A Brief History of the Internet

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when the world was not connected.

But then a small group of visionaries created the Internet.

And changed the world.

This is their story.

The (American) National Science Foundation (NSF) has put together a great history of the Internet ... Check it out (Flash required)!

http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/home.jsp

What Makes a Great Website?

There have been many studies in this area since the inception of the web some decades ago, but one rule continues to ring true: "Content is King"!

This of course implies both what is content (eg. textual, sensory, cultural) and how it is delivered to the target audience.

There are many ways to skin a cat. For example, a site aimed to promote a single product (eg. a new brand of soap) will have vastly different content management needs than, say, an e-commerce superstore which handles thousands of products.

When advising my clients I consider the following:
- What are you trying to achieve with this site (and is it going to be short-lived or long term)?
- What assumptions can we make about your typical audience (eg. minimum screen resolution, Flash capabilities, connection speeds)?
- What are your search optimisation parameters (eg. key words, conversion zones, landing pages)?
- Is you web infrastructure expected to cope with the proposed site?
- And of course, budget and time considerations.

Why should you care about content? Well, organisations which focus on solid content have higher repeat visitations, greater number of referrals, more bookmarks, arguably better search placement, and ultimately thrive. Visitors will place a greater value on your site, and your brand, thus enhancing ROI.

Just remember: "Content is King"!

Jobs: Looking for Java Developers!

Since 2004, we develop in-house web-based ecommerce software (online payments, product management, customer management, search optimisation, etc). The software has enjoyed excellent uptake, and I am looking to grow the business further.

The people I look for need to be reliable, switched on and technically-minded, preferrably with commercial Java Development experience. There are various roles available: product development, quality control and customisation, on either Casual/PT/FT basis.

In return, we provide competitive performance-based remuneration, great learning culture and profit sharing opportunities. Candidates preferrably from Melbourne metro area.

If you are interested or have someone in mind, please contact me via email with CV at alexbwang@gmail.com

Some more information at our (seriously outdated!) site: www.prodigywebservices.com

Porn Not the Most Popular Online Activity

Times are changing... Porn is no longer the number one activity on the Internet. It may be hard to believe, but according to a recent study by Bill Tancer, a researcher at Hitwise, time spent on social networking sites has surpassed time spent 'browsing' adult entertainment pages. Searches for pornography have dropped to account for 10% of Web searches, down from 20% a decade ago.

The study also showed that the top fears that people search for are elbows (seriously!), belly button lint, ceiling fans, social intimacy and rejection.
Also, searches for anti-depressant drugs spike around Xmas.

 

It's nice to see that people are doing things online besides gazing at porn, but I still think time wasted on a social networking site would be better utilised by socialising in, you know, the real world ... having said that, don't forget to add me to your Facebook!

Top Level Domain Designations

Internet Names Australia - Australian Naming Authority
.com.au : For commercial entities
.edu.au : For educational institutions
.gov.au : For government and semi-government entities
.org.au : For various forms of affiliation groups
.id.au : For individual zones
.oz.au : For entities which are visible within the ACSnet domain
.info.au : For major Australian informational and service resources
.net.au : For network infrastructure and providers
.asn.au : For associations
.csiro.au : For CSIRO
.conf.au :For conferences and exhibitions requiring short duration Internet connectivity

Internic - US Naming Authority
.com : For commercial organisations anywhere in the world
.org : For non commercial organisations anywhere in the world

There is also talk of adding more TLDs to the existing mix, which should present some interesting opportunities for avid developers, however these are being eyed keenly and are expected to auction for serious money!

Google further consolidates position in Australian search market

Latest figures suggest Google is getting stronger in the Australian search space.

Google: 78.6% (06/2007) --> 87.8% (06/2008)
MSN (aka Live): 14.7% (06/2007) --> 6.7% (06/2008)
Yahoo!: 5.3% (06/2007) --> 3.9% (06/2008)
Others: 1.4% (06/2007) --> 1.6% (06/2008)

Data from Hitwise 2008 Search Engine Update.

First post!

I intend to post more frequently from now on, so please check back soon. Reminder that you can contact me directly:

Email: alexbwang@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 412 116 908
Blog: alexbwang.id.au
Skype: alexbwang

Until next time, all the best.

AW