THE 3-DNET® E-mail JOURNAL - with circulation in excess of 50,000

Published by The 3-D Network Company In'tl Inc.- Sun, December 19 1999

http://www.3dnet.org and country mirror websites

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============================================================== This issue is brought to you by: Heineken Breweries (The Netherlands)

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VISIT 3-DNET® CYBEREXPO - Accessible via all individual & industry websites

In This Issue:
1. News-3-DNET®:
3-DNET® -Real Estate
3-DNET® -X'mas Special 3-DNET® -Millennium Project
3-DNET® -Vendor Discount Program
3-DNET® -Be an Affiliate
3-DNET® -Networking
3-DNET® -Merchandising
3-DNET® -The Smarter Way to Travel
3-DNET® -The Blue Book of Canadian Business
3-DNET® -Immigration Assistance
3-DNET® -Merchandising - This Week's Special
3-DNET® -Seventy -Six Solid Reasons
3-DNET® -Translation of Websites
3-DNET® -Free Animated Gift of the Week
3-DNET® -Humor
3-DNET® -Picture of the Week

2. Word of Mouth Advertising Works !
3. Europe for Visitors
4. The Most Influential People In World Trade
5. Save Your Energy
6. A Search For Answers Following Failed Trade Talks
7. Marketing as a Second Language
8. Global Website Planner: Taking Global Local
9. Polish Businesses Eager to Utilise Internet
10. European Internet Users to Double

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Thought for the day : " Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars."

-1- N E W S - 3-DNET®

@@@ R E C U R R I N G / ON - G O I N G - A N N O U N C E M E N T S
( Please refer to the E-Mail Journals Webpage)

@@@"3-DNET® - - REAL ESTATE "

3-DNET® can now offer its CLUB and VIP members a 2-4 % discount on realestate transfer fees. We currently cover most of North America and Mexico but shall also be in your community very shortly, wherever you are located. It surely pays to be a 3-DNET® member

Need further information? Then, visit webpage : http://www.3dnet.org/individual/realestate.html

@@@"3-DNET® - - X'MAS SPECIAL "

Want a Surprise ? With immediate effect and during the holiday season we accept your Individual CLUB membership registration for the price of a BASIC membership ($19) . When accompanied with your X'mas gift CLUB membership, for any of your loved ones, we will charge you only an additional $5.- A total saving of $146.- ! and .....we shall "wrap" your X'mas gift via our great on-line X'mas cards.

When registering please choose the regular CLUB option with your comment "X'mas Special" and if applicable supply the email address of the individual to whom you wish to send the original 3-DNET® on-line X'mas gift.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND WE GUARANTEE YOUR PRESENT WILL BE DELIVERED ON TIME !

@@@"3-DNET® - - MILLENNIUM PROJECT "

This January 3-DNET® shall surprise the global Internet community with its Millennium project which will last during the first three months.

In essence:

3-DNET® shall "embrace the globe village" with establishing financially/ organisationally separate entities/subsidiaries. It thereby aims to become a "house-hold name" in most areas around the world.

At this moment we wish to reach three interested persons who are interested to join the Management Team in his or her country/state/province, which shall consist of :

1. Managing Director (MD) - overall responsibility for setting up and executing budget and provide leadership to:
2. General Manager (GM)- Industry
3. General Manager (GM)- Individual

If you are interested please return ( No attachment ) your personal resume and indication which position you like.

Need further information? Then send email millennium@3dnet.org

@@@"3-DNET® - - VENDOR DISCOUNT PROGRAM "

The 3-DNET® Vendor Discount Program is a service for the VIP and CLUB membership, offering you a wide variety of discounts and special offers from participating 3-DNET® vendors. It is complimentory to the Merchandising program.

Not only can you benefit from “excellent” discounts you can also join the “OPT-IN” listing, where the vendor informs you by email about all attractive “deals”. By doing so, you will obtain (after one year ) a FREE 3-DNET® Club membership or US$ 100.- towards your VIP membership.

For further details contact 3-DNET® via: vdp-announce@3dnet.org and visit webpage : http://www.3dnet.org/individual/vendor.html

@@@"3-DNET® - - BE AN AFFILIATE "

Be a 3-DNET® Affiliate

Wanna make money with your Web site? Join 3-DNET®'s Affiliate Program, link to quality content from our Global Websites, and get cash for clicks. Join now and become a Millennium Affiliate, earning $0.03 per qualified click-through until December 31, 1999 and $0.02 starting January 1, 2000. towards your BASIC, CLUB or VIP memberships.

