On May 18, I spoke at the Marketing Week conference - Publishing on the Internet. Delegates were treated to notable speakers such as the Editor and Publisher of the Wall Street Journal and the MD of BBC Worldwide. Both these, and the other speakers, outlined how their world-renowned organisations had emphatically embraced the digital revolution to supplement their traditional products.
I, the editor of a journal concerned solely with the Internet, raised a note of caution. The point I made was this. The Internet should be the vehicle for change, not the driver of it. New media is great. The technology allows us access to new streams of revenue and far larger threshold populations. IDTV (interactive digital TV) is a perfect example of this.
Wap is also a superb exemplar. But are they any good? Will they be the next VHS, or the next Betamax?
At the recent REC conference - E-cruitment ñ the why and how, James Wellesley-Wesley from Granville Baird, the bankers, said ìTechnology must work in the context of the clients expectationsî. A word of caution, take it or leave it. Donít use digital media until you are really ready for it. Customers will judge your whole brand on how you come across on the new platforms. Being first to market certainly has its advantages, but
quality is the key to success or failure.
The Internet Should Be The Vehicle For Change, Not The Driver Of It - 06/2000
Leor Franks - Editor
