“Look it up on the web”…
“Look it up on the web” is definitely a phrase that I have used on more than one occasion - leaving me to wonder if I am perhaps becoming too dependent on my computer and Internet connection to link me with the rest of the world. I find that I get frustrated when I have to call a company and speak to a “real person” for things such as the cost of a flight or departure times; purely for the reason that in the ten minutes that I wait on the line for a response, I could have checked the company’s web site for the information I want; checked my email; read the latest news update; and updated my Facebook or Twitter status.
All that information at your fingertips can be a heady feeling - in effect, you have all the information you could ever want to access, directly on hand without leaving your office chair. Do you want to know the circumference of the moon? 6790 miles. Would you be interested in the population of China? Currently 1.3 billion people. What is the current rate at which the polar caps are melting? Approximately 10% per decade.
Even information that is less cut and dried is available to anyone - like what to do when your wife has postpartum depression. How to deliver a baby. What wine to serve with free-range chicken. What places to visit on a budget of a Dollar a day. However, no matter how intriguing I find the Internet, and no matter how tickled I may be at the thought of accessing scanned ancient texts, I believe that there is a line that is crossed on a daily basis - making this freedom of access dangerous to even the most disciplined mind. Beyond the XXX web sites with pornographic images and video, the web sites offering information on how to make a pipe-bomb; become anorexic; or commit suicide painlessly make me wonder if all the virtues that I see in the Internet could ever weigh up against the vices. It would be naive to think people don’t visit web sites that contain this type of content - but they generally have a steady stream of traffic visiting them each day. Bearing in mind that control of the content on the Internet is virtually non-existent, and that keeping web sites like these away from public access is impossible, we turn to the reasons that make having an Internet connection and an Internet presence that can be accessed online a valuable resource.
One reason has to do with the global economy and doing business with companies around the world. With the Internet, even a small company like mine can make deals and work with companies who are thousands of miles away or in different time zones. The potential for growth is there; and I can expand my company to much larger proportions than I would have been able to without access to international markets. More and more companies are jumping on the band-wagon, and are establishing web sites that are interesting, accessible, and aesthetically pleasing to look at (without compromising content). In addition, they make use of all resources available to them online, and start adwords campaigns and implement SEO (search engine optimisation) - turning their virtual store-front into something as welcoming as the real thing.
No matter what you use the Internet for, it is growing daily; and the future opportunities for your own - or your company’s - growth is endless.
Online Commentary - Published 2008