The word ecommerce means many different things to much different community. To some of us, ecommerce means the capacity to buy that great new book at 4 in the morning from our preferred online bookstore. To others, ecommerce means cleaning out the closet and making some money by putting those unnecessary treasures up for sale at our favorite online public sale house.

To others, ecommerce means the ability to have different businesses connect effortlessly and cost efficiently, and the business to business world of ecommerce is one of the fastest growing segments of the market.

Ecommerce allows suppliers to easily attach with buyers of completed products, and business people to easily compare prices and quality among different suppliers. The Internet also provides a wealth of information, and this information is an integral part of the ecommerce solution.

When the Internet first emerges on the scene, it was used by government agency as a secure way to communicate with one another. Even when the Internet became the prefecture of ordinary users, it was mostly a playground for college students and computer geeks. It took quite some time for the commercial potential of the Internet to be exploited, and the first ecommerce companies were quite primitive by today's standards.

Some of those first ecommerce companies are still around and stronger than ever, while others unsuccessful to make a profit. Anyone interested in opening an ecommerce business of their own would do well to study the history of ecommerce and the Internet for important lessons.