ESPN SportsZone also is among the growing list of sites that have advertisers are clamoring for position. Across Lake Washington, in downtown Seattle, the Internet's leading purveyor of adult entertainment, Seth Warshavsky, maintains his offices. Soon, he may even launch a children's website. Thinking differently But such uses of the Internet are only the beginning, analysts say. The key for businesses is to realize that selling products and advertising on the web are different from using other media and may require a different mindset to attract a crowd.
Analysts also say some problems that initially plagued e-commerce are beginning to fade.
The No. 1 concern for most consumers has been security. Because the web deals only in credit card transactions, consumers have been understandably nervous about releasing such information to cyberspace. Encryption systems, sophisticated security systems and firewalls have made it nearly impossible to steal credit card numbers and made most sites relatively hacker free. Nonetheless, security remains a perception problem with the general public. Beyond security, the uninitiated often find the Internet a very confusing place that is relatively hard to use.