What can Netscape and WebEx tell us about the future of school websites?

At the beginning of 1996 we were the only company making websites for independent schools. We recognized that the web was becoming an important enough communication resource that schools would eventually look to outside sources for help. A lot of other companies eventually arrived at the same conclusion, and of those I'd say that three became truly excellent providers of web communications services to the NAIS community.

In 2010 we are first again, this time as a provider of open source web solutions exclusively for independent schools. The school-specific system we have built will go live in three sites over the next three weeks, and we believe the ramifications for our industry will be profound. Just like last time, we suspect others will follow and so in order to succeed we will need to listen, respond, create and critique. We will need to maintain the integrity that has always been our hallmark. Just because we are the first provider of such a system doesn't guarantee us very much, as the principals of Netscape can tell you.

As for WebEx, ten years ago we paid close to $1000 per month for their online meeting service; we currently pay $39 per month for online meetings. We are certain that the school website buisness is heading in a similar direction. And by the way, moving to an open source platform is not just about saving money--more than anything it's about planning for the future.

This is very good news for schools.