THE INTERNET

PUBLICITY GUIDE
How To MaximizeYour Marketing
And Promotion In Cyberspace
V.A. SHIVA

100Mills.com
 The Internet Publicity Guide - Page 1

MAIN IDEA
The Internet, in its purest form, is a communication network for individuals to share knowledge and information.
The information revolution was based around the concept of broadcasting information to as many people as possible. By contrast,
the Internet is part of the communications revolution -- offering individual consumers the ability to have personalized multimedia
communications with other people or companies anywhere in the world.
The ultimate goal of communication (and thus of any Internet based publicity initiative) is to build profitable relationships, from which
either emotional or financial benefits can be derived. This is achieved by communicating your Web presence to others on the Internet,
and getting qualified visitors to visit your Web site.
To succeed at Internet publicity, you must have a good understanding of the Internet, know the customs and tricks of the trade that
exist within the culture of the Internet for acceptable ways to generate visitors to your Web site and have an effective site that will
convert those visitors into customers or clients.
In the final analysis, the Internet is ideally suited to building commercial relationships -- the key to future revenues and profits.

PART 1 - THE INTERNET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 2 - 3

Before anyone can develop a worthwhile Internet specific publicity strategy, they have to become familiar
with what the Internet is, what it can and cannot do and how people and businesses go about establishing
residence on the Internet.
The key principles of the Internet are:
1. How the Internet is structured
2. Seven basic Internet concepts
3. Tools of the Internet based trade
4. How to get on to the Internet
5. Being on the Internet
6. Setting up shop on the Internet
7. Security and copyright Issues

PART 2 - PUBLICITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 4 - 6

An Internet based publicity program, to be effective, must comply with the rules and strategies which have
evolved and matured as the Internet has grown.
Essential principles of cyberpublicity -- the art and science of promoting your presence on the Internet
and securing the kind of exposure needed -- are:
1. Key elements of a good publicity plan
2. Characteristics of the Internet as a media
3. Publicity specific Web site design considerations
4. Strategies for attracting visitors to a Web site
5. Search engine strategies
6. Advanced Netiquette
7. Integrating discussion groups into publicity programs
8. The pros and cons of hiring a cyber-PR agent
9. How to measure the effectiveness of publicity

PART 3 - COMMUNITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 7 - 8

The ultimate objective of a good Web site is to establish an ongoing business relationship with those who
visit your Web site, creating a niche for you and your company which you can then expand over time to
circle of influence.
From that context, the key issues are:
1. The current state of the Internet community
2. Building Critical Mass
3. Internet demographics
4. Intelligent agents

100Mills.com
5. How Internet communities are structured
6. How the Internet is changing the nature of publicity

