Partly these services were steep because they were, after all, ad agencies, and the marquee names were in demand. But, aside from the economic laws of supply and demand, costs were layered on because of the speed demanded by the Internet, with overhead spiraling out of control. And all that expense was o.k., as long as there was money to burn and, as the venture capitalist's exit strategy, a rich IPO plucked you out of it. But, ultimately, the expense was on the back of the public, or if they hadn't had time to make it to market before April, it was on the back of the venture capitalist, now suffering an economic hangover from the evaporated boom times. It's time, now, to have realistic expectations.
Speed can kill.
With scant time to learn from mistakes and limited experience to judge from, and more money spent for redundant systems, since no one is positive which will work best, each scheme takes on added risk, not to mention increased debt. Answers are provided not by experienced operating executives but, often, by venture capitalists who may or may not truly understand the operating model. Speed can succeed but it can also kill. Remember the game is just beginning. The Net will become the dominant medium and the dot com winners will make huge fortunes.