Instructions:

Copy the 3-DNET® logo banner (below) to your Home Page. Click the banner logo with right mouse button. "Save Image As..." or "Save Picture As..." 3dnet5.gif "Place" on your Home Page and other pages. Copy the 3dnet5.gif file to your ISP server and link to http://www.3dnet.org. Contact 3-DNET® via: affiliate@3dnet.org

@@@"3-DNET® - -NETWORKING "

"Networking" in the new millennium will be done very differently...it will be done the 3-DNET®-Networking" way.

Tap into a network of thousands of professionals from around the world. Browse the profiles of people working in hundreds of industries, job functions, and companies of all sizes. Find out how networking can help you get ahead on the job, or just browse.

Browse people by industry
Browse people by function
Browse people by company

Interested in further information, please visit: http://www.3dnet.org/individual/networking.html

@@@"3-DNET® - -MERCHANDISING "

When it comes to purchasing DIVERSE Merchandise on-line NOTHING "beats" 3DNET® in association with NexChange, Affinia, The Book, Music, Video Store and the Garden store. Please access http://www.3dnet.org/individual/imerch.html

Paul Richardson ( USA) states : “ Finaly, I have complete confidence to purchase via the Internet since with my 3-DNET® membership I KNOW my security and quality of goods/services are GUARANTEED “

@@@"3-DNET® - - THE SMARTER WAY TO TRAVEL"

3DNET® TRAVEL can offer its members excellent price/value for all your travel needs. 3DNET® invested in and now has access to SABRE®, the largest, most powerful private computer system in the world, offering you real-time availability and the very lowest prices for flights, hotels and/or cars, as used by most travel agents. 3DNET® has access to 700 airlines, 35,689 hotels and 50 car rental companies worldwide ! We offer full-service specializing in corporate travel management including business travel, Corporate Meeting & Incentive Services and Leisure Travel.

We design individually personalized travel programs to fit each individual and company's needs.

Let us show you ! For further details please fill out the below form or contact us by email: travel@3dnet.org

@@@"3-DNET® - -THE BLUE BOOK FOR CANADIAN BUSINESS"

The 3-D Network Company International Inc. 3-DNET® is proud to offer in association with Canadian Newspaper Services International Limited, The Blue Book of Canadian Business. This EXCLUSIVE resource offers in- depth information about and links to over 2,600 of Canada’s top performing businesses, and is updated on a daily basis. All public company listings contain both a stock symbol and a detailed account of that company’s financial status. As well, the website offers a "Top 100 Stocks" page and a "Top Performing Stocks" page.

Register with 3-DNET® as either a CLUB or VIP member and you SAVE USD 300.- normal retail value subscription fees. Need further information? Then, visit webpage : http://www.3dnet.org/individual/bluebook.html

@@@"3-DNET® - - IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE"

Moving to a new country takes courage and isn't easy. It also creates exciting opportunities and new beginnings. Your first year in any new country will be emotional and full of change. As a result, you may feel anxious or afraid, especially during the first few days and weeks. And NOT to forget all the questions and uncertainty you must have prior to your arrival and with the formal immigration procedures.

We can now assist re :
UK work permits - UK investors visas - USA work permits - USA investors visas USA Green Cards - Canadian Visas - Australian Visas - New Zealand Visas South African visas - Netherlands, Belgian and Italian workpermits.

3-DNET® helps immigrants adapt to their life in a NEW country through a variety of support and services not in the least with the help finding appropriate employment. Need further information ? Visit relevant webpages on http://www.3dnet.org/individual/immi.html

@@@"3-DNET® - - MERCHANDISING - THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL "

Spring Center

Tulip, Single Early Mix (Tulipa cultivars) $1.25/bulb. Sold in lots of 6. Single Early Tulips produce large, single blooms on stout 12 to 18 inch stems. Many have a fine, sweet scent. Their moderate heights make them a good choice for forcing indoors, and they make a dramatic show when planted in early spring beds. Bulb size: 12cm/up. SOLD IN LOTS OF 6

Interested in further information, please visit: http://www.3dnet.org/individual/special.html

@@@"3-DNET® - - SEVENTY-SIX SOLID REASONS"

Find out from the new BENEFITS webpage why we believe there are "at least" seventy-one solid reasons to select the 3-DNET® VIP membership.Take a look, be convinced, request an upgrade, Not yet a VIP member? Request via email: upgrade@3dnet.org

ALL our regular VIP, CLUB & BASIC memberships contain our : ONE-TWO-THREE PERFORMANCE GUARANTEE http://www.3dnet.org/individual/guarantee.html

@@@"3-DNET® - - TRANSLATION - WEBSITES"

We are translating our websites (Individual and Industry) into several languages. Because of this exciting development we still need members who wish to help AND ...... be compensated.