PART 1
THE INTERNET
Main Idea
Before anyone can develop a worthwhile Internet specific
publicity strategy, they have to become familiar with what the
Internet is, what it can and cannot do and how people and
businesses go about establishing residence on the Internet.
The key principles of the Internet are:
1. How the Internet is structured
2. Seven basic Internet concepts
3. Tools of the Internet based trade
4. How to get on to the Internet
5. Being on the Internet
6. Setting up shop on the Internet
7. Security and copyright Issues
Supporting Ideas
1. How the Internet evolved
In the 1960s, the U.S. Department of Defense developed a
computer based communication system to control its armed
forces. In 1964, they realized that if they had one central point
for their system, all an enemy had to do was destroy that point
for the system to be rendered ineffective. Therefore, they
developed a computer based communication system based on
the peer-to-peer concept -- that is, there is no central office and
every computer on the system can communicate with every
other.
In 1969, a recommendation was made to build a peer-to-peer
networ k usin g packet switchin g technolog y -- a
telecommunications standard which splits data into small
packets of information that can travel by different routes to be
assembled in order at the destination. The first network built (in
1969) was called ARPANET, and it used peer-to-peer
communications and packet switching. ARPANET was used by
military bases, universities and companies with U.S. Defense
Department contracts.
In 1984, ARPANET split into two separate networks: MILNET for
military use, and the Internet for educational use. Many other
independent computer networks started applying for permission
to connect to the Internet, so in 1991, the Internet was made
available to the general public.
The Internet is based around common standards and protocols.
Every computer connected to the Internet is assigned a unique
identification number -- four numbers separated by periods e.g.
212.186.25.4. Since that system is excellent for machines but
difficult for humans, a domain naming system is used in which
each i.d. number is assigned a name -- at least two pieces of
information separated by a period e.g. summaries.com,
cnn.com.
In the 1990s, the concept of the World Wide Web (WWW) was
developed. Essentially, the WWW has made the Internet
accessible to the general (non-technical) public. The WWW is a
method of organizing information on the Internet and linking
pieces of information together. A Web site can be developed by
anyone, stored on a computer linked to the WWW and
downloaded and viewed by any other person anywhere in the
world with access to the Internet. All types of information -- text,
graphics, sound, video -- can be made available via a WWW web
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site on the Internet.
The Internet Publicity Guide - Page 2
2. Seven basic Internet concepts
1. The Internet is a means to an end and not an end in and of
itself. It is a communication system in which every member
can both send and receive information.
2. Every user is equal on the Internet, irrespective of and
independent of traditional factors such as resources,
physical location, etc.
3. The Internet is not under the control of anyone -- no official
or government approvals are required to use or do business
over the Internet.
4. Community standards have evolved with regards to the
Internet, and you need to become familiar with these
standards if you intend succeeding.
5. The Internet is people-based, not government-based.
6. The Internet is a level playing field. The traditional prejudices
with respect to nationality or background are irrelevant.
7. A culture has developed around the use of the Internet which
must be respect if you expect to succeed in any Internet
based business venture.
3. Tools of an Internet based trade
The basic tools that are used in executing an Internet based
publicity plan are:
1. E-Mail: Electronic Mail
E-mail is a way to send electronic messages using the
Internet, and has been one of the main uses of the Internet
since its inception. Everyone who has an Internet access
account has an e-mail address, and can send and receive
messages by using e-mail software.
2. UseNet newsgroups
UseNet newsgroups are ongoing conferences devoted to
specific topics which are conducted by public e-mail. More
than 10,000 newsgroups already exist.
3. Mailing lists
These are lists of the e-mail addresses of people who would
like to receive information about specific subjects. Anyone
can join or leave a mailing list at will.
4. File transfer protocol (FTP)
This is a standard protocol for copying files from one
computer to any other computer connected to the Internet.
5. Archie
An information retrieval system that can be used to find the
domain name of any remote computer.
6. Telnet
A basic Internet service that allows you to access remote
computers as if it were your local machine.
7. Internet relay chat (IRC)
A service that enables multiple people to communicate
simultaneously by typing words on a local keyboard and
having them show up on the screen of everyone else.
8. Gopher
A text based browser enabling people to retrieve information
from remote computers and download text files.
9. WWW browsers, search engines and directories
Browsers are software programs enabling users to read and
navigate Web sites and other material available on the Web.
Search engines contain lists of Web sites, categorized by
keywords. Directories are lists of Web sites, organized by
categories rather than by keywords.

