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