If you are GOOD in translation from English into either Japanese, Dutch, French, Chinese, Greek, Italian, German, Portugese, and Korean and you can be committed please let us know by email: translation@3dnet.org

@@@"3-DNET® - - FREE ANIMATED GIFT OF THE WEEK"

@@@"3-DNET® - - HUMOR"

A honeymooning couple purchased a talking parrot and took it to their room. Much to the groom's annoyance, the bird kept up a running commentary on their lovemaking. Finally, the groom threw a large towel over the cage and threatened to give the parrot to the zoo if he didn't quit.

The next morning while they were packing their bags, the groom motioned to his suitcase and said, "Darling, you get on top and I'll try."

That didn't work, so the bride assumed they needed more weight on the lid. "Sweetheart," she said, "you get on top and I'll try."

Still no success. Then the groom suggested, "Let's both get on top and try."

At that point, the parrot pulled away the towel from his cage with his beak and said, "Zoo or no zoo, this I gotta see!"

@@@"3-DNET® - - PICTURE OF THE WEEK”

-2- " WORD OF MOUTH ADVERTISING WORKS ! "

I operate a very successful shopping cart company with over 6000 merchants worldwide. I tell you this not to boast. A large part of our success is from high word of mouth referrals. We’ve got a very simple-to-use shopping cart system that is very affordable.

Word of mouth advertising is the oldest form of advertising and is by far one of the most effective. However, to make word of mouth advertising work, you’ve got to have a few key ingredients in place.

First and most obviously, you’ve got to have a great product at a price that is reasonable. When a surfer finds a good site and wants to tell her friends about it, she is putting her reputation and credibility on the line. Consequently, a surfer will only recommend sites he truly thinks are worthwhile. To support this, your site or business should excel in one or more of the following criteria: most interesting, highest quality, most affordable, largest variety, uniqueness, best service. This gives your visitors a reason to recommend your site to their friends, for example, "Hey Joe, you should check out this site, they’ve got the best quality and lowest prices for lenses I’ve ever seen".

Secondly, you should build a website that offers your visitors VALUE, and not just to buy your product. Most sites are built around the objective of SELLING their products or services. However, the more successful sites are built with the objective of EDUCATING their visitors, and providing them with valuable resources that educate them on certain aspects relating to the business. For example, if your site sells shoes, you should dedicate a large section of your site to provide great tips and advice on selecting the right shoes for the right person. Or do honest product reviews and make recommendations. This would give your visitors a reason to bookmark your site and recommend it to others if they think it is a resource worth coming back to.

Finally, you’ve got to actively encourage people to refer their friends to you. If you’ve got a site that is worth recommending, don’t be shy: remind your visitors and customers to recommend you to their friends. When they buy from you, include a note to the effect of "Please recommend us to others that may benefit from using our product/service." in the order confirmation. You should also put an autoresponder link on your site that allows your visitors to recommend this site to their friends.

I recently encountered a company that really embraces this concept. They call it "Endorsement Based Marketing." They cleverly leverage this age-old idea by allowing you to set up affiliate programs that ACTIVELY encourage other websites to recommend your site. Assuming you have a site that is worth recommending, sometimes good will word of mouth is not incentive enough. TrafficBrokerage.com enables you to pay other websites to recommend your sites on a CLICK THROUGH basis.

Through TrafficBrokerage.com, you can set up a network where thousands of other websites would recommend your site on theirs. These websites are paid every time a visitor visits your site from their recommendation. TrafficBrokerage.com manages the tracking, the payout and the recruiting of webmasters who would be interested in endorsing your site.

Unlike banner ads, the great thing about Endorsement Based Marketing is that you have little to no risk. You do not have to worry about click through rates or paying for impressions. You only pay for the results you get. Also, websites that recommend your site have to actively work for you. If they generate no traffic, they don’t get paid, and you owe them nothing.

The websites that endorse you win because they can now find advertisers on their sites. Unlike an affiliate program where they are paid ONLY IF the visitor actually buys, they are paid immediately when the visitor clicks through.

