One of my favorite business stories starts with a Florida orange grove that sold a boxcar of this golden crop to a food broker in Chicago.

Before it reached the Windy City, the Chicagoan resold the cargo to one of his peers, in Albuquerque, and that fellow rerouted it to someone in Eugene, Oregon.

By the time the Oregonian opened the railway car, the oranges had mostly spoiled, so fuming, he phoned the fellow in Albuquerque, and said:

You sold me some rotten oranges!

And the unapologetic fellow replied: Those oranges arent for eating; theyre for selling!

Ive thought about this story dozens of times over my career, and I think it applies perfectly to the world of todays Internet.

I believe this grand, unprecedented medium, is wonderful for many things, but I dont think its for eating.

It, too, is for selling, and not products and services, but selling itself, more Internet.

How many participants in todays Internet are making money, directly, from their involvement? Of all of the business related web sites that have been bought and paid for, how many of these are delivering a measurable, meaningful positive return to their sponsors?

Theres no way to know for sure, but my guess is frightfully few.

I was a writer for an early site that featured sales authors. It was a nice showcase, and the owner was putting money into it, along with substantial effort, so I licensed him to run some of my content, for free.

I was able to turn one of the inquiries I received into a five-figure consulting contract, but only one. My sponsor, the web site owner and promoter, lost a lot of money and squandered much effort that he could have directed into his own consulting practice.

Finally, he sold the site, I surmise for a small sum; a mere fraction of what he had put into it.

How often have web entrepreneurs built it, in the hope they will come, and no one did?

This is the story that is yet to be written.

The real Internet shakeout didnt happen yet. Youll know it has taken place when more little guys untangle themselves from the web, understanding at last, that most of the folks making money with it, are simply selling more Internet to the next fool down the line.