THE BASIC IDEA
What is this thing called the Internet?
As you are on this site reading this article, I am going to assume that that you already have a basic understanding of the internet, but did you know:
"The terms Internet and World Wide Web are often used in everyday speech without much distinction. However, the Internet and the World Wide Web are not one and the same. The Internet is a global data communications system. It is a hardware and software infrastructure that provides connectivity between computers. In contrast, the Web is one of the services communicated via the Internet. It is a collection of interconnected documents and other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs." - Wikipedia
The Internet provides a platform to access an enormous wealth of information and documents and can be used to:
- Research anything in any country
- Send & receive email
- Play games
- Find entertainment
- Communicate real time with anyone, anywhere in the world
- Study from anywhere in the world
- Advertise your business via a number of outlets including a website
- Provide information or support " Shop for or sell products
- Send and receive faxes
What is a web site?
The web site is a collection of 'pages' that focus on a particular subject or subjects, a bit like a book or directory. The Home Page is the first page of this 'book' and will be the page that you arrive onto and are navigated back to as a default. Other pages link to this page through a navigation system. Web sites can be anything from one page to thousands of pages depending on what the subject or purpose of the website is. A website is generally open to anyone with access to the internet.
A website will have a unique 'address' or domain name. (such as www.createdby.co.za!) Domain names are never duplicated and this means that simple names that are relevant to the content of the web site are very scarce and often sell for large amounts of money. You can often tell where a website is hosted or where a business is based by their domain name, for example South African websites often end in .co.za and British websites - .co.uk. (This is not always the case though,so should not be assumed.) The .com address is the most popular and unless you have a very unusual name that you are trying to register, are very hard to buy.
Is it important to put your business on the Internet?
Absolutely! In South Africa the internet is still relatively underused but that is changing as more and more people get computers and as the cost and speed of internet access improves. It is the most effective way to promote your business to an international audience and offers a wealth of technology and information at your fingertips.
