Interactivity of the Web: Private

That was the correct answer. You're doing well. Next up, let's look at the private interactivity capabilities of the Web. In Robert Wright's profile of Berners-Lee, he describes how he had envisioned the Web as a space for "a worker posting a memo on a Website accessible only to colleagues and having them react by embedding hyperlinks that led to their comments or to other relevant documents; or a bicoastal family similarly planning its annual reunion on the family site." While the Web certainly can offer public interaction, what Berners-Lee talks about is also very much in play.

I've come across at least three examples of this in my usage of the Web. The computer storage company I work for has a vast internal network which includes a massive file directory and a community social network. In order to access anything internal, the computer must be logged on to the company's secure network. If visited from an outside source, the page simply doesn't load and comes up as not found.

Similarly, there are family websites using the same idea which require a username and password to access their content, so that family members can post photographs without the whole world seeing them. Obviously with the increasing popularity of Facebook, these sites have become less trafficked and unique, but they do still exist. My dad's first cousins have a family website, though I'm unable to recall the URL for it (or the password, for that matter), and therefore I cannot access it. That's part of the idea, though, since their photos and business do remain private as a result. They're also now all on Facebook, so it's possible that the site isn't even up anymore.

The third tool on the Web is a site for creating your own social network called Ning. While Facebook has likely decreased its traffic as well, it's still a site that might be used as a meeting place for people seeking to organize a class or camp reunion. I created a fake social network as a test once, and it was a very friendly interface which allows you to design most of it yourself and cater it to your specific audience.

Since this class is only slightly underway as we begin our second week of the semester, I'd like to take a very broad look at the future of the Web with reference to two specific technologies from Google. That means another question to get to the next step!

Who was the first to publish a paper detailing the importance of packet switching?

a) Leonard Kleinrock
b) J.C.R. Licklider
c) Radia Perlman
d) Tim Berners-Lee