2014년 9월 10일 수요일
2014년 9월 4일 목요일
Where Is The Cyberspace (Part 2)
Background:
Where Is The Cyberspace? (Part 1)
We call the present era the Internet Age. This advancement seemed promising! Yet today, the small and medium enterprises are finding themselves in financial trouble. Highly developed countries are definitely affected by this situation among the SMEs.
What could we infer from this situation? Could SMEs in developed countries possibly be suffering from digital divide? Could there be a brewing financial crisis in very big economies? If so, we need to study and reevaluate the current structure of the Internet ecosystem. So I am compelled to ask everyone: Where is the cyberspace?
This is something that internet leaders should not ignore: To bridge the digital divide, there should be sufficient awareness on something that plays a big role in the new economy.
We call the present era the Internet Age. This advancement seemed promising! Yet today, the small and medium enterprises are finding themselves in financial trouble. Highly developed countries are definitely affected by this situation among the SMEs.
What could we infer from this situation? Could SMEs in developed countries possibly be suffering from digital divide? Could there be a brewing financial crisis in very big economies? If so, we need to study and reevaluate the current structure of the Internet ecosystem. So I am compelled to ask everyone: Where is the cyberspace?
Cyberspace Awareness, Its
Relevance to the Digital Divide, and Its Effect on the SMEs
So many government leaders and SMEs,
who have access to high speed internet 24 hours a day/7 days a week, do not
know where cyberspace is. Even Internet leaders do not know where it is
exactly. This is one form of digital divide. The root cause of digital divide
is not limited to having no Internet access. Digital divide also develops when
those who have Internet access are not fully aware about something as important
as the location of cyberspace.
This is something that internet leaders should not ignore: To bridge the digital divide, there should be sufficient awareness on something that plays a big role in the new economy.
SMEs, which provide about 90% of a
country’s employment, are foremost the victims of digital divide. Helping a country's SMEs is like helping the world avoid a global economic crisis.
Small and
medium businesses spend millions on online advertising but they are still losing
their customers. They do not know why.
The SMEs do not have the slightest idea that they have been losing their customers in the Internet address bar.
At this point, I should go back to my cyber farmland reference: A large chunk of the cyberspace is in the browser. And the entrance to the cyberspace is in the Internet address bar, aka, the Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
The SMEs do not have the slightest idea that they have been losing their customers in the Internet address bar.
At this point, I should go back to my cyber farmland reference: A large chunk of the cyberspace is in the browser. And the entrance to the cyberspace is in the Internet address bar, aka, the Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
Now, how are the SMEs losing their customers at the entrance of cyberspace?
Watch the video below to see how this very same thing happened many years ago:
The story in the video above is about Alman Strowger, an undertaker who noticed that the telephone (back then, it was a newly introduced technology) was not working for him. He was being robbed of clients, yet he was unaware of what was going on. His business was in trouble, until the Strowger switch was developed.
As mentioned, the same thing is happening to small and medium business players today.
Think about this:
RELATED READING:
As mentioned, the same thing is happening to small and medium business players today.
Think about this:
Whose customers are those who type company/brand names in the Internet Address (URL) Bar?
If you dial the telephone number of Mr. Pizza directly, are you a customer of the telephone service or 411? No. You are definitely a customer of Mr. Pizza. It’s obvious.
In the ICT age, the telephone evolved into a more advanced technology-the Internet. If Internet users type mrpizza.co.kr or mrpizza.com (assuming these are domain names owned by Mr. Pizza) in the URL bar, they are evidently customers of Mr.Pizza. Just like dialing the telephone numbers, customers are directly connected to Mr.Pizza .
But how about those who type “Mr. Pizza” without “.co.kr” or “.com” in the URL bar (not in the search bar) -- whose customers are they? Are they customers of the portal or Mr.Pizza? These users are connected to Mr. Pizza. They are not supposed to be customers of the portals.
Every company all over the world has been spending a lot of money and exerting a lot of effort to keep old customers and make new ones. But in cyberspace, the portals benefit from their hard work.
