In the 1990s, the nascent internet was commonly referred to as the
information superhighway, a phrase that was coined by Senator Al
Gore in 1978 according to most reports.
The funny thing is, even though it seems to be a very dated phrase to
modern ears, it is still essentially true. The vast majority of people still
use the internet as a source of information first and foremost, and this
in itself should be no surprise.
Although this is open to debate, there is probably not a library or
museum where there is more information available than there is on the
internet, and of course, the internet has the vast advantage over every
library and museum of being accessible at your fingertips - but there is
no doubt that the nature of the internet is changing, and doing so at a
pace that almost defies belief.
For example, while some brave and hardy souls had tried to publish
video materials on the internet previously, it was really only with the
advent of YouTube that video took off, and that is less than four years
ago as I write (YouTube was launched in February 2005).
Yet video is now such an integral part of the everyday internet
experience that it is hard to believe that there was a time BV (before
video), a time when the internet was all about providing information
only in written format accompanied by static images.
Another huge change that has become increasingly evident over the last
3 or 4 years is the boom in business that is being transacted solely
through the medium of the internet. From massive monolithic global
corporations like Google to people spending their evenings working
away in their back bedroom, there are now millions of companies and
individuals who are operating a business where they make money from
the internet.
This is not new. There were companies making money on the internet
back in the information superhighway days, which helped to fuel the
.com boom and subsequent implosion at the end of the 90s.
But what is new and different is the fact that anyone who has an
internet connection and a computer can now start their own internet
marketing business quickly, easily and with very little capital outlay.
Indeed, it is the latter fact that is one of the primary attractions of
starting a business online, particularly in comparison to starting a real
world business where you would need offices, computers, telephones
and staff.
3
All of this is before you even start talking about investing money in
inventory or stock, training costs and the like.
To start your own online business, all you need is a computer and a
connection.
Well, actually, thats not strictly true