This is where there really is good news. You don't have to spend
anywhere close to what it took for the pioneers to custom-build
what they have. This last year has seen amazing improvements in
tools and services that drastically reduce the cost of deploying
commercial grade Web sites.
NaviSoft, Vermeer, Adobeand soon Netscape have made it possible
for non-technical people to author Web pages, transfer them from
server to server, build forms and link them to tables in a
database, administer permissions, and even build HTML pages on the
fly from their databases. In addition, there are hundreds of
hosting services to choose from, so you can either run your own
service with your own equipment, or rent someone else's and take
advantage of their bandwidth, monitoring and maintenance.
When I was with the NaviSoft group at AOL, we tried to have
everyone incorporate Web publishing into their personal work. My own experience with the NaviSoft tools has convinced me that even
I can create Web pages and administer a Web site. If I can do it,
millions can do it. The market is as large as there are people
with something to say.
What this really means is that Web sites can now reflect the
diversity of the organizations they serve.
One excellent example
is how LiveDV magazine magazine allows vendors of digital video products to
enter their own product listings into the service's catalogs.
Authorship can be pushed out to dispersed groups, even to
suppliers and advertisers, without undermining the integrity of
the service.
|
Brainstorms
Tomorrow
Mind to Mind