The internet is 20 years old today! The first website, built at a lab in Switzerland just up the road from my ex-employer, DuPont, went online in 1991. And there are now more than 80m sites worldwide, which is a fantastic illustration of a concept that became a rapid success due to its overwhelming power to store knowledge, connect people and ideas and generally make the world and its wonders accessible to so many. I’ve always been the first to admit to being a bit anti-techie around the office. I’m the one who likes to read it on paper instead of on screen; to use my fountain pen as opposed to a keyboard and am most happy when I meet clients face to face instead of dialing into the dreaded virtual world of the teleconference. However, I’ve decided to be more techno-positive and to acknowledge and embrace the true power of technology for the way in which it enables me to fulfil my passion for connecting and communicating with people in my day to day work, no matter where they are in the world. Just the other day, I received a great email from a client colleague who has recently relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, after being based in China for the past six years. He’s been a regular contributor to the magazine called 'Going Further' that I write for my client, Lucite International, and we’ve shared many an amusing email as I’ve learned about his world and work through colourful stories of another culture. These stories are then edited and retold to many, many more, and are a wonderful way of creating understanding, removing fear, opening horizons and, above all, building great relationships. This world-shrinking technology also means that I receive information from all my sources in Asia through the night, can work on stories the following morning and have them into magazine design by close of play, making full use of a 24hr working day between us. So the next time there’s a frustrating technology blip, I’m going to think on the positives of technology and all that it can do for enriching my work-life.
Viv Middlebrook, Client Services Director
The internet is 20 years old today! The first website, built at a lab in Switzerland just up the road from my ex-employer, DuPont, went online in 1991. And there are now more than 80m sites worldwide, which is a fantastic illustration of a concept that became a rapid success due to its overwhelming power to store knowledge, connect people and ideas and generally make the world and its wonders accessible to so many. I’ve always been the first to admit to being a bit anti-techie around the office. I’m the one who likes to read it on paper instead of on screen; to use my fountain pen as opposed to a keyboard and am most happy when I meet clients face to face instead of dialing into the dreaded virtual world of the teleconference. However, I’ve decided to be more techno-positive and to acknowledge and embrace the true power of technology for the way in which it enables me to fulfil my passion for connecting and communicating with people in my day to day work, no matter where they are in the world. Just the other day, I received a great email from a client colleague who has recently relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, after being based in China for the past six years. He’s been a regular contributor to the magazine called 'Going Further' that I write for my client, Lucite International, and we’ve shared many an amusing email as I’ve learned about his world and work through colourful stories of another culture. These stories are then edited and retold to many, many more, and are a wonderful way of creating understanding, removing fear, opening horizons and, above all, building great relationships. This world-shrinking technology also means that I receive information from all my sources in Asia through the night, can work on stories the following morning and have them into magazine design by close of play, making full use of a 24hr working day between us. So the next time there’s a frustrating technology blip, I’m going to think on the positives of technology and all that it can do for enriching my work-life.