April Fast Company article review by Todd Mehrkens

"They Put the Rest of the World on The Web" by Eric Ransdell, page 70, Fast Company, April, 1999

This article caught my attention and immediately reminded me of what Kari Fruechte wrote in her February Fast Company article review:

>>>>In discussing this article with my brother, who has traveled most of his adult life into some pretty poor countries, he had a very interesting perspective. He becomes very concerned at the prospect of low-income, low-education folks being left behind in this technology revolution. If much of our business and education takes place over the Internet, how can citizens of countries like Mexico and Honduras compete in the markets and with trade? He sees a very definite line between high class and low class, with little room in between.<<<<

According to the Fast Company article that I read for this review, one business, Webcast Solutions Inc. is doing something about this disparity, and in a big way. The specialty of Webcast (and how it makes its money) is to provide the electronic connection so that live events can be "broadcast" over the World Wide Web. As a non-money-making passion, Webcast has taken on the challenge of connecting native radio broadcasts of economically poor, but culturally rich, countries to the Web.

We all know from personal experience how unpredictable and frustrating technology can be. To put into perspective the challenge that these "Tech Cowboys" face, they go into situations where simply "getting a dial tone can be an all-day affair". Despite the challenges, Webcast has been successful, and the result of their success has been an "opening up" of what these cultures have to offer. One of the advantages of the World Wide Web is that it provides the time and space to explore a culture in-depth. Television may be easier, but time on TV is often measured in seconds.

I have the impression from the article that Webcast offers their services at little or no charge. It is a small company of only 12 employees, and yet they are making an incredible impact on our world by connecting people who would never be able to afford the cost of becoming a part of the electronic world.

As an alternative to talking with others about this article, I happened to see two news releases in which Microsoft Corporation addresses this issue. I became curious to see what a company that is almost infinitely larger and richer than Webcast would have to "say" about this issue. One news release announced the "Empowering Nations with Technology" conference, sponsored by Microsoft. The focus of the conference appears to be summed up as follows: "'Empowering Nations with Technology' provides a framework for governments to explore future technological innovations, including those involving the implementation of comprehensive IT solutions." To me, this sounds like a sale pitch for a complete set of Microsoft software. Unless they are offering big discounts and lots of free technical support to developing nations, my first impression is that if they really want to "empower nations" this conference may not be of much help to many countries that need it most.

The second news release offers a bit more hope. It describes a Microsoft project named "Equal Access". "Equal Access is a charitable outreach program created by Microsoft to help fulfill the company's vision of providing access to technology and the Internet for everyone. The focus is to provide funding to nonprofit organizations who strive to help people in all walks of life learn and grow with technology." This sounded pretty good to me, and hopefully Microsoft is making a commitment to this program that is worthy of them.

As I consider the impact that the Internet is having on society, I believe that a commitment by all the technology "haves" to include the technology "have-nots" will be crucial for the future health and strength of our society.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 1999

Answers

Thanks for your comments on this article. You did a nice job of relating what you read from previous cohort discussions, to the information in this article.

How do you think this type of technology, and the work that Webcast is doing, could be used in an Extension environment? How do you relate what you have read, to your job?

-- Anonymous, May 20, 1999