Online,
no one knows you're a dog. The web has its own logic and its own rules. It works
because it is:
Free - no
single government can dictate what information can
and can't be published on the web (though local
legal standards do apply)
Open - no one company controls the technical
standards to the web, though some would like
to
International - the whole of the web is accessible from anywhere in the world - except China
Connected - the web is about making links:
between sites, inside sites, to databases, though
XML. No website is an island
Technical - the architecture of the web, while
being as simple as is possible, was not designed with
your grandmother in mind
Social - The web is built by people, and does things
people see as important. Beyond the RFC technical standards
there are many understandings both written and unwritten about what is and isn't
acceptable online.
WHY IT MATTERS
The web is not a multimedia content delivery chanel, nor is it a cut-price direct mailing tool or a
replacement for communicating with customers. Most mistakes have been made before. Most mistakes are being repeated. On
the
web, no one can hear you scream.
