If interactivity is the defining characteristic of the Internet in general, linking is the defining characteristic of the Web in particular. By creating hypertext documents and including links to related information within or outside their sites, people can greatly multiply the information they provide.   Anybody who uses the Web becomes quickly aware of these …

One of the more curious of the Internet’s recent brainchildren is the blog. These public online Web logs, or diaries, have gotten a lot of attention lately for letting ordinary people air their views about personal, even private, matters to anyone interested.   There’s a fair amount of self-absorption in the blogging movement, despite the …

Imagine having your bank account drained, being unable to use your credit cards, and seeing your credit rating trashed. Imagine then spending hour after hour trying to clear your good name and get your life back together. Identity theft is the number-one consumer complaint reported to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Database. An estimated …

As the Internet becomes ever more integrated into the economy, the old club atmosphere has given way to a more adversarial environment. While some disputes are still resolved by discussion and consensus, you’re more and more likely to see someone call in the lawyers. Legal battles are nothing new to the larger computer world. Some …