Yes! My new Superperformance World Movement Group in three days now includes members from US, UK, India, France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, South Africa, Denmark, Israel, and Canada.

The Superperformance movement is suddenly global, and I now am blessed with many like-minded friends (good people) from a diversity of cultures and experiences.

The world is suddenly much much smaller.

Amazing!

posted March 30, 2008

The advance of the internet has had a tremendous impact on me, both personally and in my business.

My company, BCG VA, provides virtual or off-site secretarial and administrative support to businesses and individuals.

The internet has allowed me to service my clients though remote access programs, with the use of the internet and via e-mail.

In a nut-shell, the internet has effectively eliminated the geographic boarders that prevented my business from servicing non-local clients.

Links:

• http://www.canadianva.net
• http://www.vanetworking.com

posted March 30, 2008

It has changed my live completely. Basically, internet has taken my life over.
There is no life now without internet, it steals most of my time.
There is not a lot I can do about it unfortunately.
So there advantages and disadvantages in the internet

posted March 30, 2008

It has provided me with the resources I desperately desired to expand my knowledge and research base, permitted me to interact globally with outstanding professionals and experts, and "fits" with my rather immediate and Gen Y type thinking style. The net is so intuitive as a tool, permitting access to fabulous sidelines in gathering fact, concepts and inspiration, plus assessing risk and contingency actions by insightful observation of trends.

As a student of Strategic Foresight and Entrepreneurship, with a background in HR and some psych, the observable component of trends and actions in business and social areas is vital.

On the employment side, where I presume you are most focussed, it has completely changed recruiting methodology, not only from eclipsing paper-based search, but from opening up contact and awareness based referrals to a point never before seen. I was trained early in life as a "Headhunter" (charming!) by a USA consultant which was quite forward-thinking for a mid-range firm to attempt here in Australia - however now those skills linked to sourcing are so different and far more easily used. The matching, selection, onboarding and refinement however I feel is still very challenged, and quite poor processes still abound meaning too many candidates are sourced and too many great ones are excluded. Just my opinion.

Another issue for HR/Recruitment is the personalisation of candidates - it is easy to know a fair bit about someone, which may be unintentionally skewing the actual manner in which they perform at work - e.g. my social profile on facebook is designed to attract intuitive, innovative clients and colleagues but balanced with information to (hopefully) prove I am not without substance and underpinning knowledge/caution. But it is a risky market for candidates, consultants, and matching, which will take some time still to be truly refined. Global discussion is important for continuous improvements in all sorts of areas.

The site below is useful and informative I find - stimulating good discussions in staffing.

Links:

• http://www.ere.net/

posted March 30, 2008

When I was an an expat child, every time we moved, I would have to start all over again. Snail mail wasn't fast enough to keep relationships alive.

Now, as an adult, the internet is the reason I am able to live the way I do. I travel the world, following my husband's telecom projects. But, I was able to finish my education, start my own business, take care of clients from wherever I am in the world, and most important of all, keep in touch with loved ones. I have even gotten back in touch with long lost friends and relatives.

As a marketer, the Internet has changed the way we do business. Now we don't have to invest in expensive, hard to target, and used to be cumbersome to manage (does anyone remember having to get proofs picked-up rather than emailed?) traditional advertising campaigns. Instead, we can drive traffic to a website using various tools and techniques that didn't exist even a decade ago. And how do I keep up with the rapidly changing world of marketing? With the Internet, of course! Contacts I have made on the Internet have even opened up an opportunity for me to co-author a book with one of my idols!

Like David said, the world is much smaller. And I am so thankful. That is why I named my company Aldeia Global Marketing, which in Portuguese translates to "Global Village Marketing".

posted March 30, 2008

Dear Mrs. Sharib,

Tom Standage in his interesting book entitled “The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century’s On-Line Pioneers, has written: “This was a good deal. It suggest the theory, it ought to be possible to harness electricity to build a signalling device capable of sending messages over great distances incomparably faster than a human messenger could carry them. At the time, sending a message to someone a hundred miles away took the best part of a day, the time it took a messenger travelling on horseback to cover the distance. This unavoidable delay had remained constant for thousands of years; it was as much a fact of life for George Washington as it was for Henry VIII, Charlemagne e Giulio Cesare”.

The idea embedded in the phrase is that instantaneous global communication is not a recent invention, but rather developed in the mid-19th century, and that the changes wrought by the telegraph outweigh the changes in modern society due to the Internet. The ability to communicate globally at all in real-time is a qualitative shift, while the modern Internet is merely a quantitative shift.

I saw this as a unsurprising evolution of the way that Internet is influencing our society today. Take some time to think about your goals for your personal life, career, hobbies, and cultural activities and then spend time on the Internet researching ideas and strategies to make the goals a reality. The Internet offers a myriad of fascinating sites to find information about any topic you enjoy.

