web business” with you over the years and have relished your feedback – sometimes agreeing wholeheartedly, sometimes vehemently disagreeing.

I’d say over the years, we’ve moved on from “e-commerce” to “e-business” to now “Web business.” Web business being the culmination of everything we’ve done before and what we’re going to achieve moving forward.

I also believe that Web business is the more accurate description of what people do now in regards to online transactions – not just dealing with money – of any kind. And maybe transaction isn’t even the right word anymore – maybe interaction is the better word. Because doing business online is not just about exchanging money anymore… it’s about creating an ongoing relationship that involves the exchange of data – whether it be credit card numbers or simply ideas. You can build a solid online “business” connection without ever talking about money. Yet both parties walk away with something. This is happening more and more.

I’ve had a great time over the years creating an ongoing journal of this metamorphosis – in both trends and infrastructure. Being on the front lines of how this industry is evolving has been an incredible journey – and having all of you along has made it all the better.

So as we enter this new era of “Web business” what do you think will be the major changes we’ll see? What are the most important changes we’ve already experienced? I’d love to hear from those of you that have been subscribers since the beginning to let me know how you feel about the evolution of this newsletter. As always, you can e-mail me at sgittlen@nww.com . And, as always, thanks for reading on.