59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It Will Help You Make the Right Business Decisions!, May 23, 2000
This review is from: The Unofficial Guide to Starting a Business Online (Paperback)
Many fine books have been published within the last several years on the topic of starting online businesses. Most of them deserve high praise for helping people to get started. One of the better ones in my opinion is Jason Rich's book, The Unofficial Guide to Starting a Business Online.
This slightly larger-than-pocketsized handbook contains a wealth of solid business information within its covers. Jason Rich offers a panoramic view of what it takes to start an online business today. He thoughtfully details essential matters that will contribute to an effective enterprise. He is quick to point out steps and facts of information that can save time and money - two important factors to consider when setting up and operating a business!
Readers will learn, for instance, that it is not necessary to register (or pay someone to register), their business Websites with literally thousands of search engines and other Websites to get noticed. Rich points out that 90% of the Web surfing public uses the top ten search engines to find what they are looking for!
Readers planning to set up shop are provided timely information about selecting and buying computer equipment, software titles, home office equipment, and necessary supplies. Web browser plug-ins, Webcamming, streaming audio and video technologies, and other Web development tools are covered to provide readers with ideas they should consider incorporating into their business sites to enhance performance and profitability.
Jason Rich does a commendable job warning his readers about some of the sham operators who offer those get rich quick schemes that are nothing more than scams perpetrated upon the unwary. Rich lists the top 12 scams, according to the FTC, that arrive in our e-mail boxes on a regular basis, such as the endless number of business opportunities, multilevel marketing and pyramids, sending bulk e-mail, chain letters, and those work-at-home schemes that sound too good to be true!
Readers are treated to the dialog that takes place between Jason Rich and his team of interviewed guests. Questions asked and answered involving Web development strategies include Website hosting, ISP's, key design features, creating and using Web graphics, creating online stores and catalogs, and software recommendations. Plenty of advertising and marketing advice is given as well to guide readers. These are not short answers - they are well thought out and deliver detailed solutions!
This book will help readers lay the groundwork necessary for establishing their own online businesses, to fine-tune their business plans and online presence, to effectively promote themselves, and to take advantage of a variety of resources to launch and maintain successful businesses. It's must reading for anyone desiring to start an online business. Get a jump-start with this book today. It will help you make the right business decisions!
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54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good starting point, December 28, 1999
This review is from: The Unofficial Guide to Starting a Business Online (Paperback)
This is a good book to read before you start your online business. Obviously it won't make you successful, but it will keep you sane over the many little details of running a business, esp. an online business. Written in easy-to-understand language, the book is highly readable and the information highly useful and also up-to-date. The small physical format also makes it easy to carry around and read it any time.
The book covers things like how to prepare to do business online (what business to go into, financing, etc.), getting online (hosting, domain...), promoting online, etc. There are many tips provided in the margins.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Useful For The Beginner, April 21, 2000
This review is from: The Unofficial Guide to Starting a Business Online (Paperback)
This is a useful book for someone who is thinking about starting an online business. The book gives a good overview of e-commerce. I liked the margin notes. The resource guide at the back of the book listing all the websites referred to in the book is useful. I found the chapter with interviews of sccessful e-commerce merchants to be the most interesting. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to start a business on the web. The experienced e-commerce entrepreneur, however, will find this guide too elementary. As an "Unofficial Guide," the book purports to give the inside scoop. I found nothing that I hadn't already read elsewhere. This volume is a solid beginner's guide and reference but don't expect to learn any secrets that will put you ahead of the many other businesspeople flocking to the internet.
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