The Massachusetts Website Directory's goal is the promotion and presentation of the diverse selection of web business, web information and web design and development found in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Website Directory (A.K.A. The MassWebDirectory.com) is a combined effort of human editors collecting and maintaining a vast list of websites which showcase the talents, individuality and services found online which are either based in, or operated for businesses, resources and individuals in the state of Massachusetts.

About The Internet and The World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW) was developed in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee of the European Particle Physics Lab (CERN) in Switzerland. The initial purpose of the Web was to use networked hypertext to facilitate communication among its members, who were located in several countries. Word was soon spread beyond CERN, and a rapid growth in the number of both developers and users ensued and in addition to hypertext, the Web began to incorporate graphics, video, and sound. The World Wide Web consists of web pages, which are files containing information and links to resources throughout the Internet. Today, The World Wide Web is composed of millions of web pages, provided information on almost any topic imaginable, hosted and viewed across the world. From the comfort of one's own desk chair, an individual can research marine biology in the South Pacific, to the buy and sale of an automobile in Texas, to the review of their bank statement from their local financial institution.

To find more information and history on The Internet and The World Wide Web here are some helpful web pages:
Understanding the World Wide Web - University of Albany, State University of New York
A Little History of the World Wide Web from the W3C - and -
History of Internet and WWW: The Roads and Crossroads of Internet History 1995-1998 by Gregory R. Gromov

About Search Engines and Ways To Find Information Online
Browsing the vast content that is found on The Internet can be both complex and intimidating. It is not uncommon for the casual user to get very frustrated in trying to find what they are interested in, and/or looking for online. Coupling that with Spam, Junk Email Solicitation, Popup Windows, and Bugs, Viruses and The Internet Scam only heightens the users fears about what is online and what is safe.

Search Engines can be used to help the user find relevant information on the web, based on the types of search terms, phrases and keywords that are entered into a Search Engine's Search Fields. Google alone executes more than 200 million searches per day, with 10,000 Google computers constantly crawling the Web and updating information from 3.3 billion pages. There are a variety of Search Engines on The Internet which can cater to a variety of preferences and topics. Some of the major Search Engines used include Google and Yahoo. Search Engines use "Spiders" or "Robots" - automated programs - to "search" the web. These robots read the webpages and put the text (or parts of the text) into a large database or index that you may access by entering your desired search criteria. This technology provides an excellent way for the casual user to quickly get a host of resources when trying to find relevant information on the web.

For the business owner, or e-commerce website, getting "found" through search engines is essential to their survival. The dramatic increase in search options, including Pay-For-Inclusion, Pay-Per-Click Advertising, and Banner/Image Placements, has lead to the development of a booming industry in Search Technologies. High value can thus be placed in the ability of a website to appear naturally in high volume search phrases and terms a user may input. There are a wide variety of strategies and techniques webmasters use to get top rankings in major search engines. One major strategy is the creation of inbound links to their website from related websites, shopping guides, and possibly most important - Web Directories.

About Web Directories
The goal of most web directories is to organize and present websites which post content in an easy to use collection. By doing this, the user can select broad topics or categories and "drill-down" to the specific topics for which they would like to find websites with relevant information. Web Directories can come in many different forms - broad general directories (such as The Open Directory), to special-interest directories (based on topic) to regional directories (The MassWebDirectory.com). Website owners and administrators can use web directories to showcase their particular purpose, business and/or identity.

The Massachusetts Website Directory - The MassWebDirectory.com
By collecting and maintaining a categorized selection of websites related to, based in, and/or operated for business and individuals in the state of Massachusetts, The MassWebDirectory.com enables website owners and administrators to have a place online which caters specifically to their own promotion and presentation. In addition, The MassWebDirectory.com also allows businesses and individuals to seek out and find relevant information online which can be local to their interests and needs. Through promotion and presentation within the directory, our goal is the creation of an important relevant web directory for Massachusetts websites, which in turn, leads to the overall improvement of placement and relevance for these websites in the space of the Internet and World Wide Web.

The Massachusetts Website Directory invites you to browse the diverse selection of websites, and provide feedback and suggestions, as well as compliments and critiques. To learn more about the directory, how to submit a site, and guidelines and terms, please reference the site menus located at the top and bottom of each page. You may also use the search fields to pinpoint the relevant information you are looking for. We hope you enjoy your visit to The Massachusetts Website Directory. Thank you.