Who is responsible for the internet?
That’s right folks, the new version of the internet will be released very soon. Version 3.0 will be better, bigger, smaller, faster, easier, more intricate, scalable, portable, renewable and usable.
Actually, it won’t be.
The problem is that there is no version 3.0. There really wasn’t a Web 2.0 either. Yes, there have been advancements in markup languages, online applications and design styles, but this numbering system and promise of a Next Generation internet (yes, I know Gene Roddenberry invented the internet, not Al Gore) is simply reverse theorising, looking back at technological advances and seeing where things will lead in the future.
Cisco decided to set themselves up as the prophets of a new internet, the connectivity that will create greater value for businesses and personal users. Perhaps their 23% increase in profits went to their head and they thought it was a Sign. A sign that Somebody out there wanted Cisco to tell the good news to all, and to forge the way for the common folk.
I’ve never liked Kool Aid. And perhaps this was just one over-eager blog post that was trying to reach further ahead than necessary. But there are easier ways to make sure the internet (if you think anyone at all has any sought of control over it, Google aside) easier to use, more accessible and just happier for everyone.
But like any revolution, the best way to start is with your own small corner of the world. Here are some tips:
- Stop spam. If you think you have to reach thousands of people at a time, start a newspaper. Then close it down, and start a blog.
- Be real. If your marketing message, your website and everything else you say is not the utter truth, give it a rest. We’re all way too smart to be duped. Ok, most of us are.
- Be honest. If you are not an expert in web design, SEO, web usability, interface design and copywriting, leave it alone. Back AWAY from Dreamweaver, and call someone who studies these fields, understands the way websites need to be built and designed, and get on with doing what you’re good at. Your job.
- Do your job. If you’re a plumber, plumb. If you’re a cook, cook. I don’t want to be waiting for my meal while you finish reading a chapter from ‘HTML for Dummies’. Perhaps you aren’t literally studying in the kitchen, but if you’re going to hone skills, make sure it’s ones people expect of you.
Don’t wait for the new version to be released. Just make sure your web designer knows what they are doing.
By the way – why is it that nobody talks about Print Design 2.0, or Business Cards 3.1 ? Perhaps people ought to be just as critical of print materials as they of the web.
