Branding David

It is always interesting to me how I feel when I am disconnected from the Internet. I have come to depend on it for a myriad of things, and because of this, when I am disconnected, I feel like I am missing out on so many things I usually take for granted.

I listen to music through Last.fm. I watch video podcasts and television shows on a variety of sites. I play EvE Online, an online massively multiplayer game. My entertainment is almost completely online.

I communicate through instant messaging, Skype, Twitter and my blogs. I e-mail through Gmail. My tools for communication are completely online.

I work completely online, writing blog posts, editing WordPress installations, and promoting what I have written on various social media websites. My income, which pays the mortgage, is completely online.

It leaves very little of my life that isn’t connected to the Internet in some way. Without it, I feel disconnected from my entertainment, my communication tools, and my work.

I wonder how many other people are so dependent on the Internet that they feel as I do and what that really means about society, as I am sure this will only become more common as Internet becomes more ubiquitous. How do you feel when you are disconnected from the Internet? Does it bother you at all, or do you enjoy your time offline?

Recently, I attended the Blog World Expo in Las Vegas, and while in the city of excess, I noticed very few people seemed worried about the negative slide that has been occurring in the American economy.

Personally, I am very interested in what happens with the American economy, as it is strongly tied to the Canadian economy, and the economies of many nations around the world. While China is jokingly said to produce everything, the majority of the media content that I consume comes from the United States.

Economic shifts tie in strongly with being a web worker because advertising dollars are usually the first things to be reduced as belt tightening happens within a company, and a large percentage of the revenue being moved around online today to pay my own, and many other peoples, wages is directly related to advertising sales.

As a web worker, I feel as though we are in the height of the conference and events scene in my industry, with many companies spending thousands of dollars for a small booth at these events, and dozens of sponsors spending an arm and a leg to have their logo adorn the promotional materials and session halls. Will these events dry up as the economy shifts, advertising revenue slows, and bloggers pay is continually reduced for bloggers, freelance designers and other web workers?

Despite being a positive person and a bit of an idealist, I find the current outlook to be fairly bleak.

I hope that as the economy shifts, more businesses will realize that the web is an inexpensive way of reaching a wider audience, and so, as certain advertisers leave the table, or reduce their spending online, a new group of businesses will throw their money, in a cautious but substantial way, into advertising online and at conferences, events and trade shows.

How does a diminished American economy effect your bottom line? How will it effect the way you work, live, and network with your peers? If you are a speaker or consultant, how will it effect you in the short term?

Things are definitely changing, and more now than nearly any time in history, it may be time for both businesses, consultants and employees alike to evolve and adapt or struggle.