They want to kill the Internet (11-04-2005)

After at least 6 years to popularize the Internet,

it is time to be made a balance sheet and an analysis of its evolution.

... "Witnessed in the United States calls the Dotcom boom and also to its decline" ...

Although advertised as a new way of doing business in the United States, for example, saw the boom of so-called Dotcom, but also, in most cases, to their decline.

After the "storm" today we can say that the Internet has mainly benefit the "old economy" because it is true that some companies revenge on the "new economy", I am reminding myself of Amazon , Google , etc.. in Indeed, were the old economy companies that have benefited most, as it gained a new distribution channel that allows them to reach a greater number of consumers, breaking the geographical barriers and costs much lower than traditional channels.

Still, a good part of the Portuguese companies of the "old" economy - remember? those who left benefit from the Internet - not yet agreed to this benefit.

Just see what is conveyed by the media, past another home, where tradition stands the only consumer purchases online even had the right to airtime. In 2004, more than any other year, online sales grew by 50% compared to 2003. Notwithstanding this, if we think we know the online stores, quickly concluded that the offer is very low in Portugal and the service provided here is quite weak and is safeguarding the consumer.

From my point of view, there is no reference site for online shopping in Portugal (I refer to a Portuguese site), there is only one set of old economy companies who deigned to do a few pages, with the image of your company and downloaded on the World Wide Web in order to say what's there.

I even agree that the weak sales volume of this channel is not attractive and therefore limit the companies' investments in this area, but surely no companies take the initiative, the user / client, hardly come to meet him. It is therefore necessary for a successful symbiosis of the channel.

company has five models of the same product on the Internet only have access to see one or two. We have no access to other products that have the same brand and even possibly be available in the physical store of the company. Available products, a vast majority do not have enough information essential to the purchase. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of sites, there is no guarantee that we intend to stock the product, much less lead times, not to mention the high cost of shipping.

This holiday season now, it was curious to do a comparison between Portuguese and foreign sites sites that have the operative set up to easily sell to Portugal. I can tell you it was frustrating to see the announcement of a Portuguese sites that orders placed after December 21 had no guarantee of delivery before Christmas and one of these foreign sites, announce with great emphasis that orders placed until the day December 22, had guaranteed delivery by day 24. If to this we add the fact that the prices on these foreign sites, are in many cases 30% to 40% lower than those in Portugal, easily find that there is no competition.

The opportunity that the Internet has brought to our country to show and win economic advancement compared to other countries, we look at it sideways like they had nothing to do with us. Foreign companies have gained an opportunity to enter our market without even needing to settle in the country.

It is true that the problem comes back. When you spend time discussing a false liberalization of telecommunications instead of discussing the best way to provide access to the Internet, so users massifying and allow economic progress this engine, everything is said.

Even I can admit that in some cases, investments have returned only in the longer term, but still have to visualize that, sooner or later this will be the main channel of business, and foreign companies are already there.

Yesterday (11.04.2005), I heard the news that the EU will produce a set of directives that encourage the use of broadband Internet on the electricity grid, already known as Powerline that nearly reaches everywhere, thus contributing to a further increase in the massification of the Internet. Let's see how long it takes Portugal to adapt to this new reality ...