((((((((((((((((( WEBREFERENCE UPDATE NEWSLETTER ))))))))))))))))) November 16, 2000
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This newsletter sponsored by: NetMechanic, eWork Exchange, Informative Graphics and Building Dynamic Websites __________________________________________________________________
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http://www.webreference.com *- link to us today http://www.webreference.com/new/ *- newsletter home http://www.webreference.com/new/submit.html *- submit article
New this week on WebReference.com and the Web:
1. TWO GREAT CONTESTS: Signup & Win, Submit & Win! 2. FEATURED ARTICLE: Yours for the Taking: Protecting Your Idea 3. NET NEWS: * Dot-Com Shutdowns Are Accelerating * W3C Gives Thumbs-Up to DOM Level 2 * MSN Criticized For Open Spam Relays * Netscape Finally Launches Netscape 6 Browser
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. TWO GREAT CONTESTS: Signup & Win, Submit & Win!
>Signup & Win!
Sign up for the Webreference Update newsletter, and you could win a killer software bundle from BoxTop Software and Insider Software including ProJPEG, SuperGIF, and SpaceAgent. Each week we'll draw new winners from our new subscribers - you could be next. Already a subscriber? Not a problem - just fill out the form, and you'll be automatically entered to win. Tell your friends!
http://www.webreference.com/new/contest.html
Luck winners this week are Steve Hedrick of Newark, DE, Claire Imel of Fair Oaks, CA, Denise Coles of Houston, TX, and Diana Sanchez of Spring, Texas. Congrats and enjoy the software!
>Submit & Win Macromedia Flash 5 FreeHand 9 Studio!
Our Photoshop 6 contest has come to an end, but don't worry! We still have more great software for all of the future authors out there. Submit your article today and you could win Macromedia's powerful new Web design package, Flash 5 FreeHand 9 Studio. If your article makes the cut, and we publish it in this newsletter, you win! See the submission page for details:
http://www.webreference.com/new/submit.html
This week, our last PhotoShop 6 winner Melody McKinnon tells us a common e-commerce nightmare. Just because you thought up a great idea, doesn't mean you'll be the one cashing in on it. Learn what to do to protect yourself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. FEATURED ARTICLE: Yours for the Taking: Protecting Your Idea
[ * The XCorp name has been changed.]
"... XCorp*. has launched a useful Web Site for British Columbians. Now finding the lowest gas prices is as simple as clicking a mouse ..."
The radio announcer continued to sing the praises of this innovative idea, while I sat in shock. It was me who had contacted the gas companies with this idea, and they hadn't shown any interest. Then a bitter realization shook me....
XCorp had been on my e-mail list.
It is almost impossible to surf the Net, especially as an Internet professional, and not get hit with "Great Ideas." You're just going about your business, and there it is - a niche, an unexplored opportunity that begs you to develop it. Your mind whirls with thoughts of domain names, Web designers, programmers, and investors. You start talking to people, sending e-mails....
STOP! You've just put your idea onto a serving platter, and gleefully sang "help yourself." Lets rewind the tape. You have a fantastic idea, then you:
1. Call your Lawyer. Ideas or "trade secrets" fall under the "intellectual property", laws, and they can't protect you if you do not have the proper documentation. If you can't afford an attorney, start educating yourself here:
World Intellectual Property Org. http://www.wipo.org/
2. Go ahead and obtain your estimates for Web development, but BE VAGUE. I have had potential clients give me full details of their new business. The first thing I do is warn them. All anyone needs to know at this point, is an outline of your basic needs. Once you have made your choice, get their confidentiality policies in writing, and have them sign a non-disclosure agreement.
An example of a non-disclosure agreement can be found here: http://www.bitlaw.com/forms/nda.html
However, non-disclosure agreements come in many forms, and it is important to use the right one. Taking that into consideration, and the fact that the laws regarding the Internet are constantly changing, a lawyer specializing in e-commerce is a good investment.
