Desktop

Ten years ago Netscape went public launching the dot com madness.  The Netscape explorer was brilliant in that it was essential. An entire marketplace was growing through the Internet, and consumers needed a way to get to the Internet. Voila- The Internet browser! Of course Netscape led to Microsoft’s ubiquitous Internet Explorer, which is starting to give way to Mozilla’s FireFox. But the next generation of interacting with the Internet will not come from a web browser, but from the desktop.

There are three types of desktop software (defined as software that interacts with the Internet on the User’s desktop): Spyware, Adware, and applications. Since so much ink (and tech time) is spent on Spyware and Adware, let’s focus on desktop applications.

A desktop application can be an extremely useful tool to get information from the Internet, effectively. These can be either “push” or “pull” applications.

An example of a pull application is a weather application. Once a user downloads this type of application, they enter their zip code, and the weather is automatically displayed next to the clock on their windows system. The application automatically checks for new weather, so the updated weather is on the user’s desktop at all times. Without this application, a user must launch their browser, go to a weather site, enter their zip code, and wait for the page to load.

Next there are push applications. My favorite of these is the Wall Street Journal News Alerts. This application sits on a user’s desktop until a breaking news story occurs. Within seconds of a “newsworthy” item appearing, a little box comes up on the desktop saying a news alert is on it’s way, and then a small box loads on the right hand side of the screen with a synopsis of the story. Users can then close the box, or click on the link to be led to the story. It’s an incredibly useful way to stay up to the minute on the news. Before this application a user would need to keep a news site open and constantly scan the page. Again, more efficiency without the browser.

The desktop eliminates a layer between a user and information. What will this do to Internet marketing? Can free applications thrive without being supported by advertising? (I.E. Adware). If a user wants to read the entire article from the Journal’s Alerts, the user must click on the pop to go to the site, which drives site traffic. Currently only paying subscribers of Journal can download the News Alert application. It would be interesting for the Journal to use this as a prospecting tool.

These applications are just a small smattering of the applications and possibilities in the desktop space.  What other applications do you enjoy on your desktop? Send them to [email protected] (I’m always looking for ways to avoid my browser)