When we use the Internet (or rather, the Web), we click away at these addresses knowing we will be taken to their respective domains. In yahoo.com, we can read the news or check emails. In mit.edu, we can get the latest development in science and education. At britishcouncil.org, we can follow the latest development in the world of British arts and literature.
Websites have been known to serve thousands if not millions of people. Like Yahoo. Like MSN. The world has shrunk (thanks to the Internet) into a small digital community. And in this community we have about eight hundred million people (lastest count) and still growing. And what do you think will be the figure for next year, or say, ten ears from now? Well, your guess is as good as mine.
Now cyberspace is a goldmine. Because every race and creed can be found here. Replete with all our human foibles. And also an opportunity for the capitalist to make money. (Who isn’t?)
Yes, the Net is the new frontier for the business people of today. Because they can cash in on a lot of “money making” opportunities which abound (just like the graffiti which abounds there as well.) For as you read this, one smart aleck is dreaming up funny things like how to kiss online and how to date “hot” women. Or how to do your homework or even how to write your PhD dissertations. Dissertations? Yes you heard right—dissertations. And firms into this business of academic services, or should I say ghost writing, are not without customers.
And if you think the hue and cry over the red light district on the Internet has deterred many, then it appears, my friend, you have been on vacation on another planet. Porn sites are making money fast enough as you give them your credit card number. Now, I am not asking you to go into pornography. Certainly not. So what do I ask? Well, you can try building a website to showcase your talents or special services or even a hobby. Who knows, you might just be the next best thing web crawlers, like me, are looking for. Who ever thought that Google or Yahoo would become companies quoted in the New York Stock Exchange? Or that Napstar—in the beginning, a teenage prank—would be legit and successful today?
And if you are lacking an innovative idea for a website, know this: someone built one which hires out Germans. So what are you waiting for? If you are Spanish, French or even Italian, why not build a website to hire out yourself, and even your country men or women?
So what do you do? What are your hobbies? Or, just what are you good at? And when you are done answering these questions, I would ask another: Do you have a website? If not, build one and quickly too.
And when you do, make sure your services fill a void. Scrutinize the market and see what people need or lack. And I assure you—your visitors (or customers) will come in a rush!
Val K is a poet, and a nature lover. A collection of his poems "Without a Name" will soon be published by AuthorHouse, U.S.A. For personal contact, send mails to: leviathandepthsreturns@yahoo.com
