The New Media: The Internet

If the TV and later the personal computer redefined how information and entertainment were conveyed, today the Internet is certainly doing the same and more. Seldom has a medium so dramatically commanded the attention of the business world. With a PC, modem or broadband access, appropriate software and internet access, the user may connect literally all over the world to millions of information sources and correspondents. Unlike phone, the Internet can deliver lots of visual data. Unlike mail or courier, Internet communication is instantaneous. Unlike fax, Internet printouts are clear and legible. The Online Services offer a gateway to the Internet, but thousands of access providers have also sprung up to create connections at no more expense to users than a monthly phone bill.

Advantages/Disadvantages

  • E-mail capability of the Internet and its limitless research opportunities are two of the truly revolutionary communications developments of the late Twentieth Century.

  • World Wide Web portion of Internet -- where the trendy “home pages” are found -- wires the “global village” for multimedia excitement.

  • Relatively inexpensive to be a user.

  • Relatively inexpensive to have a World Wide Web presence, considering the potentially large audience for your message.

  • Your message is a fluid document -- you can/must continually update and refresh the content; this means you can go online with your message before it's totally completed (but by the same token it means you're also never finished preparing your message).

  • The culture of the Internet users requires a special etiquette for sending and receiving messages.

  • The full multimedia potential of the World Wide Web portion of the Internet is sometimes stymied by the prevalence of obsolete computer hardware. In addition, some users still depend on dial-up access, which may be fine for text messages but not for graphics and video.

  • Again, audience measurement problems.

  • Just as in a jungle, it's not entirely easy to tell where you are going (or where you have been).

  • Intellectual property protection is very difficult.

  • Many businesses may have unrealistically high, fast expectations which, when unmet, lead to disappointment and skepticism.

The Internet at Work

When the Broome Engineering division of Universal Instruments Corporation wanted an Internet presence, Riger stepped up. Working with Broome management, we planned, organized, wrote and designed Broome Engineering Online.

As part of its portfolio of communications tools for reaching site location professionals worldwide, the Economic Development Alliance of Broome County wanted to create an Internet presence. Fred Riger Advertising designed the Home Page header and coordinated details of the page content with the EDA, its partners and an internet access provider. To see other examples of the Internet at work in our region, visit the Gallery page of our web site.

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