so answer the queries of others.
It is worthy of note that making one’s mark is different from being famous. One can achieve notoriety in a community or a field of interest. To some, making that sort of mark is tantamount to fame. Semantics and interpretations of definitions can be tricky. Some years back at an early Social Media Business Conference a young woman –who was far ahead of the times—showed her home-grown videos. Very short in duration and narrow in topic and focus, she had begun to develop a following. She was in her early 20s and her teenaged younger sister made a video satirizing her. “My sister is ‘Internet Famous’ and she’s gonna kill me for posting this!” was her joke.
In truth the older sister had a modicum of notoriety, but was not truly “Internet Famous.” Yet to her middle-school aged younger sister, it seemed she had, indeed, achieved fame. Perception and reality are often confused and conflated. Fame, like beauty, is in the eyes and perception of the beholder.
Connectivity plus the web and search combine to enable the making of one’s mark. Via the worldwide web various and sundry groups and communities have coalesced. This ranges from globe-wide religious groups to small groups of common interest. The web offers connectivity, communication and global interaction. As an example, take Bird Watching. At one time Bird Watchers were solely local area groups or clubs. The term bird watching goes back to the early 1900s when it was first used. The advent of the web provided bird watchers across the globe with pictures, essays, studies, and scheduling of gatherings. Now bird watchers far and wide are connected and can compare notes, sightings, and details about the comings and goings of the subjects of their ornithological passion. Web cams can be placed to allow bird watchers to enjoy the view from anywhere else.
Among the online bird watchers who have posted pictures of rare sightings, those who have mounted web cams, others who arrange travel or gatherings or other manner of digital presence, a number have gained significant notoriety. They’ve made their mark.
There are many who have made their mark in the digital realm. To those of us in tech these are household names; to others they are unknown. To cite a few: Sir Tim Berners-Lee developed the World Wide Web. That www in web addresses is the result of his work, as is the explosion of websites and the interconnectivity and linkage that flourish online. Dave Winer, who I affectionately refer to as The Blogfather, wrote the original blogging software and was a prime force in the development of RSS and SOAP. Spreadsheets, once the domain of accountants, comptrollers and mathematicians, skyrocketed to everyday and common usage as a result of the electronic spreadsheet. One is known as VisiCalc, then Lotus 123, now most widely used within the Microsoft Office Suite as Excel. Bob Frankston and Dan Bricklin were the co-creators of VisiCalc. They’ve certainly made their mark on the world.
I have the fortune of knowing, or having met, or having become friends with, many of these internet and computing pioneers. Their creations paved the way for others to make their mark. Their contributions may not be world famous, but the marks they’ve made are of great note. Much of what we think of as Digital Strategy is a direct result of their hard work and efforts. In that respect, they (and others) have made the world a better place.
Dean Landsman is principal of the Landsman Communications Group, based in New York City.