by Dr. Franks Tin

Created on: May 05, 2008   Last Updated: December 30, 2008

The internet is defined as an interconnected system of networks that connects computers around the world. Even if the internet was not yet created, you could simply look at the definition and predict that it would be a huge success and would change the world itself.

Many people have made money, billions in fact, from the internet in the past and are making more in the present but I think the true power of the internet as the money maker was observed when Netscape was launched. Netscape opened the eyes of many companies and individuals that real money could be made on the internet. It was then that the internet revolution started. Microsoft started making it's browsers, companies started to go online with their products, online marketing commenced, airlines started to go online and soon enough the whole industry was "uploaded" on to the internet.

In the early 90's the prospect of working from home without huge telephone bills was seen as a dream but as soon as the internet was made public, the dream was turned into a vision and then into a reality. The internet allowed businesses freedom to hire individuals from all around the world, regardless of race, ethics, religion or appearance. Huge amount of online and physical tools were developed to allow the dream come true. By the late 90's there were thousands of employees working from home.

Today, employees use online web conference utilities to arrange meetings, telephones or online phones to talk to their colleagues or boss, billions of bytes of hard disks to store data and electronic mail to contact other companies. Overall the "work from home" process was a success. Employees could site at home at work and the employer could enjoy the freedom of no office costs.

The employees used the following methods to use the internet to work from home: They would first apply for the job of course. This can be either physical or online. Then, they would be included in the network of other employees. This network could either be the company's own WAN or the internet itself. The employee would be paid to do certain tasks such as to find potential business partners OR he/she would be paid monthly to take care of a website (webmaster). The employee would be regularly questioned on the job using web conferences or the telephone. The employee would also use the web conference utility to connect to other colleagues he/she must work with. The employee would also be asked to present a report every week through the internet or physically.

The advantage to the employee would be that he/she would be able to spend a huge amount of time with his/her family and that there would be no need to sit in the office when work is finished thus a higher percent of efficiency is achieved. The disadvantage would include health problems (eye strain) and lack of concentration (family would seek attention).

In the end, the aspect of working from home really depends on the type of company and the employee's motivation to work. In other words, some companies like those in the manufacturing industry may not find the "work at home" process in their best interests but others like those in the online industry may find it extremely useful.

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