It still amazes me how everything now is just a click away.

Since I work on the web and I am online a number of hours everyday, I prove time and again how the internet is taking convenience to higher levels. Whether you need to research information, get services, or even shop for products, you can get what you need just by firing up your browser.

I remember how I used to go the library for research assignments and term papers. I would make my way through the shelves and labor over stacks of books just to get the information I need. I would line up at the xerox machine and shell out my already limited allowance to photocopy the pages I need.

Now Google can be like your research assistant. Just sit at your desk, type in your search query and you’ll get thousands of webpages filled with information right at your fingertips. Of course, you’ll have to filter the quality and accuracy of the information you get but most of the time, you’ll get what you need much faster. No lining up at the xerox either, you just hit bookmark and press print.

Most services you need are online too. Back in the day, you had to thumb through hundreds of entries in the yellow pages to find electricians, pest control, or house movers. You can only charge it to experience if their service is good or bad.

Now you can find specific companies online in just a click, read about their services and rates, and even review feedback they get from previous customers. Some even offer discounts and deals like Billy.com. Say you need to hire some movers, you can go to their site and narrow down your search to your locality. They’ll help you compare quotes from different Tampa moving companies or a discount from a Tucson moving company so you can get the best deal.

Don’t even get me started about shopping online. While it’s still a thrill to go to the mall and go home loaded with shopping bags, there’s something therapeutic too about surfing online shops, logging in your Paypal account to purchase and having the item conveniently delivered to your door.

I had to wean myself off this addiction though because it was sucking my Paypal account dry, but it was fun while it lasted. And I still do get tempted once in awhile. It’s a good thing Amazon.com doesn’t have a local site yet, otherwise it will be a serious threat to my “no shopping online” resolution.

The web is growing at breakneck speed, who knows what else it will make possible in a few years. I can’t even imagine how much it will have changed by the time my girls grow up. One thing’s for sure though, I’ll have to keep myself web and tech savvy so I can keep up.