Business wants to farm the Internet. To turn it to something economically productive. To make a profit. Watch the stock price go up. That requires a few fences to keep the cattle in and the wild animals out.
Cowboys don t like fences.
But it turns out that it s no easier to farm this Wild West than it is to grow corn in western Nebraska. The Internet has turned into the ultimate example of the old line, We lose money on every sale but we make it up on the volume. Those promoting their e-commerce Web sites last December were spending far more on TV advertising than they ever expected to make in sales. It turns out the greatest profits to be made from the Internet are in sitting back and watching the stock price go up or down. Sometimes enormous profits.