The Independent Web: A tool for global integration
As most people in the world know, America is a very isolated country in many regards. Unfortunately, many Americans don't know this themselves, and the independent web is the first big chance America has to start getting in tune with the rest of the world on a horizontal scale.
The fact is that most systems in America, like the system of measurement and the format of time, are used exclusively in America, while the rest of the world uses a single international standard together. This has caused many problems with Americans working with the rest of the world.
It's an embarrassment
Not long ago, the Mars Climate Orbiter was launched into space, and was supposed to land on a part of Mars that had not been studied before. It was going to collect samples of materials found in the atmosphere and take photographs of the polar region of the planet. As the world watched, however, the $125 million device suddenly disappeared, either passing Mars completely or smashing into the red planet (it is still not known what exactly happened). Apparently several engineers in America were working the first half of the navigation system, using the good ol' English system for the measurements, while a European team worked the second half using the metric ystem.
Question: Even if the German team was informed about the English system being used, how could they even measure with it?
It's pretty apparent that the American scientists did not take international standard into consideration, which never ceases to amaze me. The metric system is used by the entire world except one or two small corners in Asia and, of course, the United States of America.
Back down to Earth, on the Internet itself, there are still many set backs
in which Americans unintentionally isolate themselves from the rest of the
world. Lets take time, for example. When someone in New York announces an
event will start at "11 p.m. EST", little do they realize, so it
seems, that this format of time is only used in the United States. The rest
of the world uses a format that Americans call "military time."
" 01:00 hr" is "1 a.m." in the United States, and "13:00
hr" is "1 p.m." in the United States. The "a.m."
and "p.m." do not exist in global standards. Though some Europeans
do know what the difference is between "a.m." and "p.m." via Hollywood movies,
many of them have never used this and many of them do not fully grasp this
as a result.
For example, a client here in Croatia once said to me:
"Mr. Grubbs, I would like to plan a meeting with you at 8 p.m.
tomorrow morning."
And I have had several other direct experiences with this problem here and elsewhere in Germany.
America lacks compliancy with the world
Frankly put, America lacks compliancy with the rest of the world. However, there is hope. The independent web is the most powerful tool in the world today that can link America to the rest of the world. The independent web does not consist of nations, but of individuals. It has no borders. Whether they are living in Japan, Canada, Sweden or even the smaller countries, like Croatia, the independent web brings people together on one level and in one place: the World Wide Web. The independent web is itself a portal of information and has founded firm standards if only out of necessity. Calling a meeting time can cost a lot of bandwidth for any group with international members if it is not well explained or set on some global standard when the meeting is set.
This site itself utilizes Internet Time, a new standardization to help bring the world to one single time. Even though it is a corporate invention, Internet users across the globe are embracing it and finding it extremely useful. Slowly, independent websites are tossing away the American standard of time and replacing it with international standards that the rest of the world can better understand. I hope that after this is read, this will happen even more.
The independent web enables America to adopt global standards
Let's face it, Marlboro has a cool image especially for non-Americans. Coca-cola has become the world's second-most spoken word (the most spoken word in the world is "OK"), and these are American standards. However, they lack usefulness and practicality.
For the independent web to be strong and healthy, international standards must be adopted. And many are finally realizing this. I believe that the future of the independent web will lead to more global standardizations and hopefully to an America that is truly connected to the rest of the world. Not just through its monologue with Hollywood movies or expensive advertising campaigns, but actually on a human level. Face to face.
