As of the end of April, only six members of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce have links to their company’s information on the chamber’s homepage on the World Wide Web.

Yes, I said, WORLD WIDE Web. Any information-savvy computer user looking for business information in Howard County will use the Internet to connect to Columbia, using the CityLink project. Columbia’s homepage includes a link to the chamber of commerce. The chamber’s homepage includes links to members’ homepages. So, using a series of “hot links,” anyone in the world can connect to your company’s homepage, a document that is overflowing with information about why you’re the best at what you do.

Laden with color graphics and links to other information sources, you’ve created the most popular site on the web for your industry. Word gets around, and you’re literally swamped with new customers!

Sound far fetched? I don’t think so.

In July 1994, a year ago, there were 3.4 million hosts on the Internet. A host is a computer network connected to the Internet. A host network may have just a few users or, in the case of some companies or universities, literally thousands of users, each of whom is an Internet user. For example, how many Internet users do you think are at the following host addresses: ibm.com (International Business Machines), microsoft.com (Microsoft Corporation), nasa.gov (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)? Each of these is a host.

Take a deep breath. The usage of the Internet is increasing at 15% per month. Yes, per month. It costs Damar Group $45 per month to present our company’s homepage to the world. Our homepage has links to all of our computer training course descriptions, class schedules, training manual descriptions, on-line ordering forms, and other information.

It took me five hours to design the homepage and its links, including graphics. But the best part is the homepage can be updated anytime. What a way to advertise! There’s no large commitment of brochure printing, and if we want to add a few new products to the list, it takes less than 10 minutes.

So what is the Internet, really? The Internet is the largest network of computer networks in the world. Most universities, government agencies, and large corporate entities are connected to the Internet. Originally designed by the federal government as an information transmission system for super computers at academic and government sites, and it has become much more.

The Internet is also a tool for commercial information dissemination and personal entertainment as well as academic research. Last night, my in-laws asked for information about Denver, Colorado, where they will soon be traveling. In less than five minutes we had a list of popular tourist sites, recommended restaurants, and travel suggestions. We even printed information about other Colorado sites that they may be visiting.

For a recent discussion of computer virii, I found hundreds of pages of information from around the world, including the most common virii, explanations of their effects on personal computers, and disinfection techniques.

I’m a Rotarian, and I receive hourly messages from Rotarians around the world. I’ve subscribed the world-wide Rotary International chat line...it’s like a party line for Rotarians. Right now, the communications are via electronic mail (email), but within a year, we’ll see greater use of voice communications, including voice mail, between Internet users.

Don’t forget, Internet users are world wide. I’m not talking about sharing information just within the county - or the country. I mean sharing email, documents, and information with users around the world. In real time, and for free.

On the lighter side, last Friday we checked the soda vending machine on the 4th floor of the computer science lab at MIT. There were 34 cans of coke in the machine. (We didn’t bother to check the quantity of the other brands of soda.)

When demonstrating the Internet, I often take guests on a virtual visit to the White House. President Clinton has developed a wonderful pictorial and audio tour of the White House and the Old Executive Building. Hillary Rodham Clinton leads a tour of the flower gardens.

If this sounds interesting, and if you would like to join the Internet community or bring your company in the information age, I recommend that you talk to Cathy Ganssle at Softaid Internet Services, Inc. The county’s premier Internet access provider, Softaid may be reached at 410.290.7763 or by email at cathy@softaid.net.

If you’re already an Internet user, let’s talk, I’d like to hear about how you’re using the Net.

David Stephen Murphy is President and CEO of Damar Group, Ltd. which presents computer training classes, publishes computer learning guides, and helps organizations do business on the Internet. The website is http://dgl.com, and Mr. Murphy may be reached at dave@dgl.com or 410.567.5366.

updated November 2, 1996
http://dgl.com/tbm/tbm9505.html

Return to DGL homepage
Copyright © 1996, Damar Group, Ltd., All Rights Reserved