The Internet Is Your Modern Day Cafe
June 21, 04
By Edahn Golan
In a recent article in the British news magazine The Economist the case was made that the Internet plays a similar role in information exchange to that of European cafes in the 17th and 18th centuries.
“Where do you go when you want to know the latest business news, follow commodity prices, keep up with political gossip, find out what others think of a new book, or stay abreast of the latest scientific and technological developments?” the article asks. Today, the answer is the Internet, but back then you strolled to your favorite coffee establishment and shared the latest news with other patrons.
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In the same way that today’s websites are topic centered (IDEX Online is a classic example), back then coffee houses were the same. In its first edition, in 1709, London’s Tatler listed the names of city cafes that served as sources of news with each establishment and its type of info (“Gallantry, Pleasure, and Entertainment shall be under the Article of White’s Chocolate-house”...). And where was the editor’s office? The Grecian coffeehouse, which Tatler lists as a “learning” cafe.
Not that it has died away completely. I knew a member of the Israeli parliament who made a Tel Aviv cafe his office. And we have all heard how many successful hi-tech ideas were brewed over a hot cup of java in some of San Francisco’s famous cafes. Insurers who sat together at a cafe 300+ years ago worked together to spread risks in the shipping industry and eventually established Lloyd’s of London.
The Israeli Diamond Exchange, by the way, was hatched in a similar manner. Local diamantaires used to trade at Tel Aviv cafes. They then decided to take it to the next level and establish a bona fide diamond bourse back in the late 1950s.
Fast forward 50 years and meeting places of yesteryear are interestingly converging with today’s Internet with many places offering easy Internet access using Wi-Fi technology.
What can we learn from this comparison? Plenty. For starters we humans have a deep need to share and exchange information and actively seek places to gather, think aloud and bounce ideas around.
It’s a safe guess that whatever form they take in the future meeting places will continue to exist.
Ever wondered why some online communities succeed and web sites draw the crowds while others don’t? Same with the coffee joints - you need the right atmosphere, setting, and likeminded visitors.
Chat rooms frequented by 8 to 10-year-olds going on about who chopped off whose ponytail is of no interest to adults who want to catch up with the latest economic talk.
Likewise, when we want to create a web site that serves the diamond industry, it should say, from the very first look, Business. A jewelry site selling to end clients should be fashionable yet remain credible if you want visitors to feel you know fashion and can be trusted with their hard earned money. Be sure to check out Gil Galanti’s Web Review column for monthly examples of how some in our industry get it right.
So, from way-back-when London to today’s international super-sprawling information net, although technology has been revolutionized countless times, human nature has remained steady. It is human behavior we need to understand when we consider anything from graphic layout to information architecture. Cup o’ Joe, anyone?
Keep those emails coming in. If you have a question, suggestion or a comment to make, by all means drop me a line at: edahn@idexonline.com.
Links:
Economist article
www.economist.com/World/europe/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2281736
History of the Tatler - what a ride!
www.umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/female_tatler/publicationdetails.html
The Wi-Fi Alliance - everything you need to know about Wi-Fi
www.weca.net/OpenSection/index.asp
Hotspot Directory - where you can logon for free
And another finder
London Cafes, if you like your java in a cup
www.talkingcities.co.uk/london_pages/food_drink_cafes.htm
www.touchlondon.co.uk/comdir/searchresults.cfm/Cafes,%20Snack%20Bars%20and%20Tea%20Rooms