VIEWPOINT: They might not know it all, but neither do you

<p>The war of words between the Internet industry's self-proclaimed </p><p>gurus and "experts" (come on!) is rapidly getting tiresome. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Barely a week passes without one taking potshots at another, only to </p><p>have that person - or, more interestingly still - a third party then </p><p>retaliating with a few choice words of their own. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The bottom line is that the Internet, both as a medium and as a </p><p>marketing vehicle, is so young that no one can possibly have all the </p><p>answers, let alone hold the key to unlock the secrets of using it </p><p>successfully. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Right now, it's all trial and error. Whatever may have worked once upon </p><p>a time for one client will not, by simple definition of what the </p><p>Internet is all about - speed and mutability, lest we forget - work for </p><p>another client. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Or might simply not work again. What is bewildering is the confusion </p><p>itself - surely the requirements of marketing on the Internet, or using </p><p>it as a medium, are simple: </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>a) People have to know you exist. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>b) They have to know how to find you. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>c) You have to give them a reason to stay with you. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>d) And you have to give them reasons to keep coming back to you. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>So why all the mud-slinging? Why can't practitioners be mature and </p><p>grown-up enough to admit that as long as the 'Net is still in flux, no </p><p>one has all the solutions? </p><p><BR><BR> </p>