Move to get Malaysian businesses to go online

New Straits Times, October 12, 2000

MALAYSIAN-based web site eOneNet.com is teaming up with the SMI Association of Malaysia and the National SMI Consultative Centre to encourage businesses to go online.

To help make this happen, they will be running an e-business ownership campaign from now till the end of the year.

There will be a conference where 16 CEOs and directors of top web sites in Malaysia and Singapore will share their experiences in starting and promoting a web site successfully, said Fione Tan, the president and chief executive officer of eOneNet.com.

"The target audience of this conference are the SMIs and senior executives of companies," said Tan whose company had launched its web site on Sept 21.

"E-business is a new way to do business. If you don't jump on the e-business bandwagon now, your competitor will. We would like to see more Malaysian businesses to get online to increase their competitive edge ."

Said SMI Association Malaysia president Looi Teong Chye,"They should grab this opportunity to attend this conference to learn why they must get online now and how to do so properly.

"In order to make this conference affordable, we are offering registration at RM88 per day," said Looi.

"This conference is not just like any other conference which gives you only some generalised ideas about e-business.

"A business owner can actually walk out of this conference and have his new web site up and running within a few days."

eOneNet.com will sponsor 500 SMIs to get online by offering them free web design and hosting services package. All they need to pay is a set-up fee of RM300.

Jaring will sponsor a business Internet account for each of these SMIs by waiving the registration fee and giving them free Internet access worth RM50 each.

WizOffice.com, the leading regional office supplies web site, will sponsor RM50 vouchers redeemable against purchase of office supplies and provide other office goodies for those who attend this conference.

iBroadNet.com will be the official webcaster. People from all around the world can view this conference by accessing www.eOneNet.com.

Targeted towards computer and Internet illiterate business owners, eOneNet.com and Informatics will be jointly organising and sponsoring nationwide Internet hands-on workshops.

"If a business owner doesn't know how to use a mouse, it will be futile to tell him to get online. So the first step is to teach him about the use of computers and internet,"said Tan.

There are three levels of workshop - basic, intermediate and advanced - each of a three-hour duration.

"The fee is RM40 per level," said C.S.Cheong, head of marketing and public affairs, Informatics Malaysia.

Registration for the conference can be done online at www.eOneNet.com.