about internet - @omic Internet Marketing Solutions, London, UK

In its most basic form the Internet is no more than a collection of computer networks interlinked to form the mother of all global computer networks - hence the name which is short for Inter Networking. Universities, Companies or perhaps the Government could own these individual networks. We as individuals will link into one of these networks through the nearest node. For most of us this means through an Internet service provider (ISP) - over an ordinary phone line. We define the Internet as describing the whole online environment, which includes:

It is important to understand that the Internet has no geographic barriers and companies, even and perhaps especially small businesses, can sell their products and services to anyone in the world that is online.

What is the World Wide Web?

The World Wide Web is what most people think of when they hear the word Internet. The Web is made up of hundreds of millions of stored documents, which link to each other. These documents can include text, images, sound, movies and animation. Each Web page has an address or a Uniform Resource Location (URL), and this is the way we locate a Website, usually starting at the Websites' Home Page.

In marketing terms this is probably the most attractive media because it has many similarities to conventional media and allows companies to present information in a way which is attractive to the customer. The web in recent years has 'sucked in' many of the other aspects of the Internet for example it is possible to send emails from a web page, download files using FTP from a page, as well as host Internet Chat and Newsgroups.

Because design is possible in web pages existing marketing models can be implemented. The AIDA model although simple is valid for example. The web provides the most effective platform to gain Attention, develop Interest to a Desire and promote Action. The last of these, 'Action' is perhaps the easiest of any media, because sending an email takes seconds.

In more detail:

Graphics and text documents published on the Internet that are interconnected through clickable "hypertext" links. A web page is a single text document, which will have other files such as graphics, sound, scripts and animations embedded within it. A Website is a collection of related documents all linked by hypertext links.

These text files are actually written in HTML (HyperText Markup Language) which is a standard language which Browsers read and interpret as a visual image on the client's screen. HTML works in a very similar way to how old word processor packages such as WordStar and Word Perfect formatted documents. For example if you wish to make something bold you simple insert <b> before and </b> after the text.

Email is essentially small text files, which can be sent from one machine to anyone with an email address (similar to your house address). The email automatically codes the file you send with information, which is interpreted by the mail client of the person you are sending your message to. This information will have your email address, time of sending, subject etc.

Email is a very effective and fast way to communicate. An email will be available to read by the person you send to in seconds and costs the price of those seconds on the phone. Obviously this is much cheaper than the 28p of a first class stamp in the UK.

Newsgroup

Instead of sending an email to an individual you can send your message to a newsgroup or forum. Newsgroups of which there are literally thousands, are grouped by interest. For example, there is probably a newsgroup on plastic dolls in fact there are probably several subdivided by manufacturer, type, and interest. You can mail a message consisting of a question, to which people will reply with their comments and answers, whatever time of day it is. Remember that the Internet is 24 hours, while you may be up late at 4am in the UK it will be afternoon in Australia.

Your message may start a 'thread' which means that other people join the conversation and add their thoughts.

Internet Chat

Is part of the Internet where you can hold keyboard, and more recently voice to voice conversations with people all over the world. Chat is simpler than email you simple type onto a blank page and in seconds your comment appears on the web and people can reply instantly to your question, comment or statement.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

This is the way in which information and programmes can be saved from an ftp site to the client's computer on request. For example companies such as Guinness have used this to distribute a free screen saver of their popular TV advert.

Multimillion-pound businesses have been founded in this way. The classic example is Wolfenstein 3D the game that became Doom, Quake and Quake II. This was a programme, which was distributed free over the Internet. Today many companies in the software industry offer free trial software in this way.

Pure FTP requires little effort to publish therefore there is many times more information available in this format.

History of the Internet

"The Internet is a global web of some 45 000 computer networks that has made instantaneous and decentralised global communication possible. Originally established to facilitate research and scholarly exchanges, the Internet is now available to a much broader audience, some 25 million people."
Kotler, P. 1997 (Marketing Guru in case you didn't know)

The original network that forms the basis of the Internet was founded in the United States in 1967 where The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the US Department of Defense designed ARPAnet., which was a super resilient computer network, allowing the military to communicate in the event of a nuclear attack. It would also be used to share research data but this was not its primary function at this early stage.

This network didn't have the potential to be useful until 1989 when Tim Berners-Lee an Oxford University undergraduate invented the World Wide Web when the network's nature was transformed in to the Internet we know today. He brought the Internet to a huge global audience whilst he was working as an engineer at CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory in Geneva.

Internet Today

The Internet today is growing faster than people can predict. Back in 1995 CommerceNet projected 77 million users by 1998. But last year their best guess tops 100 million. Dixons free Internet service, Freeserve, alone has attracted more than 900,000 users in the first sixteen weeks. They have an average of 8,500 customers joining per day.

We believe the WWW, as a media, will move towards being more like television, indeed better than television because the viewer can choose what and when they view, and interact with the content. The interactivity is constantly improving as communication links (phone lines/ISDN) become faster and the size of files used (ie. graphics and sounds) get smaller. As quoted by The Rough Guide 1999, "It really is a quantum leap in global communication, though - right now -it's more of a prototype than a finished product."

We are beginning to see Internet technology taking the next step, check out the latest 'South Park' cartoon at macromedia shockwave. With plans involving Psion and Mobile Phone companies suggesting they will be able to offer connection speeds 50 times faster than currently available , it won't be long before you can watch a movie on the web, indeed pirated movies are currently available on the web, split into twelve or so packets.

The Internet today covers almost every business area. This can be anything from ordering your car with your own specifications from BMW to buying specialist fishing tackle from a shop in America.

Now if you want to watch a video but don't know what's out; instead of trudging down to the video store only to be disappointed you can surf the Blockbuster site (http://www.blockbuster.co.uk), find a review of the latest film, top 10 or top 50 - even view the trailer! At the moment you can't select the film and have it delivered, but who knows where tomorrow will take us! You can have (in certain areas)Sainsburys (http://www.sainsburys.co.uk) or Tesco (http://www.tesco.co.uk) deliver your shopping ordered over the web.

what is the Internet?