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As an independent journalist, Bob MacKenzie writes articles for a number of print and internet
publications. The local and national scope of his monthly articles for the Kingston Business
Journal make them of interest to readers not just in Kingston but across North America. These
articles are reprinted here for your information. All material included in these pages is copyright
© Bob MacKenzie and Kingston Business Journal, 1998. No reproduction for any reason is
allowed without prior permission in writing from the author.
The article below was published in the April 1, 1998 edition of Kingston Business Journal.
Kingston and the Internet
For those who are not using the internet and the world wide web themselves, it may not be readily apparent how many Kingston businesses are going on-line. Increasingly, as business owners recognize the opportunities, e-mail and internet addresses are seen in newspaper and television advertisements, on truck signs, and on business cards and flyers.
Adam Reczek of Interactive Connections points out that, "There are two types of internet businesses: service providers [who provide dial-up internet access], and presence providers who own services and have access but do not offer dial-up. They provide web hosting and site building."
In Kingston, there are two local internet service providers, Internet Kingston and Kingston Online Services, plus an increasing number of branch offices for providers located in Toronto and other cities. As well, there are several presence providers, such as Reczek's Interactive Connections, and a burgeoning number of web-site designers.
According to Chris Phillips of Canlink Interactive Technologies,
"[Doing business on the internet] is not a trend and it is not a fad. It is here to stay.
"It's already mainstream now," says Phillips. "If you watch television now — say from 7 to 10 at night — and write down every time you see a web site mentioned, you'll see it on almost every commercial. The news programs, the big networks, they all have web sites listed.
"Considering the size of Kingston," Phillips adds, "there is a lot of information on the internet. We're not exactly the high tech Mecca of Ottawa, but everyone from home based businesses to large enterprises wants to know about the internet and what it can do for them."
"More and more, people need [internet capability] for communication," says Meredith Simpson of Kingston Online Services. "It is quicker and easier to transfer files and documents. E-mail is more efficient. You can answer five or six e-mail inquiries about your company in much less time than you can by telephone. It's a lot more efficient."
Simpson has been in a unique position to observe the growth of internet use in Kingston, both by individuals and by business. "We started in 1993 providing access to the internet," she points out. "We were the first local provider. Before that not many businesses were using the internet because there was no outlet in Kingston.
"1995 saw growth," according to Simpson. There has been a 200 percent or more increase since then in business usage."
Over at Internet Kingston, Margaret Row has observed not only growth but stability in internet usage.
"In most cities, the customer retention rate in this business tends to be around 60 percent," says Row. "Kingston is different. At Internet Kingston, we are retaining customers at a rate of 90 percent plus. In fact, I have gone back to day one, when we opened, and since then we have averaged about 82 percent retention. And that's taking into account that we have many students and military customers who are only with us for a while."
Even though there is an increasing business presence on the internet in Kingston, Row says, "There is a need to educate small and medium size businesses about the advantages of the internet. They can reach a world wide market at very little additional cost."
Local entrepreneurs who have gone on-line agree. Although his business has only had a web page since October of 1997, Howard Johnson Hotel owner Bill Allinson is enthusiastic about the results to date.
"We have had tremendous success with attracting new business to
our location," says Allinson. "We have attracted a variety of new business in all sectors; Group Tour, Corporate and Leisure. Our Hits have come from; England, Germany, all four corners of the U.S., and Canada."
Allinson says that he would, "highly recommend that any business that has the potential to attract new business should have a web site and E-mail capability. The Internet is not only the newest way to do business, but also the best."
Greg Kemp owner of "U-CATCH-EM" Fishing Charters, who went on- line in May of 1997, "started to do business on the internet to take advantage of the increasing numbers of people using this method of direct communication to locate travel information, holiday destinations and goods and services. Also to increase exposure for our business on a world wide level."
Like Allinson, Kemp is quick to recommend the internet for business.
"We have started to enjoy some success with this venture," says Kemp. "We are relatively new to the internet, but we recognize the vast potential of this form of direct communication. We have found it to be an inexpensive method to advertise, increase exposure on the world market and gain a competitive edge."
Kemp has also noticed a ripple effect. He says, "I have found that there has been an increased interest in the Kingston Area due to our use of ... the internet. Most people who inquire about our services are from outside of our immediate area ... and include inquiries from other countries outside of Canada and the United States. In addition to inquiries about our services, they also request further information about Kingston Area activities, attractions, accommodations, general sites of interest and business opportunities. That is the main reason we included other links of interest in the Kingston Area on our Web site."
Jeff de Ruiter, of Pam's Flower Garden, who went on-line with a full web site in April of 1996, takes a more local approach to using the internet.
"We just concentrate on Kingston," says de Ruiter. "We really service as many people as we can. We have a lot of local people using [the site] as well as people from out of town who may have friends and relatives locally. This way they can have a visual feel for it — for the flowers they are sending. We have over 80 selections on the net, so there is lots to choose from.
How immediate can results be for the business that establishes an internet presence? Terry Demers of J. J. Express went on-line in early March of this year and has already noted positive results.
Demers says, "We started on the internet because we do business with a lot of out of town companies and it was the best way to do business. I would recommend the internet to others, as we already have had a good response to our web site and lots of calls and e-mail action. The internet has been a great supply of potential customers which we may have a chance to do business with. The best thing about the internet: it allows both the sender and receiver to do their business at the most convenient time."
As with any business venture, however, it is wise to do some research before venturing onto the internet. Jeff de Ruiter emphasizes, "I wouldn't recommend going on the internet until you have done your homework first. You should do a tremendous amount of research before you go on-line."
"There's a lot of misunderstanding of the internet among local business people," agrees Adam Reczek, "especially those not in the communication business. There are misconceptions of what the internet is, how it works, how they can make money out of it."
He adds, however, that, "The situation now is more clear for business people. Some try to figure out how the internet can work for them before they jump into it. They are more cautious."
"There are a lot of opportunities to be had," agrees Chris Phillips, "so long as you know yourself what your business is, then the web is a great tool to help you."
According to Meredith Simpson, "By the year 2000, if you are not on the net you will not be doing business. It's the idea of bringing the global market to someone who may not even have a storefront. So their web page and their e-mail become their storefront and they can do business anywhere.
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Last Updated March 30, 1998 by Bob MacKenzie