Predicting The Future Online

(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved

http://www.thenetreporter.com

=====================================



The psychic Hotline won't help you in this article!



However, I want to share my predictions for 2003 and the

trends I see affecting how you will use the Internet for

both business and pleasure.





** Anti-Spam!



Anybody with an email account for more than three days has

gotten unsolicited email (referred to as Spam) from people

they don't know. These people offer to sell them everything

from acne treatment to inkjet cartridges.



As federal and state lawmakers weigh into the battle

against Spam, you can expect two significant developments

this year:



First, anti-Spam software sales will skyrocket among home

and business users. Unfortunately, unless somebody invents

a solution that actually works well, the end results won't

fit the promises made to sell the products.



On a side note: It will prove very interesting to see how

many of the anti-Spam product vendors will actually use

Spam to sell their wares!



Second, anti-Spam sentiment will massively affect

legitimate online business owners trying to communicate

with their customers via e-mail.



New services will spring up to help even the smallest

businesses secure their communications with customers and

avoid the "Spam filters."





** Lights, Camera, Action!



The use of multimedia, including video, pictures, and

sound, along with other interactive devices, will really

take off this year.



However, the proliferation of multimedia will not occur

because of higher Internet access speeds through DSL or

cable.



Cheaper and better computers, combined with improved

"streaming" software technology, will drive this multimedia

trend. As computers and web servers on either end of the

information exchange get faster at encoding and decoding

data, the need for broadband access lessens.





** Sold to the Highest Bidder



Expect auction sites to see all-time highs in sales and

revenues this year. With a sluggish economy, people look

to save and make money any way they can, and buying through

eBay makes it easier than ever.





** Do you Yahoo?



Search giant Yahoo will rebound this year from a couple of

poor business decisions. Expect them to regain the top

spot as the world's number one search portal by the end of

2003.





** "Micro-Businesses" Will Dominate



Using "guerrilla marketing" tactics, small businesses will

spread like wildfire online. These businesses won't bother

with startup capital, or IPO's; they'll simply reach

profitability within 30 days or close up shop.



Also, expect to see "Big" business start adapting these

techniques by creating special units within larger

corporations that reward the entrepreneurial online spirit.



So take the challenge!



Cut out this article, put it on your bulletin board, and 12

months from now we can all see if my psychic abilities rate

with the most popular 900 numbers or whether flipping a

coin would have achieved the same or better results. :-)



About the Author:



Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-

author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to

use free articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted

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