Even though Neue Presse has an online version, I prefer reading a tangible copy of a newspaper rather than reading articles from a computer screen, even as newspaper and magazine companies decide to move more of their content online. I like being able to come home and find a newspaper because it doesn’t change and my eyes won’t scan the first two lines of a newspaper article before deciding whether I should continue or not. Instead, I find myself reading the entire article and concentrating on each and every line.

Unfortunately, as ad revenue for print media continues to decline, many newspapers and magazines are either reducing the number of times they release a new version or are eliminating their print version altogether in favor of online versions. It makes me sad that the World Wide Web has caused a sharp decline in print media and I hope people rediscover the joy of reading newspapers.

The World Wide Web has opened the door for different groups of people to express their own concerns and report about stories that matter to them the most. From young college students to baby-boomers concerned about whether they will receive their Social Security payments, the World Wide Web provides people with the tools to become a journalist.

Newspapers are embracing citizen journalism because it allows regular people to check stories for accuracy and keep stories up-to-date. Users can comment on stories that affect the local community and upload their own photos or videos about how libraries are changing their floor plans or a tornado that demolished a small Iowa town.

Not only are newspapers embracing citizen journalism, but also online media companies.  I recently learned about a new service that highlights how the World Wide Web has led to the growth of citizen journalism. Youtube offers a new service that allows newspapers, blogs, and broadcast stations to find and take video footage from regular people who were at the scene of the event. The only requirements to use Youtube Direct are to have a cell phone or camera and be at the right place at the right time.  I was impressed by Youtube Direct because of its simplicity.  All I needed was a video camera, and I could become an instant Edward R. Murrow.

However, there are some things that I will never find on the World Wide Web, even as the government promises to connect more rural communities to the World Wide Web.

For example, I can find plenty of pictures of hot dogs on the World Wide Web. All I have to do is type in “hot dogs” into Google. However, I can’t pull my hand into my computer screen, pull out a hot dog, and eat it. No matter how many times I try to pull out that hot dog, it’s never going to happen unless I’m in a movie.

My hot dog example shows why I disagree with Tim Berners-Lee’s statement that “If it isn’t on the Web, it doesn’t exist.” Even though I can find everything from old clips of our favorite television shows to lengthy articles about macroeconomics by distinguished college professors on the World Wide Web, the World Wide Web is no substitute for physical objects and face-to-face communication with your friends, family, and co-workers.

After all, humans are social animals. Why do we need to be looking at a screen all day long?

Thanks to the growth of Linkedin, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and online classified Web sites including Yahoo HotJobs and CareerBuilder.com, employers are now using the World Wide Web to look for potential job candidates. Companies want people with basic web skills so that they can use technology to keep consumers, investors, and the media well informed about the organization’s daily activities, improve their name recognition, and increase profits.

As more people connect to the World Wide Web and incorporate it into their daily lives and the unemployment rate continues to increase with the bad economy, understanding basic web skills can provide people with a significant advantage. Posting a resume on Linkedin, for example, shows employers and recruiters a person’s job history, skills, and a better picture to the employer about whether or not they would be interested in hiring the individual.

By developing basic web skills, including how to create a profile page on Facebook or create a professional web site using HTML and CSS, people can market themselves to employers with confidence and their chances of getting hired will increase.

People are buying fewer books as more and more people connect to the World Wide Web and as companies such as Google store copies of books on the World Wide Web for everyone to access without having to pay fees. Other World Wide Web companies, most notably Amazon.com, are introducing products that allow people to read books in a portable electronic form without having to access a computer.

Not only are novels and biographies transforming into Web-friendly versions, but also are phone books and school textbooks. For example, state Sen. Leland Yee is proposing a new law that would force companies that produce White Pages to transfer all of their content onto the World Wide Web. This new law would eliminate all print versions of White Pages and would negatively affect people who cannot easily access the World Wide Web.

School textbook publishing companies are also changing as more students and teachers become more comfortable using technology. While some textbook publishing companies are developing online versions of their textbooks, others such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, are creating software to help teachers and students interact with each other beyond the classroom.

Thanks to the World Wide Web, books are changing to adapt to new technology and to allow people to scan for important points in the text rather than having to read every word.