4. How to get on to the Internet
To get access to the Internet, all that is required is:
1. Hardware
- Computer (with sufficient hard disk space and memory)
- Color monitor
- Keyboard
- Mouse or other pointing device
- Modem (at least 14.4K or preferably faster)
2. Software
- WWW browser package
- E-mail package
- Communications software
Many of these software packages are available free of
already built into widely used packages such as Windows.
3. An Internet Access Account
Open an account with an Internet service provider (ISP).
There are currently a large number of ISPs to choose from,
with all types of plans available. An ISP will usually provide
assistance with set up, and may also provide all required
software as part of their package.
Your ISP will also assign you an e-mail address when you
open an account.
5. Being on the Internet
In general, being on the Internet means that you have a Web site
set up which anyone else on the Internet can access.
Computers which store Web sites for viewing by the general
Internet population are called Web hosts. Many (but not all) ISPs
also provide a Web hosting service. Each Web site has a unique
name assigned to it, which is the address by which other people
can find that Web site.
Web sites can contain graphic, text, audio files or video files.
They can be used to provide information, take orders, allow
viewers to leave their comments, allow viewers to request more
information and so on. In essence, Web sites are interactive
brochures for a business that combine the best features of a
printed brochure with the advantages of a television
advertisement and an ability for people to respond immediately
to offers made.
The basic design characteristics of a successful Web site are:
1. Professional and attractive design.
2. Fast display of graphics and text.
3. Logical and consistent design which is easy to navigate.
4. Easy ways for people to order or communicate with you have
been integrated into the design.
5. The material is updated and refreshed on a regular basis.
6. It is easy for people to indicate which features they find useful
and which are of no interest.
7. It is memorable and fun.
8. Good marketing principles are used -- in other words, a
reason to do business with that company is provided.
9. Links to other related sites are provided for visitor
convenience.
Web sites are exceptionally cost-effective by comparison with
other traditional media. They also have one competitive
advantage nothing else offers -- the ability to interact with visitors
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electronically and immediately.
The Internet Publicity Guide - Page 3
6. Setting up shop on the Internet
In addition to developing a professional Web site and arranging
a suitable Web host, there are also other requirements which
must be considered if you plan on using a Web site to conduct
commercial transactions, including:
1. Ordering Mechanisms
The two most widely used ways to take orders from a Web
site are by e-mail and by WWW forms.
E-Mail is excellent because every Internet user has an e-mail
address, and therefore you can be certain of appealing to the
broadest possible pool of potential customers.
WWW forms are built as part of a Web site, and are browser
compatible forms which enable customers to enter orders
directly from a Web site. The form can then be set up to send
the contents directly to an e-mail address or processed in
another way.
2. Payment Mechanisms
Most Web sites process payment for goods and services by
credit cards, accepting checks or through purchase orders.
Of the three, credit card processing is the easiest and
quickest payment method, and is now very commonly used.
Accepting checks will be worthwhile for those people who
dislike using credit cards for Internet transactions. Purchase
orders are suitable to large commercial enterprises in which
pre-established lines of credit are combined with credit
management functions and so on. Purchase orders are also
applicable to large ticket items.
3. Order fulfillment and customer service systems
Consumers who have ordered a product over the Internet
generally expect to be able to follow the progress of their
order the same way. Ideally, order fulfillment should be
accomplished using the quickest and most efficient means
possible -- using the Internet to either provide delivery or at
least to provide updated information about the transaction.
The greater amount of customer service information that can
be made available for self use over the Internet, the less
resources that will be required to be dedicated to other
customer service and support requirements such as
telephone calls.
7. Security and copyright issues
Some commonsense security considerations are:
1. Always check the background of anyone with whom you
entrust the development of your company’s Internet
business operations.
2. Always maintain back-ups of your Web site and assorted
materials on other computers, separate from those which are
connected to the Internet.
3. If you’re uncomfortable about doing business with someone
using an Internet store front, contact them by phone. It may
reveal more about the professionalism of their organization.
4. Register any material you’ve developed specifically for your
Web site with the Registrar of Copyrights, Copyright Office,
Washington DC 20559. Keep documentation on the
development history of your proprietary material, so if
anyone copies your material, you can prosecute them.
5. Involve a human element somewhere in the order approval
system so unreliable information can be culled early.

