It?s time to pick ourselves up after the dot.com bust

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The current and future Internet|ret||ret||tab|

I don't know why we ever thought the Internet in general and e-commerce sites in particular could buck the trend and avoid the cyclical patterns of boom and bust that every business has experiences. |ret||ret||tab|

Highs and lows, ups and downs they are inevitable. Some will succeed; many will fail, just as it has gone with business since the early marketplaces of Greece and Rome.|ret||ret||tab|

So now is the time to pick ourselves up after the recent dot.com bust, brush ourselves off and get over the embarrassment of the giddy, unbridled enthusiasm for all things technological that we all got caught up in for the past few years. |ret||ret||tab|

There is a future in the Internet. It's just that now we are learning to judge the "rosy-ness" of net ventures with the na-ked eye instead of the rose-colored glasses we all wore in 1999. Here are a few books and Web sites available through the Springfield-Greene County Library to help you develop a discerning eye.|ret||ret||tab|

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Books @ the library|ret||ret||tab|

The thrust of "E-Leader: Reinventing Leadership in a Connected Economy" by Robert Hargrove, 658.4 H, is that the electronic economy imposes new rules that require a fundamentally different style of leadership. Speed-of-light maneuvering, the constant need to manage for the future and the ability to bring together employees with diverse talents, perspectives and ideas are prime skills.|ret||ret||tab|

If the Internet is or is likely to become part of your marketing mix, "Internet Marketing for Dummies" by Frank Cat-alano, 658.8 C, shows how to efficiently channel incoming e-mail, get found by active search engines, develop linking strategies and avoid online mistakes.|ret||ret||tab|

Do you know what to do if you've encountered objectionable conduct in a chat room or if you suspect your computer has been infected by a virus? "Your Official America Online Guide to Internet Safety" by Edward Willet, 005.8 W, is packed with tools and practices designed to protect your privacy, money, computer and kids.|ret||ret||tab|

Responding to online questions and complaints without losing the human touch is a real challenge. "Online Customer Service for Dummies" by Keith Bailey, 658.812 B, will help you to master your electronic mailbox and make your Web site easy to navigate.|ret||ret||tab|

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Pertinent Web sites|ret||ret||tab|

These days it is quite likely that a paper periodical publication will have an online version. The electronic edition may mirror the paper copy to some extent, present material that didn't make it into print, or take an entirely different slant altogether. For Internet coverage, take a look at www.infoworld.com; reflecting its paper counterpart, this functions more like a newspaper than a magazine and is crammed with forward-looking, useful information on all facets of computing. More specific to business aspects of the Internet are www. internetweek.com, which uses the slogan "Business Transformed," and www.bibliodata.com/skeptic/ skepdata.html, which provides an index and sample issues of CyberSkeptic's Guide to Internet Research.|ret||ret||tab|

Persons who develop and maintain Web software, hardware and security will benefit from www.webdeveloper.com; a recent "issue" has a concise article on building a simple e-commerce Web site. The Java programming language has a wide variety of applications for business Web sites; www.javareports.com provides current, independent information for both experts and novices.|ret||ret||tab|

(Mike DePue is the business librarian at the Library Center, 4653 S. Camp-bell.)[[In-content Ad]]