An animated, energetic woman, Hoffman speaks quickly and passionately about the Internet's promise and pitfalls. Interviewed in her campus office a few blocks from Nashville's Music Row, she ignored the frequent incoming e-mail beeps from one of se veral computers on her desk as she mused about electronic commerce, business models, return on investment, consumer behavior, privacy, the Net's growth rate and who's still not getting the message. At first, it just seemed like a really good way for anyone to be able to publish anything. It wasn't even commercial, because people weren't charging for the information and you weren't paying to consume it. Anyone can be a provider.
Users can also be providers.
If that ever became more difficult to do or more expensive, or if the entry barriers rose, I think that would be a disaster for the Web. If we don 't achieve critical mass, there will be no successful commercial future for the Web. And I think that's still pretty much the case. Companies still are not thinking very carefully about the reasons. When companies upgrade from marketing sites to transactional or service-oriented ones, most must have some kind of strategy in mind.