Some thoughts on E-Commerce . . .
In the Sunday Washington Post real estate section is a column on financing mortgages over the Internet, which has some obvious advantages for consumers. Costs are lower, more choices, etc. But the interesting part for me was the comment by the lender's spokesman that, ultimately, you have to know who you're dealing with so there has to be a face-to-face meeting. It's an unavoidable cost.
Obviously, it will be an avoided cost if the IDX promised land ever arrives. And I'm sure that the utility of verifiable electronic identities can range far beyond mortgages. It includes reports to government agencies -- whether for probation officers or periodic, required pollution reports (not that there's much difference there, as far as I'm concerned) -- and almost any kind of contractual arrangement. We can add a large amount of telebusiness to present day telecommuting. But this is about third level thinking on the subject, fit only for visionaries, like the ones on this thread.
J. Saf, shouldn't you be changing a diaper, or at least trying to sleep? |
