First section. Goals page: "You're one step closer to achieving the success you desire in life. Now, let's talk a little about how you can make it happen." Okay. "Make a choice - You've already determined you want more out of life, but how much? With your new venture, you can decide what level your involvement should be." This is a meaningles sentence that says little except that you want to be a success. Well duh. The aparrent statement is that you can choose your level of success? Who's going to shoot for little to no success? What use are multiple layers of sucess, if the top level is the only one anyone wants? I'm immedately suspicious of these guys. This appears to be the kind of generalising and fast-talkind doublespeak, without actually saying anything, that con-men are known to use. "Create your own home-based business - Starting a Web-based business can require an army of computer wizards and cost millions of dollars to get started. But, beginning September 1, 1999, you can start your own "e-tailing" business with the computer knowledge you already use at home and/or work." This is absolute crap. Starting a web-based business takes as much money as buying a commercial internet account. (that is, not a geocities, or other "free" account that demands you not start a business there) You've seen how simple HTML is - these guys are deliberately making the task look difficult, if not impossible, to make their services seem more important. I'm even more suspicious. "Capitalize on integrity - Products and services are presented to meet your needs and come with a Customer Satisfaction Guarantee. You'll have access to exclusive products and famous, name-brand merchandise." Oh, look. They want to sell you something. They also use "integrity" as a catch-word, although whose integrity, is not answered. They also don't mention exactly what "name brand products" they want to sell you. It could be Bosco and Crackerjacks. I think my suspicions of this being a con game are confirmed. "Get started - Your choice. Your business. Your dreams come true. Yes... it's that easy. Start planning for your independence day - September 1, 1999." More empty words. This is incredibly stupid, so let's break it down. "Get started." - if you were out looking for a way to start a business, you already have. "Your choice." - fucking duh. "Your business." double fucking duh. "Your dreams come true." - amazingly, this three "your" collection follows exactly, the well known method for leading an audience, by first tossing them two statements they'll mentally say "yes" to, and then a third, baseless statement. By the third one, you'd have fallen into a rythm and tack a "yes' onto the third one almost without realising it. Politicians use this method a lot in speeches, if you watch. It's use here paints these guys in red white and blue as con artists. "Yes..." Oh, look - they even toss a yes in for you. "it's that easy." It's WHAT easy? They haven't actually told you ANYTHING. "Start planning for your independance day" - at this magic date in the futurue, when you are finally able to buy their products, you will become a sucess. yea, right. and then the date. phooey. next section: E-TAILLING "Online sales have grown faster than even the most optimistic analysts could have predicted, and they continue to increase everyday. Take a look at a few facts:" The web makes it easier to sell things, by making it possible for anyone to have a national/worldwide advertising campaign and storefront at low cost. Again, they tell you nothing of value, but word it so it sounds significant. "In 1998, the Web accounted for $4.5 billion in online sales, triple that of 1997. Researchers predict that online shopping will increase almost 800 percent to $35 billion by 2002. 16.8 million Americans have already made purchases online. By the end of 1999 that number is expected to more than double to 36.1 million or 16.6 percent of Americans." and they have a chart. You've read "how to lie with statistics" and "how to lie with charts"... again, this information is also rendered meaningless since all it tells you is that the web is a good place to sell things. Triple fucking duh. "Amazing, yes" Not amazing. Also notice this is phrased as an answer and not a question. Another subtle mind trick. "but what may be even more exciting is that you, too, can reap the rewards of online sales simply by using the skills and time you already have available to you." If you already have the skills, what do you need these bozos and their "name brand products" for? "Once upon a time, you needed a huge investment, to achieve business success. But now, you can be a part of Web retailing, "e-tailing", as easily as any large corporation." Gee, I thought a page ago they just said that running a web based busines would take a major layout of money. I guess attatching their trendy "e-tailling" buzzowrd to the concept somehow makes it more affordable. "With e-tailing, you can create your own virtual business. Best of all, you can do this at your own pace, from the location of your choice and with a wide range of highly desirable products and services." So, what exactly does this mystery "e-tailling" provide, that normal web pages don't? You can get all of that stuff from any web page in the entire world. next section: REWARDS "At last, exactly what you want:" If it was tecnically possible, I'd insert a sound clip of me snickering, here. This is such an empty promise it's almost insulting. "Success on your own terms!" Another empty phrase. "One of the most invigorating elements of this new e-tailing venture is its tremendous flexibility." Flexibility that sounds exactly like that afforded by a twenty-dollar a month website. "For starters, you can reap rewards three different ways:" Here we go... "As a Client - you'll have access to thousands of premium products and services, many of them unique to this site ... one of the most exciting, fun and friendly places to shop on the Web." you success relies upon you buying things from this company? "As a Member - you'll also get a direct line to special offerings and exclusive savings." ...bust first you have to buy a membership? "As an Independent Business Owner - in addition, you'll enjoy unlimited potential for success through online marketing and business-building." ...and you can buy advertising space from us on top of all that, too. "The rewards you deserve! Here are a few examples: Unique money-saving promotions on exclusive products and services" Buy our products. "Outstanding deals on famous-brand merchandise" Buy our products. "Exceptional special offers" Buy our products. "Web-based e-mail" Make us your ISP, too while you're at it. "Personalized Web pages with news, weather, sports and more" Make us your ISP, too while you're at it. "Family-Friendly Internet Service" Make us your ISP, too while you're at it. "Specialized Personal Services" Buy more products from us "Freedom to do more of the things you want" Your freedom shall come only by buying our products, using us as your ISP, and generally gving us your money. You reward is that you can buy more of our products. "- you decide!" I've decided. Any association with these guys is instant death. If you're going to start a company online, you'd do better to spend your time and money on making your own products and services as good as they can be, instead of on wasting money keeping these bozos in business by shelling out cash for theirs. Avoid them like the plague, they're a scam.