As a fiction writer, though, I quickly became addicted to doing all of my research online without having to drive to the public library and dig up dusty books. At the same time, I became fascinated with the sheer amount of information available on the Internet on any subject, if one is willing to look for it.

When my "fascination" soon developed into quite a bookmark system, I decided to put my growing experience to work for me and began writing articles about the Internet. I looked at this as a hobby, since my true "work" was my fiction. I started out by writing articles for my local newspaper, then posting those articles after publication on a couple of Internet lists.

As my name became established online, I started getting requests from different publications asking if I'd write for them. In rapid time, this hobby snowballed and kicked the fiction temporarily out the door, which is where I'm standing today.

Now, however, I spend more time marketing my articles. I've put up a website to advertise my services, and I've spent hours and hours researching what works and what doesn't. I constantly surf the Web searching for potential markets, and it's paid off. My articles now appear in six different newspapers as well as in numerous newsletters, magazines, and ezines.

What about you? Have you considered trying to market goods or services over the Internet? We see new online businesses pop up every day, but how did they get started, and to what do they owe their success, or even failure?

Many online businesses fail because they aren't willing to market their services or products, or to promote their website. They don't worry about keeping their site up to date and interesting, and they don't devote the time and effort it takes to have a top-notch online business.

The beauty of the Internet though, is that with careful planning, small or home-based businesses have the ability to reach thousands at little cost, something they would never have been able to afford to do with any other media.

Let's look at some websites that will help you market your products or services over the Net.

BizWeb2000 is your "online marketing resource center." The site offers free online marketing help in areas such as publicity resources, newsgroup marketing, bulk e-mail, and autoresponders. Sign up to receive the BizWeb Gazette, a free e-mail newsletter filled with marketing tips and feature articles.

The International Small Business Consortium offers tips on How to Market Successfully on the WWW/Internet. The site discusses some of the common problems with marketing on the Net, as well as hints on succeeding.

You can also join a mailing list on advertising strategies by sending an e-mail to: bus@isbc.com with "SUBSCRIBE ISBC SCUTTLEBUTT" or "INFO" in the subject line.

The Idea Site for Business provides useful ideas in areas such as how to advertise by e-mail, how to set up the perfect classified ad, how to set up your business Website, and more.

The site features over 103 marketing ideas, such as using e-mail testimonials on your Website or accessing Educase, a free web-based case studies program where small business owners present their problems to a panel of experts for advice. Complete their survey and receive a marketing idea by e-mail every day.

The Edward Lowe Foundation offers articles geared toward marketing products or services over the Internet. One of these articles is entitled, "Six Businesses Ideal for Internet Marketing."

Another article featured at the Edward Lowe Foundation is entitled, "Flame-Free Online Marketing" . The article highlights how to place your ads and publicity-generated file postings on Usenet Newsgroups without getting flamed.

To do business on the Net, you need accurate data about Internet users and subscribers. Online Marketing Research, sponsored by O'Reilly & Associates, presents you with reliable statistics from their survey of Internet and online service users.

At this site, you'll find analyzed results that provide demographic information about users and their reasons for using the Net, Web, or other online services. Some of the information is posted on the Web, while the rest can be purchased at the site.

Bulk and Direct E-mail Services offers first-class bulk e-mail advertising to a subscribed list, *not* unsolicited spamming. The company offers affordable ads, either private or in a listing with other ads, which are then sent to their subscriber base of approximately 645,000 e-mail addresses.

Website Help:

Remember that if your Website is to succeed, it *must* solve your customer's problems or provide a service.

If you need help with your Website, visit Professor Pete's Page on how to create a business Internet presence the smart way. You'll find tips and tricks used in creating an effective site and listings of what not to do. The site features three lessons or tutorials with step by step instructions.

How to Publicize a Website by Richard Seltzer offers detailed promotional hints on helping your Website to succeed. You'll learn tricks for listing your site on search engines, newsgroups, lists, and much more.

Another popular way of advertising a Website is through banner exchange. Link Trader offers a free banner exchange program where you display another Website's banner on your site. For every ten impressions you display, you will receive seven credits to display your own banner on other sites. A site that offers an online tutorial for developing and advertising a Website is Help Links and Tips for Newbies. Be sure to click on WebPage for more hints and assistance in developing a Website. Read an article on Evaluating Cyber Advertising Effectiveness by creating a "bridge" page. The article describes a system which will readily signal how much traffic is generated by each specific banner, link, or newgroup posting.