There’s no doubt that every one of us has at least once thought about moving back or forward in time for some specific reason or to re-live the moments. Unfortunately, nothing like that exists for now, but have you ever heard about the Internet Time Machine?
Time Machine is a term that always takes us to the world of imagination. It reminds me of Hollywood movies where characters shift through time to somewhere in the past or future.
Not many people are aware of this very term. Internet Time Machine is undoubtedly one of the most critical resources of the internet. It takes you back in time, where you can view how the most popular websites used to look back then. Years and years of valuable information are stored here.
What is the Internet Time Machine or Wayback Machine?
Internet Time Machine, also called Wayback Machine, is a digital archive of the internet. It was found at archive.org, which is a non-profit website designed with the motive to create digital files of sites.
Archive.org takes users back in time and allows us to see how all publicly accessible websites used to look at any specific time in the past. Additionally, it also archives free music, books, movies, etc. There are over 425 billion web pages in this Internet archive.
Features of the Internet Time Machine
When it comes to the features of the Wayback Machine, the most important one is that when it archives the web pages, it also includes hyperlinks. So, you might be thinking, what’s unique about saving hyperlinks, right?
Well, these archives have the links that are in use today and include those that might have been broken over time. In addition, it lists all the dead links and thus keeps them active so that you can view them whenever you want to.
This thing has helped expose great criminals hiding behind their high-ranked positions with an illegal face. Moreover, you can use it to get access to some of your favorite sites from childhood. The library is a massive one storing petabytes of information. Furthermore, researchers and journalists use it to view changes to website content and dated news reports.
Uses of the Internet Time Machine:-
Now that we are well aware of the fact that what Internet Time Machine is. The next and probably the most critical question that arises is, “For what can we make use of this service?” So, let us discuss some of the most important uses of this exciting time machine:
1. Analyzing Business Competition
If you are new to the online business field and seeking better engagement on your site, this might be a useful source for you. For example, suppose you are inspired by a specific website similar or different to your niche and curious enough to know how it gained such popularity.
The Internet Time Machine can be a great place to see how those websites looked at their initial stage and what changes have been made to date. These things help you get a better hold on the SEO of your website, which further increases your reach.
2. Holding Individuals and Organizations Accountable
Besides being a way to have fun, the Wayback Machine has also made significant contributions to some pressing matters. For example, whenever a person or a company posts anything on the internet, this ensures that the data stays forever.
So, if you post something against the terms & conditions or something defaming, then even after you delete it, the post can still be recovered. This thing has already helped in holding many politicians and influential people accountable for their words. And it will be performing the same way even in the future.
From Editor’s Desk
The Internet Time Machine undoubtedly does a great job archiving every possible website over the Internet. However, it doesn’t hold the perfect picture of what certain websites looked back in time in some cases. If you are curious to know how some popular sites like YouTube and Google looked at their initial time, you can search for it here.
