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Internet search tools, you can find almost any subject you 

 are seeking. Type in a keyword at one of these web sites 

 and the result of the search is a list of sites offering infor- 

 mation about the desired topic. "Click" on one of the re- 

 sultant sites from your search request and you are trans- 

 ported to that site and presented with the information 

 found there. 



Once you become familiar with these new "telephone 

 numbers," you will find navigating the Internet is not as 

 daunting as some suggest. Over time, you will build a 

 frequently visited "address book" of sites that you want 

 to keep up with. Most Internet browsers allow you to 

 build this address book by placing a "bookmark" on 

 sites of interest. These bookmarks can then quickly be 

 visited in the future without having to seek them out us- 

 ing a search tool or having to write them down on a 

 piece of paper. 



Offering Your Contents to Others 

 As a user of the Internet, you get to see other organiza- 

 tions' "content" or information. What about putting your 

 company, products or services on-line and allowing oth- 

 ers to communicate with or order from you? If you're 

 willing to make the investment, you can get a high- 

 speed connection to the Internet (which must be con- 

 nected 24 hours a day, seven days a week), dedicate a 

 computer and a person to develop and communicate 

 your pages of information, and "hang out your shingle" 

 for other to see. For many, this cost is too high and they 

 elect to join another site, such as the Horticultural Web, 

 which amortizes these costs over many clients. By solic- 

 iting the help of a company whose business is develop- 

 ing and deploying content on the Internet, you are tap- 

 ping into the organization's technology and marketing 

 expertise. For a one-time development cost and a 

 monthly hosting (or maintenance) fee, you can offer your 

 content for others to see. It can cost as little as $400/year 

 to have a one-page, four-color advertisement at one of 

 these sites which provides information to users 24 hours a 

 day, seven days a week. At The Horticultural Web, this 

 charge also provides inclusion in marketing and promo- 

 tional programs, free advertising of your site in industry 

 trade journals, and inclusion at industry trade shows. Natu- 

 rally , the more advances and sophisticated the site con- 

 tents (i.e. multiple pages, databases, on-line ordering, etc.) 

 the more cost involved, in some cases reaching tens of 

 thousands of dollars When compared to traditional print 

 advertising or catalog creation, Internet promotion is much 

 less expensive, yet more far-reaching in its ability to attract 

 clients and allow them to communicate and respond in real 

 time 



Using the Internet in Practice 

 Once the novelty of the Internet's vast hordes of infor- 

 mation wears off, most users come to appreciate this tool 

 as a far-reaching and expansive resource — whether for busi- 

 ness, fun, learning, or communicating. Generally, this evolu- 



tion resolves itself to two uses of the Internet WWW. 



• For fun or education, most "surf the net" at will, gen- 

 erally without structure, exploring the deep and rich 

 crevices of information available, allowing their thoughts 

 to take them where they will. The same is generally true 

 for learning, although a more refined search is useful if a 

 specific topic is required. 



• In business, where efficiency and productivity are 

 time-constraining, most users seek out a handful of sites 

 which offer accurate and up-to-date information about 

 their particular needs. In horticulture, these few sites 

 might include a general site for horticulture, such as The 

 Horticultural Web, your local supplies dealer such as E.C 

 Geiger, Penn State Seed, or McCalif Grower Supplies, a 

 horticultural magazine, such as Greenfiouse Business or 

 CrowerJalks, your local Cooperative Extension, and uni- 

 versity and USDA/EPA representative sites. To this you 

 might add secondary sites, such as for financial update 

 (PC Quote or Wa/I Street journal), general news and infor- 

 mation — local, regional, or national (such as The Boston 

 Globe or USA Today), and the weather (National Weather 

 Service). 



Embodied in "fun," but sharing scope with business 

 use of the Internet are commercial transactions. These 

 are growing at a quick pace. Goods and services ranging 

 from theater tickets to LL Bean merchandise, Hillcrest 

 Nurseries herb cell packs. The Exotic Seed Company's 

 unique seeds. The McCormick Report from Greenhouse 

 Business, Fulex Insecticidal Smokes, and hundreds of 

 other horticultural products can be purchased on the 

 Internet. Future financial transactions on the Internet for 

 personal as well as business purposes are estimated by 

 some as 60% of all commerce by the year 2000! 



By whittling down the number of sites you visit for 

 business purposes, you can most efficiently find the re- 

 sources or information you require and get back with 

 the needs of the day — growing, shipping, satisfying cus- 

 tomers, and making a profit. This is not to suggest that 

 you should limit the number of Internet sites used in 

 your business. But use your "free" time to explore and 

 learn about other and new business sites and, if appro- 

 priate, add a new site to your business list or replace 

 an existing one with a better one, in order to keep 

 these sites to a minimum and your use of the Internet 

 as a business resource a productivity enhancer, not a 

 time-waster If the few sites you have chosen are dedi- 

 cated to providing you timely, accurate, and updated in- 

 formation, you will be well rewarded by leaning on them 

 to "surf the net" for you, saving you the time of keeping 

 up with the enormous and ever-increasing amount of in- 

 formation available. 



David Brock is business manager of "Web Develpers, Inc., 

 22b 'Washington Street, Wofcurn, (VIA 01801 

 He can be reached at 1 -800-WWW-6WEB or at 

 http://www.horticulture.combrock@horticulture.cont 



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THE PLANTSMAN 



