Jay Manning is Webhead

Welcome to TowerWeb.Net, home to TowerWeb Productions, the Midnight Times, the "Alternative Library", LibraryResourceCenter.com, Classical Mythology: The Myths of Ancient Greece & Rome, Vampire Compendium, and Baldur's Gate Hall of Fame Heroes. The purpose of this page is to tell you a little bit about who I am, and just what exactly TowerWeb.Net is. My name is Jay Manning, and I'm the person behind TowerWeb.Net--both in terms of web site design and information management. I have written all of the HTML code for this web site myself, and I believe in providing content, not flashy gimmicks. You will find no advertising on this web site (other than for my own content). Essentially, TowerWeb.Net grew out of my interest in writing and computers, my two favorite hobbies outside of playing hockey. Although I have been hard at work on this project since 1996, the ideas and concepts that have brought me to the present have been gradually evolving over the past 15 years. I think this shows in the scope and design of the Tower.

The World Wide Web has grown from a curiosity back in the early 90s to a common place element of most people's computing experience today. Many web sites have come and gone since the first web browser was released. Many of the DOT COM darlings of the e-commerce "new economy" that were the hot stocks a few years ago are struggling or have already disappeared. Although the Yahoo and Amazon dot coms of the Internet get all the press, I still believe that the heart of the World Wide Web is the individuals who use it. Consider that it was primarily a love of computing--computers as a hobby--that led people like Jerry Yang & David Filo (Yahoo!) and Marc Andreessen (Netscape) to create web sites that have played such important roles in the history of the Internet. Jerry and David's motivation was creating a list of their favorite web sites. Marc wanted a browser that would make the web cool by displaying enhanced text and graphics. Although these web sites grew into some of the most successful Internet based businesses, the original motivation was simply to do something cool on the computer.

I think that this, rather than "e-commerce," is the real driving force behind the success of the World Wide Web. Sure it's great that you can buy a book, a computer, or even a car on the Web, but isn't what's really cool about the Internet is the ability to communicate with people all over the world and search for the information you want? Isn't this why e-mail, instant messaging, and search engines are the most widely used Internet applications? The Web pulled communication together in an easy to use graphical user interface and brought the Internet to the masses. As I see it, the real success of the World Wide Web is the access people now have to information--information that is provided by other people. Anyone can create their own web site for free and post it on the Internet. Anyone can get a free e-mail account. Anyone can start their own Internet based business. I think this is what really makes the Internet's World Wide Web a big success.

TowerWeb Productions represents my own Web based information endeavor. At the heart of this concept is online publishing. Sure, I'm really into computers, and I enjoy my job as Technology Manager for Jefferson County Library. But the thing that has really tied all of this together is my love of literature and writing. It was for the purpose of writing that I bought my first computer (a Commodore 64 back in 1985). It was due to my educational background (I majored in English Literature with a minor in creative writing) that I ended up in the field of Information Science, and it was in relation to my work in library service that I became involved with the Internet and the World Wide Web.

It seems logical that this evolution has led me in the direction of online publishing. For Webhead (aka me), the motivation lies in publishing my own literary work in addition to unique informational topics that I find to be of particular interest. If other people share my interests, then TowerWeb Productions has been a success. The important thing is sharing ideas, information and knowledge. This is what TowerWeb.Net is really all about.

Welcome! I hope you enjoy your visit.

In May of 1993, I graduated from Southwest Missouri State University with a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in creative writing. Shortly thereafter I realized I needed to find a real job--that I couldn't just hang out in the UMSL Writing Lab forever. It was around this time that Mom forwarded me an employment advertisement for a "Reference Library Associate". I thought it sounded kind of cool (I know this sounds really geeky), and so I applied for the position. Believe it or not, they actually hired me! In December of 2001, I graduated from the University of Missouri with an M.A. in Information Science. Although my goal is establishing my own publishing business so I can work for myself doing what I really enjoy, in the meantime (while TowerWeb.Net is a work-in-progress), I still have to earn a living. Currently, I am the Technology Manager for Jefferson County Library.

Since I don't have any way of knowing how you found this page, I have no idea how much of my web site you might have already visited. So I offer this advice to everyone who visits TowerWeb.Net. As you explore my pages keep in mind that there is a lot more to Webhead's Universe than meets the eye (literally!). Since Webhead is a metaphor for my creative side, you should keep things in perspective. At heart I am a writer. I write a lot (fiction, poetry, etc.)--after all, online publishing is the whole point of this web site. The Internet isn't just about data, or computers, or e-commerce, or education, or media, or search engines, or portals, or whatever... Most importantly, it's about people sharing ideas. That's what I'm doing--sharing my ideas with other people through this forum called the World Wide Web. Because of this, I have a lot of work here which represents many of my personal interests and hobbies. It's all just the reflection of a strong imagination and a very creative mind...

© 2003 TowerWeb Productions