PART 2
PUBLICITY
Main Idea
An Internet based publicity program, to be effective, must comply
with the rules and strategies which have evolved and matured
as the Internet has grown.
Essential principles of cyberpublicity -- the art and science of
promoting your presence on the Internet and securing the kind
of exposure needed -- are:
1. Key elements of a good publicity plan
2. Characteristics of the Internet as a media
3. Publicity specific Web site design considerations
4. Strategies for attracting visitors to a Web site
5. Search engine strategies
6. Advanced Netiquette
7. Integrating discussion groups into publicity programs
8. The pros and cons of hiring a cyber-PR agent
9. How to measure the effectiveness of publicity
Supporting Ideas
1. Key elements of a good publicity plan
The key elements of a good cyberpublicity campaign are no
different from the elements of a traditional publicity campaign.
To succeed, a publicity campaign requires:
1. A competitive analysis
This is a study of how your company is currently perceived,
and how all your competitors are positioned. Should also
include a list of the key messages currently being transmitted
to the marketplace by you and your competitors.
2. Key messages
The competitive advantages which you want your company
to be linked to publicly. In effect, your unique selling
proposition and positioning statement.
3. Press materials
A list of materials with company background, product
information, key personnel backgrounds, photos and press
releases about specific events.
4. Publicity targets
Lists of specific departments and specific editors at the
media organizations you want to attract the attention of. (This
list should also take into account deadlines and special
editorial focuses which are upcoming).
5. Story ideas
For each publicity target, you should develop a story idea, a
unique angle that will fit the editorial focus of each target.
Again, these potential story ideas should take into account
specials and other resources.
6. Media calendar
Your overall timetable setting out preparation time, suitable
submission deadlines and all other timing factors, revolving
around the material submission deadlines of the specific
organization targeted.
As in the real world, cyberpublicity should be mapped out several
months in advance if not longer. A good, well thought out
publicity plan will result in an ongoing stream of publicity for you,
your company and your products or services.
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The Internet Publicity Guide - Page 4
2. Characteristics of the Internet as a media
The Internet, as a way to communicate with clients or customers,
offers features which are markedly different from traditional
media, such as:
1. Traditional advertising is based on reducing information to its
essentials. On the Internet, that restriction does not apply.
People can download vast amounts of information at will. The
best web sites inform and educate in ways that are fun and
entertaining.
2. The Internet is, first and foremost, interactive -- it empowers
cost-effective two-way communication with the customer in
control, not the advertiser.
3. Businesses that have Web sites are acting more like
publishers than advertisers. That means constantly updating
and enhancing the site rather than leaving it unaltered for
extended periods of time.
4. The Internet can provide accurate statistics of the number of
people who visit the site, what proportion end up doing
business with you and so on.
5. The Internet is ideally suited to narrow casting rather than
broadcasting. Broadcasters develop a message that will
appeal to as many people as possible. Narrowcasters
develop information for specific target niches only.
3. Publicity specific Web site design considerations
The 10 Commandments of Internet Advertising, which your Web
site should take into account, are:
1. Become a publisher and provide value added information to
Web site visitors.
2. If you don’t have added value information to provide, you’re
not being creative enough.
3. If you don’t have a serious advertising budget, the Web is the
medium to choose.
4. All business is global, but culture is local.
5. Don’t worry about the target audience -- care about them,
and cater specifically to them.
6. Don’t waste a Web site visitor’s time and money. Lay tracks
7. if you want your Web site to be found. Advertising on the
8. Internet is a relationship, not just a one
night stand.
9. Do it right the first time -- visitors may never come to your
Web site again.
10. The future is not waiting for you, nor is the competition. Get
going.
One key point is the ongoing development requirements for
successful commercial Web sites. Never expect your Web site
to be developed once and then left ad infinitum to generate
orders. It will need to be updated and refreshed on regular basis.
Therefore, when choosing a Web site developer, select
someone who will be available on an ongoing basis -- possibly
on a retainer or another suitable payment plan.
Think of your Web site developer as a part of your business’s
long-term creative time. With the rate of growth of Internet based
commerce, you can guarantee you’ll need professional
assistance on an ongoing basis.

