Luis Fonseca - Net Pocket

Europe Logs On, this is the name of the study that Microsoft launched in April 2009 concerning the use and Internet trends.

The prediction of this study is that the use of the Internet beyond the television already in June 2010.

Not that television is going away, but rather with the massification of broadband are becoming more users to use the computer as a TV, watching not only the broadband content, but also to watch live TV programs and recorded TV from your computer.

Microsoft also provides that in the next 5 years the content in video format and long-iptv is going to become the TV standard.

On the other hand, emphasizes that the Internet is still a fragmented experience, after all the services we use are still fragmented, see the case of social networks such as Hi5 , myspace , facebook , among others, where the user, and a Log for each of these networks, has yet to manage your images, contacts, etc.., by the various networks.

The setting of advertising, are and will also be greatly affected by this change. Companies will have to change their advertising strategies, leaving the concept of reaching millions indiscriminately to leave for a one-to-one.

... "Recent global estimates indicate that the gross amount of advertising expenditure to fall 0.2% in 2009, but that the Internet sector will continue with strong growth (+9.5%), taking into account that advertisers expenses are more accountable to online channels, providing them the opportunity to return the best results. "...

The study also concludes that, in Portugal there are already more than 4 million Internet users, however, we are still one of the countries with lower Internet penetration rate (39.80%).

It's all here, can see all the study and any conclusions on this page .

Who never saw a site that cast the first stone!

The Internet has brought the possibility of practicing a one to one marketing, and just as importantly, allows to measure the results of marketing.

In this context, all sites ask you to register (read, to identify) with the promise to submit all current promotions, customized to your liking, etc..

So far, it seems peaceful, after all, only those who want to register.

With this, each site has a different record, causing the number of records that each have get to have such a volume that is likely to end up forgetting where he is registered or even forget the data with which you can access records of each of these sites.

To make your life easier, you can always use the same access data from record to record, or even use some existing software where you can keep track of all records that have and their data, however, it is safe to use these solutions? On behalf of information security, always register with the same data is not a solution because, if someone get this data, it is the same as saying that accesses all of its records. Save this information in a software, it does not seem to be the solution, because if someone enters the computer and access to this tool, there is all his "life" exposed.

The best security practices say they should not have the same access to records for different sites - imagine having two ATM cards with the same access code if any man enter in, enter the other - the data / access codes must be stored, etc. .

You'll have to be a future for this problem I still can not uncover, but it will have there, go!

After at least 6 years to popularize the Internet,

it is time to be made a balance sheet and an analysis of its evolution.

... "Witnessed in the United States calls the Dotcom boom and also the decline" ...

Although advertised as a new way of doing business in the United States, for example, saw the boom of so-called Dotcom but also, in most cases to decline.

After the "storm", today we can say that the Internet has mainly benefit the "old economy" because it is true that some companies revenge on the "new economy", I am reminding myself of Amazon , Google , etc.. in Indeed, were the old economy companies that have benefited most, as it gained a new distribution channel that allows them to reach a greater number of consumers, breaking the geographical barriers and costs much lower than traditional channels.

Still, a good part of the Portuguese companies of the "old" economy - remember? those who left benefit from the Internet - have not yet agreed to this benefit.

Just see what is conveyed by the media, past another home, where tradition stands only consumption, purchases online to have the right to airtime. In 2004, more than any other year, online sales grew by 50% compared to 2003. Notwithstanding this, if we think we know the online stores, quickly concluded that the provision in Portugal is very low and the service provided here is quite weak and safeguarding the consumer.

From my point of view, there is no reference site for online shopping in Portugal (I refer to a Portuguese site), there is only one set of old economy companies who deigned to do a few pages, with the image of your company and downloaded on the World Wide Web in order to say what is there.

I even agree that the weak sales volume of this channel is not attractive and therefore limit the companies' investments in this area, but surely no companies take the initiative, the users / customers, hardly come to meet him. It is therefore necessary for the success of a blend of the channel.

company has five models of the same product on the Internet only have access to see one or two. We do not have access to other products that have the same brand and even possibly be available in the physical store of the company. Products available, a large majority do not have enough information essential to the purchase. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of sites, there is no guarantee that we intend to stock the product, much less lead times, not to mention the high cost of shipping.

This holiday season now, it was curious to do a comparison between Portuguese sites and other sites that have the operative set up to easily sell to Portugal. I can tell you it was frustrating to see the announcement of a Portuguese sites that orders placed after December 21 had no guarantee of delivery before Christmas and one of these other sites, announce with great emphasis that orders placed until the day December 22, had to guarantee delivery by the 24th. If to this we add the fact that the prices on these other sites, are in many cases, 30% to 40% lower than those in Portugal, easily find that there is no competition.

The opportunity that the Internet has brought our country to show and win economic advancement compared to other countries, we looked around like it but had nothing to do with us. Foreign companies have gained an opportunity to enter our market without even needing to settle in the country.

Admittedly, the problem comes back. When you spend time discussing a false liberalization of telecommunications instead of discussing how best to provide access to the Internet, so users massifying and allow this economic engine of progress, everything is said.

Even I can admit that in some cases, investments have returned only in the longer term, but still have to visualize that, sooner or later this will be the main channel of business, and foreign companies are already there.

Yesterday (11.04.2005), I heard the news that the EU will produce a set of directives that encourage the use of broadband Internet on the electricity grid, now known as Powerline that nearly reaches everywhere, thus contributing to a further increase in the massification of the Internet. Let's see how long it takes Portugal to adapt to this new reality ...