Is The Internet a Good Thing?
Dennis AuBuchon
July 14, 2009
The Internet has both positive and negative applications but whether the overall benefit of the Internet is a good thing is the subject of this article. The discussion will center on the ease of the Internet, the type of information available, the communication aspects and many other characteristics. It is hard to believe that there are those who have no personal access to the Internet and feel they do not need it. The Internet can be accessed in a variety of ways including cell phones and computers. The Internet is expanding at an exponential rate.
The Internet is technology at its best and with new users/web sites being created daily the numbers seen to have no end. Millions of users find large amounts of information available for whatever topic they are searching. The communication aspects of the Internet also appear to have no limits. Part of the communication tools now available are networking sites where people from all over the world can communicate with each other. The creation of networking sites which also appear to be increasing is large and the numbers sometimes make it difficult to some extent to communicate to all those with the same interest. Networking sites are great and some major ones are MySpace, LinkedIn, and twitter and Facebook. I am currently using three of the four I have listed and have found others that have the same interest.
The many aspects of the Internet make it easier for companies to communicate with their employees at multiple locations. It also is a boom to getting the message out about business products and services. Many individuals use the Internet to research products for specific uses and compare prices and packages. I am an author and have written many articles and the Internet has allowed me to get my message out about whom I am, my expertise and my interests. I have found with the networking I have done others who have similar interest or movements for which I contributed. I would never have known these individuals had it not been for my networking activities.
Another aspect of the Internet is the large amount of data/information available from various web sites with their promotional advertisements and products/services. Businesses can succeed without using this technology but saying no to the available opportunities on the Internet will hurt their potential for success. They must not ignore this opportunity to get exposure and connect with their current customers or potential new ones. A negative aspect is the amount of information on the same topic or kinds of products creating a feeling of being overwhelmed. When this occurs it is best to determine the amount of information you need and who you want it from. It is always best to compare information from various sites and in this way it validates the information you are receiving as to the factual and reliable nature. It is up to businesses to make their case why their products or services are different from their competitors. The Internet is also another way to compare prices, characteristics and warranty packages making it easier for those interested in buying to make a good decision.
Other examples that sometimes occur are links which appear to go to one site actually goes to something totally different than what you want. This is just one of the negative aspects of the Internet. Others include viruses which infect computers and either damage information stored or corrupt programs making them unusable. This causes problems that users of the Internet must make efforts to protect their computers through various programs to block viruses from reaching the hard drive of a computer.
While there are negative aspects of the Internet I feel the overall benefit is positive. While some individuals do not feel the need to use this resource it is something that cannot be ignored if you are in business or want exposure for your expertise. The Internet provides countless opportunities to market your products/services to the public and is a great way to gain wider exposure with little or no expenditure. In this respect it offers reduced expenditures for businesses to connect with customers, suppliers or various branch locations rather than expending travel funds. The Internet provides ample opportunities to gain exposure but it is important to gain the right exposure in the right places. The Internet is a great place and with the technology we are more connected not only with individuals in our own country but all over the world. This can only be positive. As more information gets out to more places the potential for greater recognition and/or profit is enormous. We must use this technology wisely which will be hard as the changes in the technology happen constantly.
One last point to make is that we as individuals want to grow both in knowledge and expertise and the Internet provides new resources which makes it easier. There are many good free sources of information from all levels of industry but not all resources are reliable. I have learned about some great resources of information which interest me through networking efforts. With all the information available it is also best to not take claims of huge profits by using specific programs. While many may be reliable one thing we must remember is that nothing comes easy.
Everything we do takes effort on our part. Success in anything we do may be easier to some extent with the technology of today but we must learn to use that which is applicable to our specific situation. Everything we see through the Internet or newsletters will not always apply to our ambitions. The large volume of information on the Internet does overwhelm some people but the fact that a lot of information exist is positive. Without the Internet we would not have this volume of information available to learn about things all over the world. This can only be positive. Information and history about companies and individuals can easily be found. This can be good or bad dependent upon if you want the kind of exposure you get.
Much can be learned but the key is to evaluate the resource of the information being provided. Anyone using information derived from the Internet must or should evaluate the source before using what is being provided. As an author before I use any information that I find on the Internet I evaluate the reliability of the information source. This is sometimes easy and in other cases it is hard. If the resource cannot be validated, I do not use it. This is something we all must learn. Everything we hear or see should not be taken as accurate, complete and reliable as there are cases where certain information may be omitted to bring a specific point of view. This is not always a bad thing. The key is to understand that various media outlets typically have a point of view they wish to project. Broadcasting their point of view in reporting news events is their prerogative and right but they need to be honest with the public listening to what they say.
