What were you doing on the Internet in 1996? If you're like most people, the answer is probably "Not much." The Internet had been around for many years, and e-mail was beginning to go mainstream, but even though the World Wide Web (the graphical user interface to the Internet) had technically launched five years earlier, the web was still in its infancy. Netscape was still the dominant web browser (Internet Explorer had been released only the year before), and Yahoo was the dominant search engine. Google wouldn't make its first appearance until two years later.
But back in 1996—on June 26, to be exact—About.com was launched. It was called The Mining Company back then, and the idea was that experts would "guide" you to the best and most useful sites on the web. Thus, the title "Guide" for those experts and "GuideSite" for each one of the topic sites on About.com.
Over the years, About.com has gone through many changes, including changing its name, but the central mission has stayed the same. We no longer present you with the best of the web as a series of links to other sites, but we try to give you the best of the web right here on About.com. With over 900 Guides who are experts in their fields, backed up by some of the best and brightest editors you could ever meet, About.com remains today the best in its class.
You can read more about the history of About.com on the About.com Media GuideSite and see a slideshow of the changes in the design of About.com over the past 15 years on the Web Search GuideSite.
I've been privileged to be the About.com Guide to Catholicism for about four-and-a-half years now, and I plan to be here when About.com celebrates 30 years of serving readers. I used About.com extensively before becoming a Guide, and I'm still amazed that there is no other single resource on the World Wide Web that matches About.com in breadth and depth.
Has About.com helped you out? Do you have a favorite About.com GuideSite? Hop into the comments, and share your stories of how use About.com!
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I am a relative newcomer to catholicism.about.com. But I read a great many Catholic blogs as well as hard-copy magazines. The only problem that I have with this site is the pastel typography. Nothing wrong with blue but a bolder blue might help those of us who even with new spectacles can barely read the type without enlarging it. I use a relatively new IMac so I don’t think the computer is the problem. The heds just don’t bounce off the page and pull me in the way I feel they should. But I spent my life as a print editor so maybe I’m behind the times. After all, I don’t even Tweet. So keep up the good work while I go out and buy a magnifying glass.
Thanks, Donal–you’ve made my day! If you’ve looked at my bio, you know that I’m the executive editor of a monthly magazine, so I’m firmly ensconced in the print world. In fact, our August issue goes to press tomorrow, which is why I haven’t been responding to comments the past few days. (The About.com Catholicism GuideSite is something I do in my free time, and I don’t have to tell you how little free time an editor has the week the magazine goes to press.)
But after you brought a smile to my face, I had to respond to your comment. (And, by the way, I agree with your remarks about the typography. But alas, there are very few websites I can think of that are as easy on the eyes as a print publication.)
In 1996 I was expecting baby #4 and didn’t even have access to the internet! We were in a village in Eastern Ontario and it effectively did not exist for us. My husband ensured that as soon as access was possible, we had it!
I have not commented here before, but I have to express my appreciation for your work. I am a Catholic blogger and writer and I am so refreshed every time I see quality Catholic information on the ‘net.
That said, my aging eyeballs would benefit from a little more contrast on websites, too!
Good Work