Interview with Thomas Suh

November 28, 2007

Books, articles, journals, and newspapers—you can get all of these with just a click of your computer mouse. Truly, the arrival of the Internet has made it possible for us to access an almost limitless amount of information that was once impossible due to location restrictions. Because of this, it can be said that, the Internet is one of the most brilliant inventions man has ever made.

But, even if the Internet provides us the means to acquire information, do you know that you would never acquire information from the Internet if it weren’t for webmasters? Webmasters are the ones responsible for maintaining and updating websites. They are also the ones you have to thank for in keeping you supplied with fresh and steaming news and gossip.

In honor of webmasters and the Internet, our feature successful online business man today is Mr. Thomas Suh.

A graduate of the University of California and an American Bar Association and California State Bar member, Mr. Thomas Suh has been founding, managing, running, and selling Internet businesses for almost a decade now. He is the co-founder of SB Suite and has worked as the Chief Operations Officer of DestinationRx.com. He is also the managing partner of the number one website that provides academic application essays, AdmissionEssays.com (link to:
http://www.admissionsessays.com/about_us/success_stories.html ). Currently residing in Orange County, California, Mr. Suh is also working as an attorney and has given consulting services to a lot of small businesses in the management and legal department. Aside from these, he also has experience in making legal, operational, business development, and legal plans for companies.

WJ: How would you describe your job?

A: My job involves general management of the website, marketing,
operations, etc. I also spend most of my time looking for
new marketing venues and streamlining our order
processing.

WJ: How did you get into this kind of business? Just a few years back, did you really see yourself getting into this kind of business?

A: AdmissionsEssays.com was actually started by a
good friend of mine. I just joined in to help my friend in redeveloping the website and making grow. If it hadn’t been for my buddy’s vision to launch the premier (and only one of its kind) admission essay and personal
statement development service on the web, I don’t know if I would be doing this because I certainly did not see myself getting into this kind of business. Today,
AdmissionsEssays.com has helped thousands of applicants in college and in post-graduate programs achieve their educational goals.

WJ: What do you think are the turning points that
helped you in making webmastering a money-making business?

A: I think the continuous development of the web both in the marketing and operational aspect has helped me in making webmastering a money-making business. The web has evolved tremendously ever since I started in 1998 that running a web-based business today is so much more
efficient, cost-effective, and rewarding.

WJ: What, for you, is the most exciting industry-related development of late?

A: The most exciting industry-related development as of late for me is the continuous improvement in marketing channels. Blogs have now become a huge marketing venue, for instance. I also believe that we are going to see further developments in intelligent search, which will make
web searches even more targeted, thereby further
improving ROI on marketing efforts. This semantic-web
approach, or making search more of a guide than a catalog, will undoubtedly lead to incredible opportunities for webmasters and web-based businesses and it will improve customer and consumer satisfaction as well.

WJ: What do you think are the essential skills to
have to become a successful webmaster?

A: ONE WORD: Adaptation. Webmasters need to continually
adapt to the ever changing web. Successful webmasters will be those that remain flexible and are on top of changing environments.

WJ: Webmastering has gone from being a one-person job
to a field that allows specialization, is that a good thing or a bad thing for the business?

A: It’s a good thing. Specialization is just an evidence of how large this business has become. As industries grow, you need specialization to keep up with growth
and make things more efficient. At some point, the “one-man” shop hits its limitations.

WJ: Do you think the industry is regulated enough? Should the authorities or the governing bodies become more strict or should they become less strict?

A: It depends on the industry. Certain key areas should definitely be more regulated, such as anything dealing with children or other potentially
exploited groups. Freedom of expression and speech as granted by the First Amendment is well protected, but it does not mean anything goes. Authorities have the role and duty to regulate certain webmastering areas such as the adult industry, any environment that deals with children, and any group that needs the help of higher authorities.

WJ: What are the challenges the industry is facing today?

A: The marketing challenges, competition– the constant changing environment of the web overall are the challenges that the industry is facing today. While constant evolution of the web brings with it tremendous opportunities, it also bring tremendous challenges.

WJ: What do you think are the challenges that lie ahead for online businesses?

A: It is much the same as above. But in particular, fraud is the biggest challenge. While most of us are online to make money ethically, the very nature of the Web attracts unscrupulous folks. This in turn leads to consumer suspicion and hesitancy to conduct business online. This, of course, hurts the little guy on the web who has not built a reputation for himself.

WJ: What do you think are the new and exciting things ahead for online businesses?

A: As mentioned above, Web 3.0 will bring with it incredible opportunities. At the end of the day, the web is about one thing: information and the availability of it at your fingertips. As Web 3.0 becomes a reality, the web will be much more
efficient, thereby leading to greater opportunities for webmasters.

Written by admin · Filed Under Interviews

Interview with Thomas Suh

Latest Headlines

Shopping Cart

Scalable Hosting

Archives

Related Sites

Admin