Trident HIS205 MOdule 2 case and SLP

Module 2 - Case

WEB 1.0: 1992-2001

Your case assignment is to consider the great “dot-com” boom and bust, and to understand its influence on the Internet of today. It marked the major watershed in the brief history of the Internet, and is this a worthy focus for this second module.

There is certainly no shortage of material describing this significant set of events. Probably the best place to begin for an overview is the following video.

CWnEconomy. (2012, February 24). Dot-com bubble documentary. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2FybpdrlYM

Here are two other good sources tracing these events:

Norwood, J. (2011). History of the Internet Timeline. High Speed Internet. Retrieved from http://www.high-speed-internet-access-guide.com/articles/internet-timeline.html

WiseGeek. (2012). What was the Dot-com bubble? Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-was-the-dot-com-bubble.htm

The Background Information page lists a number of other possible sources; in addition, the general resources listed in the syllabus and under Module 1 are worth consulting in many cases. Finally, you are encouraged to do your own independent research on the Internet itself; Google can deliver to you in seconds vast quantities of information. Try not to drown in it, however.

Optional Reading

Kehoe, B. (1992). Zen and the Art of the Internet: A Beginner's Guide to the Internet. First Edition. Retrieved fromhttp://www.cs.indiana.edu/docproject/zen/zen-1.0_toc.html

H., B. (2011). History of E-commerce. Sell It! On the Web. Retrieved from http://sellitontheweb.com/blog/history-of-e-commerce/

When you’ve read a number of these sources about the bubble and have a good feel for it, you’ll be in a position to write a short (3-5 page) paper on the topic:

The Major Effects of the “Dot-Com Bubble Burst” on the Internet of Today

Assignment Expectations

Your paper should be between 2-4 pages. Take a definite stand on the issues, and develop your supporting argument carefully. Using material from the background information and any other sources you can find to support specific points in your argument is highly recommended; try to avoid making assertions for which you can find no support other than your own opinion.

Be sure to provide proper citations for any material you reference from other sources! Please be guided by the TUI Guidelines cited in the Module 1 background information for help in structuring and developing your paper.

You will be particularly assessed on:

Your ability to see what the module is all about and to structure your paper accordingly.

Your informed commentary and analysis -- simply repeating what your sources say does not constitute an adequate paper.

Your ability to draw on a range of sources, and to establish your understanding of the historical context of the question.

Module 2 - SLP

WEB 1.0: 1992-2001

In January 1992, Brendan P. Kehoe released the first edition of his “Zen and the Art of the Internet: A Beginner's Guide to the Internet”; you can access this guide at http://www.cs.indiana.edu/docproject/zen/zen-1.0_toc.html. It is an extremely accurate explanation of the technology behind the Internet and how it was used at that point in time.

The project assignment for this module asks you to understand what the Internet was then by reviewing this explanation. You should at least skim through the entire linked document, concentrating particularly on any parts of it that you’ve never heard of. Your object is not to use it as a learning guide – a large portion of it is today wholly obsolete – but rather to get a feel for how the different parts fitted together at that time. So you’re not reading it for its technical detail as much as for its sense of the user and what s/he might need to know at the time.

When you’ve developed a good understanding of what Kehoe was conveying in this rather (for its time) revolutionary document, please prepare a short (2-3 page) paper discussing:

"In a brief summary, describe what it was like to “use the Internet” in the period described by Kehoe. Focus your discussion on e-mail, anonymous FTP, Usenet News, and Telnet."

SLP Assignment Expectations

Your paper should be two to three pages in length, and reflect your personal experiences with the guide. The important part of all these project assignments is to carefully assess your own experiences with the topic, and then reflect critically on what you might have learned about yourself and about situations through this assessment process.

The more that you can use the exercise to develop personal implications for your growth as a potential business person as well as an Internet-savvy individual, the more value you'll get out of the exercise.