Let me start by saying that I am by no means an expert. In fact, when it comes to the Internet, I’m not sure there are any “experts.”
But I do have a sound grasp of knowledge surrounding the concepts and tools available through the world wide web. With that knowledge, I would like to introduce you to my “Declassifying the Internet” series.
These posts may consist of the minutiae of how to acquire your own website or the broad schemes of content calendars and organization. They will range from social media to blogs and include new and emerging medias like my personal favorite, podcasts.
Each post from here on out will focus on a single piece of the Internet. It’s my goal to share the slivers and chunks of insight that I have to allow you to better understand and use the Internet.
As I start this series, you may be wondering who I am writing for and what I will eventually be writing about. There are, after all, a lot of people online and a lot of different things on it as well.
First of all, I am writing to anyone who wants a better understanding of what they are using the Internet for, be it social, promotional, commerce, or otherwise. If you have a blog, a website, an email address, a podcast, or any kind of social media presence whatsoever, or any combination of them, I hope to enlighten you.
What will I be covering? That is a question that I still haven’t found the answer to. Sure, I’ll cover blogging, social media platforms, podcasts, websites, and email, but I’ll also be going deep into SEO and search, strategy, and sometimes even the technology behind it all.
Prodigy Interactive Personal Service
The thing that I have come to understand is this: 20 years ago, when I was on the Internet in 1996, it was young, as I was. To be on the Internet as a whole, and not just connected to the walled garden of certain services such as AOL or Prodigy, was to understand how to connect to it, and to some extent how it all worked. It wasn’t all automatically interconnected; most devices weren’t. It wasn’t as intuitive as the designs and technology that exist today which lay it all out for users.
Personally, I spend time to make sure I’m not only caught up on what is out there, but how it works and, if at all possible, why it exists. These are not always easy answers, and sometimes the concepts aren’t for the faint of heart. With usability now reaching the lowest common denominator to attract the most users, how and why aren’t always as important as they should be.
I will be basing all of my insights off of my own personal experience. Take that with a grain of salt as they may not be best practices for all readers. I have this blog, but I also work in the web; designing, organizing, coding, and studying it. I don’t take it for granted and I hope to impart some assistance to those looking “to Internet better” in any way.
However, there is one caveat that is perhaps the most important part. The Internet changes. All. The. Time. Despite this being in concept a once-a-month or maybe once-every-two-months blog series, you may see two posts on SEO, or Twitter, or anything as this declassification grows. Those posts aren’t mistakes. Check the dates and you will see which is relevant. Information on the Internet can date itself, but that doesn’t mean the information can’t give you some insight from the past into the future. Remember how important the how’s and why’s can be.
I’m looking to take some big pieces and broad strokes and break them down. I’m always open to suggestions on what topic next to cover in “Declassifying the Internet,” so feel free to reach out via Twitter or email.
I hope you enjoy what is in store as much as I look forward to digging in and sharing a better understanding of the Internet.