Writing in ComputerWorld, author John Brandon explains why the recent turmoil in America’s (and the world’s) financial markets doesn’t necessarily amount to a slowdown in the Internet business sector. In fact, it may point to special opportunities for the online entrepreneurs who have the means and the initiative to seize the advantages at hand.

Mr. Brandon cites some pretty compelling evidence in his argument:

The new dotcom era is long on innovative and compelling ideas - things that make you want to keep using the site regardless of the weakening economy. People will want to edit photos online at Picnik. They will want to store data on Box.net. If anything, these services might actually gain traction during a poor economy because people are looking for alternatives and maybe some fresh ideas.

In the first dotcom crisis, there were inventory problems, e-commerce nightmares, technological issues - everyone was learning the ropes. Sticky sites like FaceBook, where we have started using as a prime storage place for photos and an historical record of our written communication, will thrive. For example, I know someone who no longer uses an e-mail account, she only uses FaceBook because everyone she knows and wants to communicate with is using the service.

Digg, even in such a calamitous economy, just got funding. Web 2.0 sites are still popping up like flies at a picnic. And, most of them are small and can scale easily and quickly.

Now, it is not all calm and serene in Web 2.0 land. I see companies such as Amazon having to go lean and mean soon, even though I just bought a pile of songs on their MP3 service. I think what really hurts them is that, for the most part, they sell stuff online and people do not have the money to spend. Sites in a very competitive market - let’s say Zoho - have a major challenge because they can’t just throw money at problems like building up an image through advertising. The bigger the Web 2.0 company, the more they need to keep pumping life into the brand, whereas smaller sites can remain relatively secure financially with a small and growing fanbase.

Sure, most of us aren’t managing large, international companies like Facebook. But the point is, the incredible popularity of these companies represents a major shift in how people behave. Over the past few years, the Internet has changed the way that millions of people communicate, do business, and shop. They’ve found that it’s far less expensive and far more convenient to do these things online than via the more traditional means of interaction (which almost always involves gasoline and time spent traveling around town).

So, an economic downturn in the traditional sense may well mean more online activity and shopping, instead of less. Of course, as always, your mileage will vary, depending on what kind of business you have, and how it’s marketed. But remember, positive thinking, combined with a smart look at where the markets are going, could ensure that you and your business not only come out on top, but also take full advantage of unique growth and expansion opportunities that you may never see again.

Right now, it’s more important than ever to speak to your customers with authority and with an optimistic, forward-looking tone. If you can confidently position your website as a reliable, unwavering resource during these unsteady times, you just may find your site hits and traffic growing like never before.

Read “Writing for Can dotcoms avoid another bubble burst?” here.