Article: Benefits of being sociable

INSIDE THE INTERNET

MOST of us think of the web as a place where we can extend our bricks-and-mortar business.

Independent News & Media, the owner of the newspaper you are reading, has demonstrated how a core media business can diversify into other spheres of commerce - see www.nicarfinder.co.uk for just one example.

Occasionally, though, a business will come along to prove that there's no need to have a presence in the 'real' world. For example, Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk) still has no High Street shops. Ebay (www.ebay.co.uk) is the same. Ditto Facebook (www.facebook.com) and YouTube (www.youtube.com).

All the above businesses (with the possible exception of Amazon) are designed solely for ...