The New Internet And Why You Should Be On It

By Dan Scott in Family on April 15th, 2008

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by Dan Scott

The web is filled with sites explaining why your business needs to have an online presence. I think by now everyone has figured out that the web is a wonderful, powerful advertising medium. It’s the marketplace of the world and if you own a business or provide a service and you’re not online you are already behind the curve. So, there.

So, is that it? Is all that cool technology nothing more than a gigantic mall? Do you have to be selling something to justify your presence on the World Wide Web? Well, the web is the greatest research resource ever created; I don’t think I’ve ever looked for anything that didn’t turn up something, although maybe not always what I expected. I guess if you can provide new information on some subject that might qualify for a website.

So? Is that it? No room for the everyman to participate other than as a buyer of goods and services? Take heart, because there is change in the air. A new Internet paradigm is forming, something people are calling Web 2.0. There is a lot of discussion about new business models, new ways to advertise, new application platforms, etc., but the most important part is often overlooked. Web 2.0 almost unwittingly describes a new social phenomenon in which an older, wiser Internet community begins to change the nature of the web to conform to the needs of a distributed community.

We used to talk about how increasing use of technology would gradually alienate people from each other. We would spend more and more time online and less time actually interacting with other people. Instead, what we are seeing is increased use of technology increases the amount of interaction with other people. IM, VOIP, chat rooms, blogs, forums, and the list goes on. All new, interactive forms of communication made possible by the Internet that are creating communication pathways only dreamed of before. It’s common these days for teens and young adults to have conversations on a regular basis with people from all over the world.

Most Web 2.0 discussions tend to revolve around the changing Internet infrastructure, open source, network application platforms, data ownership and the like. By focusing on the effect they are missing the point; the real revolution on the Internet has little to do with the infrastructure or the technologyit has to do with the people. The new web is a social phenomenon, not a technical one. The Internet is becoming part of the fabric of our society and as such people are changing it and adapting to it in new and unpredictable ways.

So, why should an average person with nothing to sell and no particular drum to beat be on the Internet? Because that’s where the rest of society will be. Personal websites will be more commonplace than telephones; they’re incredibly inexpensive and easy to build, and most people will have more than one. They will have family sites to share pictures and stories with family and friends, personal blogs to maintain a dialogue with friends and strangers alike on the events of their community and the events of the world. Garage sales, wedding announcements, graduations, births, parties, resumes, recipes, pictures, videos, etc. all on your website(s).

The world is flattening and the nuclear family quickly becoming a memory. As more countries come together in common cause and open their markets up to each other, families spread out around the globe and lose touch. The Internet is opening up avenues of instant communication that allow people everywhere to see, hear, and share with each other any time they want. The personal website is the front porch in a new online society where you welcome up friends and neighbors for a sit and a chat in the evenings. It’s the fence you lean on in the afternoon to talk gossip and share recipes. It’s the living room you hold your Cub Scout meetings in as well as where you post the latest pinewood derby results. It’s even a refrigerator door where you post A+ papers next to crayon masterpieces for all the family to see.

Create your own website and become part of the new global community.

About the Author:

Dan Scott is a Computer Scientist with over 25 years of experience designing, constructing, and supporting computers and computer applications. Make sure you check out his web hosting analyses covering the top affordable web hosting sites.