2008 September 18

Web 101: The Internet and World Wide Web

Posted on September 18, 2008 by David Pierce David Pierce | NO COMMENTS

What the Internet is could be, and is, the subject of an enormous number of books. Amazon can help you out there, I’m sure. For our purposes, though, I’m going to give you a quick overview of what the Internet and the World Wide Web are.

The Internet is, at its simplest, a network of networks. Networks are private (in your house, your work, your coffee shop) and public, pushed together using a standardized Internet Protocol Suite. That protocol suite, called TCP/IP, is essentially a standardized way of pushing small packets of information (which everything you do is broken down into) between networks. Continue reading →

Web 101: Class is in Session

Posted on September 18, 2008 by David Pierce David Pierce | NO COMMENTS

For those people who’ve been around the Web for a relatively long time, who are “early adopters”, who take “geek” as a compliment, some of the following may not be of particular relevance to you.

What I’m realizing more and more, though, is that the above description fits a smaller portion of the world than I realized. For instance, a study was done that showed that 58% of people didn’t know what a “social network” was. That really surprised me, but also got me wondering.

The Internet is a tool whose capabilities go far beyond that which people use it for. Though email, Google searches, and news reading are revolutionary, and have changed the world forever, they’re only the tip of the iceberg.

My guess is that the biggest obstacle to people using the Web for all it has to offer is a simple lack of understanding of what the Web is, what it offers, and how to use it well. The Internet is a wonderful and alluring place to waste time, but it’s also a place to make your life easier, better, more fun, more efficient, and more productive.

In the coming weeks, we’ll begin a discussion of some of the Web basics. Definitions of Web-lingo like “RSS”, “Social Networks”, even “Web 2.0″. I’ll give you definitions as best I can, as well as practical ways to implement them into your lives, as well as some tools with which to do so. I’ll borrow liberally from sites like Wikipedia (arguably the Web 2.0 paradigm) and others, and will cite them as best I can.

Here’s what I need from you all: I don’t know everything about everything. I don’t know everything about anything, for that matter. I need your help to catch my mistakes, to better my definitions, to educate those who need it.

I started this blog to help those who are at a low ‘Netting level to catch up to those who use it more and understand it better. I need your help to level the playing field, and bring the wonders of the World Wide Web to a level everyone can understand and take part of.

For the sake of not making this post ridiculously long, I’ll start the real stuff with the next post: our first definition, “The Internet”. Welcome to Web 101.