Is The Death Of Dot Coms Effecting Consumers?
from the who-cares? dept
An interesting focus group that looks at how the the death of all these dot coms is having an effect on consumers. Many of the people in the focus groups are really upset that some of these companies are gone - because they found the services they provided to be really useful. However, what surprised me is that a number of people seem to want to blame themselves for getting greedy and "taking advantage" of these dot coms. I say that if the company didn't think through ways not to be taken advantage of, then it's their problem. If there's a really useful service out there - and a definite need for it - then it's the job of businesses to figure out a way to provide a solution profitably.
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Ha ha ha
"When I heard about Kozmo, I started worrying about Vindigo [an online service that allows mobile device users to call up the location of the best restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, etc. in 20 cities]. Vindigo can't go away. It's a public service. People won't be able to function."
and
"I'm no real businessperson," said one participant, a 23-year-old graphic designer. "And I don't remember, two years ago, wondering about business models, or any of that. But I do lie awake at night, worrying about how Amazon stays in business."
Why? Are these people for real? If any companies blame 'stupid consumers' (I haven't heard of any, this is just hypothetical), they should have been prepared for them - it's not like the entire market is made up of informed, excited people waiting in line to purchase their product. I feel no remorse for the companies who did business terribly. I do feel remorse for those who really did have good ideas, and even good implementation, who were just dragged down along with the bad companies. And really, I don't think anyone will drop dead if they can't find the best restaurant in New York using their phone. Maybe it'll bring back that old tradition of trying it out for yourself and making your own decision.
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The letter A was brought to you by Hello Kitty.
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