In the Internet or ICT age, customers who type the brand and company names in the URL bar are directed to the portals. They became customers of the portals. What’s going on?
In the ICT age, the telephone evolved into a more advanced technology-the Internet. If Internet users type mrpizza.co.kr or mrpizza.com (assuming these are domain names owned by Mr. Pizza) in the URL bar, they are evidently customers of Mr.Pizza. Just like dialing the telephone numbers, customers are directly connected to Mr.Pizza .
But how about those who type “Mr. Pizza” without “.co.kr” or “.com” in the URL bar (not in the search bar) -- whose customers are they? Are they customers of the portal or Mr.Pizza? These users are connected to Mr. Pizza. They are not supposed to be customers of the portals.
Every company all over the world has been spending a lot of money and exerting a lot of effort to keep old customers and make new ones. But in cyberspace, the portals benefit from their hard work.
In the Internet or ICT age, customers who type the brand and company names in the URL bar are directed to the portals. They became customers of the portals. What’s going on?
To be continued...
RELATED READING:
The Effect on the Web Economy caused by wrongful use of Internet Address Bar
2014년 9월 3일 수요일
Where Is The Cyberspace (Part 1)
Where Is Cyberspace?
The Oxford dictionary says the cyberspace is the "environment in which communication over computer networks occurs." It is like a farmland of opportunities. It is a global network of connected computers. Most of us know this. But do we all know where cyberspace is?
The cyberspace enables business organizations to easily formulate strategies, communicate with customers, and increase revenue.
Cyberspace should be good for everyone. However, the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that play a vital role in a country’s economy, are struggling despite this technological advancement.
Businesses are losing customers in spite of the enhanced online publicity. This loss of customers is creating a domino effect: Workers are losing their jobs. Consumer demand is dropping. National production is declining.
As a result of all these and more, the national economy of many countries is suffering. These scenarios are happening in highly developed countries.
It is time for everyone to realize that these are all connected to cyberspace operations.
Where is cyberspace? I have asked this question to Internet entrepreneurs, government leaders and all other individuals. Most of them responded that cyberspace is in the Internet, in the servers and networks. It is in the PCs, laptops and all other digital devices that connect to the Internet.
These answers are not wrong. However, these answers are not 100% correct.
In reality, cyberspace is like a farmland, a cyber farmland. And the major part of this land is in the browsers.
Does cyberspace exist outside of the web browsers? Yes. But only in a much smaller scale. The largest part of cyberspace is definitely within the browsers.
To be continued...
RELATED READING:
The Oxford dictionary says the cyberspace is the "environment in which communication over computer networks occurs." It is like a farmland of opportunities. It is a global network of connected computers. Most of us know this. But do we all know where cyberspace is?
The cyberspace enables business organizations to easily formulate strategies, communicate with customers, and increase revenue.
Cyberspace should be good for everyone. However, the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that play a vital role in a country’s economy, are struggling despite this technological advancement.
Businesses are losing customers in spite of the enhanced online publicity. This loss of customers is creating a domino effect: Workers are losing their jobs. Consumer demand is dropping. National production is declining.
As a result of all these and more, the national economy of many countries is suffering. These scenarios are happening in highly developed countries.
It is time for everyone to realize that these are all connected to cyberspace operations.
Where is cyberspace? I have asked this question to Internet entrepreneurs, government leaders and all other individuals. Most of them responded that cyberspace is in the Internet, in the servers and networks. It is in the PCs, laptops and all other digital devices that connect to the Internet.
These answers are not wrong. However, these answers are not 100% correct.
In reality, cyberspace is like a farmland, a cyber farmland. And the major part of this land is in the browsers.
Does cyberspace exist outside of the web browsers? Yes. But only in a much smaller scale. The largest part of cyberspace is definitely within the browsers.
To be continued...
RELATED READING:
The Effect on the Web Economy caused by wrongful use of Internet Address Bar
피드 구독하기:
글 (Atom)