4. Strategies for attracting visitors to a Web site
The nine active forms of attracting Web site visitors are:
1. Get your Web site listed on the search engines
Using a service like SubmitIt! (http://www.submit-it.com) you
can transmit your Web site address to 15 or more of the most
widely used search engines that index the Web. Before doing
that, however, prepare a 25-word or 200-character
marketing description which will contain the keywords that
will be used in the indexing process. (Many companies will
do this for a fee, such as http://www.mproductions.com).
2. Give people a good reason to visit
Offer something of value for free. Most Web sites do this by
offering valuable information to visitors in the hope of getting
more business in the future.
3. Find industry-wide linking pages
Find the sites people in your industry are most likely to visit,
and get them to place a link to your Web site on their Web
site. Often, you’ll need to reciprocate by placing a link to their
Web site on yours.
4. Purchase Web advertising
A clickable or banner ad on another well known Web site may
be an excellent investment. There are a number of brokers
who can provide more detailed information, including Web
Conn ec t (http://www.worldata.com/Webcon.htm). To
monitor results, send people from different ads to different
home pages at your Web site.
5. Newsgroups and Mailing Lists
Become active in the ongoing discussion taking place in
newsgroups most likely to be used by your potential
customers. Join in the discussion if you have something to
contribute. Make certain your signature file has your Web site
included. To find which newsgroups are most applicable, use
http://hotpage.stanford.edu/
Similarly, look for industry focused mailing lists you can join.
A mailing list is simply a collection of e-mail addresses. Many
mailing lists are moderated -- you submit a message for the
group to a moderator who decides whether or not to send it
on.
6. Online malls
Many Internet Service providers, business communities and
trade organizations sponsor online malls with the objective
of delivering visitors to specified Web sites. Visit
http://www.iw.com/imall/ for example.
7. Cross publicize on other print materials
Always include your e-mail and Web site addresses on
letterheads, business cards, print ads, display materials, etc.
8. Develop a guest book
Let visitors to your Web site leave their e-mail address for
information on new developments in the future. You may
offer a regular newsletter or other incentives.
9. Send out press releases
There are a number of services on the Internet which keep
lists of ‘‘What’s New’’ or ‘‘What’s Interesting’’. Once your Web
site is fully functional, send brief press releases to these
services. If they add your Web site to their list (which is
entirely at their discretion), it may deliver large numbers of
visitors. Also send out press releases to your industry’s print
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magazines, local business newspapers and so on.
The Internet Publicity Guide - Page 5
5. Search engine strategies
Getting listed on the search engines should not be the sole thrust
of a Web based publicity program, but it can serve as a
worthwhile foundation.
All of the search engines (such as Yahoo, Lycos, Excite,
WebCrawler and Infoseek, for example) used different criteria
for how they index sites. Ideally, you want your site to show as
high as possible on whichever lists are most relevant to your
target customers.
Some general tips on how to get listed on the search engines:
1. Have text on your home page.
most search engine catalogs contain the text read from the
home pages indexed. Therefore, make sure your Web site’s
home page isn’t just graphics, but a mix of graphics and the
text you want to be indexed by.
2. Pick two or three keywords.
Ensure those keywords are in your page title and mentioned
early in your Web site’s home page. Add those keywords into
the meta tags attached to your Web site as well.
3. Have links to your inside pages from your home page.
If your inside pages are more descriptive of your Web site,
try sending the search engines directly there when you
submit your Web site address.
4. Forget multiple repetition of keyword strategies.
Some Web sites try and improve their relevant ranking by
repeating keywords numerous times, in an attempt to
influence search engine rankings. Very unpopular with
visitors, however, and can ultimately be counter productive.
5. Network.
If your Web site fails to show up in the top 10 when you do a
search on the relevant keywords, look at the sites that
already do. Is there any way you can approach them to place
a link to your Web site on theirs -- perhaps in return for a
reciprocal arrangement. Find other ways to get to know
people who already have the visitors you’re after and get
them to direct some of their traffic to you once they’re finished
visiting their Web site. Think creatively.
6. Relax.
Search engines are helpful but not essential. You can still get
people to your Web site through word-of-mouth, referrals
from satisfied customers, traditional advertising, other
traditional media, newsgroup postings, Web directories, links
from other sites and so on.
Don’t ignore standard publicity practice and rely solely on
search engines to deliver traffic. Send out press releases to
magazines that cover your industry. Experiment with
newspaper classified advertisements focusing on your Web
site address.
Think like a potential customer or client -- where do they
typically go for recommendations. Find creative ways to
utilize those types of places in directing visitors to your Web
site.