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3. Potential investors need things like detailed business plans, there's no getting around that. They don't like signing non- disclosure agreements, because they are quite often looking for a specific type of business to invest in. The next business proposal they look at could be much like yours, only more to their liking. This could leave them wide-open for a lawsuit. You can still protect yourself by:
- Carefully documenting each meeting. - Only dealing with well-known, and/or highly recommended companies. - Using an old method of informal copyrighting. Once your detailed business plan is written, send it by registered mail to yourself. Do not open it when it is delivered. This gives you a document dated by a Government organization.
4. Large companies are not automatically trustworthy. Whether you're contacting them as part of a feasibility study, as potential investors, or mentors, be careful. Keep in mind that your e-mail, for example, could be seen by the secretary, the webmaster, technical support, or any number of other people, before reaching management ... if it ever does.
Never assume, like I did, that a huge, successful company wouldn't bother stealing your idea. If it has enough dollar signs attached to it, they have no qualms claiming it as their own.
5. Don't tell your Mother. Of course you're dying to tell someone, and surely it wouldn't hurt to tell your best friend? He's never even been online, and you trust him. That doesn't mean he won't "slip" and tell someone else though. Short-lived paranoia can be a good thing. People stopped laughing at those who hid money in their mattresses once the depression hit.
6. Run for your life! Get your idea in motion and established ASAP. Then you can tell the world. In fact, you should, it's called marketing, but that's another article.
Above all, don't let amateur insecurity get in the way. Plain old stay-at-home Mom's DO get ideas worth stealing. I hear XCorp is doing very well with mine.
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Sharing information with everyone in your company is easy with the Web these days, right? Not always. As the company webmaster, do you have time to convert everything to HTML, format it, and update it the instant changes are made? If not, check out Net-It™ Central from Informative Graphics® to Web publish all the documents your people need easily, quickly and reliably and make them available instantly. Click here to find out more and try a free download. http://www.net-it.com/wr.htm
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About the author:
Melody McKinnon has been writing ever since they first put a pencil in her hand. As an Internet Specialist, she owns and operates Melody Creations, http://www.melodycreations.com , and Work At Home Netpreneur Resources, http://members.linkopp.com/biz/workathome , for which she also writes an ezine. Co-editing A1 Freebies Online and writing when the urge strikes, rounds out another day on the Internet. You can reach Melody at net-work@home.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. NET NEWS: Study: Dot-Com Shutdowns Are Accelerating, W3C Gives Thumbs-Up to DOM Level 2, MSN Criticized For Open Spam Relays, Netscape Finally Launches Netscape 6 Browser
>Study: Dot-Com Shutdowns Are Accelerating
It is no secret that the e-commerce arena has a virtual cloud over its head. The situation has darkened in recent weeks. Since October, the industry has seen the demise of 45 online operations, including such operations as pets.com, mothernature.com, furniture.com and garden.com. http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article/0,,4_513371,00.html InternetNews.com, 001116
>W3C Gives Thumbs-Up to DOM Level 2
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Monday laid down the law on Application Programming Interfaces (API) for manipulating documents and data through programming languages. http://www.internetnews.com/wd-news/article/0,,10_511011,00.html InternetNews.com, 001114
>MSN Criticized For Open Spam Relays
Responding to complaints that the Microsoft Network is allowing spammers to relay junk e-mail through MSN servers, the Mail Abuse Prevention System has added several MSN systems to its notorious anti-spam blacklist. http://www.internetnews.com/wd-news/article/0,,10_512791,00.html InternetNews.com, 001115
>Netscape Finally Launches Netscape 6 Browser
The long-anticipated Netscape 6 browser is now available. The buzz about this release, which had been pushed back several times over the past two years, is that it is based on an open source model in the small but powerful Gecko engine - anyone can access its code. http://www.internetnews.com/wd-news/article/0,,10_511081,00.html InternetNews.com, 001114
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That's it for this week, see you next time.
Andrew King Managing Editor, WebReference.com mailto:update@webreference.com
Catherine Levy Assistant Editor, WebReference.com mailto:clevy@internet.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For information about advertising in this newsletter, contact Frank Fazio, Director of Inside Sales, Jupitermedia Corp. Call (203)662-2997 or write mailto:ffazio@internet.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For details on becoming a internet.com Commerce Partner, contact, David Arganbright, Vice President, Commerce and Licensing, (203)662-2858
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