elearnspace

Single-user system

Why is the Web Still Only a Single-User System?
Quote: "...in its present state, fundamentally single-user. Browsing the Web is a solitary activity, and interacting with a Web site is a simple matter of data exchange between a client and a server. What they propose is that the current Web infrastructure be slightly modified so that Web sites are transformed into "places" and people browsing the Web are recognized as individual entities inhabiting the places that they visit. In other words, when you connect to a Web site, you can choose to reveal your identity if you wish, and then you'd be able to interact with other people who are visiting that Web site - whether it be by way of chat or file exchange. "
Comment: The notion of a multi-user web is great...but most people have moved past the "coolness" of the Internet, and now use it primarily as a tool. Going online now involves task-specific objectives (i.e. get informatin, research)...the noble concept of contributing information and dialoguing extensively with random sites we visit seems to be against the grain of how many people use the Internet. With that said, I still think concepts like wiki's are great...and perhaps if the option existed, more dialogue would occur online.