6. Advanced Netiquette
‘‘People who haven’t been working for themselves don’t know
there’s any other way to market besides advertising. Being
online is like being at a party, and the other people there aren’t
likely to buy from you if you just come up and tell them what you
do. But after you talk awhile about where you’re from, ask them
about their businesses, you exchange information, maybe then
you’ve got a business connection. It’s foolish to think that one
note you wrote in half an hour is going to work magic for you.
instead, when someone posts a note, take off your salesman’s
hat, or at least tilt it to the side, and give that person some help.
Get a little relationship going, and they’ll get a trail run with you
that might get them wanting more.’’
-- Alic Bredin, columnist, NewsDay
Using an online discussion group to generate business leads
should be approached with an appreciation for acceptable use
rules which have evolved over the time the Internet has evolved.
Some key ideas:
Ask leading questions that will create openings for you to
describe your product and service rather than simply imploring
people to visit your Web site.
Answer questions you are well qualified to answer-- where you
can demonstrate impressively that you know your stuff.
Stay focused on the theme of the discussion group.
Offer valuable ideas and information. Paradoxically, the more
you give to a discussion group, the more you’ll sell.
Consciously try and give back as much as you gain.
Be conservative. Don’t use exclamation marks, capital letters
or blatant advertising.
Don’t expect instant results or ask for orders directly. Look at
discussion groups as long-term networking opportunities.
7. Integrating discussion groups into publicity programs
Some other discussion group guidelines:
1. Be specific in your headings -- most participants decide
whether or not to read your posting solely on the strength of
your heading.
2. Be brief. State your idea clearly, succinctly and sign off. Many
people pay incrementally for the amount of data they
download. Don’t waste it.
3. Avoid acronyms and abbreviations that the general business
population will not understand.
4. Use every reasonable opportunity to tactfully describe your
business product or service. Don’t forget your e-mail
signature file -- it’s the last impression you’ll leave every time.
5. Take the time to establish your reputation for logical thinking
and worthwhile contributions. That kind of credibility comes
over time. Be patient.
6. Think before you post. A message posted to a discussion
group can never be erased. Could an unwise thought come
back to haunt you in the future?
7. Keep in mind every discussion group is different. Align
yourself with the prevailing mood of the discussion group if
you want to be successful. Familiarize yourself with
frequently asked question lists before getting involved. It can
save time and hassle.
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The Internet Publicity Guide - Page 6
8. The pros and cons of hiring a cyber-PR agent
The choice of whether to hire an agent to develop your Internet
based PR campaign will depend on your time and resources.
Some key factors to take into consideration:
Some results from auto-submitters have dismal results. A PR
agent can spend the time and resubmit site addresses to
search engines using more detailed forms.
PR agents will follow through on submissions and ensure you
actually get listed.
Good PR agents will often have a network of contacts they
have built up in the Internet media industry. They will attend
the trade shows and know the key players well.
PR agents will generally take the time to think out the affinity
groups who are most likely to be interested in your Web site.
That’s far more effective than a blanket hit everyone approach.
The best PR agents will offer exclusivity -- they will refuse to
handle any similar Web sites to yours. That avoids any conflict
of interest scenarios.
Good PR agents will quantify their results when charging,
rather than charging by the hour for ‘‘link-seeking’’ activities.
Be specific about the way you will be billed.
9. How to measure the effectiveness of publicity
Using a magazine paradigm, the Internet has the online
equivalents of advertising space (banner ads), editorial space
UseNet, listserv or Web pages and letters to the editor
(discussion groups).
Follow these suggestions:
1. You first need to monitor what amount of information is being
made available. Assign a staff member to monitor online
discussion groups on a daily basis and compile a report.
Alternatively, you can hire an outside firm to do this.
2. Make certain whoever does your monitoring is a member of
your target audience. They may have a perspective of events
that is totally different from yours.
3. You should put at least as much effort into monitoring the
effectiveness of Internet based public relations programs as
you do into your traditional public relations monitoring.
4. Consider including a questionnaire to be filled out by
everyone that visits your Web site. Offer something valuable
if visitors will stop by and fill in the questionnaire.
5. Most Web hosts provide traffic information -- the number of
visitors to your Web site, broken down hourly. Use that to
determine trends and which features are most popular. Look
for ways to expand those popular features further.
6. You can search the UseNet for any mention of your company
or your product using Digital’s Alta Vista search engine at
http://www.altavista.digital.com.
7. Use EchoSentinel at http://www.icybernetics.com to search
discussion forums for any mention of your company.
8. Several other Web based publicity monitoring programs are
available, including Internet Profile Corp.’s products, Web
Reporter from Open Market and WebStat from Web Track.
Each of these packages track Web site use in great detail.

