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10 Years in Internet Time
2005 marked approximately 10 years since what many consider the
dawning of the commercial internet and World Wide Web with the
newly-formed WWW Consortium (W3C) and the availability to
purchase domains by the public. It's been quite a ride for some
and a yawn for others, but one thing is for certain: the
internet has changed the world forever.
For starters, as of last year, more people in the US are using
broadband access as opposed to a dial-up connection providing
many times the download speed. From news to sports to business
and online shopping, internet users find it difficult to
remember the days of plain text and waiting for sometimes hours
to download pictures, videos, music and other media-rich
content. Today the use of such interactive content is
main-stream and provides infinite more utility to the internet
than a decade ago.
It was recently reported that Instant Messaging is used more
often than e-mail by more than 50% of adult Americans, and among
the younger set, that number jumps to over 62%. Instant
messaging has become a routine activity from college campuses to
corporations, integrating simple text and multi-media with PCs
and even cell phones.
This year also marks the first point in history that more people
turn to the internet to search for businesses and shopping than
they do to the printed material we have traditionally kept in
the kitchen drawer under the telephone, and over 60% of US
households in a recent survey said they research the internet
before shopping locally for products and services. Relevancy,
accuracy, variety, and rich content have made the internet an
integral part of our daily lives. Who would have guessed so much
as recently as 10 years ago?
So what will the next 10 years bring? Here are some predictions
based on a variety of industry watchdogs and experts:
1. With nearly 45% by some counts, of the US population meeting
legal handicap and/or other impairment criteria, expanding the
usability of the
internet to those individuals will be both an
ethical and financially prudent investment. Addressing motor and
cognitive impairments as well as vision and hearing challenges
the internet can, and will be improved and adapted to providing
accessible content to more and more of the population. The UK
and Australia both already have laws on the books requiring
internet sites to be accessible to various degrees and
accessibility guidelines/recommendations are already in place
here in the US with several agencies reviewing appropriate
requirements and ultimately laws in our country. WSI among
others is already in position to offer products and services
geared towards this new and important initiative.
2. The internet will continue to expand and provide convenience
to our lives outside of the traditional computer. Available as
we speak is a 3rd generation (3G) of cell phones which allow
downloading of directions, maps, music, scores and even video
entertainment right to your phone on demand. In some markets,
users can shop, place orders via their telephones, be notified
that their order is ready and see a map of how to get there to
pick it up. Even Dick Tracey would have gotten a kick out of
that!
We have come a long way in the first 10 years of the commercial
internet. It has helped to form many aspects of our culture for
both good and bad, and by all predictions will continue to be an
increasingly important part of how we work, study, shop, and
even play in the coming decades. What role are you or your
organization playing?
About the author:
John Geiger owns and operates a local affiliate of WSI Internet
Consulting and Education, a Toronto based global network of
consultants, developers and production centers providing
consultation as well as turn-key internet business solutions for
small and medium-sized enterprises to include web-site design,
development and hosting; site maintenance and upgrades, full
e-commerce solutions,etc. See www.webmasters-wsi.com