July 1995 - Jeffrey Bezos launched Amazon.com, first online bookstore; began shop from home revolution.

September 1995 - Pierre Omidyar, developer services engineer for General Magic (mobile communication platform company),  launched online service called Auction Web as sole proprietorship in his San Jose living room as online venue for direct person-to-person auction of collectible items; correspondents began to register trade goods of enormous variety; 1997 - name changed to eBay; hosted nearly 800,000 auctions a day; 1998 - went public; more than million registered users; recruited Hasbro executive Margaret Whitman to serve as CEO.

May 1999 - Northeastern University student Shawn Fanning created Napster peer-to-peer MP3 file-sharing system; attracted 85 million registered users who were trading as many as 3 billion songs a month; February 12, 2001 - A federal appeals court ruled the Internet service Napster had to prevent users from swapping copyrighted music without charge.

(Amazon), Rebecca Saunders (1999). Business the Amazon.com Way: Secrets of the World's Most Astonishing Web Business. (Oxford: Capstone, 288 p.). Web Sites - History, Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos. 

Jeff Bezos (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Jeff_Bezos_2005.jpg)

(Amazon), Robert Spector (2000). Amazon.com: Get Big Fast. (New York, NY: HarperBusiness, 263 p.). Amazon.com--History; Internet bookstores--United States--History--20th century; Electronic commerce--United States--History--20th century. Relentless, profitless expansion.

(Amazon), Mike Daisey (2002). 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com. (New York, NY: Free Press, 222 p.). Daisey, Mike, 1973- ; Amazon.com (Firm)--History; Amazon.com (Firm)--Biography; Internet bookstores--United States--History--20th century; Electronic commerce--United States--History--20th century.

(Amazon), James Marcus (2004). Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot.com Juggernaut. (New York, NY: New Press, 224 p.). Amazon employee #55, one of Amazon's first editors. Marcus, James; Amazon.com (Firm)--History; Internet bookstores--United States--History; Electronic commerce--United States--History. 

(Boo.com), Kajsa Leander, Ernst Malmsten and Erik Portanger (2001). Boo Hoo: A Dot-com Story from Conception to Catastrophe. (London, UK: Random House Business, 224 p.). Boo.com; Electronic commerce; Business failures.

(CDnow), Jason Olim with Matthew Olim and Peter Kent (1998). The CDnow Story: Rags to Riches on the Internet. (Lakewood, CO: Top Floor Pub., 236 p.). CDnow (Firm)--History; Sound recordings--Marketing; Music trade--United States; Business enterprises--Computer networks.

(Craigslist.com), Kyle MacDonald (2007). One Red Paperclip: Or How an Ordinary Man Achieved His Dreams with the Help of a Simple Office Supply. (New York, NY: Three Rivers Press, 320 p.). MacDonald, Kyle, 1979- ; Craigslist.com (Firm); Barter; Exchange; Electronic commerce. July 2005 - Author swapped a red paperclip for a house in year-long series of 14 "up-trades" on the internet.

(e-Bay), David Bunnell with Richard A. Luecke (2000). The e-Bay Phenomenon: Business Secrets Behind the World's Hottest Internet Company. (New York, NY: Wiley, 210 p.). Internet auctions.

Pierre Omidyar -  founder, eBay  (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/images/who_omidyar_image.jpg)

(e-Bay), Adam Cohen (2002). The Perfect Store: Inside eBay. (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 332 p.). Internet auctions.

(e-Bay), Kenneth Walton (2006). Fake: Forgery, Lies and eBay. (New York, NY: Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 304 p.). Walton, Ken, 1967- ; Fetterman, Ken; Internet fraud--United States--Case studies; Arts--Forgeries--United States--Case studies; Internet auctions--Corrupt practices--United States--Case studies. Power of greed - scandal that forever changed the way eBay does business. 

(e-Bay), Elen Lewis (2007). Great Brand Stories: eBay: The Story of a Brand That Taught Millions of People to Trust One Another. (London, UK: Cyan Communications, 192 p.). Internet auctions. Online community of strangers (168 million registered users in 33 countries), trust they exude when exchanging goods, money.

(e-Bay), Ken Steiglitz (2007). Snipers, Shills & Sharks: eBay and Human Behavior. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 298 p.). Professor of Computer Science (Princeton University). Internet auctions; Game theory. eBay through lens of auction theory; how human behaviors in open markets like eBay can be substantially more complex than those predicted by standard economic theory.

(eBay), Meg Whitman; with Joan O’C. Hamilton (2010). The Power of Many: Values for Success in Business and in Life.  (New York, NY, Crown, 288 p.). Former President and CEO of eBay. Success in business; Success. 1998 - Took over 30-strong company, revenues less than $5m; 2008 - revenues of almost $8bn, 15,000 employees; ten core values that steered her to success without ethical compromise.