PART 3
COMMUNITY
Main Idea
The ultimate objective of a good Web site is to establish an
ongoing business relationship with those who visit your Web site,
creating a niche for you and your company which you can then
expand over time to circle of influence.
From that context, the key issues are:
1. The current state of the Internet community
2. Building Critical Mass
3. Internet demographics
4. Intelligent agents
5. How Internet communities are structured
6. How the Internet is changing the nature of publicity
Supporting Ideas
1. The current state of the Internet community
Coopers & Lybrand recently completed a study of Internet usage
that concluded:
1. Internet users spend less time watching TV but more time
reading books and magazines. In fact, magazines and books
about content on the Internet are a huge growth area at
present.
2. Three market segments are evolving: communicators,
information seekers and browsers.
Communicators (22-percent) are well-educated, very
comfortabl e with the Interne t and focus on
communication-type activities - news groups, etc.
Information seekers (24-percent) are less technologically
adept, and use the Internet to get information, download
software and read online magazines.
Browsers (54-percent) are less technologically adept. They
look for general information, visit Web sites alone, use e-mail
and just spend time wandering around the Web.
3. Security concerns are impeding Internet based commerce
growth at present, with up to 80-percent of online users still
being concerned about the security of sending credit card
information over the Internet.
4. The most common ways people learn about Web sites at
presen t are the traditiona l media (39-perc ent) ,
word-of-mouth (44-percent) and browsing (32-percent). Only
10-percent use linking from other sites.
5. The popularity of the Internet is continuing to grow at a rapid
rate. Most people surveyed believe that as more and more
consumers start using the Internet, it will become an ever
more valuable vehicle for commercial transactions.
2. Building Critical Mass
For the Internet to ignite a global communications revolution,
access needs to become universal and affordable. Once that
occurs, the Internet will reach a critical mass -- at which point the
full potential of truly interactive communication can be realized.
The greatest potential benefits of universal access:
The Internet is not controlled by anyone. A universal Internet,
with the input of the entire world’s population, would be
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impressive.
People could live wherever they choose and still compete in a
global employment pool.
The Internet Publicity Guide - Page 7
The best schools and teachers could be available to all
students, irrespective of location, resources or disabilities.
Professionals could pool knowledge and techniques with each
other efficiently.
Art, literature, science, entertainment and technology would
be freed from physical restraints.
Knowledge and information, the key to success in today’s
commercial environment, will be superseded by the skills of
network usage and information management.
Universal public access will require each user to have a
computer, a modem and an Internet Service provider.
Communities could band together in less wealthy nations to
purchase computers and Internet access, providing small
community based networks. Donated computer equipment,
subsidized public terminals and other initiatives can be used to
increase the reach of the Internet.
As the Internet grows, better systems for storing, classifying and
retrieving information using all the languages of the world will
emerge. New search engines, search methods, indexing
techniques and advanced search tools are certain to be
developed, along with interfaces which are usable and friendly.
At the same time, improved user interfaces which are more
logically aligned with natural human requirements will be
developed.
The key question: Will the growth of the Internet be used to close
the gaps that currently exist in knowledge and opportunity, and
to cross traditional lines of prejudice and discrimination, or will
the Internet be used to widen them?
‘‘There is no reason in technology or economics why 100 percent
of the population shouldn’t be connected.’’
-- David Hughes, public access network developer
3. Internet demographics
At present, 23-percent of Web sites are used to sell products or
services. Of those Web sites:
18-percent had monthly sales of $1,000 or less.
13-percent had monthly sales of $1,000 - $10,000
9-percent had monthly sales of $10,000 - $100,000
2-percent had sales exceeding $100,000 per month
Similarly, calculations of how many people are currently on the
Internet are hard to calculate -- simply because of its
decentralized nature. At best, rough estimates using different
calculation methodologies can be used. The most oft quoted
statistics are from Matrix Information and Directory Services,
who calculated in early 1996 that 27.5 million people exchange
e-mail over the Internet and the Internet doubled in size every
year for the last six years.
Broadly speaking, the demographics of Internet users is now
moving away from being technically oriented towards the same
demographics as the general population.
‘‘The Internet marketplace is beginning to cross a chasm from
the early-adopter stage to mass-market deployment. Users now
on the Internet are becoming closer to the norm.’’
-- Asim Abdullah, executive director, CommerceNet
 The Internet Publicity Guide - Page 8

