Web widows
Addictive substances tend to be illegal for the very good reason that they can wreck lives. So far, no government has made overt moves towards shutting down the World Wide Web by labeling it a controlled substance (certain nations' policies of trying to control the posting of information excepted).
However, there are few things more addictive than cruising the Web -- unless it is having your own Web page and the ability to edit, redesign, and otherwise fool with the thing into the wee hours of the morning. I must confess that I, too, have fallen victim to this new, dreaded affliction. Check out my Web site (you can access it from the Computing Japan Web site) and take a look!
This new phenomenon is not too dissimilar to what used to be called "laser printer disease," a condition commonly experienced by someone using a non-WYSIWYG (DOS-based) word processor shortly after connecting to their first laser printer. The number of trees slaughtered at the time due to a mistyped word or misplaced period is anyone's guess.
The only cure for the Web page syndrome will be the development of easy-to-use WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) software that -- to put it bluntly -- actually works. There are several packages that show promise, but just as the first versions of Microsoft Windows were hard disk-based nightmares, some of the current Web development tools I've seen are real turkeys.
Just keep watching though; I predict the first person to come up with the first multilanguage, fool-proof WWW development mousetrap will become the next Bill Gates.
Web advertising
Most of you have probably noticed more and more rectangular boxes atop Web pages, advertising everything from movies to artificial fat. Several readers have asked me about advertising services they have heard of -- services that say they are willing to pay you (usually less than one US cent) for every hit your site gets if you post an ad.
The fact that advertisers are now looking to cash in on the Internet should not come as a surprise, given that advertising has long-since infiltrated every other communications media. However, like any "business" venture, you should look before you leap. Three cautions:
Internet zoning laws: No city planner likes to see a factory set up in a residential area, and the same goes for system engineers. Before you sign up with anyone who will be paying you money for the use of your Web site, check with your Internet provider to make sure that it is OK. Using "personal" Web space on your provider's system for what would be considered business purposes could pose a problem, especially if you start getting too many hits. This could lead to your provider demanding that you get a commercial Internet account, an investment that -- given what an ad agency would be paying you -- is probably not worth it.
Censorship: Just like the early days of TV and radio, corporate sponsors of any new medium have a nasty tendency to try to dictate what can and cannot be on the air. One of the Internet advertisement agreements I read states that its webmaster has the right to remove any "objectionable" material appearing on your Web site, or on another Web site connected by a link.
I can understand not advertising on a page that displays kiddy porn, but what about political views that the ad agency's customers deem "objectionable?" I for one don't like the smell of anything remotely like censorship. (The powers that be learned long ago that the best way to control information is with money!) Like any contract, don't sign without first reading -- and understanding -- the fine print.
Buyer beware: Like all new businesses, by their very nature, some Internet advertising agencies are run by scam artists. Thoroughly check out anyone you may be doing business with, especially if they are headquartered overseas. I've heard both good and bad reports about agencies, but I'm not going to name names until I know more about the companies in question and the business as a whole. If anyone reading this column has information on this new, potentially lucrative business, please drop me a note.
Shareware scares
I've been getting more and more notes from readers that have shareware files sent as a file attachment. Please do not do this! As a virus protection measure, any unexpected file that shows up in my attachments directory gets nuked immediately. If you want me to check out your product, let me know where I can go on the Web to get it instead.
Modus operandi
Finally, I receive many messages on all sorts of subjects, some having nothing to do with computers. In order to better deal with these requests for information, I am setting aside a section of my Web site for what I call "Query Column Out-takes." This also will be a place that I will post shareware products that I find to be quite useful for people living in a multilanguage, multinational environment.
My new, rebuilt site is called Thomas Caldwell's Newsroom. Please stop by when you have the chance
Thomas Caldwell is a radio correspondent and Japan marketing manager for the United Press International Tokyo Bureau. E-mail: caldwell@gol.com. For a longer profile of Tom, and a link to his "new improved" Web site, go to http://www.computingjapan.com/magazine/bios.
Got a computer-related question, or a better answer to a previous query? Send it to The Query Column by mail, e-mail (editors@cjmag.co.jp), or fax (03-3447-4925).
