The Internet Started Because of Conversation

The World Wide Web is a conversation. The Internet and the Web as a whole became what it is because of many conversations. We often tout “social media” and “Web 2.0″ (so tired of the 2.0 thing) as being this incredible new platform of people being able to create their own content and share etc. But really, it was disparate and broken conversations that created what the Internet today is in the first place.

The “Social Web” of today is just the evolution of technology, as the result of conversations, that enables those who are not very technically inclined to join in the conversations that were already going on. No single corporation built the Internet. In fact the primary Web servers and protocols that enable all our wonderful content to be shared are Linux Apache servers – software built communally and open source. Built as the result of conversations.

If Microsoft, IBM or Apple had tried to build the Internet, would it be here today? Would it be as open with so many cool applications and choices? Probably not. This whole point is not new, it was touted in the Cluetrain Manifesto book back in 2000.

Upon reviewing it again, 9 years later, that although much of the technology has evolved, this single point of the Web having been built through conversation struck me as really important.The “Social Web” is the evolution of the conversation that more people can participate it, the conversation driven by people who have many visions of how technology might work to advance mankind. And we’re all just getting started to figure this out.

(Author: Giles Crouch, Managing Partner)