MICROSOFT'S BILL GATES HAS BEEN QUOTED AS SAYING THAT ANY stage business that doesn't rich person a "dot com' after its name by the class 2000, isn't really in byplay. Five or six years ago, many of us might wealthy person balked at that, merely today it's evident that the Net is turning come out to be all that pundits said it would be. Last Christmas alone, 7.8 1000000 people bought merchandise online, ringing up receipts totaling $4.1 billion. This season, the figure of shoppers is expected to jump to over 24 one thousand thousand. Still, for many blackness occupation owners, the lingering question isn't whether Websites work simply whether they work for Black businesses. To that question, experts answer, yes, they tin.

The identification number of Black person-owned businesses successfully leveraging the might of the Cyberspace is steadily increasing. Patrick McElroy, a former Website architect and creator of the search engine and directory World Wide is actively conducting research into the size of the World Wide Web's Negro line population. He says that without a doubt, "It's on the rise." He strongly warns Negroid businesses against waiting practically longer to establish a WWW presence. "The is not a fad. It's a proven medium, and it's going to be an ingrained part of our culture." There were 83.4 meg adults ages 16 or older accessing the as of April of this yr, according to Intelliquest. And Nielsen predicts 132.7 a million by the 2000.

The size and nature of the World Wide Network tin can make getting started challenging. Best assured, you don't give birth to be a tech head to get involved. It's easier now than it ever was, and the benefits ar real. Continued from page 1. In the two years the Prom Guide site has been online, Bowen has spent less than $5,000 construction, tweaking and maintaining it. He relied heavily on a couturier in the beginning, just like many ambitious Net shop owners, he's learned a lot about development and now does a lot of the site's regular upkeep himself.

Another significant advantage that some overlook: competitive mightiness. In the high-tech solutions arena, prospects typically ask integrators to submit proposals or bids. If you don't deliver a Website, you could be of the running. Companies with well-executed Websites taken More seriously than those without them and reaching new to(p) territories, edifice allies and creating unexampled revenue streams. Sure, a smart Website takes money.