Discovering the Internet

The internet has become the norm for most of us in business as a way to ascertain information, communicate with one another, conduct business or perform banking activities from the comfort of our own homes.  When I was in my senior year in high school, I took a class in which we had access to the first computer for classroom use.  It was very exciting at the time.  Only one computer was available to the class so we had to take turns using it.  Today, kids are learning on computers from an early age in a classroom setting.  It has become the norm to have a computer at home.  For those who don’t have one, access is readily available in school, libraries or friend’s homes.

The internet allows us to have access endless information - just about anything you can think of.  It is a network of computers which are used by individuals, organizations and institutions.  Information found on the internet comes in the form of web pages, which are a subset of the internet.  Prior to the existence of the internet, we learned from schools and school books, libraries, encyclopedias - does everyone remember encyclopedias?  Some of us may have them sitting and collecting dust.  My husband didn't want to put a set he had away - I think they had some sort of sentimental value to him.  Some people simply like books.  They like the tactile experience, which is not something one can get from the internet.  Today, many traditional books are available online.  For instance, Britannica encyclopedia is available online at http://www.britannica.com/.

Shopping on the internet has changed the way business is done.  This type of business is referred to as e-commerce.  Just about anything can be purchased on the internet.  The internet is also used socially; for example, Facebook and LinkedIn are social networking sites and are also used for business purposes.  People communicate socially and professionally via emails or by instant messaging.  Various virtual meeting rooms are available so people can conduct business without traveling.  People can make travel arrangements via the internet.  For those who enjoy writing and sharing ideas, blogging is available.  People are able to work on their home computers and can subsequently email their work to their place of business where it can then be downloaded.  Some use flash drives to transfer work or to do presentations, making just about any information portable.

The internet started with an endeavor amongst the government, universities and technology firms and basically was in the form of a network.  In 1962, J.C.R. Licklider developed the idea to create a world-wide network for everyone to have access to.  This information could travel via existing phone lines.  Initially, a constant stream of information would travel along a phone line.  This was referred to as circuit switching.  Subsequently, Leonard Kleinrock developed the idea of sending information via packets.  Information would be broken up in smaller pieces, sent through the telephone lines, and would reassemble once it reached its destination.  This was referred to as packet switching.  In 1965, a computer in Massachusetts interacted with a computer in California.  The transition to packet switching and the successful connection between Massachusetts and California moved things forward.  This network was referred to as ARPANET.  Before long, the production of computers doubled every year.  An international connection was made in 1973.  Commercial activities on the internet weren’t made legal until 1992.  Subsequently, e-commerce changed the way business was done.  The internet today can be used still through phone lines and also through cable broadband and wirelessly.

As students, we are lucky to have the internet.  We would not be taking classes the way we are.  The internet creates much freedom.  We, as students, can do online research, submit assignments online from home, can communicate with other students and mentors and keep abreast of all the goings on with the school.  We are living in a global world created by the internet.

1.Did You know that there are thousands of search engines, but only three are worth nearly all your attention? (Yahoo, Google and MSN)
2.Did you know that you can use social bookmarking on any site? By setting up an article on digg.com you can virtually tag any article on any blog.
3.Did you know that approximately 20,000 website domains are being added to the Internet every day?
4.Did you know that an backlink from a .edu site is more valuable than an backlink from a .com domain?
5.Did you know, that hidden links are not recognized by Google at all?
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