BKOLMRRS.RVW   960624
 
"Online Market Research", John F. Lescher, 1995, 0-201-48929-5, U$19.95/C$27.00
%A   John F. Lescher jfl@vivamus.com
%C   1 Jacob Way, Reading, MA   01867-9984
%D   1995
%G   0-201-48929-5
%I   Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
%O   U$19.95/C$27.00 800-822-6339 Fax: 617-944-7273 bkexpress@aw.com
%P   269
%T   "Online Market Research"
 
Here is some market research for you.  The latest business trend is to write a
book about doing some type of business, or some business function, on the
Internet.  The competition is fierce, with everyone and his dog putting
something into the channel.  The demographics (dogs aside) tend to fall into
one of two camps: business consultants and hack writers.  The products are
almost uniformly terrible.  (See "Free Business Stuff From the Internet"
[BKFRBUST.RVW], "How to Grow Your Business on the Internet" [BKHTGYBI.RVW], and
"World Wide Web Marketing" [BKWWWMRK.RVW] for some singular exceptions.)
 
Lescher's work, of course, is not confined to the Internet.  In fact, aside
from three chapters it concentrates on the commercial online databases.  (It
does not, in fact, mention the Internet's major value: that of access to
potential customers and primary research.)  However, there is surprisingly
little information about the actual task of research.  The major database firms
are mentioned, and there is some description of the material available, but
little after that.  The "case studies" of research tend to suggest you do some,
rather than giving any pointers as to how you might.  An explanation of boolean
logic for queries takes up a whole four pages, more than a page of which is
occupied by three simplistic diagrams.  Tables of query terms provide limited
information on a whole two services.
 
For any technical writers out there, some market research for free: there is a
hole in the literature dealing with online business.
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996   BKOLMRRS.RVW   960624

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