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  • November 11th, 2009
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Research help: A web challenge!

Hi guys. I’m working on a keynote for next week’s Web 2.0 Expo conference in NYC, at the Jacob Javits center.

It turns out I was at Internet World in ‘97, at the same venue, trying to get people to upgrade to IE 4.0.  Wow, I feel old.

The funny thing is i can’t find a single bit of useful information about what happened at Internet World Fall, ‘97 in NYC. No agendas. No speaker lists. No nothing.

In 20 minutes of research, I found almost nothing useful on the web about a premier event about the web that occured barely more than a decade ago. I find this comic and sad.  Or maybe my web research skills aren’t what they should be.

Can you find anything? Help me out and leave a comment.  I’ll give away few signed copies of books to people who dig up useful stuff (trip report, agendas, photos, exhibitor lists, etc. all count).


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20 Responses

  • Divya - November 11, 2009 at 2:30 pm #
  • Found this immediately, which leads to this


  • Scott Berkun - November 11, 2009 at 2:36 pm #
  • Divya: Close, but I need Internet ‘97 FALL, which was in NYC, not Spring which was in LA.


  • Scott Berkun - November 11, 2009 at 2:43 pm #
  • Matt: close, but not close enough. That’s for the one in Chicago – Apparently Interent world was in various cities in ‘97, but the event I care about was in NYC, at the Javits center.


  • Kimm (@geekcoach) - November 11, 2009 at 2:56 pm #
  • Searching for internet world 1997 speakers seems to yield the best results so far – speakers who list their presentations from that event on their own web pages.


  • AmandaP - November 11, 2009 at 7:47 pm #
  • I found an article in Searcher via the ABI/Inform (ProQuest) DB — it’s for-pay, but free if you are an SPL patron. It’s from an information retrieval/etc perspective, but has a “Gleanings” section with observations/highlights that might contain interesting bits for you. Below is the citation & abstract. I can provide instructions on how to access if you need.

    Whither Internet World? Or, Internet times they are a ‘changin’
    P Michael McCulley. Searcher. Medford: Apr 1998. Vol. 6, Iss. 4; pg. 20, 5 pgs

    Abstract (Summary)

    Developments at Mecklermedia Corp.’s December 8-12, 1997, Fall Internet World at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York are discussed. Some of the most exciting news at Internet World concerned search engines. The big story was AltaVista’s new translation service, still in test mode, but exciting for those interested in multi-lingual, global sites and services.

    http://ezproxy.spl.org:2048/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.spl.org:2048/pqdweb?did=28943595&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=11206&RQT=309&VName=PQD


  • AmandaP - November 11, 2009 at 8:26 pm #
  • Same ABI/Inform found a NYT article (note citation & abstract only — full text available via the SPL login link with library card account). You may also be able to find this in the NYT archives:

    Cyberspace Cutting Edge Seems Pretty Dull
    Saul Hansell. New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Dec 15, 1997. pg. D.11

    Abstract (Summary)

    It sure was big, whatever it was. More than 65,000 people last week jammed into the Javits Center to attend Internet World, which has become one of the nation’s largest trade shows.

    So, despite the inevitable announcements of products deemed cutting edge by their makers and occasional declarations that paradigms had shifted yet again, most time was spent exchanging business cards and contributing to the general buzz that the Internet is unbelievably important, and getting more so.

    ”It was a total zoo,” said Trevor D. Traina, the president of Compare Net, an on-line buyer’s guide service. He said he found little of use on the display floor. As with most trade shows, much of the activity was in parties and meetings outside of the display hall. ”There was a lot of schmoozing to do,” Mr. Traina said.

    http://ezproxy.spl.org:2048/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.spl.org:2048/pqdweb?did=23839202&sid=6&Fmt=3&clientId=11206&RQT=309&VName=PQD


  • AmandaP - November 11, 2009 at 8:29 pm #
  • Many of these are vendor/etc focused (less so on any panels/keynotes/etc). I’m not sure if that’s the angle you are looking for (absent a reference interview), but this should give you a good feel for the time.

    USA Today coverage

    Surfing Net easy on tidal wave of products Talk is cheap, browsers smart at Internet World; [FINAL Edition]
    Leslie Miller. USA TODAY. McLean, Va.: Dec 12, 1997. pg. 12.D

    Abstract (Summary)

    Even though surfing the Web may be fun, most people still see it as more of a novelty than a necessity. But some of the new time- and money-saving products on display here this week at the USA’s largest Internet trade show may help change their minds.

    Another neat new appliance is a set-top box called WebSurfer (www. websurfer.com) that lets you use your TV to get on the Net. But instead of just offering e-mail and Web access, as other Internet TV products do, you can also do word processing, fax and use voice mail, create and publish Web pages and, starting in January, make long-distance Net phone calls (the $299 price includes a handset, a TV-type remote control and wireless keyboard).

    America Online. The on-line service Thursday unveiled a stack of new products and features on its Web site. For members, there’s AOL NetMail, which makes it possible to check AOL mail via the Web at http://www.aol.com when members don’t have access to a computer with AOL software. For nonmembers, there’s AOL Instant Messenger, which allows anyone on the Web to download at no cost the software for the Instant Message and Buddy List features previously available only on the service.

    http://ezproxy.spl.org:2048/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.spl.org:2048/pqdweb?did=23995234&sid=6&Fmt=3&clientId=11206&RQT=309&VName=PQD


  • AmandaP - November 11, 2009 at 8:35 pm #
  • There are a bunch of similar articles — here’s another that has some content:

    Enter I-commerce
    Matthew Nelson. InfoWorld. San Mateo: Dec 8, 1997. Vol. 19, Iss. 49; pg. 1, 2 pgs

    Abstract (Summary)

    In December 1997, Internet commerce will headline the Internet World ‘97 show with the unveiling of both products and technology road maps from some of the industry’s biggest players. IBM, Hewlett Packard (HP), Cisco Systems, Microsoft, and Intel, among others, are scheduled to roll out products and showcase technologies designed to facilitate I-commerce via the Internet. HP will announce a partnership with Cisco under which the networking giant will help HP to build I-commerce systems for corporate customers. Meanwhile, IBM will announce the formation of an I-commerce think tank, the Institute for Advanced Commerce, to which the company will be devoting $10 million and 50 researchers. Intel will be showcasing its strategy for providing the hardware necessary for making I-commerce more visually comprehensive in the future.

    http://ezproxy.spl.org:2048/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.spl.org:2048/pqdweb?did=23527449&sid=6&Fmt=4&clientId=11206&RQT=309&VName=PQD


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