Article by Wez Bryett

Welcome to the next generation of the internet. The old web is dead, it had slow dial up connections, dotcom crashes and inexperienced web developers. This new generation is dubbed Web 2.0 and is being driven by the increase in broadband access and new web technology.

By the end of last year, 11.5 million Australians were active users of the internet either at home, at work or both, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. Australians spent 20% more time online in 2006 and in the younger demographics internet use will exceed TV viewing time in 2007. 

So what does this mean for business? Basically the internet shouldn't be ignored. By clinging to old business models many businesses will miss the opportunities the web has to offer. It is currently estimated that 5% of business is organised online. That doesn"t necessarily mean e-commerce or selling products online, more automation of business such as sales, advertising, ordering, communication and systems. In the next 5 then 10 years this figure is predicted to move to 60% then 80% as again the technology and number of people accessing continually increases.  

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There has been concerns raised about this automation and it affect on human culture. But what it is actually doing is freeing up everyone's time by carrying out medial tasks and allowing business to focus on what they do best. This is similar to what computer software was done for business over the last 15 years.

So with the predicated growth there exists unlimited opportunities for business to incorporate the internet into their business model. Many have previously ventured online and had bad experiences due to the lack of time and resources they have dedicated to it. The internet needs to be effectively integrated to see results, which will take more time then just a web designer building a website.

Businesses should look developing a web strategy or e-strategy. This is an online business plan that clearly outlines where the business is going and what part the internet will play. Things to look at are firstly the actual business plan to determine where the business is going. From that objectives can be created for the web strategy. Other considerations are the target market and its demographics, marketing and generating that target market, conversion strategies and change implementation.