Fly on the E-Commerce Cyberwall

• They can pay toll to the major service providers to ensure that their site remains visible and easy to access.
• Or they can choose to exist as second-class citizens of the Web, with lower visibility and slower, less reliable connections.

The result of this action has been predictable. Howls of unfettered anguish have risen from those who fear that this will lead to the consolidation of the entire Internet into the hands of a few evil corporations who will use their power to exploit and subjugate humanity in their greedy pursuit of... et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Yes, the foundation is now in place for an Internet where site owners will have to pay fees to ensure that they have a fast connection and high visibility. Does that mean, though, that small business owners will be pushed off the Web?

No, it simply means they need to plan those future expenses into their budgets.

Hey, is it unfair that a bricks-and-mortar business that wants to locate in a prime traffic location has to pay more money for that location than someone who chooses to locate off the beaten path? Is it unfair that a business owner who wants to buy an ad in the New York Times has to pay more than someone who decides to advertise in some neighborhood gazette?

The principle of balancing what results we get against what we need to pay to get them is a basic part of running any business. Those of us in Internet business have blissfully enjoyed a temporary glitch in basic business principles that the formation of the Internet has afforded us.

We've enjoyed a free ride on the coattails of the technology companies who have developed this free traffic flow to our businesses. It has always been inevitable that this free ride would come to an end.

So should we wring our hands over the fact that we may someday need to pay for a traffic-generating system that we now exploit for free? Or should we start preparing our businesses so that, when these inevitable costs come, we'll be in position to cover them?

Smart business owners adapt.

Jeff