Is the Web simple enough? Has this still evolving medium simplified over the years, or it is still filled with extravagant nomenclature that keeps our grandparents away from it?
The Internet has become simple, easy, and accessible for everyone. Its navigation language is already part of our culture, and its codes are short, easy to remember, and uniquely fun.
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The Net world needs rethinking to get rid of the http's, www's, url's and adopt more simple naming patterns to engage with humans using humans' language.
10 comment(s) so far
OneLovethinks: If we consider the facts that 30% of the Online population is from China and this makes up 9% of the Chinese population, it is soon easy to realise who the current internet is built for.
With only 25% of the World's population actually speaking English, it will not be long before we see an internet which could be seen to be parallel to the current English-net. For example, does anyone know how hard it is to type .com in Chinese?
I feel that the Internet is built on a structure that makes it easy enough to get a basic grip of technique and browsing. Simply typing in www.msn.com will enable you to gain access to news, sports, email, messenger etc etc, and the list is ever expanding.
The Web 2.0, merely a chat term, will enable users to freely create their own internet through community interactions similar to that of Myspace. It is still unknown whether 2.0 will actually help basic users understand the internet better or whether it will turn areas into complicated walled gardens.
However, if we think that it is now possible for 14yo kids to produce their own websites, create their own communities, interact with people from all races, I feel that the web has helped to simplify people's existence.
To actually truly be at one with the internet there is a large amount of knowledge one needs to acrue, but it gives everyone the opportunity to learn and experience things that years ago would not have been possible.
drjohnthinks: With a world population of 6,545 million and a chinese population of 1,306 million, you think that with 9% of the chinese on line, they represent 30% of the total online users??? This suggests that of the rest of the world only 1% of them are online. Get Real!!
Web 2 is a method for programmers to build applications you run online in your browser. Don't know what you think it is, if you think it is a chat term! The fact that you have probably used such web 2 systems and been unaware of it shows how the web has been simplified a great deal
The Internet has been greatly simplified in the 40 years it has been in existance. (Yes, 40 years, the web is just one recent part of the internet) You no longer need to be a computer expert to use it, and it is no longer confined to science labs and universities. The compalint about having to type in the proper url to find a site is hilarious - with google claiming they alone index over 8,000 million web pages (and they don't index the private sections of university sites, or paid for services for example, which is a huge amount more), obviously you have to enter the url correctly to find a page. Do you write a letter to someone and just put their name on it and post it, expecting it to arrive at the correct address in china for example? Hence the need to enter the correct url for a web page.
The internet is a vast communication system, and many parts of it are so simple to use compared to 10 or 20 years ago, it has clearly come a long way. Unfortunately, manydesigners of web pages haven't all realised that showing off clever tricks doesn't always make life easier for people. Very few of them have even heard of usability engineering, far less applying it to their work. Don't criticise the web if parts are complex, criticise the web designer.
As for suggesting there might be a parallel web that is not in english - have you never seen web pages in french, spanish german, swedish etc etc etc. The web is not an english only media by any stretch of the imagination. you just don't find many german web pages if you enter an english word in google :)
The web will get simpler still, but the creative minds that design the software to make it simple have to work very hard indeed to make it idiot proof.
tlittletonthinks: My feeling is that the naming conventions of the web are just a part of the whole experience and the younger generation are brought up knowing web name protocols. There are also so many things you can use to make webnames easy and shorten URLs e.g. (ElfURL, TinyURL etc.). I say leave it as it is, it seems to have worked so far!
paristhinks: I think the web is obviously work in progress, and I'm hopeful that the more people get involved and express their opinions about usability the more user-friendly it will get.
And speaking of grandparents - mine LOVE the web and it has broadened their horizon and opportunities to communciate and connect so much. They seem to be fine with URLs, but what really scares them is to press the wrong button on their hardware and the web disappears. But that's another discussion ;-)
JBonninthinks: The internet has in fact become very easy to use in almost any purpose since Google, through which you find what you need even without "www" or URL. Of couse, in an ideal world my broadband connection would NEVER fail...
donnamthinks: I don't think there is any real cause for changing it at this point. The people who are interested in using the web are learning the web. They may not know to call it a URL, but they know what a URL is in essence. All of my grandparents use the web, some form of messenger, one even has a blog set up! There will always be those who shy away from new technology no matter what sort of naming is used.
MiserableOldManBoythinks: The internet didn't really need to change, people changed it for themselves but that's not important. The Internet opens up people's thoughts and ideas (if you get it right) or it can make you brain dead and never be able to go outside again. The internet allows people from one place in the world to greet people from places they've probably never heard or unable to get to physicaly and the internet allows you to find people you'd like by creating forums, sites, contacts and communities to basically advertise what you want to talk about and I think it's great. Where I live is pretty boring for me and I have only a few people I can get on with and chat to about interests, internet helped me find loads of people who like talking about the same stuff and is great for socialising over but socialising over the internet is said to have it's dangers.
trickyskillsthinks: The web has developed to enable users to find their own entry level. If you want the walled garden provided by some ISPs, fine. It's still a whole bank of information that you would struggle to find elsewhere.
Dig a little deeper as you grown in confidence and the possibilities are endless.
Remember where we were ten years ago? Usergroups, FTPing, frames or no frames. It was a different world!
Wiki sites are fantastic and have allowed user to take more ownership of the internet. Plus how simple is Blogger?!
jonothinks: The iternet has developed into something of an essential resource invaluable to millions of users who enjoy information they would never have been able to find otherwise - it is definitly a step forward in the globilisation of the world and the advancement of our technolgy, with the capacity of so many differnt users ideas being displayed for anyone to find and read there can be no doubt the iternet will evolve.
It has already been adopted by businesses as another medium to reach consumers, making so many peoples lives easier (e-commerce for example) users who find it difficult to use only need proper guidance to pick up the basics; google itself has revolutionised the internet for everyone not just those who found it hard to work out the infrastructure of the web.
In most western countries new generations now grow up surrounded by the internet even if they dont have access to it at home they will leave school having used the iternet in some form - proving it must be geting easier to use if kids are growing up using it. What does wory me is with increasing users and the constant input of personal data are we not making it easier for internet fraudsters and companies to steal our identities and abuse our privacy. Have we come to rely on the internet too much!
