June 2002 had 13 shutdowns, and was the sixth consecutive month
in which the number of shutdowns was less than 20. The
Webmergers.com report points out that since the last half of 2000,
when the internet shakeout was at its peak, at least 862 dot.coms
have failed. The failure rate was 44% per month.
Of the 862 failed dot.coms, 43% were B2C e-commerce companies
and 25% were content companies. The corresponding percentage for
infrastructure, internet access and professional services companies
was 16%, 10% and 6% respectively.
Most companies named in the shutdown list for the first half of
2002 are infrastructure and internet service providers, and also
providers of dial-up and broadband internet access services.
The report claims that the figures are a sign of revival of the
sector, and adds that most people prefer to forget tales of
collapsing dot.coms. Webmasters.com and the University of Maryland
have launched an on-line archive that aims to create a permanent
record of the dot.com era. The web site invites executives,
employees and investors to submit business plans and related
documents of both failed and successful dot.coms.
According to the site, these plans lay out the assumptions and
strategies of internet entrepreneurs and will enable entrepreneurs
and researchers to conduct both qualitative and quantitative
research.
More than 400 individuals have already registered with the web
site, which claims that it will protect the privacy of all
contributors and that will provide them with control over how and
when the documents are made accessible.
See: www.businessplanarchive.org.
