There are few things worse than showing up bright and early for work on a Monday morning ready to take on the world and suddenly you're faced with an obstacle even worse than an empty milk carton for your coffee fix...a slow internet connection. Working in an online environment means that you depend on the speed of your connection to get the simplest of things done - here at Bizcommunity we suffer the same misfortune on random occasions that have people cursing, groaning and sighing and even crying - on the inside that is - while IT calmly ponders over what could have gone wrong. It is the bane of online businesses; the nagging thorn in one's side when time after time the page you've been trying to open for the last five minutes "times out". But, all things considered regarding the internet, we have many things to be grateful for; it has allowed the human right of access to information to shine bright, enabling freedoms in many countries worldwide including that of expression, it allows us to connect with old friends and make new ones, it helps distant relatives stay in touch. Communication is faster - you no longer have to wait for a hand-written letter to arrive telling you you're going to be a grandfather. And here's my favourite - news is immediate. Those who work in an online environment probably get news delivered to their desktops as soon as it breaks, whether from an eager journo on Twitter, or an RSS feed from their news agency of choice. There are many other things to be grateful for in the digital era that our great grandparents would never have thought possible. I love my internet, most of the time, and I hope you appreciate yours too. Hears hoping your internet connection has been faster than mine of late! *groan* *sigh* *cry*

Cheers, Sindy Peters, Africa editor
Responses to this column welcomed in our online editor's column archive. Send all your Africa marketing news to africanews@bizcommunity.com.