What will undoubtedly change, however, will be the uses the Internet is put to.

The internet seems to be good at delivering products that are homogenous, identical goods that do not need to be selected by the buyer. It does not seem to be so good at delivering anything that requires interaction or an informed choice to be made.

The Internet seem establishing itself as a useful way of gathering information. It will become increasingly important, simply because it is becoming so easy to access sophisticated information. E-mail and voice mail revolutionize the way we communicate.

When the telephone, the video or the mobile phone first started it was a trickle that turned into a flood. They are now parts of our life, as indispensable as the car itself.

But they haven't changed us, our doubts, our insecurities or our need to trust the person we are dealing with.

Of course, my contribute is partial and don't pretend to solve each aspect of the question.

Cordially, Vincenzo Concilio.

posted March 30, 2008

Maureen - by being able to view questions like this and take part in the debate, by putting the world at my doorstep and for putting the workld of information as accesible as a phone directory.

It has changed the world very profoundly and for the most part, the better.

posted March 30, 2008

I don't remember. It happened 15 years ago.

posted March 30, 2008

One of the ways has been to tremendously simplify sending documents to clients. Instead of printing it out, preparing an envelope with postage, and mailing it, I now compose an email and attach the document. Saves both time and money.

posted March 30, 2008

Maureen,

At first it almost got me arrested and locked up for having an email address... Then I guess it allowed me to learn more, to search for and find an optimal further career move, move across the Atlantic, and then research to support studies etc. etc., and then to hear my 4 y.o. at the time "Daddy, if we are lost, why don't you ask google from your phone where to go [to find the "Moon" in Johnstown MI--really the Johnstown Space Center which we found on the Internet in the first place]". The latest beat all the previous rest I guess...

One thing is certain, though... storytime remains storytime, and we better try to keep the Internet out of it... Not an easy task, when my (then) 4 y.o. daughter says "I want to read Mr. Mark Twain's book [Adventures of Tom Sawyer] from your phone, Daddy"...;) In short, everything is good in the right proportion... too much Internet sometimes can also start to hurt...

Just my two cents,

Adrian

posted March 30, 2008

1. Gave me the opportunity to work from home more often
2. Improved my productivity many fold. I learn continuously from many "educators" and "mentors" of all walks of life - without paying anything (well, I do pay for the broadband cable connection)
3. Helps me see the world from my "lap"
4. Downside: Made me spend more time with my laptop than my family would like

posted March 30, 2008

nope i changed my life ny usomg the imternet

posted March 30, 2008

6 years ago, I moved to London, UK, from Milano, Italy. In an apotheosis of internetmania, I used internet to find an apartment, a job, even a girlfirend! However, later i discovered that the job was boring, I broke with the girlfriend after 3 moths, and the landlord decided to sell the apartment, after only 7 months.
I have learnt the lesson: always give a reality check on what is on the internet.

posted March 30, 2008

Yes. I have a job and career that was not existent without Internet. Then, I can do things that were not possible 15 years ago, shopping, e-communications, tele-commuting, etc.

It can be addicted at the same time so it is very important to control your limits.

Dan Negreanu

posted March 30, 2008

There is big change in not just my life but lot of people around the world. Communication has become simpler and easier. Any Information is available on the fingertips. Companies have got the opportunity to make their presence globally. The advertising that was limited to print and television, because of online media companies are more focused and became customer centric in advertising.

posted March 31, 2008

Internet changed dramatically my life. Of the big steps in my life, only the search for my wife and the birth of my daughter completely excluded the use of Internet.

Here some example:

1) I studied computer science focusing on computer networks, distributed architectures, and network security.

2) All my professional steps began with a search on the web.

3) By living in italy, where it is really difficult to find someone interested in speaking english during his spare time, Internet enables me to keep my english in use in a more interactive manner.

4) Internet offers me all the opportunities and the facilities to promote my professional profile, to learn new concepts and to keep contacts with my colleagues outside my company and with other professionals.

5) Internet enables me to easily keep in touch with my friends working far from my city or even abroad.

Best regards,
nicola

posted March 31, 2008

It has made me lose notion of time...

posted March 31, 2008

Yes, the internet has changed my life. Just not always for the better.

posted March 31, 2008

More information readily available.
More connected to those around the world.
Less time spent with friends simply sharing information together.
Less time being a couch potato.

posted March 31, 2008

There was a life before the internet?

