| The Internet is a great
help to find information on almost everything. Its like a universal
library where anyone can just walk in and explore the universe of
knowledge with simple and readily available tools like PC, Modem
etc. There is very little entry fee (Internet Time and Telephone
bill) and most of the information available is free.
However, one niggling question that frequently comes
back is - how reliable is this information ? Can we depend upon
this to start a venture ? Is it as reliable as information given
in printed books and reports ?
There is no shortcut or ready answer to this question.
Indeed, there are extremely good and reliable sources of information
in Internet - but there are also websites which are of questionable
background. Like the fraud bank site Nigerian scam artists created
few months back to defraud gullible surfers.
The anonymous nature of Internet is a great level playing field
for small and medium businesses - but unfortunately also provides
cover to fraudsters and conmen.
Like many other areas in life - the solution to this challenge is
to remain alert and follow certain basic guidelines. Just as driving
car is always risky as accidents can happen - but remaining alert
and following traffic rules greatly reduce the risks.
Here is a set of criteria or checklist of questions to help you
evaluate a business website.
Evaluation Criteria for determining Authenticity
There is always a commercial enterprise behind every business web
site. Usually, the website reflects the name or function of the
enterprise and ends in a .com (commercial) or .biz (business).
Perhaps the most important task is to determine how authentic or
authoritative is the enterprise behind the website. Questions to
be asked are:
-
Is it clear who is responsible for the contents
of the site ? Any confusion/ambiguity is to be taken with great
caution
-
Any website with only IP Address (e.g. 203.55.11.23)
instead of a .com .biz or any other top level domain name is
a suspect. IP address is a perfect cover to hide oneself and
a legitimate business will always try to promote itself - instead
of hiding behind an anonymous cover
-
Is there a 'About us' page or link to a page describing
the nature of the company, who owns, its products and services
etc. ?
-
Is there a way of verifying the legitimacy of this
company ? Some of the simple tools for verification are telephone
number, postal address etc. Only e-mail address is not enough
-
Is there a way of determining the stability of this
company ? Does it say how long they are in business ?
-
Does the enterprise show some verifiable proof of
reliability like list of customers, comments of satisfied customers,
references etc.
-
Is there a statement that the content of the page
has the official approval of the company ? For example, copyright
statement in favour of the company in main page ?
Related Links:
Source: FAIDA
- Newsletter on Business Opportunties from India and Abroad
Vol: 3, Issue 36
December 26' 2002
Author :
Dr. Amit K. Chatterjee
(Amit worked in blue-chip Indian and MNCs for 15 years in various
capacities like Research and Information Analysis, Market Development,
MIS, R&D Information Systems etc. before starting his e-commerce
venture in 1997. The views expressed in this columns are of
his own. He may be reached at amit@infobanc.com
) |
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