4. Intelligent agents 4. Guides and cool sites

Internet publicity can make use of intelligent agents -- software Guides review and post only a small proportion (about 3- to
programs that find information, respond to information or 5-percent) of the Web sites submitted to them each day. Cool
translate information. In essence, an intelligent agent can act like sites select one Web site a day to highlight.
a cyber-secretary. Cool Site of the Day, Excite NetDirectory, Magellan,
Some creative uses for intelligent agents: InfoSeek Guide, inSites by iGuide, Point, Spider’s Pick of the
Day, WIC Select
An agent can search out new Web sites, and identify those which
you should visit. 5. Geographic directories
Lists of Web sites restricted to companies and organizations
Intelligent agents can respond to e-mail inquiries sending out
located in specific geographic areas.
product information, upcoming event information and more.
ABC-Asia Business Connection, Australia Announce
Cross-language translation intelligent agents will be able to take
Archive, The European Directory, PRONET, Yelloweb
information stored on the Internet in one language and
Europe, UKdirectory, UK Index, The U.K. Web Library -
seamlessly translate it into another language -- making the
WWLib, U.K. Yellow Web, The Dutch Yellow Pages,
Internet a universal communicator. Canadian Internet Business Directory
Intelligent agents can compile lists (continuously updated) of 6. Business directories
whatever you like -- new Web sites that have just opened, lists
Searchable databases used for research and to locate
of Web sites on subjects you are passionately interested in, and
information on companies, services or products in the
so on.
business sector.
In essence, intelligent agents can make your time on the Internet
Apollo, BizWeb, Industry Net, the European Business
more efficient, and thus more worthwhile.
Directory, Innovators Network LLC, New Raiders Yellow
Pages, NYNEX Interactive Yellow Pages, Virtual Yellow
5. How Internet communities are structured Pages, WWW Yellow Pages
Internet-based communities can be structured along 7. Product directories
geographical, functional or other lines. There are broadly Business-to-business listings of products and services.
speaking seven categories of Internet communities: iMall, Internet Mall, Open Market, NetMall Directory
1. Announcement sites
Used to keep track of what’s new on the Internet. Very useful 6. How the Internet is changing the nature of publicity
when kicking off an online promotional campaign, or to
generate publicity of new resources. The Internet was conceived to enhance communication between
groups of people with similar interests. Publicity has changed
NCSA’s What’s New, Net Happenings, Netscape’s What’s correspondingly from a broadcast base to a narrowcast base --
New, What’s New Too!, What’s New in Europe
focusing on specific niches. The principle of localization cannot
2. Search engines be overstated.
Work by creating an online index of available Web sites.
The other key point of Internet based publicity is its interactive
Each site is visited, indexed and stored for future searching.
nature. That requires a totally different approach to traditional
Search engines generate revenues by selling advertising
advertising strategies and ideas.
space on their Web sites.
Alta Vista, Comprehensive List of Sites, Excite, GTE
SuperPages, Harvest, InfoSeek, Inktomi, Lycos, open Text,
tribal Voice, WebCrawler, WWW Worm
3. General directories
Any company, person or organization can list their Web site
on the general directories. Most are categorized by category
and keywords.
ALIWEB, Linkstar, The Huge List, Starting Point,
Tradewave’s Galaxy, Yahoo

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