Talking with someone today, we were discussing about how the online marketing has become some sort of wild new west. Every man for himself, no law other than the gun you carried and ripe with opportunity… if you survived!
Is there gold online? Sure.
Can anyone find it? Of course.
Will everyone get it? Obviously not.
Back in the U.S. expansion to the west, people were enticed by stories of immediate success, of fast and easy ways to get rich that were happening out in the newly appropriated state of California. Many of these stories were true, to a certain degree. Many people did find gold and many people did become rich looking for gold (specially the big companies with capital to actually exploit mines).
We shared a laugh talking about how the internet is almost lawless and that sheriffs are just beginning to emerge. Care to guess what is the pony express? Just as in the wild west, we have black and white hats in SEO and marketing techniques. There are bullies that overpower the smaller farmers/landowners into submission and sometimes weak law enforcers who are pretty much at the mercy of money and power.
Most people didn’t find gold or immediate fortune. What most people did get, was a piece of land at uncomfortably cheap prices. After the dust settled, land became very valuable. As it turned out, even if not everyone found gold on the ground or in a river, many did find success in settling west. California (and other western states, but I like California the most) became a thriving state in which many became rich because of gold, although not necessarily found it.
The web is the wild new west. Everyone is leaving storefronts to go online and many, many are finding immediate success. The web today is dirty cheap, anyone can go online and when the dust settles, the smart ones will have their gold.
There is still gold on the ground, but opportunity is closing and fast! Competitors are going online everyday and establishing themselves strongly.
Is the web a lot of hype? Just as the wild west was!
Is it real? In so many ways, yes, it is definitively real.
Will it last? Perhaps. It will happen in waves with each successive wave losing strength. Better jump in now before the dust settles and land prices go up.
What do you think?
One final note: If and when you go online, make sure that you choose the right way. Many roads lead west, some are simply better.