This isn't another Fox TV special, nor am I asking for another thread about how young hosts underprice the market or foul things up for webmasters.(It's not just the kids of course).

I am asking for opinions as to what you think will happen when these kids get into their 20's. What will be the effect on the webhosting market?

The two extremes I see:1) they will drift into webhosting again, at slightly higher pricing but with much better business skills, or
2)they may tire of the internet, perhaps giving us a reduced generation of adults wanting websites.

What do you think>

Originally posted by Gordo
. . . . . . .
What do you think> I think this has been talked to death around here.

We know what those of legal age think. We know what teenagers think. How much more can we know?

SWR is right. Even though I know what you mean to discuss, this will turn into a debate on maturity that will ultimately display none. How about instead we speculate on what will be the next underage money making venture?
Years ago, kids who were to young to legally work, would get a newspaper deliver paper route.
Now it seems these brats go online and try to make a buck.
Once most people have PC's, there will be more competition, so what will be the brats next options for their spending money?
hmmmmmmm

See???


It's happening already. :D



And . . .




:stickout:

Originally posted by ATST
Years ago, kids who were to young to legally work, would get a newspaper deliver paper route.
Now it seems these brats go online and try to make a buck.


I'd say the problem here is not so much with the kids as it is with the web hosting industry. People, underage or not, look for employment which matches their skills; people who have yet to finish high school tend not to have vast skills to rely upon.

The reason we saw so many kids getting into the web hosting business is that it is a business which doesn't need a great deal of skills or knowledge. Of course, to do things *properly* you need to know what you're doing; but any idiot can start running a web hosting company, and their ignorance will only show itself several months down the line.

What we need is a more hostile environment, so that servers which aren't set up properly will become apparent more quickly; and I think we're heading in that direction, with the increasing spread of worms. Call me a cynic, but I cheer every time I hear about a server being rooted -- to me, that's just an incompetant administrator one step closer to leaving the industry.

Originally posted by Gordo


I am asking for opinions as to what you think will happen when these kids get into their 20's. What will be the effect on the webhosting market?

The two extremes I see:1) they will drift into webhosting again, at slightly higher pricing but with much better business skills, or
2)they may tire of the internet, perhaps giving us a reduced generation of adults wanting websites.

What do you think>

Well my thoughts are that it will not make much of a difference once these teens reach their 20's. There will always be new teens to take their place. So, I don't foresee the industry changing too much.

Actually I tend to agree with Binx. After three years of hosting I can't say things have changed a whole lot. Prices are down a bit across the industry, but that's about it. While Rackshack and their ilk have produced a great deal of teenage hosts with cheap servers anyone can afford, I don't think the percentages have risen too much.

Greg Moore

Originally posted by Gordo

2)they may tire of the internet, perhaps giving us a reduced generation of adults wanting websites.

What do you think>

Hopefully this happens, less website, less ad space for sales, demand stays the same or increases, supply decreases, therefore ad prices go up.