Growing Your Business Online: Small-Business Strategies for Working the World Wide Web

Rating:
Summary: Probably the best book out there for small-mid cap firms
Review: Hise's book is probably the best text out there for those intelligent laypeople who aspire to profit and succeed on the net. The book shows you exactly how some small and mid-capitalization firms are actually putting the internet to good use. Bear in mind, however, that 'good' does not necessarily mean profitable. There is no marketing spin in this book, and everything a growing small to mid-cap business would need to know to make a successful and profitable debut on the web is presented in a clear, easy to read fashion. The book is appropriately organized into ten chapters, and includes six highly useful appendices covering extended resources (print, internet, software, and related organizations) on topics such as getting online, website maintainance and development, site promotion, site tracking and ecommerce transactions, as well as other small business resources and contact information for companies profiled in the text. This book takes you through a guided tour of the web, what it is, how it evolved, how it works, and what you can do with it (for business and pleasure). Four very useful chapters are solely devoted to getting a website up and running, and include information on choosing a good ISP, building a good site, outsourcing for talent, and various site models one can use to guide one's own web project. Three more chapters are devoted to site promotion, online transactions, and the real purpose of marketing: tracking visitors and maintaining customer loyalty. A final chapter is solely devoted to internet related prognostications from (the then) leading cyber gurus (1996), many of which have now come to pass. Those who read this book should pay very close attention to the case studies in each chapter, as a lot of good information is hidden there. One glaring minus for the book is that it has few, if any examples of retail on the web. However, in Hise's defense, you do get a lot of good, practical tips on how to do retail well on the web. Another noticeable minus is the lack of information on legal issues surrounding the web. For example, Hise does not delve into the thorny question of who owns what when you outsource web site development, nor does she get into the hairy issue of protecting yourself in cyberspace. Many companies have been made more efficient by the net, and that is a plus. However, given the sheer cost and time necessary to put up a good site, the book's real audience is the manager in the mid-cap company. Because of the costs involved in developing and maintaining a good website, this book is most appropriate for those working with the deep pockets of a small to mid-cap company. Micro-cap and home-based business owners can also pick up some very useful hints here as well, but may be limited by the relatively high cost of implementing them. Overall, I think that this is the best book out there for a simple, understandable explanation of online business. The book tells you how to use the net not only for profit but also for greater efficiency and operating productivity as well. This little book, packed with a ton of good information and first-class resources, really packs a wallop. Hise has succeeded tremendously in writing a book that any intelligent, aspiring businessperson can benefit from.

Rating:
Summary: Probably the best book out there for small-mid cap firms
Review: Hise's book is probably the best text out there for those intelligent laypeople who aspire to profit and succeed on the net. The book shows you exactly how some small and mid-capitalization firms are actually putting the internet to good use. Bear in mind, however, that 'good' does not necessarily mean profitable. There is no marketing spin in this book, and everything a growing small to mid-cap business would need to know to make a successful and profitable debut on the web is presented in a clear, easy to read fashion. The book is appropriately organized into ten chapters, and includes six highly useful appendices covering extended resources (print, internet, software, and related organizations) on topics such as getting online, website maintainance and development, site promotion, site tracking and ecommerce transactions, as well as other small business resources and contact information for companies profiled in the text. This book takes you through a guided tour of the web, what it is, how it evolved, how it works, and what you can do with it (for business and pleasure). Four very useful chapters are solely devoted to getting a website up and running, and include information on choosing a good ISP, building a good site, outsourcing for talent, and various site models one can use to guide one's own web project. Three more chapters are devoted to site promotion, online transactions, and the real purpose of marketing: tracking visitors and maintaining customer loyalty. A final chapter is solely devoted to internet related prognostications from (the then) leading cyber gurus (1996), many of which have now come to pass. Those who read this book should pay very close attention to the case studies in each chapter, as a lot of good information is hidden there. One glaring minus for the book is that it has few, if any examples of retail on the web. However, in Hise's defense, you do get a lot of good, practical tips on how to do retail well on the web. Another noticeable minus is the lack of information on legal issues surrounding the web. For example, Hise does not delve into the thorny question of who owns what when you outsource web site development, nor does she get into the hairy issue of protecting yourself in cyberspace. Many companies have been made more efficient by the net, and that is a plus. However, given the sheer cost and time necessary to put up a good site, the book's real audience is the manager in the mid-cap company. Because of the costs involved in developing and maintaining a good website, this book is most appropriate for those working with the deep pockets of a small to mid-cap company. Micro-cap and home-based business owners can also pick up some very useful hints here as well, but may be limited by the relatively high cost of implementing them. Overall, I think that this is the best book out there for a simple, understandable explanation of online business. The book tells you how to use the net not only for profit but also for greater efficiency and operating productivity as well. This little book, packed with a ton of good information and first-class resources, really packs a wallop. Hise has succeeded tremendously in writing a book that any intelligent, aspiring businessperson can benefit from.

Rating:
Summary: Easy to read for beginner.
Review: Nearly half of the book are case studies. It's not quite difficult for any non-technical reader. The first few chapter can be skipped if you are familiar with the internet and the web. What I get after reading this book? Encouraging. It tells you what to do with very few don't. Anyway, if you need techical know-how, try others. If you need some business perspective, try this.

Rating:
Summary: no bullshit
Review: This book writes about what companies are really doing online--what works and doesn't. It's not a bunch of hype from some consultant. The case studies are great