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December 8  1998

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Spending time online

WE who use it regularly know that the Internet is a wonderful medium. Just the other day I was able to satisfy my lust for cricketing trivia by poking around CricInfo's archives to read scoreboards from Tests and international games played 30 to 40 years ago.

After that it was off to The Jester site which feeds the user 25 jokes which they rate on a sliding scale from Not Funny to Very Funny. The clever database program then finds jokes suitable to your taste based on your reactions, and fires another 25 at you.

But as funny and satisfying as it is, the Net has reached the stage where more is expected of it. The buzzword for 1998 has been e-commerce. The corporate cry that there is money to be made online has been around for two or three years. This year it has been very loud.

Last week Prime Minister John Howard released a joint statement with the US Government about the attitude and policies of both countries to e-commerce, signalling that it was on the political agenda. It seems the online world has now been officially recognised as more than a cesspit of porn and bomb recipes.

It does not take long to find evidence of a growing willingness to sell to Netizens. And it also does not take long to realise that commerce in the online world is much the same as commerce in the real world -- subject to human frailty.

Recently I was enjoying a program provided by a Perth computer retailer (list of Perth stores) that allows users to mix and match hardware components on systems and find the price instantly. I e-mailed them to see if anyone at the shop could come around to check out a dodgy floppy drive. (I live three blocks away but am in a wheelchair, cannot carry around PC towers and am severely hardware-challenged). No reply, despite two or three repeated pleas. However, a week later a similar plea for help to a computer store many suburbs away prompted instant attention.

About a fortnight ago I signed up to do my banking online, falling for the hype in the TV ads that it would save me hours in queues. But all I can do is see how much money I haven't got in my accounts. The bank has yet to allow transactions from the type of accounts I have -- ones recommended by a flesh and blood bank manager in a real branch. (List of banks online).

Last week I was browsing Telstra's SureLink SafeShop site where I registered with half a mind to do some Christmas shopping for books, CDs, computer goods or sporting gear online. The first shop site I went to responded with the message: "Sorry, the store you are attempting to access is temporarily unavailable." It was a bit like a "back in 10 minutes" sign. But that is the way life is. Nothing is perfect.

The good -- or bad, depending on your perspective -- side to e-commerce is that is very easy to buy online . . . if you have a credit card. Good examples of the procedures involved are available at the Well Bookshop site and the ABC Shop site. The Well, based in Subiaco, has been selling online since 1995, and has an excellent description of what is involved in such transactions, including the type of security employed.

The e-commerce bandwagon is well and truly rolling. In the next 12 months it will be fascinating to watch how many people hop on.

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