Cybenya?d Should your business be on the lnternet?

DVERYONE'S heard of the lllnternet. a.k.a. the Information Superhighway, but are any lumber and building products companies traveling it? Computer experts claim it will completely transform the way businesses do business, right down to the buying and selling of products.

While tens of thousands of new individuals go on line each week, building products firms are entering cyberspace more cautiously, still wondering how it can help them now and what it will offer in years to come.

The Internet is a vast. worldwide collection of interconnected computer systems. Once users gain access to the Internet through special software and an Internet provider, they are linked to millions of other computers as well as a wealth of information, from educational materials to stock reports to sports scores. Using a "Web browser," they can enter a key word, like "lumber," and call up a list of individuals or companies that match.

By the end of the year, more than 25 million people will have access to the Internet, representing a tenfold increase since 1990. And the meteoric growth is expected to continue for years.

"Computers are doubling in power every two to three Years.

The so-called 'super computer' of l0 to 15 years ago is the equivalent of today's $2,000 Pentium (computer). There are a lot of powerful and cheap computers out there," says Martin Desmond, president of Eugene, Or.based ForestNet. an on-line service for the wood products industry.

But what exactly can the Internet do for a retail or wholesale lumber yard? "Right now the Internet is going in l0 million directions all at once, and nobody knows where it's going to end up," he says.

Currently, companies are using the Internet for:

(l) Internal communications. While an in-house local-area network (LAN) allows workers to communicate within the office, the Internet makes E-mail international, providing communications with distant locations.

(2) External communications. Businesses can communicate with their suppliers and coniractors, whether to track inventory, project schedules, etc.

(3) Advcrtising. Firms are creating graphics-based "Web Pages" so customers can access key information about their company, including where, how and why to buy their products. While many arc not much more than electronic ads, some companies are building interest by providing other useful information to the potential customer. Masterlock, for example, has its own Home Page from which users can pull up information on "Home Security Tips," "Commercial Security Tips," "News and Views" or a "Security Contest." Similarly, Duck Tape producer Manco is developing its own Web Page.

(4) SeUinS products. Using their home personal computer, consumers with a credit account or card number can check into the availability of products and place orders.

Little lumber business is currently conducted on the Internet due to two problems: data compression and security. So many users are - and will be - trying to transmit so much text, pictures, audio and video that accessing the lnternet can make for a lot of wait-

"And (speed of transmission) will get worse in the near future," says Desmond. "The issue could be solved quite easily by laying T- I lines into everyone's offices. but that would cost billions of dollars. So the problem will eventually be solved with software."

To cut down on users' hunting and waiting time, networks have been formed to provide "one-stop shopping" for particular topics or industries. ForestNet, for example, provides general Internet access, plus a personal E-mail account, news and finance reports (including publications such as Crow's), a marketplace (where companies can post or investigate notices about offerings or needs), discussion groups, and shareware (software offered for sale or swap).

A typical user might log on to keep track of lumber and panel prices; advertise products, services, even job openings; find new vendors; peruse their catalogs, or simply to converse with others in the industry.

But with the Intern€t craze in full frenzy, year-old ForestNet is no longer alone. Random Lengths expects to start up an electronic bulletin board service for its weekly price guide this month. VantagePoint, Amarillo, Tx., is introducing an online directory for building products retailers and wholesalers to post and peruse company profiles and listings of products and services. Another wood products industry bulletin board, based in California, is in the formative stages.

McGraw HilYF.W. Dodge now has Dodge Dataline, linking subscribers to daily reports on new building projects and changes in ongoing projects. Reports can be called up by project type, location, size, stage of development, valuation, owner, etc.

The Building Industry Exchange Foundation's new on-line service pro-