Internet - The World Wide Web
Technology Trends

Technology Trends

Technology is evolving at breakneck speed. The cost of hardware, software, and Internet access continues to drop and the capabilities offered continue to advance. The size of the Web population continues to grow, and it’s demographic mirrors society as a whole. The numbers of places people are when they access the Web is increasing as well.

The ubiquity of the Web
Lower prices for computers and Internet access means that the number of people who can visit your Web site continues to grow. Millions of new users each year join the 60–80 million current Web users. This means that more of your customers and prospects can visit your Web site more frequently. This is in conjunction with several other ongoing trends.

People are also getting more in the habit of going to the Web site for their news. The major newspapers have Web sites that contain updates of their print articles and late breaking news. Instead of being tied to on-the-hour or quarter-hour news broadcasts, you can visit your favorite television station’s Web site for late breaking news. When you want to find out the five day weather forecast in virtually any town throughout the United States, you can locate it on the Web.

The Web is no longer a novelty. For many, it is not even exciting. It is simply a universal communications tool, as accepted as the television or telephone, to help people locate information on demand. The implication is that your customers and prospects are likely to turn to your Web site before calling you on the phone or visiting your place of business. If your Web site does not project an accurate image of your firm’s offerings and attitudes, you will not get a second chance for their business. Soon, Web-based video conferencing will reduce the amount of business travel as people in distant offices will be able to communicate without leaving their home towns—or their homes.

Increased bandwidth and speed
Increased bandwidth—permitting much faster information delivery and the delivery of richer information—is quickly becoming commonplace. Modems are being retired by home users and replaced with technologies like cable modems and digital subscriber lines. The number of service providers clamoring to provide access to the home will assure this trend continues and competition will keep costs low. Web usage in the office is becoming universal and businesses are adding high-speed Internet connectivity to their local area networks.

These fast and convenient Internet connections take much of the frustration out of the Web and make it possible for you to incorporate advanced media to communicate sound and video on your Web site.

The Web is a global phenomenon
The tools of the Web—modems and other types of connections along with Web-ready hardware and software—are in use throughout the world. This removes the geographic boundaries of your business, which is made all the more realistic by the near-universal use of credit cards that automatically compute currency changes from country to country.

The Web browser is the universal platform for business
In the past, many software programs for specific markets, such as legal billing, used proprietary software that was both expensive to acquire and difficult to learn. Databases were accessed through proprietary, custom-made front ends. These applications and many others, from inventory to accounting to point-of-sale, are being reprogrammed to be browser compliant.

The Web eliminates the need for you to purchase or develop custom software. This universal acceptance of Web standards means that your will continue to grow and you can easily customize your Web site for customers without starting from scratch. * Source - Streetwise Relationship Marketing On The Internet
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