HOW DO you begin to quantify the impact of the Internet?

It has transformed the way we live and work, of that there is no doubt.

It has created countless new opportunities for millions of people from entrepreneurs to civil rights campaigners.

It has allowed some people to make money, others to lose it.ŠAs we have seen recently, it has also facilitated popular protest movements that overthrow unpopular dictatorships.

Further down the list of things made possible by the Internet, come the very specific, almost personal, opportunities presented by technology that literally connects the world.

Great efforts are being made, and rightly so, to connect some of the poorest regions of the poorest countries to the web. Connectivity can improve education; health and welfare.

Just as it allows bankers and traders to make their millions, so to it can allow those in countries where the national output may not be much more than a Canary Wharf or Wall Street banker’s bonus, to make their mark and a livelihood.

The ease with which individuals can use the Internet to help each other really is transforming lives. And these are changes that go beyond basic communication.

For instance, go to kiva.org or globalgiving.com and spend a few minutes to take in what you find.Š

In particular, check out some of the individual cases featured on these sites.

They are powerful and underline the mark the Internet has made on the way charities and other organisations seeking to help the less fortunate.

They make giving and helping easy and accessible to those who may be fearful that anything they give may go to prop up a corrupt state or to aid bureaucracy.

At kiva.org you can select an individual to receive a personal loan to help their business.

In a typical week, visitors to kiva make loans every 13 seconds.Š Repayment rates average in excess of 98% and around 3,700 entrepreneurs are assisted.

That’s impressive output by any standard.Š And because those choosing to make their loans are in complete control of the process and choosing their recipient, its appeal is growing all the time and has become a textbook example of how the Internet is transforming lives.