Predicting the Online Future

Major changes will mark the future of online. Five major forces are shaping online searching and the online industry. These forces are at work now and will continue to shape online in the future.

The five forces are:

1. developments in telecommunications;

2. improvements in scanning and storage technologies;

3. expansion of database distribution options (CD-ROM fits here as well as many other formats);

4. a broader user base with new needs; and

5. changes in the dynamics of database production.