Archive - MacAllen's Internet Rockstar Guide

Do I Need a Web Presence?

Simply put, yes, you. Everyone needs a web presence of some kind. But determining the kind of web presence you need is often the first step and creating a successful website. A webpage is like a beacon for people to find you. Or more aptly put, a webpage is like a message in a bottle in a vast sea of digital data.

The type of web presence really depends on your goals. Unless you have great name recognition like Microsoft, a website is the primary way the Online Only generation will find you. People younger than fifteen have grown up connected to the internet. People younger than 30 have matured along with the internet. A decade from now, these people will consist of the vast majority of professional and personal contacts. As the older generations—the generations who did not grow up with web access or personal computers—continue to be marginalized as they move out of the work force, and as education fuels a more internet centered world, the internet will eventually become the only means of researching.

Ask a student at any major university today where they go first when writing a paper, and most will say the internet—search engines like google and yahoo. Even most libraries have at the minimum a computer database rather than card catalogues. So it's only natural that this generation, my generation, will rely on the web for fact finding.

Already there is the social phenomenon of "google-ing" someone. You meet someone for the first time; you are intrigued; you want more information about this person; enter their name into google and you might find something, you might not. This is an example of the Online Only generation at work.

That raises the next point—seeking out specific people or services. Already you can search for someone’s phone number or mailing address at whitepages.com. But unless you have a remarkably unique name, something like say "Mirk Vanorgy", chances are you will return thousands of results.

A personal webpage or small business page is the most effective way for someone to find you, since a webpage contains information beyond the traditional City, State, and telephone number. Even if you aren’t trying to sell something, a web page will allow lost acquaintances to find and contact you. The flip side of this of course is that ex-girlfriends can also track you down.

A website is of course not the end all to gaining customers or meeting people or whatever it is you hope to accomplish. Businesses still need to advertise. The socially inept will remain lonely. However, an internet presence is the first step in becoming a full citizen in the online world we live in.