I smell a "Hybrid" business trend developing...
 

Hi All,

Something just occurred to me.

Is there a developing trend here?

Jim Erskine's "Local Email Profits" (local businesses advertising to local customers via email)

John David Bradshaw's INTERNET AUCTION BASICS 2002 (sellinf offline stuff in online auctions)

And a myriad of other things from automobile websites being set up to concentrate on local customers, to info products explaining how to use offline sales techniques in online mediums. (Michael Ross's "The Art of Leverage")

And in the seminar I did over the weekend, I covered mainly how to bring offline business ideas online.

Is there a trend developing?

Are we finally realizing that a "Hybrid" of online and offline aspects is "where it's at"?

Are we finally realizing that the internet is not just a communication and info delivery system, but a powerful tool that can be integrated into almost any business?

Anyone else care to expand on this?

Paul Short

Is there an opportunity here?
 

Hi Paul,

Sorry for my slow reply, this week's been busy for me.

Many don't know that I also run a successful - very small web site for a very small niche. That niche is quantum optics researchers. (Quantum optics is the study of photons, the quantum nature of light.) My web site is

www.quantumoptics.net

I just did a big update, that's what took my time.

I started it way back in 1995, and it was always meant to be non-profit. But I did have a purpose for it back then. My aim was to promote myself in the quantum optics research world. And it's worked very well! My web site - and my name - are both quite well known in the quantum optics world! It's most definitely "opened doors" for me there....

I guess the POINT is, web sites can be powerful things in ALL KINDS of endeavors!

Oh, what were we talking about? Back to the topic at hand! :)

> Something just occurred to me.

> Is there a developing trend here?

> Jim Erskine's "Local Email
> Profits" (local businesses advertising
> to local customers via email)

> John David Bradshaw's INTERNET AUCTION
> BASICS 2002 (sellinf offline stuff in online
> auctions)

> And a myriad of other things from automobile
> websites being set up to concentrate on
> local customers, to info products explaining
> how to use offline sales techniques in
> online mediums. (Michael Ross's "The
> Art of Leverage")

> And in the seminar I did over the weekend, I
> covered mainly how to bring offline business
> ideas online.

> Is there a trend developing?

> Are we finally realizing that a
> "Hybrid" of online and offline
> aspects is "where it's at"?

Yes, this seems POWERFUL!

And a great opportunity too, especially for those of us who "know the ropes" of both the online and offline worlds....

> Are we finally realizing that the internet
> is not just a communication and info
> delivery system, but a powerful tool that
> can be integrated into almost any business?

> Anyone else care to expand on this?

One of the powerful aspects of this is that it's not a "one-shot" thing. If it works for one community, it will probably work in hundreds or thousands of communities!

What that also means is that there are probably very many under-utilized opportunities of this type out there. For example, someone may be doing some successful local program in Milwaukee, which no-one else knows about. If you can find out about this, it is an opportunity you can reproduce in your own town. I bet there are probably lots of these successful little programs out there that we just don't know about yet....

Hmmm....

- Dien Rice

The Photon Torpedo Craze
 

Hi Dien,

The only thing I know about Photons is that they seem to be very effective at destroying hostile aliens on the TV show "Star Trek - The next generation". ;-)

Now, if you could just find a way to use photons to zap virus attachments in email...

Please excuse the short reply. I have to get some rest.

Paul

Regarding blending the online and offline worlds....
 

Hi,

Regarding blending the online and offline worlds, I enjoyed conversing with you on the phone the other day. I've only spoken on the phone to a few online friends over the years, though this is a habit I hope to develop.

I've been re-reading the notes from our conversation about running a local seminar, and I hope I can get up the nerve to follow through on your ideas.

Best,

- Boyd

Geez, Dien!!!
 

I was just blown away by your resume! Quantum mechanics??? WOW!!!

(hopping back to read some more. Fascinating!)

The "E = m c^2" of entrepreneurship ?
 

> I was just blown away by your resume!
> Quantum mechanics??? WOW!!!

Hi Mel !

Glad you like my resume.... It's kind of fun having a foot in the world of business, and another foot in the world of science!

Eventually I would really like to tap the "niche" market of people interested in physics.... I always found when I went to parties etc., that there was a group of ordinary people (not academics) who loved to talk about some of the stranger aspects of physics. There is definitely a niche market there. I could combine these two interests of mine in a single project!

A part of me always also wanted to be an entrepreneur too, and this was hard to do while being a full-time academic. So my solution was to break away from academia for a time to explore business, however I still have an honorary position at Macquarie University, and will still be doing some collaborative research work with the quantum optics group there this year.

But I don't want to drone on too much about myself....

I think business - and entrepreneurship - is every bit as fascinating as science can be (and vice versa). For me, the fascination of business is the HUGE variety of things which can be sold, and all the different ways to sell them! When you really think about it, the mind boggles....

I strongly accept Jim Straw's saying, that the "prime directive" of business is "to sell something to somebody." Every successful business has this in common. Once I finally realized the truth of this, it seems my business ventures are bearing fruit!

(I think before, I was subconsciously trying to avoid "selling". I wonder how many others may be doing this too?)

To me, this simple statement is perhaps like the "E = m c^2" of entrepreneurship - it encapsulates so much in a short little statement. :)

- Dien

P.S. If you have any questions about quantum theory, just let me know. I'm on good terms with Schrodinger's cat! :)

Dien, I had to laugh..........
 

> P.S. If you have any questions about quantum
> theory, just let me know. I'm on good terms
> with Schrodinger's cat! :)

******It's not often I see a proper reference to Shrodinger's cat. I live in Central Texas and there's a snappy little bunch of guys in Austin who formed a musical group named Schrodinger's Cat. Of course, with the accent many Texans put on it, the name is pronounced "Shrow-deengers Cat" which cracks me up when I hear it. I grew up with a father heavily educated in physics and the first time I heard the group's name pronounced, I almost spewed my Diet Coke when I started laughing. The leader of the group knows how to pronounce it properly but he says it's impossible to stop a tidal wave so he doesn't worry too much about the fans perpetuating the incorrectness.

Anyhoo, fyi, here's a link to their website:

http://www.s-cat.com/home2.html

:)
EM

My experience on this...
 

We just launched an online/offline CRM program for a fast food chain, rewarding offline customers with "points" that they can use to redeem prizes. The system is run on the Web and emails where customers can get online to sign up, check their reward status...etc., while the merchant can manage everything online, including checking the prize item inventory in each restaurant.

I think the trend of online/offline integration is real and coming on strong. If you need more help on this, please visit:
http://caars.doveexpress.com




CAARS - Email CRM for the rest of us