[10072] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Adding Services
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Laurence Miller)
Sat Feb 5 20:59:46 1994
Date: Sat, 05 Feb 94 20:22:21 EST
From: Laurence Miller <JLMILLER@vm1.yorku.ca>
To: Multiple Recipients of List Com-Priv <com-priv@psi.com>
Lloyd Brodsky <lbrodsky@rocksolid.com> writes:
>I'd like to hear people's opinions as to what services an Internet provider
>might add to increase its potential appeal to non-technical business people
>whose interest in the Internet is strictly as a tool to help them get their
>job done (as opposed to a hobby perk or for some ill-defined connectivity is
>good argument)
An extremely valuable service -- one that might be crucial to many potential
customers in deciding whether or not to open an Internet account -- would be
some kind of personalized "travel guide" of the Internet. Let me explain what
I mean.
Any one who has visited foreign countries as a tourist knows that there are two
kinds of tour guides. The first kind is the person who knows what the famous
sites are supposed to be and guides you past them, one at a time, droning on
about the facts which the handbooks tells her/him should be said. This is the
usual kind.
Then there are the ones who bring something special to the tour. They may not
show all the famous sites, but they will show the ones that they personally
0ike, and will give the information and show you the features, often in great
deal, which might allow you to share some their appreciation and enthusiasm.
If they are good, they may also make some effort to listen to you, not just
to hear the statistics (what you do, where you are from) but to get a sense
of how sophisticated you are, how easily you can digest new information, so
they can tell you enough to satisfy you without sating.
In the case of the Internet, as in a foreign city, there is a lot of activity,
and a lot to see, and in my experience, most novices find the whole thing
overwhelming. This may be especially the case for the kind of user you
describe, who doesn't want to waste a lot of time playing with various
facilities but just wants to get to the parts which are directly relevant to
his or her needs.
There is also the problem of hype (which is ubiquitous among sellers of
computer products). The newspapers are full of articles talking about how
the Internet is going to revolutionize telecommunications. That is fine for
the revolutionaries but does it also have concrete implications for me and my
business? ^^^^^^^^
An advisor working for the service provider who has experience working with
new users can probably develop an expertise in guiding customers to what they
really want and would find valuable, at varying early stages of using the Net.
This advisor would be most helpful if he/she is available on-line and is used
to being contacted informally as questions and problems arise.
What would be the benefit to the consumer? If you accept that time is money
and the time learning to use a new medium can be substantial, a service which
can short-circuit the process of deciphering Internet guides and can save a
user from wasting time on services/facilities s/he really does not need is
a service of real value.
JOHN LAURENCE MILLER
YORK UNIVERSITY
TORONTO, CANADA
<JLMILLER@VM1.YORKU.CA>
