Abstract:
In less than a decade, the Internet has revolutionized the world of
information. There was a time when gathering a piece of
information took sometimes months, days or at least a few hours.
Today, with the Internet, large amounts of information covering a
very wide range of subjects are available in seconds – information is
just a click away! This may sound very exciting and revolutionary
but it seems that a simple but very important point is being missed.
The question we must ask ourselves at this point is “are we really
looking for “large amounts” of information covering a “wide range
of subjects?” A user under very rare circumstances seeks “very
general” information, encompassing large amounts with no specific
focus. Unfortunately, searching on the Internet in many cases results
in just this. With the rapid uncontrolled growth of information on the
net, the information seeker is lost in chaos, unable to pin pointedly
get what he wants spending minimum time and effort. Information is
hence not really “just a click away”. It is only after several clicks
(and several hours of browsing without focus) that most of us find
what we “exactly” want from the net.