Permalink to my Web 2.0 article on Neria's blog

Today I have an easy lesson for you. I want to post a permalink in this entry, so I'll quickly explain what it is:
A permalink is a URL that points to a specific blogging entry even after the entry has passed from the front page into the archives. So, whenever you click on the permalink you'll be directed to the article or resource you're looking for and not just to the front page of that respective blog or website.
Most modern weblogging and content-syndication software systems support such links. Other types of websites also use permalinks, but the term itself is most common within the blogosphere.
Blogging software creators and blog hosting websites have not agreed on a standard format for permalink URLs. Here is the example of the blogspot permalink format:
http://.blogspot.com/<4>/<2>/

.html

Now what do I need this for? I have great news: I had my first guest blogger appearance :) A few days ago I received a comment from Neria saying he liked my blog and used one of my posts in his blog. Of course I checked out his blog and here is the permalink to his post:

http://neriaiansebastien.blogspot.com/2007/03/web-20-as-dania-sees-it.html

I was touched by what I saw on his blog. Neria is a young man who has cancer in an early stage and writes about all kinds of interesting things in his blog. I really like the declaration of love to his "lady of his life". My best wishes are with him that he keeps up his energy, hope, humour and recovers well from his sickness!
Now I feel quite sentimental, knowing how good my life is and how lucky I've been so far.
All the best to all of you,
Dania

web = net ?

Following my confusion with respect to what an URL is, I read some articles to start filling the gap in my knowledge. It began to dawn on me that - although I always used these two words as synonyms - Internet and Web do not mean the same thing.

The Internet is a massive collection of interconnected computers. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet. The computers are linked to each other by copper wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless connections etc.
Information that travels over the Internet does so via IP (Internet protocol) and TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)..to explain these protocols in further detail will require an extra lesson for me. But I somehow got as least the following: when information is sent over the Internet, it is broken apart and packaged inside Internet Protocol packets or "IP packets."


The World Wide Web, or simply the Web, is a way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet. It is an information-sharing model that is built on top of the Internet and is a collection of interconnected documents and files linked together by hyperlinks and URLs (= internet addresses). The Web uses the HTTP protocol to transmit data. HTTP is only one of the languages spoken over the Internet (puuh, another lesson waiting for me on this one).

Basically, the Web is just one of the ways how information can be spread over the Internet. In fact, the Web is just one of the services deployed on the Internet. It's content vs. transport. Just as goods can be transported by a truck on a highway, a Web page is transported by packets on the Internet.

Well, I guess this is close to the easiest way the difference between the Internet and the Web can be explained. I'm happy to receive suggestions that are even more dummyproof ;)
Dania

Frequency vs. content

Maybe I should expand the topic of my blog. Today is one of those days, where I'm not quite bubbling over with ideas on what to post. It's really not that I've fallen into a blogging lethargy or so. I just had quite a busy day at work and my head is empty. Can't come up with a useful explanation on internet terms at the moment, without doing a bit of research etc. But I do feel some pressure: Ambitious as I am, I feel obliged to post something every two or three day. Why? Because I see that I already have interested people reading my blog! That is sensational, thanks to all of you for visiting my blog! I feel honoured that I'm not the only one reading it.
So, back to my problem, what do you think: Is it better to post a bit more irregular, but only useful information, or do you think it's acceptable to once in a while depart from the topic of the blog (which is for me to provide dummyproof explantions of internet terms), when you can't come up with something good within a reasonable time?
I would use a poll for this one if I knew how it worked... oh well... something more on my to-do-list ;)
Dania

"Add your URL"

I actually didn't want to start annoying you with a technical lesson in my fourth post but I think it's better to get into these technical terms rather sooner than later. I read a lot of articles and blogs on internet topics and I only understand half of them! It's not that I'm stupid (may not be an Einstein either...) or that I don't understand English (okay, my German is better...), but they're just stuffed with weird abbreviations like RSS, CSS, SaaS, SERP, SEO etc. Okay, I know that learning by doing is more effective, which is one reason why I started this blog for internet dummies. But guess what? One of the first things I had to do is "add your URL". What on earth is an URL? I thought it must be an internet address because the "http://" part was already given. So far so good, I managed that. I still want to give you the technical input because I really wonder how many of you out there really know for what URL stands for?

