Today is OneWebDay – “a global day to celebrate online life”.
When I heard I did take a few minutes to reflect how the internet has changed the life I lead.
I had my first encounter with the internet when I was 18 and had a summer job at a university. With my system sign-on I also had access to my first email account – not that I knew many other people to email, but soon I was connecting with friends at university and planning a round-the-world trip with the benefit of email and the internet.
During my university degree I built my first website – I can’t remember what it was about, but remember the excitement of being able to publish my content as a website for the first time.
In my first proper job as marketing trainee with the Boots Company plc I experienced a business coming to terms for the first time with the power of digital communications. While the public facing website wasn’t great, the company’s intranet was the backbone of its staff communications. I ended up working in the e-commerce business unit where I got the digital bug.
The internet and digital communications have played a key role in my career and life ever since. I’ve had the joy of working in some pioneering web and interactive television businesses, and my day-to-day life is punctuated by things facilitated by the internet. From the podcasts I listen to in the car, the wireless network that I have at home to my website and blog, the internet is key to everyday life now.
Twelve years ago when I sent my first email I couldn’t have envisaged what role the web would play in my personal and professional lives now. And the exciting thing is trying to use my experience so far to project forward – what role will the web play in our lives in one, two, five years time? I can’t pretend I have the answers, but I know it’ll be an exciting journey.