By limiting posts to 140 characters, members of this Web site must post their thoughts and comments to other members in short statements that quickly get to the point. Despite the limit in characters, members of this social networking Web site can post anything they want, at any time of the day. Also, users of this service enjoy its convenience. They can use both their cell phones and computers to update their pages.

This service is Twitter, and it’s impact on online communication is catching the attention of both traditional media and Web 2.0 companies, who are now using Twitter to announce new products and services or are trying to incorporate Twitter in their search engine results.

Although Twitter is popular among teens and young adults, other demographics are not embracing the Twitterloution.  Many older users of the World Wide Web either do not have the time to be constantly updating their Twitter with new statuses, or find Twitter to be unnecessary, especially if they already have a Facebook. In other words, one social network site is enough.

However, one thing is clear about Twitter. It’s not going away any time soon, and both companies and people should learn to understand how to use it.

Now, there is a new shift in the battle over whether copyrighted materials on the World Wide Web should belong to the public domain or to the companies that originally produced the images, music, or written articles. Now, corporations are targets of criticism, and even lawsuits, for copyright infringement on the World Wide Web.

Two examples of this shift include Google and Apple. This week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused Google of copyright infringement for its ability to publish copyrighted books online without seeking permission from publishers.

While Merkel centered her attack on Google, the rapper Eminem’s publishing company was concerned about Apple and the musician’s portion of music download royalties. Although the case was settled, similar lawsuits have been brought against music and video sharing companies. The most famous instance involved Napster, which was forced to shut down its unauthorized file sharing service.

The World Wide Web presents a new chapter for copyright laws. There has never been a medium so easily accessible by nearly everyone in the world. Copyright laws need to create new boundaries to protect copyright holders, while at the same time fulfilling the public interest to have information easily accessible.

Online communities cover a wide range of topics, from sports teams to beauty tips, and these communities help bring people with similar interests together. For example, Children with Diabetes is an online community that brings parents with children diagnosed with diabetes together and allows them to talk about how their families’ have coped with the disease through the site’s message board and chat room.

Even though online communities provide an outlet for people to share their opinions about a common topic, there is a consequence that many people either forget or are not aware of. Once you join an online community, you sacrifice your private information and can become a target for criminals. In addition, many employers now look at social network sites, such as Facebook, before hiring any potential candidates to check for questionable pictures and comments.

Even though online communities bring people with similar interests together, online communities have an ugly side. What people post can cost them their good reputations and even their jobs. People should make sure that they are careful about what content they post and check their privacy settings.

When Aldous Huxley published Brave New World, he predicted a future filled with technological devices and unlimited information. He was right. No longer do we need a couple of reporters to cover significant stories such as the debate over Obama’s health care plan. As described by David Weinberger in his essay “Social Knowing”, today we use blogs, social network sites, and wikis to gather news and information. These web sites do not cost anything and are not bound by strict writing guidelines. Instead, these web sites are free, written and edited by regular people, and have unlimited topic potential. Thanks to the World Wide Web, we can see the world in a new light.

I’m very happy with the unlimited amount of information technology allows us to receive, since I can be up-to-date with the world around me. Everyday, I read political and entertainment blogs, such as the Drudge Report and Perez Hilton. Even though the information may be inaccurate, I trust other users will add additional details or edit false statements. I believe that the personalization of the news expands our knowledge and helps people come together as a community.

As technology evolves, journalism evolves to adapt to new mediums of communication. Where is this happening? Everywhere. Reporters are using social network sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, blogs, and Youtube to add additional content to their stories.  Newspapers, including the Seattle Times, are forming new alliances with blogs to share information and give viewers new perspectives. Youtube even offers a way to teach people the basics of reporting, the Reporter’s Centre. The World Wide Web is making journalism more personalized by providing the viewer a way to express their views on the story, thanks to comments and editing tools.

Not only are newspapers examining how the World Wide Web will change the face of journalism, but also are college campuses. Journalism departments across the country are creating new courses to help students become more tech-savvy. For example, at DePaul University in Chicago, a new class will teach journalism students how to use Twitter as a way of updating stories. New online journalism courses will continue to grow as journalists discover new ways of using technology to inform the public.

The World Wide Web, rather than closing doors for journalists, is opening new doors that promise to make the world better educated about what is going on around them.