Ideate

Happy 40th Birthday Internet!

by Yolandi on 04/11/09 at 12:34 pm
2 comments

I was listening to my dad tell the story the other day of the first time he got the Internet and found myself thinking of how business must have been with a slow dial-up connection and a 9kb modem. Well, that’s how the Internet was in 1991. It was a shocker to hear how expensive it was (normal telephone rates). I probably would not have chosen a career online if that was still the case today. But luckily the Internet grew so fast that today I can explore this online playground and learn as far as I go. What I love about the Internet is its ever-expanding character. That’s probably why I chose a career online – you never stop discovering new things.

So why are we celebrating the Internet? Because, on October 29, 1969, in a test lab at the University of California two computers shared test data through a 15-foot grey cable. And so ARPANET was born. The first two nodes of ARPANET were interconnected between UCLA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and SRI International (SRI) in Menlo Park, California. One month later Stanford Research Institute had also joined and by the end of the year, UC Santa Barbara and the University of Utah had joined, thus creating the “Internet”. It took 12 years for 213 computers to get linked in the network.

With 226 million websites now dotting the World Wide Web and more than 1.5 billion users, the Internet has become a way of life. Continuous developments and constant growth had made the Internet an economic backbone and global socializing medium which have offered us new ways of doing business and doing life. Here are some great things I think the Internet has offered us over the years:

Exposure

The Internet has made it possible for us to reach a wider audience to whom we can interact with and promote our brands. We can now expose our companies and brands nationally and internationally and so, expand our services and products worldwide. Take for example a small boutique in Knysna who can by promoting their clothing online reach audiences in Joburg and even in the UK. Thereby, a small boutique in Knysna can reach customers beyond its physical location.

Fast

The Internet has made it possible for us to reach our audiences in real-time and commence with business at a much faster rate with the use of email, Skype and even online banking. This saves us time and money and thus helps us to keep our clients happy and boost productivity.

Variety of channels

In the past few years we have been exposed to a vast variety of channels which help us to promote our brands and keep in touch with clients. With options such as social media, blogging, micro-blogging and instant messaging; the Internet has provided us with channels to interact with prospective clients, other companies and friends. Thereby, we can learn from each other and build a healthier relationship with our audience.

With all these wonderful gifts the Internet has offered us over the years, certain responsibilities have also been left for us to keep in mind. The Internet can build a brand and also damage it. Businesses that make use of E-commerce should do so cautiously and truthfully. The same way the Internet has become more advanced since its beginning 40 years ago; its audience evolved too. Internet users are clued-up on all the available channels and can see when a company is being too promotional or fake. With great exposure, real-time interactivity and a variety of channels available, it can be damaging to a brand that abuses these gifts.

So, if you’re a small business exploring the online platform, make sure to know it well before treading on dangerous territories. Happy 40^th Birthday Internet! We are eager to see what gifts you bring us in the next 40 years!

Here are some fun links on the Internet:

- Where are we going to? The Internet Past and Present

- The National Geographic History of the Internet Video

- Webuser’s 40 years of the internet quiz.

Yolandi Janse van Rensburg writes about social media, marketing, life and, of course, cars. We say “of course” because Yolandi is nuts about anything on 4 wheels. Besides moonlighting as the Heavy Chef girl at World Wide Creative, Yolandi runs Autofemme, a blog about cars, as a business on the side. View more articles by Yolandi.

Tags: Internet/Technology

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