The physical building that Airsplat operates out of doesn't look like much. It's a warehouse, a small office, several rows of computers, and not much else. But this unassuming building is the home of the largest supplier of Airsoft gear in the country, and an example of a company that could not flourish the way it does without the Internet. Airsoft originated in Japan in the 1980s. Guns were outlawed in Japan, but many people were still interested in them, so manufacturers started making realistic replicas of weapons that fired small, plastic BBs instead of bullets, creating a non-lethal weapon variant that looks and feels as much like the real thing as possible. The guns were primarily either put on display, or else used in recreational combat simulations, similar to paintball. Airsoft spread from Japan to other countries in Asia in the late 1980s, and by the early 90s it had arrived in North America.
To me, however, the most interesting thing about Airsplat is the fact that it is an internet-based company. To learn more, I talked to James Hedrick, a tech support employee. Hedrick's job involves him writing and answering e-mails about the company, the airsoft guns and the general day-to-day activities of the staff and other workers, and it requires him to be at a computer all day, every day.
"I don't think that this company could thrive the way it does without the online factor," Hedrick says. "I mean, sure, you could publish catalogues and send them around the country, but being able to do everything through websites means that we can offer a much larger selection of things and get everything done much more quickly. There's no waiting for the mail to come in every day with catalogue orders and support questions. Everything is done instantaneously, and I think that that's what allowed this company to get as big as it is."
Another way that Airsplat takes advantage of its online status is through advertising. "The internet allows our ads to be seen by a much larger group of people than if we were just advertising in magazines or newspapers," explains Hedrick. "We buy up banner space on websites as diverse as People Magazine, MSNBC, Cracked and Game Informer. Whereas before it would be difficult to reach new people beyond the scopes of magazines like Guns and Ammo, now we can make sure to spread out our ads so that as many different people as possible learn about the website and the services we offer. It's really opened up a lot of doors for us."
Of course, there are drawbacks to working in an online environment, too. "It's hard to sit in front of a computer all day. My back gets sore, my eyes get strained, I have trouble sleeping at night because I don't get any exercise during the day. I try to take breaks during the day to walk around and give my body a chance to stretch, but it's hard to find the right balance." However, there are ways to work around that, and even some unexpected benefits. "I think I've actually gotten more active since I started working at a computer all day, because I'm more motivated to be away from the computer during my free hours. I joined a gym, I started playing football on the weekends, I even spend more time walking when I get the chance. When you're on a computer from 9 to 5 and then go home and try to be on the computer again until bedtime, it doesn't take long for your body to start protesting, and I think it's made me a healthier person overall. I'm more conscious of my body now than I was before."
Overall, it seems like the benefits of working in an internet-intensive atmosphere outweigh the consequences. Although it's true that it makes you more prone to sitting all day, it's hard to ignore the accessibility and ease of use that an internet commerce provides. I think Hedrick sums it up best: "Is it hard to work in a place where you sit practically motionless all day? Sometimes. But the internet is getting more and more streamlined. We're doing things effortlessly that people 10 years ago did mountains of work to try to achieve. I think there's nowhere to go but up."
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