considering your options

Figuring out how to make money is like deciding what to do with your life. It's an overwhelmingly broad question until you find a system for making choices.

If you run an existing business or organization, the smartest way to approach the money question is to begin with your current customers (or members, or readers however you define them) and what they need from you.

Ask yourself:

• What do your customers need from you? Will they be willing to pay you for any of these services? If so, think about subscriptions & fees, p. 71.

• What would your customers buy from you? Is there anything you could sell that they would want to buy? If so, consider product sales, p. 70.

• What do your customers need from each other? Are there ways you can help them connect with each other? Would they be willing to pay for this service? If so, think about a match-making service (not just for dating, but also for jobs or products), p. 71.

• What do other people need from your customers? Are there other people or companies who want to reach your audience? If so, think about advertising, p. 71.

Now, if you don't have an existing business if you're just dreaming up your next venture you should also, of course, begin with someone's needs. Ask yourself: How can you harness the power of the Internet to make something easier, faster, or better?

eBay, for example, took classified advertising and made it work on a vast grassroots scale. You, however, should start smaller. Think of a specific problem for a smaller group of people, and solve it.

"I still beat my tail against a log, but now it's digital."

"The bigger your site is, the harder it is to get attention," said Josh Quittner, editor of the magazine Business 2.0. "But if you have a really wonderful, small, beautifully designed, simple-to-navigate, obvious site that provides real value to whoever you identify as your market, people will find it, and sooner or later it will take off."