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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gielgun gets you started, but won't get you off the ground., 9 Feb 1999
By A Customer
Gielgun raises a lot of valid issues that one should consider before venturing online simply and clearly. He really does get you thinking and considering possible business angles, but not actually doing. However, unlike some other writers on e-commerce, Gielgun is hype-free, realistic, and focused. People may think after reading this book, 'If it's that simple, I could start today and be making millions by next week.' It is not, and to his credit, Gielgun dispels this naive notion on several occasions throughout the book. Though he did cover all of the major (and minor) points, the book's biggest weaknesses are its lack of depth on key subjects, like protection online, virtually no information on the mechanics of web page creation for the novice, and way too many spelling and other editorial errors throughout the text. These weaknesses aside, the business ideas he presents really do get one to dreaming, and he provides just enough background to consider them worthwhile. The first section of the book contains five chapters, each of which are devoted to a particular aspect of getting a business online. Each chapter provides you with a wealth of basic and introductory information and lists websites that you can turn to for further information on specific topics. What he does not cover in-depth, he points you to on the web. In the first chapter, he presents a good case for starting a business online, trounces the stereotypical image of the homely geek turned successful web entrepreneur, and finally profiles the (then typical) online consumer and (primarily) his mentality. He wraps up the first chapter with a good summary of the types of online businesses one could start, and shows you how to evaluate yourself and your potential online venture in the context of the internet. In the second chapter, he gives the internet initiate in clear, non-technical prose, a tight, focused and concise overview of the online world. He begins by explaining the origin, operation, and evolution of the internet, and follows that with a brief (though dated now) treatment of all of the (now currently ubiquitous) standard features of the internet. The third chapter gives a brief, and intelligent review of the possible server (web hosting) options, and provides the infant net-entrepreneur with a list of extremely useful questions (fees, costs, and support issues) to ask when looking for a site host. The fourth chapter takes the reader through all of the steps necessary to design and maintain a web presence. Gielgun walks the reader through obtaining a domain name, determining which features to add to your site, and budgeting the web page development project. Finally, he wraps up the chapter with a surprisingly good and fairly lengthy description of internet-based payment methods. The fifth chapter briefly runs through the promotion and advertising options at your disposal. He then walks the reader through the essential tasks of registering with search engines, writing good press releases, online and on-site promotion tactics, and the useful/useless-ness of paid advertising for the web site. The second section of the book lists 121 business ideas which could be started on the net. Each idea (these are not business plans, folks) is well summarized, and clearly details its non-net related start-up fees, its international potential, and the necessary qualifications needed to enter the business. Generally speaking, his ideas ranged from the totally obvious (online bookseller) to the utterly ridiculous (quit smoking center). For each business, he also gives useful information on various promotional tactics wholly unique to the particular business, ways to educate yourself before and after entry, personnel requirements, and opportunites for additional income for each idea. Finally, Gielgun tells you what to look out for when operating any one of these ideas in practice, and lists a website for each idea which is already engaged in the business. Bear in mind, however, that there are literally thousands of people on the net who have opened up businesses like he has presented already. Nor do you know anything about the profitability potential for any of the businesses. Overall, this book, which would have gotten five stars were it not for all of the typos in the text, is an excellent bare bones introduction to setting up shop online. The book covers all of the bare essentials without resorting to a lot of hype and excess verbiage, but lightly delves into each topic. In short, this is a good introductory book on net business for the timid beginner, and is best read in conjunction with Janal's (ignore the gross typos) 101 Successful Businesses You Can Start on the Internet, and Kent's Poor Richard's Web Site.
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by Dan Matthews
