The world of communication has drastically changed in the course of the last ten
years. Once was the printed paper to play the main role in the spreading of
information and news, then with the invention of radio and, later, of
television, communication changed even more drastically. Information could be
spread very quickly and every time it was necessary, therefore eliminating the
technical times needed for the production of printed documents. In
recent times a revolution has farther changed the world of communication,
by introducing a new way and allowing many - including the ones who do not
directly work in the world of communication - to spread and let other know his
or her thoughts, quickly and with no bonds. Of course we are talking about
Internet, a mean - or better to say, the widest computer network of the planet -
which in very few years has literally revolutionized communication and the
possibilities of communication among people.
Originated from the ARPANET project, the computer network developed in 1969 and
financed by the Defense Department of the United States of America, the name
Internet was used for the first time in 1975, in a technical document in which
was defined its primary communication protocol. Initially used for the exchange
of files, electronic mail and other information, Internet began its spreading
with the development of World Wide Web, WWW in short. This system, based
on the HTTP protocol (HyperText Transfer Protocol) created in 1991 by Tim
Berners-Lee at CERN of Geneva, allows the exchange of hyper-textual documents, as
well as other types of documents, including pictures and sounds, while allowing
to surf - or better to say, the linking - among documents. During that time
personal computers began to become common, therefore contributing to a
wide spreading both of Internet and of World Wide Web, introducing in the lives
of people, or at least in the lives of those living in the so called
industrialized countries, this new communication system.
Internet has now become part of the world of wine. Despite the initial
skepticism of producers who recognized to this communication system a lower
dignity and efficiency than traditional ones, today the world of wine
sees in Internet one of the most efficient ways for the spreading of
information. The reasons are rather simple and it is thanks to the specific
characteristics Internet can offer as opposed to traditional press and other
communication systems. In this way news and information can be spread quickly
and worldwide, also offering to readers a new way of interaction. Also wine
producers begin to see in Internet an essential way for the promotion of their
wines and their image: whether in the past most of wineries' WEB sites could be
defined as essential, today there are many who invest on this communication
system, in many cases also creating WEB portals.
The advantages offered by Internet are obvious: lower financial investments than
other communication media, the possibility of virtually reaching every
place of the world, promptness in communication and in updating documents. These
advantages are available not only to wine producers, but also to everyone
working on wine information, as in our case. Results speak on themselves. Today
DiWineTaste counts an average number of 135,000 monthly readers worldwide, a
results which would have required huge resources - and not only of economic
nature - in case we would have used other means, such as traditional press. As
far as we are concerned, not only Internet allows us to offer to our readers a
monthly magazine and other information columns - such as
Wine Guide - it also
allows us to offer other tools for interacting with our magazine, such as
EnoGames,
alcohol test and
polls.
The importance of Internet in the world of wine seems also to be confirmed by
consumers and by the lovers of the beverage of Bacchus. According to our polls,
more than 26% of our readers believe Internet is the most important
communication mean in choosing a wine. The first ranking is occupied by events and
occasions in which it is possible to personally taste a wine - preferred by more
than 39% of our readers - a result confirmed, for example, by the success of
our enogastronomical events, attended by a good number of participants among our
readers and friends. Traditional communication and promotion means occupy the
last rankings: traditional magazines are preferred by 6% of our readers only,
whereas advertising has 2% of preferences only. In fact, if we do search the
Internet about the subject of wine by using one of the many search engines, the
information which can be obtained from the net are virtually endless.
The information spread on the Internet certainly is more easy and
immediate, an universe of information and news spread in a way
practically unthinkable for other communication means. Result of the progress
which has always accompanied the evolution of man and which inevitably
characterizes his development, his culture and his life. After all, also the
invention of press was a real revolution which radically changed the way in
which men were communicating their thoughts to other men. While we recognize the
high value of the invention of press, we believe the same value must be
recognized to the communication spread on the Internet - most of the times free
and freed from ideological bonds and of part - a new sign of the progress of man
and the spreading of his thought. In this sense, we believe it has the same
value and the same dignity of any other mean, with the advantage, maybe, of
being more genuine and authentic.
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