In working, it has opened up new sources of information that have replaced or supplemented internal directories. Seems that there is a lot of information out there about people if you have the skill to find it and the gumption to use it. Gone are the days of just calling into a building on a Saturday to get a VM - name directory together (not that it is not missed)!

posted March 31, 2008

knowledge - it is power. positive power to learn and to grow at your fingertips....
as with all things balance is paramount.

posted March 31, 2008

Hi Maureen,

It has had such an impact on my life that I cannot really full articulate it, and I probably don’t even fully realize its true impact… I would have to say, that outside of classic life-changing events (marriage, children being born, etc.), it would be at least in the top 5 things!

I would convey the impact through those “I never thought I would…” type of statements, as follows:

I never thought I would know people on every continent and correspond with them frequently.

I never thought I would be able to see and speak my children from a machine that fits in a brief case from across the country for next to no cost.

I never thought I would be able to track down old friends that I haven’t seen in decades without leaving my couch.

I never thought I would contribute to a presentation as it is happening in Barcelona, from my computer in San Diego.

I never thought I would have access to maps of an area that is being ravaged by a major disaster as it was unfolding so I could make decisions to protect my family.

I never thought I would be able to really work from home.

And last but not least…

I never thought I would be able to order pizza without waiting on hold!

Mike

posted March 31, 2008

The internet is an incredible tool and it is used in so many ways on so many levels. A good example is tapping into resources around the globe and getting a response in an "instant". A LI friend from another country needed some info last week but was not able to get online to look for it so sent me an e-mail to see if I could find the information. I could, I did, and the situation was answered. I became a Virtual Assistant without ever applying for the job!

posted March 31, 2008

Maureen,

The simplest answer I can give is this. My job would not exist without the Internet. The industry I've worked in for the past 13 years would not exist, without the Internet.

When I left the Marines in '94, I happened to be pretty good with a computer, and landed my first job doing tech support for an ISP. From that point forward, my hunger for knowledge of how this thing works have never been satiated. Every day, I find something new that I didn't know before. And I think, after this many years, that says something.

I went from technical support to systems administration within 4 years. After doing that for about 5 years, I decided to give development a shot. It's the combination of systems engineering, development and general experience with the Internet that's gotten me where I am today.

posted March 31, 2008

Yes.

posted March 31, 2008

I do alot of datamining in my side of the business. The internet makes that much easier. The drawback is that so many of us are so connected it for too long each day.

posted March 31, 2008

Dear Maureen,

When I was a child, the internet didn't exist.

Today the internet makes it possible for me to communicate with my daughter every day even though she lives in another Country. We no longer need to write letters, or use the phone long distance.

The internet have made it possible for me to study from a distance.

It is possible for me to work from home because of the internet, and my main income comes from the internet.

I have access to worldwide news immediately......and it's possible for me to have a Linkedin network from all over the world!

The internet may not have changed me as a person, but it gives me some opportunities I otherwise wouldn't have had.

J. Abildgaard

posted April 1, 2008

There is little doubt that the Internet (Web, Email & Usenet) have had a tremendous impact on people around the world and that it has changed the way we live. But we should simply settle for what we now see as the Internet because what we see now as the Internet is only the tip of the iceberg compared to how the Internet could change our lives.

In its present form the Internet still operates in the realm of a child's "show and tell" exercise when it could be operating in the grownup realm of active and integral part of the business workplace. I have recently released a system that does move the Internet into the grownup realm where it becomes an active and integral part of the business workplace in a very literal sense. Not only does the system redefine the workplace but along the way it provides a prescription for climate change relief and a stimulus for sluggish world economies.

"Some men see things as they are and say why - I dream things that never were and say why not." (George Bernard Shaw and later Robert Kennedy)

Links:

• http://www.caro.cc/download/communitycommercecenters.pdf

posted April 1, 2008

Hi Maureen,

The Internet has completely transformed my life, both personal and professional.

On the business side:
No need to print out my translated documents and to drive over to my clients or stand in the queue at the post-office; every document is sent over e-mail in a fraction of a second. I am actually saving hours every month, simply by not having to dispatch/deliver these documents in person.

I don't have huge phone bills anymore. With a small connection fee, I can send hundreds of e-mails, even talk to people in the US (I live in Europe) over Skype and I don't have to pay extra for that.

I can listen to podcasts, watch videos in my foreign working language (English) on topics of interest for my work. Before the Internet, I had to tune in to a LW radio station, or read the papers. Now I click on CNN, MSNBC, all newspapers, all kinds of videos on a wide variety of subjects. Only recently, I found an NPR podcast where a person I was going to interpret for the week after was being interviewed. I was able to listen to her and therefore get acquainted with her speaking even before meeting her in person.

From a personal perspective, I am keeping in touch with my children, friends, etc. via the Internet, webcam, Skype. I only write Christmas cards, no letters any more.

What a wonderful tool!

posted April 1, 2008