The Internet is technology at its best and with new users/web sites being created daily the numbers seen to have no end. Millions of users find large amounts of information available for whatever topic they are searching. The communication aspects of the Internet also appear to have no limits. Part of the communication tools now available are networking sites where people from all over the world can communicate with each other. The creation of networking sites which also appear to be increasing is large and the numbers sometimes make it difficult to some extent to communicate to all those with the same interest. Networking sites are great and some major ones are MySpace, LinkedIn, and twitter and Facebook. I am currently using three of the four I have listed and have found others that have the same interest.
The many aspects of the Internet make it easier for companies to communicate with their employees at multiple locations. It also is a boom to getting the message out about business products and services. Many individuals use the Internet to research products for specific uses and compare prices and packages. I am an author and have written many articles and the Internet has allowed me to get my message out about whom I am, my expertise and my interests. I have found with the networking I have done others who have similar interest or movements for which I contributed. I would never have known these individuals had it not been for my networking activities.
Another aspect of the Internet is the large amount of data/information available from various web sites with their promotional advertisements and products/services. Businesses can succeed without using this technology but saying no to the available opportunities on the Internet will hurt their potential for success. They must not ignore this opportunity to get exposure and connect with their current customers or potential new ones. A negative aspect is the amount of information on the same topic or kinds of products creating a feeling of being overwhelmed. When this occurs it is best to determine the amount of information you need and who you want it from. It is always best to compare information from various sites and in this way it validates the information you are receiving as to the factual and reliable nature. It is up to businesses to make their case why their products or services are different from their competitors. The Internet is also another way to compare prices, characteristics and warranty packages making it easier for those interested in buying to make a good decision.
Other examples that sometimes occur are links which appear to go to one site actually goes to something totally different than what you want. This is just one of the negative aspects of the Internet. Others include viruses which infect computers and either damage information stored or corrupt programs making them unusable. This causes problems that users of the Internet must make efforts to protect their computers through various programs to block viruses from reaching the hard drive of a computer.
While there are negative aspects of the Internet I feel the overall benefit is positive. While some individuals do not feel the need to use this resource it is something that cannot be ignored if you are in business or want exposure for your expertise. The Internet provides countless opportunities to market your products/services to the public and is a great way to gain wider exposure with little or no expenditure. In this respect it offers reduced expenditures for businesses to connect with customers, suppliers or various branch locations rather than expending travel funds. The Internet provides ample opportunities to gain exposure but it is important to gain the right exposure in the right places. The Internet is a great place and with the technology we are more connected not only with individuals in our own country but all over the world. This can only be positive. As more information gets out to more places the potential for greater recognition and/or profit is enormous. We must use this technology wisely which will be hard as the changes in the technology happen constantly.
One last point to make is that we as individuals want to grow both in knowledge and expertise and the Internet provides new resources which makes it easier. There are many good free sources of information from all levels of industry but not all resources are reliable. I have learned about some great resources of information which interest me through networking efforts. With all the information available it is also best to not take claims of huge profits by using specific programs. While many may be reliable one thing we must remember is that nothing comes easy.
Everything we do takes effort on our part. Success in anything we do may be easier to some extent with the technology of today but we must learn to use that which is applicable to our specific situation. Everything we see through the Internet or newsletters will not always apply to our ambitions. The large volume of information on the Internet does overwhelm some people but the fact that a lot of information exist is positive. Without the Internet we would not have this volume of information available to learn about things all over the world. This can only be positive. Information and history about companies and individuals can easily be found. This can be good or bad dependent upon if you want the kind of exposure you get.
Much can be learned but the key is to evaluate the resource of the information being provided. Anyone using information derived from the Internet must or should evaluate the source before using what is being provided. As an author before I use any information that I find on the Internet I evaluate the reliability of the information source. This is sometimes easy and in other cases it is hard. If the resource cannot be validated, I do not use it. This is something we all must learn. Everything we hear or see should not be taken as accurate, complete and reliable as there are cases where certain information may be omitted to bring a specific point of view. This is not always a bad thing. The key is to understand that various media outlets typically have a point of view they wish to project. Broadcasting their point of view in reporting news events is their prerogative and right but they need to be honest with the public listening to what they say.
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