Internet As A Marketing Tool

The internet was first used as a tool to pass information between American military and scientific bodies in the 1960’s. It has dramatically evolved since then, in developed countries the internet through the World Wide Web has become an important part of everyday life. Information can be passed immediately from one computer to another anywhere in the world creating a global village. Web 2.0 is a term that to a certain extent redefines the uses of the internet or more accurately the World Wide Web. It was coined by Tim O’ Reilly at a conference in 2004 it does not as the name suggests refer to technological advances in the structure of the World Wide Web but rather software development which allows users to interact with Web page content and each other. When the World Wide Web was launched in the early 1990’s its uses were limited to viewing Web page content. With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies people can communicate more effectively through instant messaging or video calls, share media content such as video’s, music, photographs, join social networking sites or express their own views and opinions on any subject through blogging. Web 2.0 technologies allow marketing companies to advertise to precise target markets through social networking sites. All social network sites require user’s to enter personal information to create a profile which breaks down the sites users into key demographic categories of gender, age and class. This allows the site administrators to effectively advertise products developed for a specific target market.

One aspect of social networks is for people to represent themselves to the world in a self-designed homepage or profile. This allows users to create a persona that they feel uncomfortable or unw...

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