(my daughter, Alex)

SafePlanet or Safe Planet?

SafePlanet.com was initially conceived as a provider of filtered internet access for children. The first website went "live" in July of 1997 as a part-time project that included filtered internet access, security consulting, website design and marketing.

While the SafePlanet website was initially created with protecting all children in general, our spare time and efforts quickly became focused on the continued growth and education of our own children. As a result, the filtered access project never grew to fruition.

Why am I here?

Since first publishing this website in 1997, there have been literally hundreds of thousands of new websites created.

It is amazing to think that, while I was working at a major computer company in the early 1990's, the "internet" as we know it today did not yet exist. It wasn't until 1993 that Mosaic, one of the first web browsers, made it possible for anyone with a PC and a modem to browse the internet. The following year Netscape, one of the first Silicon Valley residents, released a more user-friendly browser in 1994. As the popularity of the internet continued to grow, Microsoft released Internet Explorer in 1995.

So, why would someone want to publish a website and put it "out there" for others to see? In 1997, the answer was simply because not many people were capable of claiming their own piece of cyberspace. For many, just getting connected to the internet was a challenge. Actually developing and publishing your own website was an accomplishment that you could brag about in any geek circle.

Since that time, however, it seems that the biggest incentive to publishing a website is money. The novelty of owning your own personal website has largely worn off. Those of us that began with the idea of carving out our own little piece of real estate in cyberspace have been quickly overtaken by those with dreams of creating the next eBay phenomenon.

The internet has been, without a doubt, the most influential development in technology since the first personal computers were introduced in the early 1980's. No other technology has so greatly changed the way that we do business, communicate with friends and colleagues, or brought the world (good and bad) to our fingertips with the click of a mouse.

The SafePlanet website is now a collection of what I consider to be useful information. It is a communication tool, a repository and a sounding board. And, of course, this is still my little piece of this ever- expanding World Wide Web!

All good things must end?

Today, we maintain a more simple SafePlanet.com website. Before you ask, the website names and URL's are not for sale. We have owned both the SafePlanet.com and SafePlanet.net names since 1997 and would not be interested in selling them.

However, there are numerous individuals that seem to have gone to great lengths to register every possible word, or combination of words, in a desperate effort to make a profit for themselves. If you are looking for a name that contains either one, or a combination of the words "Safe Planet" we suggest that you contact one of these squatters. The "dot.com" era has come and gone and many of these domain names are worth far less than they were a few years ago. Many of these "domain squatters" are just hoping to recoup some of their losses and are probably willing to bargain with you.