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Stuart · 03-04-2007, 09:51

Is the web any less of a meeting place than it used to be?

No.

I've been using the web since 1994, and while I am concerned at increasing commercialisation of the web (e.g. Google), and don't particularly like MySpace, the fact remains that in '94, the only platforms available for the public to talk (openly, not like email) were IRC, the newsgroups or various buliten boards (similar to forums). If you wanted a page or site on the web, you built it, but that didn't allow two-way communication.

Now, we have multiple instant messenger networks (some of which can talk to each other), VOIP, Myspace (and clones), Blog sites, Wikipedia (and clones), video download sites (youtube and clones), not to mention thousands of privately owned forum sites (such as this one) and email, IRC and the ability to design your own website.

Even if you do design your own site, you can (if you should want) download software that would enable your site readers to communicate back.

The only problem I can see with commercial sites (such as MySpace) is that they often do require you to use other services they have links to (as the lady singer found), or they will retain copyright ownership of anything uploaded (as Billy Bragg found).

03-04-2007, 09:51	#11
Stuart - Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Somewhere Services: Virgin for TV and Internet, BT for phone Posts: 26,546	Re: The race to preserve the third space Is the web any less of a meeting place than it used to be? No. I've been using the web since 1994, and while I am concerned at increasing commercialisation of the web (e.g. Google), and don't particularly like MySpace, the fact remains that in '94, the only platforms available for the public to talk (openly, not like email) were IRC, the newsgroups or various buliten boards (similar to forums). If you wanted a page or site on the web, you built it, but that didn't allow two-way communication. Now, we have multiple instant messenger networks (some of which can talk to each other), VOIP, Myspace (and clones), Blog sites, Wikipedia (and clones), video download sites (youtube and clones), not to mention thousands of privately owned forum sites (such as this one) and email, IRC and the ability to design your own website. Even if you do design your own site, you can (if you should want) download software that would enable your site readers to communicate back. The only problem I can see with commercial sites (such as MySpace) is that they often do require you to use other services they have links to (as the lady singer found), or they will retain copyright ownership of anything uploaded (as Billy Bragg found).