Many small business executives are asking why do I need to be on the Web. Others are doing it but why should I? Simply put, the Internet is the dissemination of information. It may be a research paper by a university, it may be the complete index of books available at your local library, or it may be the products and services you offer. The web site by and about NHBweb is just such an example. You are reading it and hopefully it is helping you to decide if the WWW is the right place for you.

You can think of the Internet as an advertising medium, a method of communicating, a means of publishing your catalog, or as a means of providing a service. It can be any of these or all of the above and more.

Advertising on the Internet is less expensive than television ads but more costly than a small newspaper ad. Well, maybe not. How much would it cost you to run 2 column by 4" add 7 days a week, 365 days a year in one newspaper. True your ad would be seen by thousands of people but the cost might just be too much for the response you would get. If you wanted to reach people in other areas, you would have to advertise in a regional or national paper. If you could reach 1 million readers looking for your products or services and do it for less than advertising in 1 newspaper would you do it?

Just some numbers as of 1-Jan-1998


• 56 million adults (over age of 16) in U.S. are on the Internet
• 27% U.S. adult population is on the Internet
• 8.7% U.S. users spend more than 10 hrs per month on the net
• $10 billion in transactions took place in 1997 over the net
• $237 billion in transactions estimated for year 2001