The Asus eee PC started something. Who knew something so small could usher in a revolution? Now everyone makes a NetBook, a small notebook that runs a Linux or a light version of Windows XP, on a screen that might not be any larger the 800 x 480 or, more the norm now, 1024×600. Dell just released one to great reviews. HP, Toshiba, a ton of other manufacturers all sell one or more. Liliputing is a blog that focuses on the new netbooks, and has reviews of almost all the models (60+ currently).

The operating system is not all that important—Linux seems a little faster and peppier, less resource intensive—because all the OS’s run a browser with Flash and javascipt and Java and work just fine with almost all Web sites. (Some sites are very poorly programmed by sloppy programmers who don’t follow standards, or only test on one browser and in general favor what they see as easy money/largest market share.) Netbooks in general are a lot more Web capable than, say an iPhone which can not run Flash.

So why do you care? The thing is, netbooks, iPhones, all other Web-enabled phones, PDAs and tons of other devices that did not mean much two years ago, are browsing your website. Make sure they can see your Web site. Don’t “think small.” Think targeted. Know how to develop content and present it. Or hire someone that does. Maybe it is as simple as two different Web sites, one optimized for mobile devices. Google is sometimes regarded as knowing something about the Web and they have a site just for the mobile people.

There are lots of websites that talk about effective Web design for mobile devices. Not so many handling netbooks at the moment. But the original eee PC has limited screen real estate and a lot of people are buying them. So keep in mind mobile devices and ask your Web site design firm if they are using the best design practices to reach the widest audience possible. Remember the mobile device users are some of the technological vanguard, the ones on the cutting edge that have money to spend and maybe, just maybe, the audience you want to reach.