This concept makes a lot of sense to me. It has got to be one of the most innovative marketing ideas to come on to the Internet today. Source: George Tran

-3- EUROPE FOR VISITORS "

* HOLLAND HOOKERS AND HOOKAHS
The practical Dutch take sin in stride. This most recent Europe for Visitors article is at:
http://goeurope.about.com/library/weekly/aa991209a.htm

* RAIL PASSES
The popular but expensive Eurailpass may not be your best choice.
http://goeurope.about.com/library/weekly/aa990408.htm

* EUROPE'S TOURIST CAPITALS
Five illustrated city guides (totaling 91 pages) for Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon, Paris, and Rome.
http://goeurope.about.com/library/weekly/bl-capitals.htm>

* TRAVEL IN ITALY
Kyle Phillips, About.com's Italian Cuisine Guide, serves up a menu of travel articles on Tuscany and other regions of Italy.
http://italianfood.about.com/bltrav.htm

-4- THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN WORLD TRADE " "

For better or for worse, directly or obliquely, they influence the lives and opinions of people in the four corners of the globe. A single person can create a wide wake of influence over contemporaries. Some high-profile individuals consciously wield their notoriety; with others, it is a seemingly unavoidable consequence of popularity. Nevertheless, by virtue of their rank, power, or other vehicle of visibility, these personalities influence people's thoughts and actions in global commerce and relations. This is not to say that the net effect is always for the better-only that the effect is felt over a broad swath of society.

Below are the editors' choices for Most Influential People in World Trade. Have we erred through omission or commission? Maybe so, but there were so many heroes and scalawags to choose from, it wasn't easy to choose just a few whose notices could be-to stand the New York Times on its head-'print to fit.'

For the complete article, please see: http://www.worldtrademag.com/story01.html

-5- " SAVE YOUR ENERGY "

Ecommerce is not only fueling the growth of the global economy by placing decision making capacity firmly back in the hands of the consumer but it is also helping to destroy the theory that economic growth is inextricably linked to high energy consumption.

A new report from the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions finds that despite a nine percent growth in the economy during 1997 and 1998, energy consumption dropped more than it has done in 50 years.

A major contributing factor to the decrease in energy consumption is the information economy and the new efficiency afforded by the Internet. Where traditionally global economic growth was synonymous with massive increases in energy consumption, the dawning of the technological era could mean that this association is no longer valid.

Because the Internet uses existing communications infrastructure, it is consuming a minute amount of energy compared to other industry sectors. The report finds that this is set to continue and by the year 2007 the Internet will have contributed to previously inconceivable reductions in the worlds consumption of energy.

The major industries which have been effected and will continue to be effected by the Internet are the construction, manufacturing and transport industries. With regards to the construction industry, the proliferation of virtual stores and the incremental rise in business to business ecommerce has already drastically reduced the need for physical commercial space, warehousing space and retail space.

By 2007, the incremental reduction in demand for construction may mean that estimates for energy consumption for the year 2010 could be overstated to the tune of 175 power plants and 300 million metric tons of Carbon Dioxide.

For the full article please see: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/analysis/weekly_editorial.html

-6- " FAILED TRADE TALKS "

The World Trade Organization negotiations in Seattle collapsed Dec. 3. How come? What will the failure mean to Americans and others working in a globalizing economy? And where next? Trade experts are asking themselves these questions and offering some answers. How come?

Harald Malmgren, a Washington trade consultant who helped negotiate trade deals under four American presidents, says the effort to start a new millennium round of trade talks was premature by two years or so.

'It was not prepared properly, either domestically or internationally,' he says.

For the complete article, please see: http://web.lexis-nexis.com/more/cahners/11373/5289447/9

-7- " MARKETING AS A SECOND LANGUAGE "

One of the defining features of Western civilization is that we're all amateur marketers by default. Regardless of what our mother tongue is, the second language we are most exposed to is invariably hype.

By the time a child is five years old he is probably able to sing more jingles than songs and identify more corporate logos than letters of the alphabet. No wonder, since it can be very difficult to tell where a hamburger or a toy or a movie leaves off, and where a global marketing juggernaut begins.

Consider an average day in your own life. Because the most precious commodity in our marketing-based society is consumer attention, the fast and furious battle for our awareness clobbers us during every waking hour.

Rather than list all the places and ways in which marketers grab our attention, it would be easier to list the places and situations that are free of any marketing message: to wit, none.

You pretty much have to leave society and head off into nature to get away from it all, right? Wrong. The average person dressed and equipped for the great outdoors displays more corporate emblemry than a Nascar racer. If that's not enough, they're probably imprinting the earth with a shoemaker's logo with every step.

The point isn't to decry this arguably greed-warped and spiritually bankrupt situation, but rather to sharpen our own marketing skills from it. For instance, don't be fooled by the name--junk mail is a goldmine of marketing intelligentsia. Collect it. Become a student of it. Ask others to save theirs for you, especially those items that they like and dislike most.

