It's All Geek To Me - November 29th 2006

This past summer, Sen. Ted Stevens amused geeks everywhere with his explanations of how the Internet worked – we'll just say that it is not a “series of tubes” as was described. Jon Stewart of the Daily show did a great job making fun and you can see that here.

But all kidding aside, Net Neutrality is a serious issue and one that lots of folks seem to have trouble grasping. The web is a regulated animal run by companies that generally answer to the FCC. The concept of Neutrality is not a new one – in fact the basis in law dates to 1860 and the era of telegrams.

See, someone got the bright idea that they would read all the telegrams, try to figure out what they were, and transmit them based on how “important” the message seemed. This resulted in a law declaring that all messages would be routed “equally” without attempting to discern their contents. This meant that an individual sending a telegram had their message in the same line as a big corporation or “important” individual.

Today the web works much the same way – no one checks to see what content is being transmitted, but simply sends it on its way in the order in which it arrives. There is an ongoing effort by large communications companies to change this to make it possible for several tiers of systems to exist. There is much debate on exactly what large communications companies might do with this new ability to send information based on what they think of it, but the basic point remains the same – this would be a massive change in the way the web works.

The reason broadband companies want to do this is because folks are asking for more and more data from their Internet connection all the time – and this means they need to build a bigger infrastructure faster to support it. This came to light in the Madison River case – which was a local telephone carrier that blocked voice over IP (Internet phones) from their network – the FCC intervened and Madison River lost.

Generally speaking, it isn't hard to see the downside of a network that routed information based on how “important” it was, especially if large companies were given the opportunity to pay communications companies for “priority”. On a practical basis this could mean web sites run by big corporations that could afford to pay would work better and faster than those run by the rest of us average folks.

As a fundamental principle, much of the e-commerce revolution is supported by the reality that everyone is equal – a one person firm website can be as good, effective and successful as a giant corporation website.

Here at KISS, we're big supporters of small business, so our position on this issue should come as no surprise. It is critical that Net Neutrality be preserved. If you're reading this issue of IAGTM, on line, having received it free of charge after it was sent to you free of charge from a player on a level playing field, you should feel the same on this issue.

You can read more about Net Neutrality at these sites: Net Competition and It's Our Net. You'll find lots of useful and clearly presented information on each site, and you'll have the opportunity, if so moved, to send your thoughts along to those who will decide this issue.

We hope you will.

KISS is pleased to announce three more new launchings this month. The first introduces a new product to the market, patent pending for our client, Paula Wilbert and her company, Joint Protection Products LLC. The site is www.wristprotectiongloves.com, and the product is a gel pack lined glove offering wrist protection during yoga and Pilates workouts. We've been working with Paula on this project for the better part of this year while she worked out production details and anxiously awaited the first delivery of gloves to the market. She's also been actively promoting her gloves at trade shows all over the US. If you are a yoga or Pilates practitioner, and are looking for an added measure of wrist joint protection, this is the product you'll want. We wish Paula the very best of success with her web site and new product promotion.

The second site is a new functionality system for a collaboration of Chambers of Commerce in southeastern Massachusetts, The Cultural Coast. KISS designed and developed an Itinerary Planning Tool for www.theculturalcoast.org, and brought it online just before Thanksgiving (an apt launch time for a site and system that promotes Plymouth, Plimoth Plantation and Plymouth rock, among other attractions in the region). This tool will enable visitors to the area to access a full and complete list of events and attractions in southeastern Massachusetts, put together and save an itinerary for their visit, email that itinerary to others who might be joining them for vacation, or simply select one of the Themed or pre-packaged itineraries (Presidential, for the Quincys and Kennedy landmarks; Nature, for the Seashore Park, Audubon and state parks; etc.). It was a terrific idea from The Cultural Coast, and KISS enjoyed the challenge of designing and building the system. We hope visitors to the region will find the tool useful and easy to use.

The third site is for old friends, John and Jayne Sully, and their Orleans landmark establishment, The Yardarm Restaurant. They thought their old site was, well, old, and dated, and in need of a face lift. We gave it a new look and feel, updated the content with current menus, and filled the site with helpful Cape Cod stuff - - tide charts, local weather forecast for Orleans, daily headlines from local newspapers, Orleans Cardinals baseball team information and schedule, and excerpts from local food reviews. And, just in time for the holidays, we created the opportunity for visitors to purchase Yardarm Restaurant Gift Certificates online, the perfect stocking stuffer for those who need that special final item to finish off their shopping. We're regulars at The Yardarm Restaurant, and especially big fans of their cheeseburgers at lunchtime. Please visit www.yardarmrestaurant.com for the latest, and stop in for lunch or dinner when you're in the neighborhood.