Internet Markets: Just Which Business Models Work on the Net?

摘要

Perhaps the best metaphor to describe Internet business would be the California gold rush of 1849. A wave of entrepreneurial start-ups have entered the field, but all are struggling to find the gold. The miners are going broke while the saloon and general store owners—and the brothels—are prospering. The suppliers of technological infrastructure, network access, and software are making money. For example, MCI, Sprint, and some of the Baby Bells are profiting from selling Internet connectivity in bulk to local Internet service providers (ISPs). However, developers of World Wide Web sites—the suppliers of online content and merchandising—are not. They are still struggling to transform costly test-marketing efforts into money-making businesses.