In computer news this week, 06/26/2001

The internet domain name game, part 5 - more games:

In the previous shows in this series we examined what the current internet domain names are, and we looked at what you have to do to get your own website up and running on the web, including the many hidden costs and the ongoing maintenance.

It's never as easy as it seems in the tv ads. Last night I was watching an infomercial for what I'll call the internet pot'o'gold - how you can get your own store on the internet for only about a $ 60 startup cost. This was a constant stream of half truths, and I had to force myself to watch the whole thing.

There are many ongoing solicitations regarding get-rich internet schemes that you really need to protect yourself from. These ads appear to prey on people who are computer, internet and business illiterate, and if these companies weren't making money off these schemes, their ads wouldn't continue to be seen on tv and in the newspaper.

I noticed that each time they showed someone who was actually supposedly making money - in very small print on the screen there was a disclaimer that this was an unique experience and that results will vary..

But what I thought was most unusual - a red flag warning - was that this company had no internet site in their address - just a po box to send your checks to - or an 800 number to call and charge it on your visacard. Could it be they are carefully targeting a tv audience that knows nothing about computers, internet, and business - but wants to make easy money?

In order to really understand this ad, you would have to understand the internet, which obviously their target audience doesn't.

They talked about free 30 day internet hosting and access. This of course means that after this you have to start paying for these services, so add that to your $ 60 startup cost. Maybe $ 50 to over $ 100 monthly. They also flashed a screen that showed they would register your website with 25 top search engines - a value of $ 200. I seriously question this value - you could do this yourself in an hour, or you could actually pay a service to do this for less money.

Then the ad says you're pre-approved to accept credit cards, but there's a further ongoing charge for credit card processing. So add that to your $ 60 dollar figure too.

Then of course you have to decide what products you want to sell - you have access to over a thousand, but you have to select them and put them on your web page. They say if you can click a mouse you can build a web page. I've found that most of these packages use special tools, instead of standard html code or programs like Front Page.

In essence in this scenario customers somehow find your site - out of all the sites in the world - buy your products - and you receive checks in the mail. You don't have to warehouse any of the products, you don't get involved in the shipping and handling, you don't get involved in the credit card processing and billing. It's just an internet pot'o'gold opportunity.

Do I think there's gold in these solicitations? No, I truly don't.

By chance, after visiting some of the actual websites used as testimonials in these ads, I actually did find a webpage for the pot'o'gold company on the internet. But to order the program, you had to call an 800 number. The website doesn't accept credit cards.

Caveat emptor.

For Raw Bytes, This is Frank Delaney

POB 222 Spangle, Wa 99031 (509)245-3736 624-7230