(EToys.com), Adam Wishart and Regula Bochsler (2003). Leaving Reality Behind: Etoy vs. eToys.com & Other Battles To Control Cyberspace. (New York, NY: Ecco, 324 p.). EToys.com (Firm)--Trials, litigation, etc.; Etoy.Corporation--Trials, litigation, etc.; Internet domain names--Law and legislation; Internet--History. 

(Hermès Birkin), Michael Tonello (2008). Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag. (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 272 p.). Tonello, Michael; eBay (Firm); Internet auctions; Selling--Handbags; Businesspeople--Biography. Semi-bored Massachusetts-based hairstylist, temporary gig in Barcelona, vanished job assignment, no work visa, Hermès scarf sold on eBay to generate quick cash; figured out secret to getting Hermès to part with Birkin bags; sold $ millions of bags, become one of eBay's most successful entrepreneurs.

(HomePortfolio.com), Tom Ashbrook (2000). The Leap: A Memoir of Love and Madness in the Internet Gold Rush. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 295 p.). Reporter (Boston Globe). Ashbrook, Tom; Internet industry--United States; New business enterprises--United States; Businessmen--United States--Biography. 

(iVillage), Candice Carpenter (2000). Chapters: Creating a Life of Exhilaration and Accomplishment in the Face of Change. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Co-founder, iVillage.com. Success--Psychological aspects; Change (Psychology). Self-help book.

Candice Carpenter - iVillage (http://www.journaldunet.com/images/it_carpenter.gif)

(Napster), John Alderman; foreword by Evan I. Schwartz; preface by Herbie Hancock (2001). Sonic Boom: Napster, MP3, and the New Pioneers of Music. (Cambridge, MA: Perseus Pub., 205 p.). Napster, Inc.; Sound recording industry--United States; MP3 (Audio coding standard).

Shawn Fanning - Napster (http://www.mtv.com/news/ images/archive/Fanning,_Shawn/sq-shawn-fanning-010216-mtv.gif)

(Napster), Trevor erriden (2001). Irresistible Forces. The Business Legacy of Napster & the Growth of the Underground Internet. (Oxford, UK: Capstone, 178 p.). Editor, Human Resources magazine. Napster, Inc.; Peer-to-peer architecture (Computer networks); Subject: Music trade. United States; Sound. Recording and reproducing; Digital technique; Computer network resources.

(Napster), Joseph Menn (2003). All the Rave: The Rise and Fall of Shawn Fanning's Napster. (New York, NY: Crown Business, 355 p.). Fanning, Shawn; Napster, Inc.; Music trade.

(PayPal), Eric M. Jackson (2004). The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth. (Los Angeles, CA: World Ahead Pub., 344 p.). Former PayPal Senior U.S. Marketing Director. PayPal (Firm); Electronic funds transfers equipment industry; Electronic commerce; Payment--United States. 

(Portero), Daniel Nissanoff (2006). FutureShop: How the New Auction Culture Will Revolutionize the Way We Buy, Sell, and Get the Things We Really Want. (New York, NY: Penguin Press, 256 p.). Web Entrepreneur, Co-Founded Portero (online facilitation company specializing in the resale of luxury goods), founded Partminer, one of first successful online b2b exchanges. Internet auctions; secondhand trade. Online auction "facilitators" will make buying and selling so hassle-free, so reliable, so lucrative - masses of consumers won't stay away. 

(Siebel Systems), Thomas M. Siebel (2001). Taking Care of Ebusiness: How Today's Market Leaders Are Increasing Revenue, Productivity, and Customer Satisfaction. (New York, NY: Doubleday. Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Siebel Systems. Electronic commerce; Success in business; Strategic planning. 

Thomas M. Siebel - Siebel Systems  (http://images.forbes.com/media/lists/54/2005/SBMT.jpg)

(theGlobe.com), Stephan Paternot with Andrew Essex (2001). A Very Public Offering: A Rebel's Story of Business Excess, Success, and Reckoning. (New York, NY: Wiley, 236 p.). Co-Founder of theGlobe.com. Paternot, Stephan, 1974- ; Theglobe.com; Internet industry--Finance; Going public (Securities); Electronic commerce--United States--Finance; Electronic discussion groups--Management--Case studies; Electronic games industry--Management--Case studies; Businessmen--United States--Biography. 

Stephan Paternot  - the Globe.com  (http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/139726-stephanpaternot.jpg)

(Value America.com), J. David Kuo (2001). Dot.bomb: My days and Nights at an Internet Goliath: Optimism-Lunacy-Panic-Crash; I Survived To Tell the Tale. (Boston, MA: Little, Brown. Former Senior VP (Communications) at Value America.com. Value America.com; Electronic commerce--United States; Internet marketing--United States. 

