What makes the web so powerful? (April 19, 2009)

What makes the web so powerful? It's seemingly unlimited scope in terms of users and uses and its openness and accessibility to new users and uses. The Internet currently has 1 billion users a month (as of Jan. 09 as reported by CNET news). Where else can 1 billion people go each month to bank, watch movies, take a university course, talk to their parents, buy an airline ticket, see a doctor, sell a house, participate in historical events, solve a crime, or create, share and critique their own and others creative works? Sitting at my desktop, I (a relative digital immigrant) challenged myself to come up with these and more (50 total) uses of the Internet. (Excuse the random nature of the list, but it's a brainstorm—what came to mind in whatever order) For uses that are less common, newer, I provided an article link in parentheses. For uses that are familiar to most Internet users I provided examples of those I use and enjoy the most. Feel free to comment and add to my list. So here goes, the World Wide Web, the Internet, is powerful because it allows 1 billion people each month to...

1. to send messages, connect, with others (e.g., email, Facebook, Twitter, ...)
2. to learn (e.g., video conferences, university podcasts, long distance education, ...)
3. to prepare and provide multimedia curricular lessons
4. listen to, share, create and critique music (e.g., iTunes, Limewire, ...)
5. play and create online games (e.g., WOW, DotA, Neopets—my children's favorites—...)
6. watch TV Shows (e.g., surfTheChannel, ...)
7. watch and critique movies/videos (e.g. iTunes, Rotten Tomatoes, You Tube, ...)
8. to share creative works (i.e., Flickr, You Tube, ...)
9. to plan trips
10. to plan parties
11. to receive health information
12. to receive health care (See article)
13. to conduct business, work, online (e.g., video conferencing, ...)
14. to bank online (e.g., online banking, currency converters, ...)
15. to buy things online (e.g., iTunes, airline tickets, Amazon...)
16. to sell things online (e.g., eBay, ...)
17. to participate in history (See article)
18. to manage your identity (See article)
19. to track and identify individuals by police or concerned citizens
20. to store data (Time Machine, ...)
21. to send documents (email, ...)
21. to send cards online (e.g., eCards, Hallmark, Blue Mountain, ...)
22. to call, telephone, others (e.g., IP phones—Love it!, Skype, ...)
23. to read, watch, comment on and create the news (e.g., CNN iReport, ac 360 live blog, twitter)
24. to manage online subscriptions (e.g., Scientific American, Discover, TIME, ...)
25. to check the online catalogue of a library
26. to check movie times (e.g., Movieseer, ...)
27. to work from home with access to school servers (e.g., remote access—ras.isb.ac.th, ...)
28. to post grades away from school (e.g., PowerSchool, ...)
29. to communicate with students away from school (e.g., email, blogs, and wikis, ...)
30. to collaboratively write and edit docs (e.g., Google Docs, ...)
31. to support and contribute to charity (e.g., WWF, The Nature Conservancy, Red, ...)
32. to stay politically active (e.g., The We Campaign, ...)
33. to vote abroad (e.g., Democrats Abroad, ...)
34. to file taxes abroad (e.g., IRS, ...)
Oops! considering this is April 18th, this should not have been #34 on my list
35. to share photos and photo albums (MobileMe, FaceBook, ...)
36. connect with old classmates (classmates.com, ...)
37. to view your child's work and learning (Room 305 blog—thanks Robin, ...)
38. to track your family genealogy
39. to solve technology related problems (e.g., Apple Support, iTunes Help, ...)
40. to help find alien life (e.g. SETI, ...)
41. to see places I have never been (e.g., Google Earth, Google Earth Sky, ...)
42. to try out new hairstyles (hairstyler.com, ...)
43. to check your grades (e.g., PowerSchool, ...)
44. to register for classes (e.g., PowerSchool, ...)
45. to look for a job (TESOL, ...)
46. to read professional journals (TESOL, EBSCO, Science)
47. to read magna online (onemagna—my children's favorite)
48. to publish and share lesson plans
49. to register for professional conferences (TESOL, ...)
50. to have the latest news, blogs, and information sent to you (e.g., Google Reader, ...)

AND another amazing thing about the Internet is that today's 1 billion users and already myriad of uses continue to grow. The future of the reach and uses of the web seems unbounded.