It is nice to see that ITForum has a lighter side and can handle discussions of games such as baseball and cricket--and perhaps recognize that these were never intended to be taken seriously. But on a more serious topic (maybe), I would like to ask: "What is the role of the instructional technologist in designing for or guiding the Internet?"
I personally see the Internet as both a tremendous resource and an electronic dumping ground. While it has a lot of "stuff" in great redundancy, it also lacks focus and any clear design. Is it just an information dumping ground that will eventually be mined by some commercial enterprise? Is there a greater purpose over and above collecting mass quantities of information and electronic lint? What can the instructional designer/developer do at this stage to add purpose and focus to this venture? Or do we just stand back and let it evolve? The Internet is not baseball or cricket--or is it?