okay, peanut.

What would we do without the internet – our precious world wide web? This is the platform upon which we survive and thrive these days. Know a few websites? I have, to date, 1,086 links saved to del.icio.us. But this isn’t just a collection for the sake of collecting. These are things I actually use on a relatively frequent basis! Nah, the internet isn’t powerful. Or maybe I’m just strange.

I can’t remember what life was like before “www.” No e-mail, but a paper-laden world that consisted of faxes, postal mail and phone calls. Encyclopedias – remember those? Research at the high school library consisted of the Dewey Decimal System, the encyclopedia sets, and microfiche. Now, I carefully consult the web for everything. Literally, everything.

Something that started as an idea experienced viral growth that spread like wildfire. Netscape kicked it off, but was later overcome by Bill Gates and MSN. Seriously, the internet age wasn’t started by Microsoft? Oh no! The Microsoft boys were shaking in their boots. Go Netscape, go! It didn’t last for long, though.

Enter the bully. Microsoft, in my mind, is as bad as Wal-Mart and their “relationships” with their suppliers.

I guess it’s time for the disclosure. For the record, I’m a rebel. I love my Mac. Yes, I’m forced into mactopia, or Office for Mac. Trust me, it’s not by choice. There, my bias.

So … Netscape taunted Microsoft, and Microsoft answered back in time with …

Internet Explorer. Got it? Not me. Firefox wins for me, with Safari as a backup. Sure, it has its idiosyncrasies, but don’t they all? Best of all, it’s not putting money in Bill’s pocket, and that’s what makes me smile. Again, another disclosure.

How’d Microsoft do it? They imitated Netscape. Copied their moves. Kept up and closely followed in their tracks. The engineers worked killer hours and the sales team harassed customers, forcing IE upon their buyers. How could they lose? IE was, of course, free. Right … bundled with Microsoft Windows.

Bummer. Eventually, Netscape was rolled into AOL. Unfortunately, Netscape was the pioneer that sparked a windstorm of start-ups that would continue to fight for pieces of Microsoft’s share.

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Ooh, there’s another hour, this one on search! Google, Yahoo!, Altavista, and excite. What do you use? From my Spring 1999 Intro to Marketing class, it’s been mostly Google for me. Prior to that, Yahoo!. With its unique algorithms, Google seems to supply the most unique mix of results. And that, my friends, is what it’s all about.

Did you know that Google started as an idea cooked up by two Ph.D. students at Stanford? When Stanford told them they needed to move their invention off campus (it was inundating the university’s network), Google found angel investors to fund their first $1 million. These guys seriously wanted to organize all the information in the world. Huh?

They struggled to figure out how to pay for this venture, and eventually came up with their method. Aah, using keywords as a marketing research technique. You type in keywords and give away what? Information. Who wants that information? Aah, businesses, a.k.a, advertisers! Paid ads, ranked listings, AdWords! These methods of advertising created an amazingly level platform for organizations of all shapes and sizes. Mom & pop corner market can compete with major supermarkets in a small midwest town.

BTW, I love the Google motto: “Don’t be evil.” It’s brilliant!

Is Google all great? What about privacy? Does it feel to you like those supermarket customer loyalty cards that spit out targeted coupons based on your purchase patterns? Being of a marketing mindset, I say you can have it. Take my information, just don’t attach my name to it, please!

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Many thanks to “Download: The True Story of the Internet” on the Science Channel for inspiring this thought provoking blog and occupying 120 minutes of my life.