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Prior to the computer age, our communications were limited to the postal system, telephone or telegraph. When it came to correspondence with our dear friends and family, most people adhered to the principles of "Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette, A Guide to gracious living," circa 1952. There were "rules of engagement" for almost every situation in life, whether it be personal or professional. While "rules of etiquette" still apply, the vehicle to networking and communications have changed dramatically. We have EVOLVED!
A BRIEF HISTORY:
In 1998, Empowermom was based on creating a community for women who wanted to share their interests, talents, resources and expertise via the internet. At that time, technology allowed us to stay connected with one another via e-mail and chat rooms. Few had the knowledge or expertise to create their own website, and those who did had to pay hefty moola to get their own "space."
Aside from instant communication, we saved a ton on postage, long distance phone fees and transit time. We could share information at the push of a button without ever lifting a pen. The only drawback was trying to keep up with who said what in which e-mail and routing it all through various "buddy" lists. Still, it was time saving and seriously cost efficient for those of us who had many friends and family members scattered across the vast cosmos. Today, staying connected or "networking" is a whole new ball game!
One of the first online services was Q-Link, a vehicle to connect computer gamers with downloadable games and to keep track of high scores. Thanks to Steve Case, from 1983 to 1991, the company evolved into PCLINK and later to AOL. Along with the advent of the "information superhighway," AOL gave us e-mail in which to stay connected. AOL also gave the average computer "illiterati" chat rooms. In addition to bulletin boards and e-mail, you could invite friends, family and your "net friends" to communicate simultaneously in real time.
It was truly innovative yet limited as all the "attendees" had to belong to the same service. Thus, you had to coerce all your friends and family to belong (PAY) to participate. It wasn't hard to convince anyone with a PC that this would save them money on long distance bills and postage. Pre-windows era (a.k.a. DOS days), AOL dominated the market and it wasn't hard to convince those with a computer to join the rank and file of users anxious to experience the "net" first hand.
Windows introduced graphical users interfaces (GUIs) which allowed "point and click" (P&C) programs for those who didn't know how to use this newfound technology. From that time on, all you had to do was install one disk and you had instant information on every topic you could imagine at the push of a button. The new "information age" had arrived. AOL truly had the grasp of "online community" before it was coined. You didn't have to worry about viruses or intrusions as pretty much all your activities were confined and controlled by the software.
What the user didn't know was you were also confined by AOL's decisions as to where you went and what content you viewed. While it appeared you were surfing the "net" you were really surfing only those sites within AOL's network. That network was generally limited to websites of companies who paid top dollar to advertise on AOL and all the "big boys" were clammoring for acceptance and space within that network.
Without going into all the advances from "then" to "now," suffice it to say that technology and "freedom of choice" to control your own browsing beyond the controlled "community" environment has advanced to the point that an average user can set up their own "community" based on similar interests and/or connections just like the "big boys" in no time at all. You can become an entity in your own right and still use P&C to get there. It takes relatively little knowledge of programming languages to do so.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?
Literally, in a matter of minutes, you can register for a variety of free services, create your own community and be up and running. Your community is limited only by your interests and your imagination. The more you know of HTML and/or CSS, the more you can tailor a community to clearly express whatever your passions may be. With the (relatively) new technology of widgets and gadgets for the web (offered by most of the top browser services) you can add content and features beyond anything we ever dreamed a mere decade ago!
If you are reading this article, you have internet service. If you have internet service, it's within your grasp to create a professional website. The upside is it no longer costs an arm and a leg to set up your own site. If you have a passion you want to share, the world is your oyster and it's time to share your passion with the world.