When we log onto the internet, it is like entering a book with no ending. It is limitless as to the different types of people and institutions it connects us with from our office, school, or home.

We could go on and on about who IS on the web but an even more expansive consideration would be who CAN BE on the web. When you consider that, the possibilities increase to unimaginable proportions. There really is no limit as to who can be on the World Wide Web.

Basically, the restrictions are in our heads. When it comes down to who can be on the web, there are two limiting factors: fear of the unknown and how we think about ourselves.

 

Fear of the Unknown in this case refers to both the technical end and the financial end...how can it be done and how much does it cost? Both of these are related to the service providers. The high-tech, complex end of the spectrum including database interaction or e-commerce costs money to create and maintain, while a simple site created by your neighbor's brother-in-law might be absolutely free. In the competitive world, we can rely on a fluctuating old adage "You get what you pay for." Not always, but more often than not, this is true.

What we first have to know is: what is available, and what we want or need. Once this is established, we can determine what the cost will be.

 

How we think about ourselves: Is what we have to offer important enough to put on the web? Is it appropriate or wanted? Do we belong? How does our piece of the puzzle fit in with the rest of the World Wide Web?

Experience shows that these are needless worries. Experience comes from action--from 'doing'. If our puzzle piece is put out there, eventually it will find its niche. Usually, a web presence will grow slowly in the beginning, but the number of site visits (hits) will come to a healthy growth spurt with patience and proper cultivation. By that time our site is solidly established and can live and breathe with proper attention via simple updates and maintenance.