Hold their hands
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The newer users, already beginning to appear on the
Internet, have two important and seemingly contradictory
characteristics. They are less computer-savvy than the techno geeks
who have ruled the roost, and yet they are and will be ever more
demanding! The old-timers are happy with a TCP/IP connection, surfing
from site to site, downloading the latest versions of browsers,
helpers, plug-ins, and add-ons. They unzip, install, and tinker.
Then, a mere two months later (a virtual lifetime in this business)
they do it all over again. When things don't quite work they report
"bugs" and devise workarounds. At the end, they have a system which
usually allows them to take advantage of the latest Web gizmos.
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New users . . . want it all, they want it now, and they want it to work.
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The new users will demand to be at the cutting edge. Having plunked
down a fair bit to get a multimedia computer, they too want to be
Shocked (see the new GM site), framed (see the Cybercricket site), and
Rammed (see the Realaudio/NPR site). But, they do not have the
skills, time, and patience to go through the click, unzip, install, and
fine-tune grind that is necessary today to take advantage of the
latest multimedia Web wonders. They want it all, they want it now,
and they want it to work. And they don't want to have to run from
site to site, week after week, for the latest versions of all the
software. If only someone would do it for them automatically, again
and again (not just as a come-on when they first sign up). They might
even be willing to pay for this, or at least not take flight the
moment the next cheaper connection intermediary comes along.
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