The Battle Over Desktop Real Estate

Written by Paul E. Burke


I was watching a late night financial program on television in early July, 2001 when I learned that Microsoft is allowing PC manufacturers to control which icons are included on new Desktops. Historically, Microsoft has argued thatrepparttar Windows desktop was their "sacrosanct intellectual property" and that only their icons -- not those of their competitors -- could reside onrepparttar 125082 desktop of a new computer.

This was highly interesting to me since it confirms what I have been repeatedly saying overrepparttar 125083 past year -- thatrepparttar 125084 Windows desktop is extremely valuable marketing real estate. As a matter of fact, Microsoft and its competitors found it to be so valuable that a federal court case was fought over access torepparttar 125085 desktop (among other issues regardingrepparttar 125086 Windows operating system).

It is interesting that there are still naysayers who questionrepparttar 125087 marketing power ofrepparttar 125088 Windows desktop. One person comes to mind who wrote me to say that he thought desktop marketing was a "neat gimmick." I was incredulous at this kind of uninformed attitude! You don't have to be a marketing genius to see thatrepparttar 125089 desktop is perhaps one ofrepparttar 125090 most *logical* places to advertise. Think about it. What other screen onrepparttar 125091 entire computer system isrepparttar 125092 first screen you see when you boot up? What other screen is always visible? The Windows desktop!

It is clear that Microsoft and their competitors don't viewrepparttar 125093 Windows desktop as a "neat gimmick." Federal court cases that cost millions of dollars are not fought over gimmicks no matter how "neat" they may be.

One thing I would like to point out is that Microsoft assigned an almost religious value torepparttar 125094 Windows desktop by referring to it as their "sacrosanct intellectual property." Let's take a look atrepparttar 125095 definition of "sacrosanct" as defined by Websters:

Sacrosanct comes from Latin sacrosanctus, consecrated with religious ceremonies, hence holy, sacred, from sacrum, religious rite (from sacer, holy) + sanctus consecrated (from sancire, to make sacred by a religious act).

When Microsoft calledrepparttar 125096 Windows desktop their "sacrosanct intellectual property" they assigned a holy or sacred value to it. Again, no "neat gimmick" here.

What makesrepparttar 125097 Windows desktop so valuable? It isrepparttar 125098 fact that very few people buy on a first time visit to a site. The key to making sales is *repetition*. It is a basic marketing principle thatrepparttar 125099 overwhelming majority of customers need to be exposed to an offer three or more times before actually makingrepparttar 125100 purchase. Andrepparttar 125101 Windows desktop providesrepparttar 125102 multiple exposures necessary to makerepparttar 125103 sale. Here arerepparttar 125104 facts:

10 Benefits Of Starting An Online Community!

Written by Larry Dotson


1. People will revisit your web site to participate on your discussion board or chat room. They will meet other people with similar interests and your web site will become a hang out were they can chat.

2. You'll be able to communicate with your visitors. They'll begin to trust you and get to know you on a more personal level. People will purchase products quicker from somebody they already know and trust.

3. You can learn important information about your visitors by readingrepparttar conversations they have. They may chat about your web site or products. With this information you could learn to market your products more effectively.

4. You could answerrepparttar 125081 questions your visitors ask in your online communities. You'll become known as an expert by givingrepparttar 125082 answers to their questions. This will give you and your business more credibility.

5. You could teach a free online class using your chat room. This will give you an expert status and increase traffic to your web site by offeringrepparttar 125083 free class.

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