Week 9: Clear

Internet and the World Wide Web

In week 9 we learned about the Internet and the world wide web. One of the clear lectures dealt especially with the different uses of the web. Four different uses were outlined, namely to learn, to feel, to connect and to trade. I myself use the web mostly to connect. I use different methods to connect with friends, my university or other people. There is for instance the possibility via e-mail or the possibility to connect via instant messengers or chats, just to name a few. But moreover I also use the web to learn. Search engines play a very important role there. When trying to learn something new I almost always go to google.com and type in the word or concept I want to learn about. But of course I also use the web to "feel", to surf. When I do that I just browse through the web and entertain myself. A few years ago this was the main use of the web for me, today it is not any more. The last mentioned use, namely trade, is self-explanatory and probably the aspect I use least. Of course I already bought something over the Internet, through pages like ebay.com but I only do that once in a while.

In today's business environment, though, trade over the internet is very important. There are three different kinds of trade, B2B (Business to Business), B2C (Business to Consumers) and C2C (Consumers to Consumers) which are all increasing in scale. And also relating to the use of learning through the web it is nowadays almost impossible to survive at a university without being connected to the internet.  Online courses at university were not imagineable about 30 years ago, but they are reality right now. Therefore I think the topic internet and the world wide web is very important and essential for us.