The Internet is named after the Internet Protocol, the standard communications protocol used by every computer on the Internet.

Who created the Internet? Well, according to Net History, the popular belief has sprung up that the Internet was invented by the Pentagon in 1969. The theory goes on to suggest that the Internet network invented in the Pentagon was designed to survive a nuclear attack.

The only thing historians seem to agree on is that it was not 1969, or the Pentagon, (or for that matter Al Gore). From there on, there is a wide divergence of views on when, where, and by whom the Internet may have been invented.

Whoever created it, we've come a long way. Now most of us can't imagine a world without the Internet. Do you know when the term "Internet" became commonplace? Believe it or not, it was in 1996.

As defined by Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet, the Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching, using standard Internet Protocol (IP).

It is also defined as a "network of networks" that consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which together carry various information and services such as: electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web.

The words Internet and World Wide Web have been misused for years. To further clarify, the Internet is a collection of interconnected computer networks -- whereas the World Wide Web is a collection of interconnected documents, images, and other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs.

Today, as you know, we have many sources for measuring the online audience at large. Internet World Statistics reports that as of September 30, 2007, 1.244 billion people were using the Internet.

Nielsen//NetRatings reports the August Digital Media Universe Estimate to be 516,991,633.

I'd thought I'd share some of my favorite online resource sites with you (in no particular order):

The Living Internet http://www.livinginternet.com/ is a free, in-depth site that provides all the stats, facts, figures, etc. you'd ever need.

Refdesk is one of my favorite sites. Check out the link to many online resources at http://www.refdesk.com/netsnap.html.

BUBL http://www.bubl.ac.uk/link/i/internetusagedata.htm is a robust catalog of Internet resources.

The Internet Society http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/ provides leadership in addressing issues that confront the future of the Internet, and is the organizational home for the groups responsible for Internet infrastructure standards, including the Internet Engineering Task Force and the Internet Architecture Board.

Alexa http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_500 allows you to view the top sites in the Web by country, language, and subject.

NetFactual http://www.bubl.ac.uk/link/i/internetusagedata.htm is a guide to finding facts about the Internet.

Yahoo's got a great site rich with Internet stats, demographics and definitions:
http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/Statistics_and_Demographics/

The Pew Internet & American Life Project http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work.aspx?category=50 studies what people do online - as they look for information, communicate with others, make transactions and entertain themselves. Data about online activities are gathered through public opinion polling, online surveys and other research methods. Also check out the PEW Internet and American Life Web site -- http://www.pewinternet.org/.

So happy Internet Day, dear readers. I can't imagine life without it. Share a favorite link or two with us.

This commentary is insightful. I recommend it to others.