Then, reverse engineer it.

By reverse engineering, I mean try to figure out the reasoning behind every decision. Why this envelope? Why this headline? Why this message to this recipient?

That's the great thing about marketing--there are no secrets. If it works, it's out there getting in all our faces. If it doesn't, you won't see it . . . at least, not twice.

Try to get in the habit of reverse engineering all the marketing messages that hit you throughout the day. Each of those messages cost someone money-- they weren't taking potshots.

That's not to suggest that it's all good. Actually, you can learn as much from bad or inept marketing as from the good stuff, so don't dismiss schlock too quickly.

If marketing is the second language of the Western world, then speaking it fluently is just a matter of developing some good listening skills. As with any language, there's a science behind the art. Master the underlying structure, and all the power-packed headlines and spiffy taglines will follow. Source: Jed McKendrick

-8- " GLOBAL WEBSITE PLANNER: TAKING GLOBAL LOCAL "

Don't feel bad that your website isn't global, yet. Even pioneer FedEx just went Japanese. The key is to think strategically, from the homepage to the final delivery.

In 1988, Robert Sprung glimpsed the future. He saw linguists, lots and lots of linguists. And demand for these linguists would be so high that corporations would pay top dollar for their services.

Anyone who remembers the translations industry a decade ago knows just how optimistic such a vision seemed. At the time, translation and interpretation services tended to be mom and pop operations, conjuring up images of tweed jackets, electric typewriters and long coffee breaks made even longer by lack of work.

For the complete article, please see: http://www.exporttoday.com/archive/dec99/article2.html

-9- " POLISH BUSINESSES EAGER TO UTILISE INTERNET"

According to a new report from AMG:net, almost all medium to large size firms in Poland use email, 88 percent have a website and over three quarters plan to improve their use of the Internet.

Despite this, less than 20 percent of Polish companies use the Internet to buy or sell products or to provide post sales support. According to the report, "Internet Usage in the Polish Workplace", three quarters of those surveyed provide company information but only 37 percent have product catalogues online.

Meanwhile, sixteen percent use the Internet to recruit employees and nine percent have an online retail section. More than half are eager to develop their advertising, marketing, customer support and sales on the Internet. Only 6 percent plan to pay suppliers over the Internet while 12 percent hope to invoice customers online.

AMG:net interviewed over 100 Polish business organisations from various industries including the financial, utilities, retail, transport, manufacturing and media sectors.

For the complete article, please see: http://www.amg.net.pl/indexe.shtml

-10- " EUROPEAN INTERNET USERS TO DOUBLE"

Internet penetration across Europe will almost double by 2003, according to new research from Forrester Research. Thirty-three percent of Europeans, nearly 60 million people, will have access to the Internet by then, compared with the current figure of 19 percent. Almost one third of users will have broadband access. The European love affair with mobile phones will become even more intense, as almost 100 million Europeans are expected to own one by 2003. Almost a third of Internet users will use their mobile phones to access the Internet but mobiles will be the primary means of access for only three percent. The survey showed that Europeans tend to use the Internet in similar ways with users in all countries surveyed citing email, using the Web, using search engines and visiting branded sites as their favourite Internet pursuits. Differences in usage patterns also emerged. Germans are twice as likely to buy books online as Dutch people, Swedes are half as likely to buy airline tickets as British people and the French are comparatively unlikely to buy anything at all online. The dramatic growth in Internet penetration will also boost European PC ownership. Almost half of European households will own a PC by 2003 and PC penetration in Sweden will reach a massive 72 percent of homes. For the Forrester Technographics Europe report, "Europe's Digital Decade", 17,000 Internet users were interviewed in Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. http://www.forrester.com/ER/Press/Release/0,1769,190,FF.html

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3-DNET JOURNAL is published by:
The 3-D Network Company International Inc.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FREEDOM FROM INFRINGEMENT.

The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. This document may be NOT copied or distributed. A reward will be paid for information leading to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of any person who violates international copyright laws. Story Copyright c 1998 The 3-D Network Company Int'l Inc. All rights reserved.

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VISION STATEMENT

"Unquestioned superiority in customer satisfaction achieved by focusing human energy on learning, collaboration, development and growth. "

Networking is a requirement for Business and Individual alike.
The ONLY security these days is how wide your network is and how shrewdly you market yourself.
3-DNET® can assist you!

Copyright 1996 The 3-D Network Company, Ottawa, ON, CANADA
3-DNET® is a registered trademark of The 3-D Network Company International Inc.