1. Shopping--Combining Real and Virtual Space. ... With the rapid growth of e-commerce, it's interesting to see owners of real estate using cyberspace to sell products from their physical stores. ... Take the Oakville Place shopping center near Toronto in Canada, which recently added e-commerce to its site. According to Leslie Church of Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited, "It is a real 'bricks and mortar' shopping centre offering over 100 products for sale through actual, not virtual stores. So far the response has been excellent."

The Rouse Company is also developing its own version of e-commerce. This week I added eight Rouse shopping center web sites to PikeNet. Each property uses a web address that is a variation on its name, e.g., www.themallincolumbia.com, www.santamonicaplace.com or www.shopechelonmall.com. ... You'll find a GO SHOPPING link at each site that "helps you locate specific products and stores, and soon will allow you to order products ... and have them delivered in less than one hour." (!) ... So, take that Amazon.com. Oh-oh. Maybe distance does matter in the real world.

2. Attack or Be Attacked. ... John Hagel of McKinsey & Co. discussed the primary ingredient today for business success in Monday's Wall Street Journal, December 7, 1998. "The key is the ability to capture information about customers and to use that information for commercial purposes. ... Whoever owns that asset will be substantially advantaged in this electronic-commerce world." ... What data can you collect about tenants, properties, rents and lease expirations in your marketplace? What incentives can you offer customers to volunteer information? How can you maximize the value of that information? If you don't, who will?

3. PikeNet 99 Conference. ... Mark your calendar to attend PikeNet 99 at the New York Hilton, April 29-30/May 1, 1999, "Commercial Real Estate Internet Strategies." ... It's THE place to learn about how technology is transforming commercial real estate and to meet the leading players. ... Get conference updates e-mailed to you by editing your User Profile. ... Just click the Edit User Profile link under the logo on the PikeNet home page. Enter your e-mail address and password. If you've forgotten your password, click the "E-mail My Password" button and it will be sent to your e-mail address immediately. After you login, click the box to the left of "PikeNet 99 Conference Updates." ... And check out the brief information available at the just-launched PikeNet 99 web site at the address below:

http://www.pikenet.com/pikenet99e/introduction99e.html

4. Corporate RE Internet Sites II--Walgreens Online. ... Juan Muzquiz, a CCIM with Investment Realty Resources, in Middletown, OH, pointed out that Walgreens has pretty good real estate information available. ... From Walgreen's home page, click Company Information, then Departments and Divisions and, finally, Real Estate. You'll find options for contacting regional real estate representatives, as well as store location criteria. ... No e-mail addresses. But, hey, you can't have everything.

5. Message Boards 2.0. ... The re-launched PikeNet Message Boards feature some interesting posts. ... You'll find announcements for several major properties in the Sales and Financing folder. ... Jobs and Consulting highlights opportunities in Atlanta, GA, and San Mateo, CA. ... The Market Research folder features an announcement of a Columbus apartment report from The Danter Company. ... The Software and Tech folder contains a discussion posted by Brien East with a link to his web page on Web Site Marketing Tips for Brokers. ... Visit the Message Boards at the URL below:

http://www.pikenet.com/cgi-bin/WebX

6. Web Mail Is Better! ... Not every corporate e-mail system supports HTML mail, but, I believe, Grubb & Ellis and Marcus & Millichap do. ... If you can read web mail, sign up by editing your User Profile. ... It's easy. Just click the Edit User Profile link under the logo on the PikeNet home page. Enter your e-mail address and password. If you've forgotten your password, click the "E-mail My Password" button and you'll be sent your password immediately. After you login, choose the HTML option and click the Modify button at the bottom of the page.

http://www.pikenet.com/pike?func=emailRequest

7. Sponsor. ... "Coldwell Banker Commercial offers a full spectrum of services for owners, investors and users of commercial space, from market research and strategic planning to implementation to ongoing advisory services. Our expertise covers all property types: office, industrial, apartment, hotel, retail properties and land. Our services include investment advisory, property and asset management and more! For more information, please visit our web site at www.commercial.coldwellbanker.com or call 800-222-2162."

--Peter Pike