""Has everyone heard of the internet?"
Faced with Dean's question, only less than a third of the people in the classroom raised their hands.
Moreover, all those who raised their hands were white. The few black students, let alone the internet, probably hadn't even heard of computers.
"OK, before we talk about the internet, let me say a few words about computers. Everyone knows what a computer is, right?"
This time, almost the majority nodded, indicating they had heard of it. Since personal computers emerged in the late '60s, after nearly 20 years of development, most people had some understanding of them.
Although everyone had heard of computers, and many present even had one at home, their impression of them still remained on traditional uses, such as assistance with calculations, office documents, etc.
"Computers can help us accomplish many tasks, like email communication, word processing, spreadsheet calculations, online chat, playing games, and so on. Of course, there's also the most important thing: establishing connections between each other."
Dean decided to use an example close to home to explain what the internet was, "As far as I know, friends here with a computer at home are basically using network services provided by America Online from Ohio."
The students who initially raised their hands all nodded in agreement with Dean's words because after all, a local enterprise would have much more convenient after-sales service.
"The service provided by America Online is to connect all the computers within Ohio. You can think of it as an open club that anyone with a computer at home can enter by purchasing a ticket.
So what can you do in this club? Everything you want to do!" Dean painted this vast and virtual world for the first time for those who had never heard of the internet.
"You can chat with others, find people with similar interests, and from the comfort of your home in Ohio, you can find out about all the interesting things happening all the way in California.
Current news, entertainment gossip, professional knowledge, interest discussions—all are within easy reach.
Similarly, in this club, you can also rent a stall. Then you can loudly tell others what you can offer, or what you currently need.
Simply put, it's like a well-informed information station that provides a public and transparent platform for buyers and sellers to communicate.
And this is the service I'm preparing to offer everyone. Of course, you can also think of it as a form of advertising. Most importantly, they're free!"
"Free?" Many in the classroom thought they had heard wrong.
"Yes, completely free." Dean emphasized again.
"But what's in it for you? I mean… okay, I'm just a little curious." The white man with the camouflage cap asked directly, voicing everyone's doubts.
They might not understand much about the internet, but this clearly went against the American belief in profits above all.
"I know everyone must be having this question," Dean looked around the classroom and explained, "I advertise for you without charging money, which doesn't seem very American."
As he finished speaking, laughter erupted from the crowd. Susie, who always portrayed a cool and aloof image, couldn't help but curve her red lips into a smile.
"I must admit, offering these free services isn't entirely selfless.
In reality, I'm working on a brand-new website, whose main purpose is to provide classified information for free to those in need.
Housing, news, performance information, community services, local event guides, and so on—every aspect of life can be found on the website.
Because it's just getting started, it needs some users for testing. That's my goal, I get the data I want, and you all can enjoy free internet advertising services."
"Dude, you've been talking for a while, but ultimately, these free ads appear only on the internet. And I have no idea what the hell the internet is, so is this thing really useful?"
A black guy at the back of the classroom with dreadlocks and a gold chain around his neck just spread his hands and directly expressed his skepticism.
"That's right, I don't know what the internet is either. Fewer than half of us in the classroom raised our hands just now. I bet advertising on that thing won't bring us a single tenant.""
More than one person held this view; in an era when few people knew about the internet, the idea of using the internet for advertising was indeed a bit ahead of its time.
"OK! OK!" Dean signaled everyone to be quiet, "Does anyone know how many users there are on the OhioNet in Ohio?"
Without waiting for a response, Dean raised his finger and waved it emphatically, "One million!"
"That's right, and compared to Ohio's population of nearly ten million, that's a mere 10%. But as long as our advertisements are posted there, it means that one million people can see them!
Would an advertisement published in a newspaper or magazine reach one million viewers? Even if it did, how much would those advertising fees be? And this is just Ohio, what about the whole of America?"
Dean didn't tell them that his website was not going to be visited by one million people, in fact, at the moment, it didn't have a single user.
He also didn't tell them that OhioNet only provided service in Ohio. The internet across America was fragmented into many parts, with no interconnectivity.
But that didn't matter. When Dean told them that one million people could see their rental advertisements, everyone in the classroom was moved.
"Really, one million people?" Susie puffed out her chest, her dark uniform stretching tight.
"Absolutely," Dean nodded, "But these people are spread throughout Ohio, and how many of them have a need to rent, and how many of them are actually in Youngstown, we don't have precise numbers."
It wasn't just Dean who didn't have precise numbers; even the federal government didn't have them.
But that was enough. The Greater Youngstown area had a population of over half a million, making up 5% of Ohio's population.
Even applying the same ratio, the potential number of internet users in Youngstown could be around 50,000.
50,000 free advertisements, and if just 1% of those people needed to rent, that would be enough to fulfill the rental needs of everyone seated in the classroom.
Those who could be professional landlords were already among the upper class of Youngstown's middle class, and with some rough calculations, everyone could understand the math.
"Alright, buddy, I take back what I said earlier. So what do we need to do to advertise on your network?" The black guy with the big gold chain rubbed his nose and asked as directly as ever.
Hearing his question and seeing the dozens of interested eyes in the classroom, Dean smiled.
"Provide the detailed information of the property you need to rent, including location, layout, basic infrastructure, and surrounding environment. Of course, it would be best to give a rough price range.
The most important thing, make sure to leave your contact details, the more detailed the better. Phone number, email address—if you have one—as all of this information is the same as you would submit to a real estate agency, mainly to make it easier for tenants to find you."
Although Dean's website wasn't finished yet, that didn't stop him from picking up a pen and starting to briskly record the rental information from the many landlords in the classroom.
There was so much interest that Dean was almost too busy to handle it all by himself.
Suddenly, a fragrant breeze wafted by. When Dean turned around, a serious Susie was helping him with the work.
"I hope the website you're talking about achieves the effect everyone expects," Susie said, shifting her gaze and tossing the words out lightly.
"No one desires its success more than I do," Dean shrugged.
After busying themselves for half an hour, they finally managed to register everyone's information completely.
"By the way, Price..."
"Call me Dean."
"Alright, Dean, what's the name of your website?"
Dean stopped sorting the half-organized documents, smiled, and spoke, "Price's List."