As use of the Internet became more sophisticated, web sites changed to meet new needs. The changes in the Internet can be categorized in generations of web sites.

• Generation One-Initially companies created simple “brochures-online” web sites.
• Generation Two-As the Internet became more sophisticated, many companies became aware of its potential. Management established web sites that reflected corporate issues: investor relations, company mission statements, and messages from the president.
• Generation Three-As companies began to understand the potential the Internet has for driving business-to-business and business-to-consumer transactions, web sites became simpler, faster, and more focused on specific needs of the person visiting the site.
• Generation Four-The future of the Internet is generation four web sites. Generation four sites physically resemble generation three sites. The difference between generation three and generation four web sites is predominantly behind the scenes. Generation four sites are dynamically created and tightly integrated into the operations of the company.