VIEWPOINT: Let's all do the da-doo-dotcom

<p>Not that we enjoy gloating over anyone's misfortune, but aren't we </p><p>all secretly relieved that the dotcom hypefest of earlier this year is </p><p>finally over? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And the seeds scattered by the dotcoms were seeds of hyperbole, rash </p><p>promises, unsubstantiated claims and a singular lack of solid business </p><p>principles ... is anyone really surprised that the bubble burst? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Surviving dotcoms will surely cry foul at being tarred by the same </p><p>brush; however, if you were prepared to bask in the reflected glow and </p><p>glory of the hype at its peak, then you also have to be ready to take it </p><p>on the chin along with the rest. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Speaking at the recent MEDIA Summit in Hong Kong, Sing Tao Group </p><p>executive director Nigel Oakins said that it will take a lot more than </p><p>dotcoms are putting in at the moment before the Internet can be taken </p><p>seriously as a marketing and advertising vehicle. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The 'Net, he said, is a terrible medium for advertising in its current </p><p>form ... but few have ever doubted that. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The thing to remember is that we were all to blame for the mania and the </p><p>frenzy; someone had to sustain it for as long as it lasted, and the </p><p>dotcoms sure didn't do it all on their own. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>So now that the dust is beginning to settle, the industry needs to pull </p><p>its finger out and start taking the Internet seriously. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>That means no more wild promises, no more insane expectations, no more </p><p>woolly websites claiming to reach "millions" of consumers with appalling </p><p>design and content, no more believing the claim that the 'Net is all you </p><p>could ever want in an advertising and marketing vehicle. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As Mr Oakins noted, it is time for the Internet industry to grow up and </p><p>take its place in the ranks of all other forms of media: print, </p><p>broadcast, out-of-home. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>We all have a vested interest in making the Internet work. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>So why is it taking so long for us to merge our strengths and make sure </p><p>that it works? </p><p><BR><BR> </p>