Constructing and presenting useful e-business websites for skilled users is not going to reach or impress millions of potential customers who are not, and probably never will be, skilled users of browsers, email programs, and Internet in general. However, these same users can read signs being waved alongside road, and follow directions of pitchmen and women on TV. This does not mean that webmasters need put on a chicken suit and dance along sidewalks waving a sign promoting their website. In fact just such a sign is not like providing customer with a street address. Practically everyone can find a location with a street address. But a large number of people interested in whatever sign might address, still have not knowledge or sufficient interest in Internet to be able to find a URL that may be shown them. The URL could be in a regular magazine or newspaper, or shown on TV or listed on a radio show, and still be in a mysterious, unattainable location for many, many people.

This leads to an unavoidable conclusion. Many products presented on Internet are not available to a large proportion of population. And only way to make these products available to them is with person-to-person contact. Tell a friend about a desirable product and show them how to reach it online. Convince others to tell a friend about a desirable product and show them how to reach it online. This cannot be done online. No amount of website information and instructions will have a noticeable effect. The product catalogs need to be online but information on how to reach them cannot be presented only online. The webmaster needs to physically meet public and not depend on achieving success by just sitting at computer and becoming proficient in programming.

Todd Rockwell, webmaster for Arts & Crafts online. Visit this site at http://artcrafts.home.att.net/

Now for crushing TOPtext, jl scott kindly sent me following information, normally reserved for iCop members and has given me permission to pass it on to you so we can get it to as many people as possible.

If you read THE iCop WHISTLE BLOWER! on Monday, you know about TOPtext and how it's invading your web sites. And you've probably heard about Microsoft's "Smart Tags."

iCop Founding Member, Bob Massa of SearchKing, put his people to work and they've come up with a code that will stop TOPtext from working on your web pages. You can get it at: http://www.searchking.com/ezulakiller

The second one goes in body of your document, so those of you using SSI can probably insert it once in your header or footer and it's job done. Employ both and you'll keep most of these sharks at bay - for time being, at least.