It stands for Uniform Resource Locator... This is about how much I understand from the Wikipedia entry.
Is there anybody out there who can give me a more simple explanation? I'd be very grateful :)
Dania

Phenomenon Web 2.0

I'm fascinated by the way our society has changed in the past few years and is still changing. The phenomenon is called Web 2.0... sounds like a new version of an old software, but in reality it is a revolution in society and technology. The dotcom hype in the 1990s didn't seem that spectacular to me - it was rather driven by an enhanced technology than by a shift in mindset. The Web 2.0 boom is different. It is a massive social experience, indicating in which direction society is moving. Some people may think it's just another bubble, but I don't.

The term Web 2.0 arose in 2004 and refers to a second generation of internet-based services — such as social networking sites, wikis and communication tools that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users. O'Reilly Media used the expression as a title for a series of conferences in 2004. According to Tim O'Reilly "Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform."
Wikipedia states that the phrase Web 2.0 can also refer to "A social phenomenon embracing an approach to generating and distributing Web content itself, characterized by open communication, decentralization of authority, freedom to share and re-use, and the market as a conversation"
This description hits the nail on the head. It is also a lot about the technology behind the Web 2.0, making this easy communication possible: look at me, I have an own blog.. blogspot.com makes this possible for such a non-techie like me ;) But basically its about people. Web 2.0 is made up of ordinary people: lobbyists, hobbyists, diarists, techies, young, old.. people like you and me, speaking up and adding their voice to the great world wide web. I'm loving it :)
Dania

What is a BLOG?

Don't expect anything worldshaking in my blog. When a friend suggested that I should start an own blog, I must admit I wasn't very enthusiastic about this idea. I had three question marks in my head: What really is a blog? What could I write about? Why would anyone on this world want to read my blog? So, as you see I have set up my blog, although the fear remains: I'm putting myself on public display! There's one good thing resulting even in the case of failure (meaning that really nobody wanted to read my blog), which is that I'm learning quite a lot with this blogging experience. So, here's your (and my) lesson number one:

* What is a blog?

Wikipedia states: "A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order. Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of most early blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual although some focus on photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), or audio (podcasting), and are part of a wider network of social media.
The term "blog" is a portmanteau, or, in other words, a blend of the words web and log (Web log). "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog."

So, does this mean a blog is just an online diary? Well, I guess so. The description in Wikipedia also convinced me that it's not wrong or bad if I don't have anything worldshaking and superintelligent to write about. I'll just keep on writing my diary and sharing it with you :)
Dania

Dania's blog for internet dummies is now online!

Yes, I really managed to set up my own blog! Nothing easier than that? Maybe for you.. but let me start from the beginning: I'm an internet idiot or let me rather say "beginner", because at least I'm willing to learn. Not that I couldn't find anything I'm searching for (Google makes that possible quite easily..) or that I couldn't book my flight holidays or hotels, I'd even say that I've been quite successful in the past in finding cheaper rates for my holidays than any travel agency could offer ;) As you see, that's not the problem.
I noticed in the past few months that A LOT is happening on the web, when all these companies and websites with weird names popped out of nowhere and I simply did not understand what their business model was or simply what they offered!
That's why I set up this blog. I want to learn about Web 2.0, Yahoo, Google, youtube, flickr, qype, xing, RSS, joomla, etc. Feel free to teach me something interesting, provide my with some good links and give me input for further blog entries. I'm going to write on a regular basis about what I experienced on my way through the web jungle and my lessons learned. Maybe this will be of interest for some of you guys (or rather girls, because my lack of internet and technical competence seems to be a bit of a gender issue...)!
Well, now I have to go back to work: that's the real problem. Because I work for one of the "Big 4" accounting firms I haven't had more time to be up to date!
I'll be back soon!
Dania