One brilliant, sunny day, the Unhealthy Web Fairy closed down each firm and group website on the internet.
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No extra purchasing. No extra websites promoting countless services. No extra college, non-profit, or political websites.
All closed.
So all of the programmers, designers, and value engineers went dwelling, shaking their heads.
Too unhealthy! No extra internet.
And so they all slept within the subsequent morning. In spite of everything, with the online gone, why go to work? They stayed dwelling, obtained up late, sipped on their cappuccinos and nibbled on low-fat bagels.
And so they missed one thing.
They missed the truth that although all these firm and group websites had closed down, the web was nonetheless ablaze with exercise.
Tens of tens of millions of individuals had been sending billions of messages to one another. Younger folks and previous folks alike. On the spot messages had been flying. Blogs had been being written and up to date. Newsletters had been being edited and despatched out. Dialogue lists had been being learn and replied to. Private websites had been being created and printed. Emails had been being written to household and pals.
Individuals had been studying and writing. Frowning and laughing. Crying and cheering. Agreeing and disagreeing.
Individuals had been engaged. Tens of tens of millions of them. They had been studying line after line, web page after web page. What did they get pleasure from probably the most? One of the best writing. Essentially the most fascinating opinions. Essentially the most unique thinkers and voices. Sure, everybody was studying like loopy. Individuals like to learn when the topic is near their hearts, when the author is thought to them and trusted, when the writing is thrilling and effectively crafted.
No shock right here, in fact. It’s at all times been that method. For the reason that first Usenet teams. (Medicine, Intercourse, and Rock and Roll … naturally. 1988.) For the reason that early days of The Effectively. For the reason that first Bulletin Boards.
Common people, these tens of tens of millions of “prospects” and “clients,” have at all times cherished to learn on-line. They love to jot down, they like to learn, they like to become involved, really feel engaged. Simply textual content, simply the phrases. (“Simply the phrases?” What a horrible to factor to say about writing!)
Though these tens of millions of individuals don’t give it some thought or analyze it, all of them know a easy fact: their expertise of the online is about phrases, the textual content. All the time has been. All the time will likely be.
That is their place, their medium. They had been there, on-line, earlier than any firm or group. They had been there earlier than enterprise capital firms had moist desires about “upswings” and IPOs. They had been there earlier than a thousand specialists determined that the online was about expertise, design and course of. They had been there earlier than a few of those self same specialists introduced that individuals don’t prefer to learn on-line.
Anyway…
After just a few days, the Unhealthy Web Fairy, who wasn’t so unhealthy in any case, put all of the web sites again on-line, and the designers, programmers and value engineers heaved a collective sigh of reduction and went again to work.
And so they did what they at all times did. They designed, programmed and constructed, utilizing the newest software program, adhering to the newest requirements, following the good design traits.
And when the whole lot was set, mapped out, constructed … they’d somebody discover a author to fill within the clean areas with phrases.
Too unhealthy. Dumb as a sack of hammers.