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Technology Stocks : InfoSpace (INSP): Where GNET went! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: brk who wrote (8659)	6/27/1999 6:05:00 PM
From: HeatherN	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 28311

brk, I agree with you, but the analogy of broadband to cable TV is somewhat flawed. Most people use TV as an entertainment, news and weather info source. It, for the most part is not interactive. You may gather information at the time broadcasters send it to you in the order and manner that they choose to send it. The majority of the people watching TV watch the top 10(or so) channels no matter how many channels are offered. The increasing utility (benefit) of added channels does not increase productivity or even the way that most people will use their cable TV. More content does mean more choices but not improvement in efficiency. In the case of the internet, it is extremely interactive. Faster connections lead to less time accomplishing tasks performed on the internet. I can check the operating room schedule via the internet at my house every night. I do my banking and investing via the internet. Broadband diminishes the time I need to spend doing the things I need to do. As content expands on the internet, more efficient use of time is possible. I can order my groceries while doing a 24 hour shift at the hospital.... I don't need to drive to a bookstore and walk through the store. I can order books online in about ten minutes that will be delivered to my door. As broadband becomes more widely available, we will see the benefit of performing even smaller tasks online. Three years ago, with a 14.4 modem even ordering a book online was painfully slow. Things such as Lands End personal fitting program would be way too frustrating.(I think it's lands end?) With a cable modem, the barrier to logging on in 1 or 2 seconds and no phone line tie up. This makes tasks like ordering movie tickets, looking up recipes for the dinner about to be cooked etc. now much more likely. The mechanic fixing your car can email you when it's finished instead of waiting on the phone while one guy yells to another if he knows when your car will be ready. It is important to consider the distinctions of broadband internet as an interactive, customizable, multimedia, information, education and entertainment tool and not just the addition of another local cable access channel. It will be hundreds of small things that people do online that I think will ultimately bring the internet into our home as well as work lives. It appears that GNET, Russell and Paul Allen are working toward this goal and I'm glad that little by little this is becoming apparent to those outside this thread as well. HeatherN