The Beginning ~ CapeLinks Internet Services

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WebTV

My first online experience was in 1999 at a friends house on his WebTV. I thought the internet was unbelievable even with that crappy WebTv setup.

Within a couple days I had my own WebTV console and was surfing the internet. I soon realized that I had to get on board with this new medium. I always had an interest in computer programming from my TRS 80 Basic programming days in middle school.

JTech

Then an opportunity arose from my ties to the fishing industry, a government grant was given to Jtech to re-train fishermen in new careers.

So long story kinda short, I went to the Jtech office told them I was interested, took a short test (so they knew if they sent me to school that I would be able to learn something) and they sent me home with a course catalog of the programs they offered.

A few days later I got a call from Jtech and they said I was approved to take one of the courses. The only problem was I had no interest in any of the programs they offered.

The offerings were for programs like get your CDL and become a truck driver, etc... So I asked the folks at JTech if I could look for my own program to take, they said as long as it could get approved by them I could do it.

After a few days of research on my WebTV unit, I found the Certified Webmaster course offered by Clark University at one of their satellite campuses in Braintree. I called Jtech and after a few days they said the course was approved. I was good to go for the 4 day a week, 3 month long course.

They even gave me a couple hundred bucks a week in expense money in addition to paying the tuition. (that worked out great for gas money with all that commuting)

Everyone taking the course was really excited about the opportunities available on the internet. By the beginning of the second month I had learned enough to start my first website, CapeLinks.com in 2000, which was at the time an alphabetical categorized link list of all the websites in the Cape Cod area.

Then I discovered affiliate marketing.