Although e-commerce is playing a bigger role, doing business via the Internet should not be mistaken for having an “Internet business.”

The Internet is a potent medium to reach others but it is not a stable business model in and of itself. If you aren’t operating offline too, you risk having no business.

An overstatement? Not really.

At one time, television infomercials were outlawed…and it destroyed enterprises that solely relied upon it to sell their goods and services.

The likelihood that the U.S. government would try that with the Internet is minimal…but it isn’t the biggest threat.

Yesterday, computer hackers took out at least 3 of the 13 root servers that serve as the Internet’s backbone. If they had succeeded in taking down the ‘Net, how much money would you have made yesterday?

Big online companies, such as eBay and Amazon.com, are diversifying into offline marketing. Solo Internet marketing gurus are doing the same.

Don’t put all of your eggs in the Internet basket. Those who are hacking it (including part of the Chinese army) could care less about the rule of law and you won’t be able to collect damages from them in a civil suit for lost business.

About the Author

With an advanced international law degree from Georgetown University and more than 14 years of real world legal experience, Attorney Mike Young shows entrepreneurs how to protect and grow their businesses online. He's the author of "Internet Marketing Legal Secrets Revealed," "How to Create Your Own Internet Business Without a Lawyer for Under $175," and the creator of Website Legal Forms Generator^TM. Not just a lawyer who focuses exclusively on Internet and marketing law, Mike’s been working with computers for more than 27 years (his first computer was an Atari 400 with 8 KiB RAM) and started representing Internet businesses back in 1996.