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By Arun Katiyar

Barely have people begun to understand the Internet (Can't tell between a URL and a UFO? You need to get off this page) and the media is full of dark forecasts: only the big players will survive; clicks-and-mortar is the right strategy for survival; traditional companies will be exterminated; the Big Shake Out is near and 95 per cent of dotcoms will close shop. Every other day a deeply analytical article tries to convince you the New Bubble is about to go bust between tea and toast.

The real issue eludes many: if, with 20 million Indians on the Net, the dotcom space is going dizzy, what will happen when 70 million Indians are online? The New Economy isn't about to collapse. If anything, it's about to become more interesting. The battle for Internet consumers isn't over -- it has barely begun. Personally, I feel that those who think the New Economy is on its knee are thinking at 9400 baud. They need to upgrade.

A quick way to do this is to go offline and read. Recently, Dilip Cherian of Perfect Relations sent me a copy of The Cluetrain Manifesto -- The End of Business as Usual by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls and David Weinberger. This brilliant book is scary and inspiring, arrogant and cynical. Today, it's a must read, and don't miss the 95-point manifesto that is applicable to Fortune 500 CEOs as well as shop-floor supervisors. If you are already online, check out www.cluetrain.com. Your life may never be the same again.

The other book to read is a pressure cooker called Now or Never (the title says it all) by Forrester Research Inc. Vice-President, Research, Mary Modahl. Traditionally, advertising has used demographic and psy-chographic information to target audiences. The Net brings in the concept of technographics. Modahl looks at career-minded early adopters, New Age nurturers, mouse potatoes, high-income pessimists, low-income optimists, discussing strategies to win each segment using technographics and developing strategies to defy the "gravity of the old way of doing business".

Lastly, for those who wonder how dotcoms are built, nurtured and valued, a slim volume called The Silicon Valley Way by Elton B. Sherwin, Jr should be an eye opener. The book came to me from an ambitious young programmer, Harinder Takhar, and it presents ways to write a business plan to interest potential investors.

Put these books down on your summer reading list -- when you are back, the dotcom business will still be around. Guaranteed.

TRAVEL BUG
Claiming to be India's first e-commerce travel portal, www.travelmartindia.com should interest those with the travel bug. But you'll need your e-mail address and some patience before you get the information you want. You must fill forms with lots of details, then the answer arrives in your e-mail and it can take more than a few minutes. Presently, the site is geared more towards snaring customers than providing information. But there's a fair database on places to stay across the world.

BARTER BEFORE BUCKS
It is forward to the past. At www.barterix.com barter is back, albeit with a broker. The idea is more than just amusing. Conceptually, it could work. Barterix allows exchange space for buyers and sellers. No cash is paid or received. Just accounts of credit and debits maintained with the site that are continuously offset against future transactions. Practically, however, your accountant may not agree to all this. The site, however, claims transactions worth crores of rupees are taking place on it. One has to register for membership on the site to make deals. Unfortunately, when this reviewer tried to register there were repeated technical errors. Still, it's an interesting idea, and one has to wait and see whether barter can beat the bucks in the 21st century.

SAVE A LIFE
Donate blood and save a life -- www.thebloodbank.org is supposed to be the world's first online voluntary blood donor register, letting you sign up as a potential donor, search for blood banks in India, and provide you with a database of potential donors. Designed and maintained by Soft Corner Cyber Solutions Ltd, the site is only partly done. It also has links to other health sites (ayurveda, vitamins, acupuncture) and to Red Cross chapters across the world. So register and save a life.

KNOW YOUR KIDNEYS
www.nephro-india.com is an informative site on kidneys. It has comprehensive listings of links and nephrology journals, and gives details of a variety of case studies with notes on symptoms related to diverse kidney ailments. It also invites diagnosis from other qualified professionals. with useful features like a chat with experts and a drugs search.

Arun Katiyar is chief operating officer of India Today Group Online. His e-mail address is akatiyar@india-today.com.

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