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02/26/01
Websites = Web Applications
by Jake Davenport
A few days ago I was on the phone with a long-time friend of mine, talking about the Internet industry both past and present. This friend is the same person who introduced me to website development and played the role of mentor in my technical life for several years (although we're much more on a peer-level these days).
We worked together in the very early days of the Web, back when Netscape was first released and Bill Gates was declaring the Internet "a fad". In those days, selling a website was next to impossible - no one even knew what a website was, much less why they would want one. It was even hard to find business owners with email accounts, and almost everyone who had an email address used America Online (AOL). Ironically, they could not yet access the Web outside of the AOL browser.
In a short time, though, the 'net exploded. IBM's marketing (they coined - or at least popularized - the term "e-commerce") and the very freedom of the Internet began to draw countless peoples' attention. Prices for computers dropped and the marketplace opened up to a whole new segment of consumers. High school kids built websites for large corporations and took $60K jobs in lieu of college. Soon, venture capitalists were pouring billions into half-baked ideas with little regard to their actual benefits, and newspapers were spreading the buzz. Everyone, it seemed, was going to be an Internet millionaire overnight.
And suddenly the madness was over, just as soon as it began. The Internet, people realized, was not going to replace a quick walk to the corner store. In fact, it wasn't going to replace the shopping mall, paper catalogs, or even the auction block. The Internet was another form of contact and commerce, not the only form. After all, how many Amazon.com's can there really be when there's only one World Wide Web?
Interestingly, during all of this our market, as developers, stayed the same. Since 1995, my friend and I have continued to pursue established businesses looking to enhance their offerings by using the Internet. In that segment, the benefits are obvious: 24/7 presence, information sharing, and commerce capabilities all embody another means to interact with customers. In a way, for us, not much has changed. In fact, the cultural consciousness surrounding the Internet has helped grow the medium that we love into something more powerful, more mature, more grounded.
As we speculated on the future, I asked him if he thought that the "death of the dot-com" was going to have a serious impact on our trade (as I said in the last newsletter, I don't believe the Internet is at all at risk, but I was curious). His response intrigued me, and I will paraphrase (with my own embellishments):
"I think," he said, "that the marketplace is expanding, not contracting. But instead of a marketplace for websites as you and I think of them, the demand is growing instead for Web-based applications. Websites are becoming composites of many Web-based programs performing different tasks, and the website as an independent and non-functional entity is doomed. A website that does not truly interact with the end user or deliver dynamic information (like products in a database) is no longer in demand."
"The Web, in a way, has become an operating system (like Windows or DOS). In fact, the very concept behind Microsoft's .Net project lies in this fundamental shift in perspective. While all the hype was traveling the airwaves, the technology has finally matured to the point where the Web can be more than just a presentation layer."
I found this insight to be surprisingly powerful and accurate. After all, the typical Internet user is looking for information, products, and services. Of course, he/she is interested in finding the best source of information, the highest quality products, and the most superior services. While there will still be a place for smaller, brochure-ware types of Internet presences, successful websites of the future will be tailor-made for their audiences, delivering the content, products, and services that each site's visitors expect. Catch-all sites are already becoming less and less effective in capturing and maintaining an audience.
So as you move your business forward in this new millennium, keep your mind focused on how you can customize your website to fit your unique business needs. Realize that, instead of a single, simple entity, your website can be modular, functional, and interactive. Think about how your website can provide an encompassing experience for its visitors, not just the presentation of information or product lines. Make a list of components that would make your site easier to use or more accessible, like site-wide searches or content personalization. Think about what you like in websites that impress you, and examine carefully the sites that appear to be lacking.
Most importantly, integrate your website into your business plan. It is, after all, the outside world's window into your company, shining a light on your products and services. Equally important, it is your window to the outside world and your customers' means of communicating directly with you. With good planning, imagination, and a moderate investment, you can use this two-way conduit to improve your customer service, gather information about your client base, and increase business revenues.
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