Put your money where the Web is

"If you're not on the web by 2005 you might as well not bother being in business". So said Bill Gates back in 2003. South Africa is lagging about 5 years behind in techno-savvy, so we probably have until 2010 to get fully online. Online shopping, eating, car hire, travel, news, information trawling, blogging, reading, etc, etc , and of course doing business - that is where it will all be at. And for a busy social bunny the web is naturally the place to be. I went off to see Wayne Diamond from Diametrix (off Louis Botha Ave) this morning about getting my website up and running. It turned out to be quite an expensive procedure, anything from R15 grand upwards. The business plan alone is mindboggling, even if you do have your content worked out, and if you aren't completely au fait with the Internet you have to learn fast. But the web is big business right now, probably the only business that is making money in the world in the middle of a desperately depressing recession. Every little click and hit makes a few more cents and those can seriously add up. It was Wayne who provided the Bill Gates quote, by the way. And he should know. Most of his business is with small companies, some of whom are doing extremely well. Let's hope I can join their ranks soon. Watch this space for my new domain name, and of course I will be bloghopping over to the new website!