Chapter 6

Greetings Earthling! Welcome to WEB 2.0!

I compare WEB 2.0 to real life community in this way: we all have a home base, our home. We travel to different destinations outside of home base for various reasons. We buy groceries, shop for clothing and other goodies, seek entertainment, and go to work all within a certain perimeter. We can easily get to and from these points. They are our comfort zones. Anything that happens outside of our comfort zones might as well be happening on Mars.

Case in point: Last year we had planned to book our daughter's birthday at ASI Gymnastics in Rockwall, where we had recently moved. Unfortunately, the Rockwall location burned down shortly before her party. Fortunately, ASI is a franchise and therefore has at least one location in every major city on our area. No problem, we booked the party at ASI in Mesquite. ASI Mesquite is about 20 miles from ASI Rockwall.

We invited a few close friends and, of course, all of her classmates. All-in-all, about 20 kids.
Well guess how many of her classmates (all of them Rockwall residents) showed up? One. Yeah that's right, ONE SINGLE SOLITARY ROCKWALL RESIDENT!

We got "sorry we couln't be there" notes from them and some even still gave presents. For the life of us though, we couldn't figure out why no one came. Then a friend, who had been living here for a while, schooled us on why the turnout was dismal...the party was too far outside of Rockwall!

People do not like to travel outside of their zones! They will do it for special occasions or necessary business. But they get stray, do their business then get back to their comfort zones as soon as possible. They even breath easier when they reach their comfort zone boundaries.

The Internet is like that. Most of us know how to use the World Wide Web. We check our email, conduct business, go online shopping, and share "stuff", but all within certain zones. We've been taught how dangerous to our financial investment, our computer, traveling outside of known boundaries can be. Therefore, we stay away from the new and unfamiliar.

I felt like I had be smacked upside the head with a thick book after reading Chapter 6. Wow! I have more in common with those Rockwall parents than I had realized. I was amazed at what useful tools and websites that are out there. I even learned that Wikipedia wasn't just some weird name that someone had made up for the site. "Wiki"is an actual term! Who knew?

This chapter, even though it is dated, as far as techno info is concerned, reminds me of just how diverse and complex the World Wide Web is. There is so much we can do. WEB 2.0 is the Internet of today; new and improved. I thought that I made good use of it. But this reading made me realize that I really don't.

I always viewed the Internet as a tool, which it is. However, I thought of it of a tool, like a crescent wrench or a spatula is a tool. Truth be told, is has become a tool, like a car is a tool. It is now an essential part of everyday life. Those that get by without using the Internet in some way are the same as those who get by without a car (or good public transportation). You can do it, but you are at a severe disadvantage.