For lesson 11, we read chapters 5, 6, and 7 of the Web Theory textbook. The subject of chapter 5 deals with the look of the Web. This chapter was fascinating as it breaks down and analyzes the content structure and design of the web. The chapter also reveals some history in regards to tools that have been created. According to Burnett and Marshall (2003), “it was the Apple Corporation that provided some of the key developments that made the computer user-friendly and for over a decade incompatible with other operating systems” (p. 82). Apple is credited with creating such tools and aids as the graphic user interface, icons, and hypertextual language. For the longest time, the early forms of the web and its tools were limited to areas of science and engineering like CERN in Switzerland or schools such as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne which created of MOSAIC. However, that is no longer the case and people can now enjoy the web in the comfort of their homes. The chapter also looks at the development of the Web image through the use of Flash and Javascript as well as its growing link to television such as the creation of WebTV. The authors close the chapter by providing a case study of Yahoo.com, a site that they say serves as a sophisticated commercial portal to the Internet. They highlight Yahoo’s tools such as its color and textual dimensions, its personalization, its interactivity and the interaction of media forms. I really liked how they called attention to Yahoo as I have used the site and have always enjoyed it and found it to be well developed site and very easy to use.
Chapter 6 discusses the Web economy and how it has evolved. The authors call attention to the time of Christmas in 1999. They state that one of the reasons for this occurring at this specific time was because Web retailers really started to into their own. Sites like Amazon and Ebay were taking off and additionally, chain department stores began to make a concentrated effort to establish themselves on the web in order to compete with the online retailers. One thing that was interesting was that the authors remarked how the Web has features that are similar to a library. According to Burnett and Marshall (2003), “Once information is placed on the web it also becomes (like a library) available and accessible as it enters into the quasi-public domain of cyberspace. The digital quality of any web-based material makes it available for borrowing; the difference between the web and the library system is that the material from the web can be copied exactly as it was originally produced whereas library photocopying can only produce a close facsimile” (p. 108). This comparison really made sense to me and I could see the similarities. The web has freed people from such limits as distance and has helped them to form connections, not only to areas of business like the stock market, but to different cultures around the world, areas of education, government and public service.
In Chapter 7, we examine the web of policy, regulation and copyright. The authors examine the progression of the policies and regulation that exist when it comes to the Internet. According to Burnett and Marshall (2003), “The new digital technologies represent both a promise and a threat to many of our traditional institutions. The rapid growth of the Internet has seen many stakeholders in these institutions attempting to protect the advantages they enjoyed under traditional mass media conditions. These attempts are often met with resistance from those who view the Internet as a new form of media with radical implications for communication, business and public life” (p. 136). I can understand how hard it is some people and businesses to accept change as I have felt that hesitation to embrace new technology myself. I am of the opinion of that if something is not broken, don’t fix it, however, technology is always growing and changing and we have to grow and change with it in order to function. Businesses in particular have to accept and embrace new ways and methods or else they won’t survive, particularly in this economy.
References
Burnett, Robert and Marshall, P. (2003). “Web Theory: An Introduction.” New York, NY. Routledge.