The Internet is Now a Teenager
Posted by anastasia on 12-13-2005According to CNN, the Internet has turned 15. The article offers a breezy trip down memory lane highlighting the big moments in the Web's young life so far. I thought I would add my own personal retrospective to help put it in perspective.
At some point in the late 80s - I get sent to "computer camp" at Vanderbilt University in Nashville where I learn to enter DOS code "War Games" style…"Shall we play a game?"
Around 1991, I learn about PINE at Antioch college and can now send and receive text-based email from my professors and classmates. I also learn about IRC and attempt to chat with people who had been to Israel before going for a summer to complete my senior project.
Around 1998, I realize the Web is a big deal and has lots of potential for Teen Voices magazine (the non-profit pub where I was working at the time). I create a teen mentoring program called Voices on the Net teaching inner city girls computer skills and get funded by Harvard Business School's foundation. I also plan a panel discussion at Boston's Cybersmith "internet cafe" called Get Online Girl featuring people from Purple Moon (a now defunct company that created games just for girls), Justine Cassell from MIT, and Gina Maniscalco who then headed up Boston.com. We also launched the first version of the Teen Voices Website complete with a rainbow bar!
1999 - I join two other brave students at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism in becoming the first students to concentrate in "new media" under the tutelage of Neil Chase (now at NYTimes.com). Can someone please tell me what the hell I was thinking with the barrette in the hair? I also worked at the Chicago Tribune's Website at night where I learned the hell otherwise known as Vignette Story Server. Back then, they made really cool online packages (that even included audio!).
2000 - Armed with my master's degree and a ton of debt, I head to NYC to attempt to pay it off. I turn down a reporting job with CNNfn.com and spend a few months at About.com creating content packages featuring those wacky guides. Land my "dream job" at Oxygen where I helped develop their teen Website Trackers. Reveled in the ambiguous concept of convergence, which meant we were paired with TV buddies (I mean counterparts) and got to work side by side (until they fired all the Web people). Attended decadent launch parties, collected lots of t-shirts.
2000-'03 - Moved to San Francisco to work for doomed teen girl start-up Kibu (post April crash). Explored the idea of needing to also have a "bricks and mortar" business to compliment dot.com company. Lasted three months. Company closed on my birthday. Went to Netscape (which had been bought by AOL) and learned about cubicles, constant reorgs and the neverending politcs of AOHell. Learned about blogging from a friend who launched his own local music empire. I think I got my first cellphone somewhere in here…
2004 - Learned about XML and feeds at KeepMedia, where we attempted to integrate feeds from hundreds of different magazines into one Website. Launched Ypulse.com.
Feel free to share your own stories about the past 15 years…
December 13th, 2005 at 12:24 pm
1983: Played lots of pong and other cassette games on my Vic20 and Atari.
1987-1992: Learned about coding with fun programs like Turtle and QBASIC.
1993-1994: Skateboards and Rock n' Roll - didn't care about computers.
1995: The Internet. It still feels like the Internet only just became popular. 95 was the year that introduced me to affordable home PC's, modems, and AOL. AOL provided my friends and I countless hours of chatting with weirdos around the world.
1996: Learned about the "underground world" of computers and was part of the first "P2P" file trading.
1997: Finally had a computer at my parents house. Learned how to create websites, use PhotoShop, and other fun programs. Also downloaded lots of music on my 36.6 baud modem (before it was illegal) on my 3 gig HD.
2000: Dreamt about getting a job with a dot com.
2001: Graduated with my BA, 2 weeks later 9/11, took the first job just to get out of the house. Dot com bust?
2002: Began a three year stint designing magazines and managing the books' websites.
2004: Graduated with my MA focusing on Computer Mediated Communication.
2005: Still researching and studying marketing trends on the Internet. Mainly researching the effects of print vs. digital in magazines and advertising.
Actually, I'm thinking about starting a blog devoted to the discussion of how electronic media trends are affecting print media. The information is just coming out left and right at this point and it seems like the big turning point in audience research and magazines creating actual websites without redundent content.
December 13th, 2005 at 12:37 pm
Hi Wayne. You should totally start that blog. I think the print biz (and the TV biz) is scrambling and in need of an expert voice to be the light house in the storm (how cheesy is that!)…
December 13th, 2005 at 2:47 pm
1985 - Commodore 64 and Tandy 1000 nerdiness
1986 - Started my own BBS at age 12 which was pretty much the only way I could meet girls. Pirated software programs such as MS-DOS and Quattro.
1989 - Started hanging out on EFNet so I could be a better pirate (IRC). Still there, though no piracy.
1991 - Worked part time during college for a large computer chip manufacturer (there were lots back then) as an "Internet Evangelist."
1992 - Dropped out of college to do it full-time
1997 - Chucked SoCal life to go start Vegas.com
1999 - Sold Vegas.com
2000 - Worked for a large software company while friends became "Optionaires."
2002 - Started my first blog at LiveJournal
2005 - When sober, I write my martini blog.