A recent interview with one of my favorite online presences, Gary Vaynerchuk, reminded me how some industries capitalize on the Internet more than others. I believe this is a direct result of an industry’s people. Technical industries, by far, have flourished on the web from the beginning. Their users embrace the Internet and do not perceive barriers to its use.
There are many groups yet to take advantage of the Internet because their users are not generally tech savvy. I imagine it’s only a matter of time before these groups propagate their services online. But how will their first attempts turn out? Will the websites fail because they are before their time? The Apple Newton was one of the first PDAs on the market. Its failure in the market paved the way for the PDAs that we all use today
Online services share similar characteristics with products like the Newton. Like the Newton, services online will fail if they do not convince the necessity of their use to the consumer. Unlike traditional products and services, online services require their users to overcome technical barriers. This will be a challenge for online services that market themselves to non-technical users.
I’m currently working on a personal project that must overcome the technical barrier. I expect to spend a significant amount of my time educating and creating awareness among my potential user base. In this instance, it’s not just about selling a service, you also have to sell the Internet.