Why You Personally Should Be Online
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.
But, what else? What if you're just an average person, you're not trying to sell anything or impart any special wisdom; why should you be on the web? I can say it in four words; "web two dot zero"that is, "Web 2.0." Although technically it's described as the new infrastructure paradigm of the Internet after the tech bubble collapse of 2001 and is most often associated with new technology and business practices, more importantly it describes how a more mature and knowledgeable Internet community is restructuring the web to meet the needs of a new connected society.
Contrary to the early fears our parents expressed about an alienated youth living virtual lives alone in their rooms, experiencing human contact only via electronic intermediaries, in this new society people are more connected across a wider spectrum of experiences than ever. The youth of today are in near constant contact with each other. Through IM, online gaming, cell phones, blogs, chat rooms, etc., we are developing a new culture that encompasses all of the connected world, and the world is becoming more connected every day. It's not unusual in the least to meet with friends at the coffee shop in the morning and have a chat with friends in four different countries in the evening.
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.
Should you have your own website? In the near future, I think that question will be like asking, "Should you have your own phone?" Websites are so easy to create, so inexpensive to maintain and have so many uses that just about everyone will have one and most will have several. Family sites for sharing with family and friends, work sites for keeping in touch with your peers, sites to announce upcoming events from yard sales to weddings, resumes, accomplishments, hobbies, sports, etc., etc., etc.
As the world shrinks and people from different cultures and backgrounds are thrust together, as families spread out and friends move away, the Internet provides the means to create new connections and to maintain old ones. As people begin to weave it into their culture it will become an invisible, seldom thought of force connecting people across the planet.
Build a site and join an online community of millions around the globe.
Dan Scott is a Computer Scientist with over 25 years of experience developing, building, and supporting computers and computer applications. Make sure you see his (
http://the-host-review.com/ ) web hosting reviews covering the top (
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