Book Description

We have the technology. So why do so many businesses crash and burn when it comes to launching successful e-business strategies? Why do flashy web sites send customers to a 1800 number that can be accessed only during "normal" business hours? Why do executives who market toys and games refuse to listen to their own children? According to IBM's Internet guru, John Patrick, it's all about attitude. Our inability to harness the full power of the Internet has much less to do with the technology itself than with the cultural and psychological barriers that straitjacket our thinking about it. In this book, the author reveals the strategies, and more important, the mindset, that will allow conmpanies to flourish in the age of connectivity. Drawing from a wide range of examples from the worlds of business, technology, politics, education, and popular culture, Patrick explores the profound implications of adopting an Internet attitude and how it will transform you and your business.

Synopsis

From IBM's Internet guru-a revolutionary approach to instilling a web-savvy culture throughout your organization. We have the technology. So why do so many businesses crash and burn when it comes to launching successful e-business strategies? Why do flashy web sites send customers to a 1800 number that can be accessed only during "normal" business hours? Why do executives who market toys and games refuse to listen to their own children? According to IBM's Internet guru, John Patrick, it's all about attitude. Our inability to harness the full power of the Internet has much less to do with the technology itself than with the cultural and psychological barriers that straitjacket our thinking about it. In Net Attitude he reveals the strategies, and more important, the mindset, that will allow you and your company to flourish in the age of connectivity. Drawing from a wide range of examples from the worlds of business, technology, politics, education, and popular culture, Patrick explores the profound implications of adopting an Internet attitude and how it will transform you and your business. Net Attitude emanates from the grassroots thinking that was part of the evolution of the Internet itself. It is hard to describe but you will know it when you see it. Young people tend to have it but it is not really an age thing. An increasing number of seniors have it too. The masses of people in the middle layers of large organizations often don't have it. It is not that there is something wrong with them as people; it is just that the bureaucracies of large organizations have shielded them from the new way of thinking and in some cases Darwinian instincts have caused them to bring up their own shields.

Book News Annotation:

From his vantage point as a pioneer of the commercial, educational, research, and cultural uses of the Web, the author illuminates the ways in which the Internet continues to transform business. He estimates that the Internet is being used at only 3-5% of its potential capacity, and predicts a dramatic evolution in Internet usage. He describes emerging characteristics of the next generation of the Internet, and looks behind the scenes at labs and government agencies contributing to technological breakthroughs. Patrick is vice president of Internet Technology at IBM Corporation.

Amazon.com

For any e-business strategy to succeed these days, says John Patrick, those behind it must take an informed and confident stance on the Internet and all it can accomplish. Such an attitude is probably more important now, in fact, than it was at the opening of the online revolution. And Patrick ought to know: as vice president of Internet Technology at IBM and a founding member of the World Wide Web Consortium at MIT, he's been involved in the cyberworld throughout its brief but heady existence. Net Attitude lays out his vision for the future of the medium, and offers suggestions for preparing "your organization and the people who are part of it, as well as all its systems and processes, to take advantage of everything the Internet has to offer." He attributes those vast possibilities to the emergence of seven characteristics (Fast, Always On, Everywhere, Natural, Intelligent, Easy, and Trusted), elaborates on them individually, and ties them to developments ranging from high-quality video transmission to vending-machine purchases initiated by cell phone. Some may find Patrick's unabashed optimism a bit much for even an avowed proselytizer, but maybe that's part of what net attitude is all about.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 --Howard Rothman

From Library Journal

IBM's vice president of Internet technology, Patrick adds to the proliferation of Internet books but offers a different spin. His is about "attitude." Net attitude is abstract and hard to describe, but, according to Patrick, you will know it when you see it. If people in middle management in large organizations tend not to have it, the fault lies not with the individuals but with the organization's bureaucracy, which has not readily accepted this new mindset. Having a net attitude in business is about preparing your organization, as well as its systems and processes, to take advantage of everything the Internet has to offer. Patrick's optimism is evident throughout, despite the failures of dot-coms during 2000, which he attributes to businesses not being able to segment their markets. Patrick's breezy style makes his recommendations and ideas sound simple perhaps too simple. The title may appeal to the curious and small business owners who have not yet embraced Internet technology, but this is not a necessary purchase.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Bellinda Wise, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, NY

Book Dimension

Height (mm) 235 Width (mm) 161