“Just to be sure we’re all talking the same language, let’s not confuse ‘community’ with ‘user-generated content.’ They can be connected, but they’re separate things. Nor should we confuse ‘community’ with ‘audience,’ because audiences are passive observers, but community members are active participants. And although there can be several forms of community, here we’re focusing on Web-based or e-mail discussion groups, or a combination of the two, not sites that exist primarily as communities, and not real-time chat groups.”

“People often pass around news articles via e-mail. Some even do it compulsively, in part because it’s so easy: most news sites include an ‘e-mail this article’ link on some or all of their stories. But until last spring, apparently, no site made use of the statistics generated by those e-mail links. That was when Yahoo News, on a lark, created a new feature called ‘Most-emailed content.’”

“Now that VC cash is a whole lot tighter, it’s the fundamentals that matter — old-fashioned concepts like customers, sales, and, oh yeah, profits.”

“The point of greatest peril in the development of a high-tech market lies in making the transition from an early market dominated by a few visionary customers to a mainstream market dominated by a large block of customers who are predominantly pragmatists in orientation. The gap between these two markets, heretofore ignored, is in fact so significant as to warrant being called a chasm, and crossing this chasm must be the primary focus of any long-term high-tech marketing plan. A successful crossing is how high-tech fortunes are made; failure in the attempt is how they are lost.”

“The point of greatest peril in the development of a high-tech market lies in making the transition from an early market dominated by a few visionary customers to a mainstream market dominated by a large block of customers who are predominantly pragmatists in orientation. The gap between these two markets, heretofore ignored, is in fact so significant as to warrant being called a chasm, and crossing this chasm must be the primary focus of any long-term high-tech marketing plan. A successful crossing is how high-tech fortunes are made; failure in the attempt is how they are lost.”

“The point of greatest peril in the development of a high-tech market lies in making the transition from an early market dominated by a few visionary customers to a mainstream market dominated by a large block of customers who are predominantly pragmatists in orientation. The gap between these two markets, heretofore ignored, is in fact so significant as to warrant being called a chasm, and crossing this chasm must be the primary focus of any long-term high-tech marketing plan. A successful crossing is how high-tech fortunes are made; failure in the attempt is how they are lost.”

“It’s ugly out there, but how bad is it, really? We asked some of our peers how they were coping with the crisis in the web industry. Below, they tell their stories in their own words. At the end, you can share your experiences.”

“Last year, the market punished dot-com stocks with obstructed paths to profitability. This year, even being cash-flow positive might not be enough. It’s not the earnings, but the quality of the earnings that will eventually matter. Survive versus thrive might seem like a small divide right now, but the gap will grow. Learn the difference today before everyone else does tomorrow.”

“Last year, the market punished dot-com stocks with obstructed paths to profitability. This year, even being cash-flow positive might not be enough. It’s not the earnings, but the quality of the earnings that will eventually matter. Survive versus thrive might seem like a small divide right now, but the gap will grow. Learn the difference today before everyone else does tomorrow.”

“This is a true story of an experience I had working for a startup software company. I’ve withheld the name of the company to protect their identity, but I felt it was too good a story not to publish.”

“The first stage of the Internet revolution has come and gone. It was certainly one helluva run. But with the NASDAQ flat on its back, with one high-profile dotcom after another dead and buried, and with more and more executives in big companies wondering what it means to have an e-commerce strategy these days, almost everyone recognizes that the Internet economy has arrived at an inflection point.”

“The truth about satisfaction and loyalty out there on the Internet isn’t nearly as fuzzy as the concept. Of the people who visit your site, only 1.75% will buy. Of those who actually buy, fewer than 10% will actually return to buy again. Do the math: out of 1000 people, 18 (I’ll be generous) will make a purchase. Two will visit again for a second purchase.”

“Starting a business can be intimidating. You have to build a client base, hire employees, find office space. There are plenty of challenges, but the one that many entrepreneurs find most daunting is raising start-up capital. Fortunately, entrepreneurs don’t lack for options. But finding and securing this start-up capital will take careful research, good negotiating skills, and, above all, an unflagging commitment to launching your new business.”

“With Statmarket now charging for their services, Robert Utley took it upon himself to put together this collection of services that compile browser stats. Originally posted to the CHI-WEB list,” here are the links thanks to Elegant Hack.

“One-third of all Internet users will use next-generation peer to peer computing services to store and share personal data by 2005, a new report concludes, but it warns few businesses will be able to make a profit servicing this new market. Forrester Research Inc. of Cambridge, Mass. also suggests that the next browser war will focus on peer to peer (P2P) functionality and will feature a couple of old foes: Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash., and America Online Inc. of Dulles, Va.”