Customer Reviews

Webonomics

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think Evan Schwartz has defined 9 good principles which could be really helpful to any e-commerce site owner who seeks to increase business. The 9 principles really do not change with every new computer chip or browser software created but rather hold true with most humans and what they are looking for on the Internet. Such principles like: add value to the information presented on your website, don't just make your site a virtual brochure but make it something interesting that people want to return to again and again. Give it a sense of community that makes people feel "at home" when visiting your site (like Amazon.) Other principles: traditional mass-media advertising (pushing your message on consummers) does not work on the Internet, rather advertisers need to seek information from users to customize the advertizements to Internet users' tastes and preferences (Amazon does this with its book recommendations based on which books you have ordered from the site.) Schwartz also states that even small e-commerce sites can compete with the "big boys" because the Internet provides a medium from which these sites can carve a niche market. Overall, this book is jammed with good ideas and case studies (though dated) that illustrate how each of his nine principles can be used to increase business. This book lays a good foundation for other books like Digital Darwinism or Net Success.

Reading Schwartz was a refreshing change. I came late to this area and have been playing catch up. Unfortunately I started with Blown to Bits and the Killer App type of book and discovered this by accident. I was hestitant since the book is "old" in internet terms. However, I must say that this books contain more down to earth principles that are really useful compared to the other hype out there. Value per page definitely beats the others hollow (e.g., Killer App, Blur, Blown to bits, Enterprise.com). Schwartz is very focussed, and precise in what he has to say. There is very little fluff in this book so it may take some time to read. All of it (at least most of it!) is actionable. His examples are EXCELLENT! I can't wait to get started on his next book - Digital Darwinism. You'll be making a big mistake if you pass over this book just because of its publication date.

This book is a quick read and a good introduction to doing business on the web. It focuses less on dry economic aspects, and more on web marketing. Digital Darwinism picks up where this leaves off.

The problem with reading most computer books is that they are full of technological jargon and phrases unfamiliar to most of us. Webonomics is easy to read and full of many, many wonderful ideas. Webonomics should be required reading for those looking to write and publish a web site. Webonomics is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I highly recommend it. Hurrah to the author!!! Sal Gonzalez

Book Review for San Jose State University BUS 240-Ecommerce Class by Ji Luo

This book is a great summary and a proponent for doing everything online *if* the time is 1997. The book relies heavily on dated case studies of pioneering companies that were successful in the mid 90's. Buzzwords such as "eyeballs", "page views", and "stickiness" were used in this book to show the craze and the fascination the author and society had with the potential of the Internet in the mid 90's as a marketing tool. Some of the companies mentioned did indeed start off brilliantly. However, the realization that profitability is the key to business, coupled with various legal and ethical issues has tarnished (or bankrupted) these same companies.

However, the book certainly has its great moments. Some of its predictions of how Internet will change the face of economy continue to hold true. The Internet has brought unprecedented convenience and information to the consumer and that is shaping businesses everywhere. People can now buy cars and airplane tickets online anytime and almost always at a lower price. This eliminates the job functions of a travel agent or a car salesman. Phenomenon similar to that will continue to happen as the Internet is reshaping the way people do things. The question still remains "What are the appropriate methods and the path to profitability?" The prediction that Internet has made the world smaller and that it's evolution will be a global matter has also proven to be true. Indeed, the greatest growths in Internet commerce are taking place in Asia and Europe. It's common to see today's Hong Kong cinema glorifying the "Net Geeks" and twenty-something dotcom millionaires. These exact same things were glorified in the American media in the early to mid 1990's.

In conclusion, I felt the visions painted in this book are mostly valid. However, in light of the current economy, some of the "successful" methods and case studies done by the author to support his points are not. The writing style is very easy to follow and I would recommend this book as a first read to anyone wanting to bring his or her physical business virtual. The book summarizes the Internet's potential as a marketing tool. Yet, how to successfully tap that potential remains to be verified.

The internet keeps changing so quickly that any book in print tends to be outdated as soon as it hits the bookstores. The downside to this book is that it was published three years ago. Nonetheless, it is worth a read. The nine principles of doing business on the web which Schwartz outlines still hold today.

I chose this book as one of my references when I was preparing my thesis on Internet Marketing. My feeling is Schwartz had found something from the chaos, but he still did not draw out a clear and systematic theory for this field. He just listed the key points in this book from which it is for us to summarize a logical plot. I hope in his up-grade version we can find a real up-grade thoughts.

What we are really talking about is "Business," and not "Technology." Electronic Commerce is all about "selling" on the Internet, and not "building websites" on the Internet. In this sense, doing business on-line is not so much different from doing business in the real world. Building websites on the Internet is not equivalent to doing business onling. Websites are just tools that we can employ to help us do business. We just have an alternative medium to do our jobs better (hopefully), but having tools or media does not guarantee success.

Although the Internet is something "virtual," and many sides of the cyberspace are considered "unreal," there is great realness in it. One cannot overlook the real sides of the Internet if one wants to succeed in EC. People are real, no doubt about it, and so is cyberspace. People were crazy about creating websites. People were excited with newly developed technology. They were going to the wrong direction. Focusing entirely on the technical side of EC leads to no sale. Without sale, any websites are useless. That is the message that Schwartz wants to convey in this book.

The nine principles are valuable advice indeed, but what I really recommend is the theoretical part. The theory is the essence. Practical methods are products of the theoretical essence. The same essence may produce different methods. But methods without essence may lead to wrong direction. Although some of the examples are dated, what is more important is the analytical process presented in this book. Although the Internet keeps changing so quickly, there are essential principles for doing business online. This is a book with great value, a good reference for EC and any business on the Internet.

You wouldn't believe the questions I am asked. Occassionally, someone inquires, "What business should I go into to make money on the Internet?" Duh. Now I have a book to recommend: Webnomics.

Many Web marketing books are a thinly veiled Internet 101 wrapped in a business shell. Webnomics ("the study of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods, services, and ideas over the World Wide Web") is a careful reflection of what has worked on the Web and why it has worked. Schwartz organizes the book into "nine essential principles for growing your business on the Web," one per chapter, but don't mistake this for a simple book. Sure, the principle is simple, e.g., "#4 Consumers will shop online only for information-rich products." But why it is true, and how to see how this applies to your product or services, that is where Schwartz shines. Using examples from dozens of successful, and not so successful, Web sites, he outlines the reasons for their performance.

This isn't a book for the green Web marketer, but the more thoughtful one who is willing to analyze and think and learn. It is my pick for the top Web marketing book of 1997. -- Dr. Ralph F.Wilson, Editor, Web Marketing Today (http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt)

Webonomics is an easy and informative read. Being published in 1997 it is somewhat of a visionary book in that a lot of what Schwartz has said is now occurring; for example the numerous sites offering freebies to gain viewer mindshare. Schwartz gives a broad and indepth explanation about Internet economics. He illustrates his nine principals essential for success with various relevant and detailed examples. The book provides a balanced approach recognising both what will and what won't work on the Internet.

Schwartz correctly identifies that commanding and sustaining user attention is of critical importance. One of the ways this can be done is via the establishment of a community. Building a community is one of the main and reoccuring themes of this book.

Anyone running a web site should seriuosly consider reading this book.