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Business to Business Publishing:
How to Manage a Declining Turnover

The Development of the Information Market

Toon Lowette

Founder, Grid Electronic Publishing Consultancy, B

I.                  Waiting and Worrying

Are we in a declining information market?  The most difficult aspect of electronic publishing between 1994 and 1998 was that everyone was waiting for others’ reactions; they were afraid to do anything.  People were not used to non‑paper publishing, new media, or interactive publishing, where there was no clear view of the audience. 

Now, still the most difficult aspect is the waiting: to see who leaves the market after the hype, to see who is unlucky, and who implemented their ideas too early.  Will the economic climate improve?  We have not had the easiest of years.  Will the advertising market pick up?  Will consumers pay for online information?  These are all reasons to wait.  In the meantime, it is business as usual: we reduce costs; we invest, downsize, try to remain the best, convince ourselves that we are the best; and we worry – until the next technology wave. 

We have had so many technology waves and ...The rest of the text is available by entering your password on the previous page (proceedings)