(Wolff New Media LLC), Michael Wolff (1998). Burn Rate: How I Survived the Gold Rush Years on the Internet. (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 268 p.). Creator of NetGuide. Internet consultants; Success in business; Corporate profits; Internet industry.

(Zappos.com), Tony Hsieh (2010). Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose. (New York, NY: Business Plus, 272 p.). CEO of Zappos. Hsieh, Tony; Zappos.com; Success in business; Leadership. 1998 - Nick Swinmurn started ShoeSite.com, online shoe retailer (no major online retailer that specialized in shoes - $40 billion market; 5% sold through mail order catalogs); 1999 - called Tony Hsieh (venture capitalist), Harvard student entrepreneur, dot-com success - sold LinkExchange to Yahoo in 1999 for $265 million); changed name to Zappos (zapatos - Spanish for "shoes"); 2005 - sales of $252 million; 2006 - Swinmurn left company; funding for incubator companies dried up; promising startups, Zappos.com, seemed doomed; Hsieh slashed expenses, made customer service essence of company's brand; stress of operating in survival mode; liquidated assets to fund company in darkest days (11th-hour loan - $6 million credit line from Wells Fargo); created formidable brand; July 2009 - acquired by Amazon for more than $1.2 billion; May 1, 2010 - restructured into ten separate companies under Zappos Family umbrella (unique corporate culture dedicated to employee empowerment, promise of delivering happiness though satisfied customers, valued workforce - 365-day return policy with free shipping both ways).

John Cassidy (2001). Dot.Con: How America Lost Its Mind and Money in the Internet Era. (New York, NY: HarperCollins. Staff Writer (New Yorker). Internet industry--United States--Finance; Electronic commerce--United States--Finance; Stocks--United States; Electronic trading of securities--United States.

Rory Cellan-Jones (2001). Dot.bomb: The Rise and Fall of Dot.com Britain. (London, UK: Aurum Press, 256 p.). Electronic commerce. Dotcom market's extraordinary decline.

Julian Dibbell (2007). Play Money: Or, How I Quit My Day Job and Made Millions Trading Virtual Loot. (New York, NY: Basic Books, 321 p). Contributing Editor for Wired magazine. World Wide Web; Electronic commerce--United States--History--20th century. March 11, 2003 - author began year trying to earn living buying and selling virtual artifacts, to get a piece of estimated $880 million market in virtual goods, commodities; real money met  fantasy gaming.  

Michael Indergaard (2003). Silicon Alley: The Rise and Fall of a New Media District. (New York, NY: Routledge, 256 p.). Associate Professor of Sociology (St. John's University). Internet industry--New York (State)--New York; High technology industries--New York (State)--New York; Internet; Electronic commerce. 

Louis E. V. Nevaer (2002). The Dot-Com Debacle and the Return to Reason. (Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 317 p.). Electronic commerce; High technology industries.

Gary Rivlin (2001). The Godfather of Silicon Valley: Ron Conway and the Fall of the Dot-Coms. (New York, NY: AtRandom.com, 103 p.). Journalist. Conway, Ron; Electronic commerce--United States; Capitalists and financiers--United States. 

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Business History Links

The Museum of E-Failure                                                          http://www.disobey.com/ghostsites/                                      

The Museum of E-Failure bears witness to the dot.bomb phenomenon, presenting the last images of the front pages of failed Websites. Steve Baldwin, who maintains the site, explains, "It is my hope that these screenshots may serve as a reminder of the glory, folly, and historically unique design sensibilities of the Web's Great Gilded Age (1995-2001)." The sites are arranged in a long list, with recent additions on the top of the page. Clicking on a site name brings up a screen shot of the site's farewell front page. A sort of virtual graveyard, the Museum of E-Failure represents a memorial on the side of the information highway.

Located at the University of California, Riverside, is the world's leading university research center dedicated to improving the effectiveness of online retailing. Seeks to conduct cutting-edge research that improves business effectiveness and advances best practices in Internet retailing at the same time that it advances new knowledge in the field. Organized around six main themes identified by Internet retailers as essential to gaining competitive advantage. These include: 1) multi-channel retailing, 2) customer experience, 3) loyalty, 4) innovation, 5) pricing and promotion strategies, and 6) personalization and related online marketing strategies. Insights are drawn from direct observation of firm practices, behavioral and economic experiments, quantitative modeling, and survey research. The Sloan Center draws on eLab, UCR’s pioneering virtual laboratory for research on the online customer experience.