We all know that
idea of business on web came on with a roar and now lies whimpering and licking its wounds in safety of shadows. Who was enemy? Who or what was it that clawed and scraped potential of online business so brutally that early enthusiasts are now seen as foolish, wild- eyed dreamers? What brought down an idea that was bigger and more powerful than a raging beast at full roar?The Greed Monster. Greed and fear always do this to us.
Greed drives spammers that clog in-boxes of even most casual email user. They promise instant gratification of our every desire -- financial or erotic. Just send your money.
Greed drove venture capitalists that dumped huge amounts of cash into poorly conceived ideas for internet businesses. Early VC losses can be directly tied to greed factor in investing. "Gimme your money and fast!"
Greed drives multi-level marketing programs that quickly sprouted wings online as more promises of instant wealth were strewn across web. "Just send your money, hurry while there is still time to get in on ground floor!"
Greed drove corporate behemoths to launch "web initiatives" so they might beat their competition online. "Hurry before our competition kills us and drains our profits!" But to what end?
So now that we know enemy. What do we do to vanquish him? I use masculine here because it evokes warrior image. Maybe failure is in applying traditional male attributes to web. Power, fighting, hunting and killing don't work on web. What does work?
Co-operation, community building, helpfulness and sharing. All attributes that are applied most often to women and are seen as feminine qualities.
We may be better off seeing this medium as a feminine one. When looking for valid business models online, just take a look at what works and who is making it work.
