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From Scott Walker, Vice President and Executive Producer:
You may have heard of Amazon.com, of their recent rather successful IPO (by way of which they allowed a bunch of investors to plunk $50+ million into their future), and of Barnes & Noble's recent and much-delayed Web site launch. You may also have heard of how B&N did their utmost to undermine Amazon's IPO attempt by suing them on the eve of their big Wall Street debut. This battle makes for good Web/TV/newspaper viewing, to be sure.
But isn't it nicely ironic how books (that medium-soon-to-be-replaced which is one of those I'm-sick-of-it memes) are one of the ways that the Web and the 'Net are most successful?
Amazon has been great; Barnes & Noble no doubt will be, too. Amazon, for those of us who live an hour or so from the nearest decent bookstore, is an absolute godsend. Go online, search for and find a book on Amazon's site, order. They remember my credit card numbers so I don't have to remember where I last saw my wallet. They send e-mail to acknowledge my order, to tell me when to expect it (usually I receive orders in a couple of days). They send more e-mail if the order will be even slightly delayed.
Online discussions/conferences about books and writers have always been among the most successful examples of how online communities work. The Well's books conference tackles the old and the new, meta-issues and mega ones. The Well's writing discussions are the most amazing example of how people can help, support, commiserate, and celebrate with each other. Look for Tripod to get a bit more active in this area, as our own conferencing system, Trialogue, becomes a centerpiece of the Tripod clubhouse.
Keep on bookin',
Scott (5/30/97)
Read more "Letters from Tripod" in the archive.
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