We have been made very aware through different forms of media that some of big names on Internet have closed their doors. The sale of personal computers and IT job availability in many countries has slowed down.

After every boom; there has to be a bust... it's just way of things.

Is what we are experiencing currently a "bust"????

Should we all start closing our websites and calling it a day?

Definitely not.

During my training, one of my mentors drew a Chinese character on whyteboard. It was pictogram for word "crisis". This pictogram has two elements; one representing "danger" and other was OPPORTUNITY. This very much applies to current situation of Internet eCommerce.

In this geeks humble opinion, all we are experiencing on WWW at moment is a bit of a cull. Consumers are becoming more net savvy and somewhat impatient with sites that are constantly ramming "buy me" messages down their throats. Investors are no longer rushing to stock exchange to buy shares at grossly inflated prices in IT start-up companies that are purely based on promotional hype. Search engines and indexes are becoming tighter and tighter in their submission rules to combat amount of spamming that is occurring in their databases.

The average Internet surfer has put across a message to us, loud and clear, "we're as mad as hell and we aren't going to take it any more!". People use Internet to locate information suited to their needs. There is nothing more frustrating than to search on a particular subject or item only to find sites that are 99% hype and 1% information, or to spend half a day navigating complex menu systems, ducking misleading banners and links, in order to locate information required.

While on subject of web site design, a survey was recently carried by Knowledge Systems & Research Inc between March 30 and April 3, 2001, based on responses from 990 online users. These results were compiled into a report entitled "What Makes A Person Want To Come Back To Your Site?" by highly respected Arthur Andersen company.

The ratings were based on percentages, higher percentage, more important aspect:

Do I smell great to you? Think about buying some candles, incense, essential oils or an aromatherapy lamp. Don't forget to open windows every now and again, too!

How private am I? If you don't have any privacy, find a way to create some. Even if your office is a corner area, there ARE ways to make it private.

How do I feel? Cozy, open, bright, warm, full... whatever feels good to you, make your office feel that way, too.