Snorkel don't surf!

How many times have you heard people complain that there is nothing on the web? I've heard it half a dozen times at least. We surf and surf, looking for THE coolest site and we can't find it. In the end none of the gimmicks satisfy. For one thing they take too long to load up.

Personally I don't think that the problem is that nothing is out there; I think its how we look. We need to stop surfing the surface and start diving for content. We need to snorkel.

When I used to surf all I did was skim right across the surface of whatever content was there. I would only stay long enough in a site to find a link out of it. I always felt in a rush- so much to see, so much to do; god forbid that I actually read anything.

Now, I snorkel. I actually read sites, and guess what. There is interesting stuff out there. I might miss all the "Hot", "Wired" and whatever else, but who cares. As long as I'm getting something out of it.

The web, or any multi-media for that matter, isn't necessarily any better than any of the mediums it often combines: books, TV, radio, film whatever. Part of the reason is that is so easy that any schmo like me can put something up. It is still cool because it is still so new and still changing.

We need to make sure that it changes for the better. What the web could be, and is already starting to become is an excellent tool for communication and exchange of information, whether between two people like you and I, or between you and a database, a company, a government or whatever.

If we keep surfing, it is only going to become another TV; rife with images and gimmicks but little content or communication.

Dive, snorkel, crawl, but don't surf the web. If you get to a site that's totally lacking in content, then skip it, surf it! But make a point to read and pay attention. And then when it is turn for us to say something, maybe others will listen to us as well.

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