Dotcoms, Digital Doings & More
Staff Writer
On March 15, 2010, the dot.com domain celebrated its 25th anniversary. It took twelve years until the internet reached 1 million dot.com addresses and today there are over 80 million dot.com websites generating $400 billion a year. Additionally, for the first time ever, spending on digital marketing and advertising will surpass print according to projections given by research and advisory firm Outsell.
And while a considerable number of us are unaware of these two major milestones, it should be worth noting their significance and influence on our lives including where we work. Below we will look at some interesting facts about the history of the dot.coms and the careers they have spawned.
Dot.com Tidbits
The first registered .com was by computer manufacturer Symbolics Computer Co. in 1985. The actual .com extension is thought to have been derived from “company” and was meant for those companies doing government contract work. Most of the Internet pioneers were involved in educational institutions, the military and government.
The .com boom came in 1997 when the million dot.com addresses was finally reached. Over the course of the next two years, nearly 20 million names were registered and thus spurred the rapid growth of Internet companies. That was until the .com bubble burst and growth slowed to a steadier rate. For all practical purposes, what started as an experiment now encompasses how we work, live and play.
For those of us interested in all things dot-com, a dedicated web site has been established and is appropriately called 25yearsof.com.
Digital Marketing & Advertising
From iPhone to Google, from Twitter to Facebook, no other medium has experienced the type of growth in such a short period of time than the digital world. Consider this… the internet was formed in 1986 and eight short years later, the first commercial banner advertisement was placed. It was a difficult sell to convince advertisers to utilize the World Wide Web as an advertising medium even though it meant people were more connected to each other and companies could share and spread that information faster and to a wider audience.
At the same time, new internet companies were forming, recognizing digital marketing’s potential. One such dot.com darling was Google, an online internet media company started in 1998. Two short years later, they launched keyword advertising in 2000. At the same time, marketers were able to also utilize email, banner ads and online sponsorships to reach their target audience.
Flash forward to today, and it is projected that spending on digital marketing and advertising will surpass print for the first time in the history of marketing. That is a remarkable milestone for a medium that was born less than twenty five years ago. And that growth is expected to increase as digital media options expand to mobile, social networks, HD video and more.
What this means is that digital marketing will continue to offer potential careers for those interested in this field. While all of the jobs include a technology aspect to them, some will be in the marketing field as well. Some possible career options include:
SEO Manager – Responsible for overseeing a staff that optimizes the layout and words within a website so it is ranked higher within search engines results for desired keywords or associated words, such as Google and Bing.
SEM Manager – Responsible for developing and implementing online media campaigns and strategies as it relates to pay-per-click (PPC), search engine optimization (SEO) and display advertising. Aadditionally, a SEM Manager oversees the development and training of a search team.
Social Media Marketing Manager – For marketing managers that are enthusiastic social media users with a strong understanding of these types of media platforms, sites such as Facebook, You Tube, MySpace and Twitter will look to increase their advertising revenue by attracting brand advertisers.
Online Marketing Manager – Within this capacity, you will oversee a team in overseeing all of a company’s online activities, from paid and organic search efforts, to blogs and social networking activities to website promotions and website content. An Online Marketing Manager is also responsible for tracking campaign performance, developing metric reports and conducting additional analytics in order to develop future marketing campaigns.
There are other possible career tracks for those with an Internet Marketing Degree/Certificate. The appeal of this industry is that it is a fast-growth industry that is continually evolving and improving, thus making it a job that will require the knowledge of those with an understanding of all things web.
On the technical side, digital marketing companies will offer career tracks for the following:
Database Administrator: Responsible for the planning, implementation, configuration, and administration of relational database management systems.
Database Analyst: Responsible for designing and developing an organization's data flow and database architecture.
Hardware Engineer: Responsible for the specification and design of a computer and communication hardware workings.
Multimedia Developer: Responsible for developing quality media content for the World Wide Web.
Network Administrator: Manages and maintains an organization's Local Area Network (LAN).
Network Engineer: Responsible for the planning, design, and implementation of Local and Wide Area Networks (LANs and WANs).
Network Security Analyst: Responsible for designing, implementing and maintaining an organization's network and computer security policies.
PC Support Specialist: Assists end-users, either remotely or in person, with personal computer maintenance, troubleshooting, and management.
Programmer: Develops computer programs that allow end-users to interface directly with computer operating systems and hardware.
Software Engineer: Responsible for designing and programming large-scale computer systems and applications.
System Administrator: Manages an organization's computer and operating systems.
Technical Writers: Responsible for authoring hardware and software documentation either for an organization's internal computer systems or for third-party vendors.
Web Programmers: Responsible for designing and developing applications and scripts for the World Wide Web.
Webmasters: Responsible for the implementation and administration of a World Wide Web site.
Technology & Education
Education requirements for an information technology career can range from an associate’s degree to a doctoral degree program. An information technology degree allows professionals to work in the field as a computer scientist, database administrator, communications analyst, web developer, and other computer or Internet-related position.