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10 Years in Internet Time
2005 marked approximately 10 years since what many consider thedawning of the commercial internet and World Wide Web with thenewly-formed WWW Consortium (W3C) and the availability topurchase domains by the public. It's been quite a ride for someand a yawn for others, but one thing is for certain: theinternet has changed the world forever.
For starters, as of last year, more people in the US are usingbroadband access as opposed to a dial-up connection providingmany times the download speed. From news to sports to businessand online shopping, internet users find it difficult toremember the days of plain text and waiting for sometimes hoursto download pictures, videos, music and other media-richcontent. Today the use of such interactive content ismain-stream and provides infinite more utility to the internetthan a decade ago.
It was recently reported that Instant Messaging is used moreoften than e-mail by more than 50% of adult Americans, and amongthe younger set, that number jumps to over 62%. Instantmessaging has become a routine activity from college campuses tocorporations, integrating simple text and multi-media with PCsand even cell phones.
This year also marks the first point in history that more peopleturn to the internet to search for businesses and shopping thanthey do to the printed material we have traditionally kept inthe kitchen drawer under the telephone, and over 60% of UShouseholds in a recent survey said they research the internetbefore shopping locally for products and services. Relevancy,accuracy, variety, and rich content have made the internet anintegral part of our daily lives. Who would have guessed so muchas recently as 10 years ago?
So what will the next 10 years bring? Here are some predictionsbased on a variety of industry watchdogs and experts:
1. With nearly 45% by some counts, of the US population meetinglegal handicap and/or other impairment criteria, expanding theusability of the
internet to those individuals will be both anethical and financially prudent investment. Addressing motor andcognitive impairments as well as vision and hearing challengesthe internet can, and will be improved and adapted to providingaccessible content to more and more of the population. The UKand Australia both already have laws on the books requiringinternet sites to be accessible to various degrees andaccessibility guidelines/recommendations are already in placehere in the US with several agencies reviewing appropriaterequirements and ultimately laws in our country. WSI amongothers is already in position to offer products and servicesgeared towards this new and important initiative.
2. The internet will continue to expand and provide convenienceto our lives outside of the traditional computer. Available aswe speak is a 3rd generation (3G) of cell phones which allowdownloading of directions, maps, music, scores and even videoentertainment right to your phone on demand. In some markets,users can shop, place orders via their telephones, be notifiedthat their order is ready and see a map of how to get there topick it up. Even Dick Tracey would have gotten a kick out ofthat!
We have come a long way in the first 10 years of the commercialinternet. It has helped to form many aspects of our culture forboth good and bad, and by all predictions will continue to be anincreasingly important part of how we work, study, shop, andeven play in the coming decades. What role are you or yourorganization playing?
About the author:
John Geiger owns and operates a local affiliate of WSI InternetConsulting and Education, a Toronto based global network ofconsultants, developers and production centers providingconsultation as well as turn-key internet business solutions forsmall and medium-sized enterprises to include web-site design,development and hosting; site maintenance and upgrades, fulle-commerce solutions,etc. See www.webmasters-wsi.com
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