What is E-Commerce?

Courtesy of optimum7

Let’s go shopping.  Those are my favorite words to hear.  It doesn’t matter if I’m looking for something specific or just browsing the stores with the girls, shopping is my favorite pastime.  But not everyone has these same feelings as I do.  Many times I hear people complaining that the stores are too crowded or they never have what they went there for.  That’s where the importance of e-commerce comes into play.

So you may be asking what e-commerce is.  It’s actually short for electronic commerce.  It is also interchangeable with e-business (Shelly, 2010).  It is a way of doing business electronically over the internet.

E-businesses definitely have its advantages.  When establishing a business, geographic location plays a huge factor in whether a business is going to succeed.  One would normally set up shop close to its targeted customers.  Take that factor out of the mix because with e-business you can reach consumers anywhere around the world.  The next factor in establishing a business is to have convenient hours.  With e-business, consumers can browse, select and purchase items while you are sleeping.  The other key factor is floor space.  When having a local business, one can only display a certain number of products and have limited inventory of these items.  With e-business, this inventory is endless.  It seems like e-business is a win-win situation for both the business and the consumer.  Look how simple a process it is.

Courtesy of digiteen2008.wikispaces.com

To attract its consumers and keep them coming back, e-businesses are focusing their websites to tailor to the consumers interests.  This is done through personalization and customization (Shelly, 2010).  Personalization is an automated process that the website generates based on your browsing and purchasing history.  I’m sure you have all seen this where once you have viewed something, the website suggests other things you may be interested in.  A lot of this has to do with what other consumers have viewed and purchased together.  Customization is something that the consumer updates based on their personal preferences as to what they would like to see.

Being an avid shopper, I am also a very smart shopper and I love to get deals.  With that being said, lately I find myself browsing more often than purchasing when I am out and then coming back home to see if I can get a better deal online.  Even Black Friday businesses have caught on to the importance of doing business and having deals online.  Are you ready to check it out?

References

Shelly, Napier, Rivers  Discovering the Internet  2010

            Course Technology, Cengage Learning, Boston, Massachusetts

Internet Technologies

So far we talked about everything the internet has to offer.  But what actually allows this data to be shared from user to user.

There are basically three different types of computer networks (Shelly, 2010):

• Local Area Networks (LAN) – this is a network that supports a small area.  Think of it in terms of your place of employment or Empire State College campus at Appletree Business Park.
• Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) – this network expands out a little further.  A MAN can support multiple buildings across a city or state.  This would be beneficial to a place like Empire with several campuses located throughout New York State.
• Wide Area Networks (WAN) – this network can cover large areas expanding across the country or even around the world.  Because of the large capacity of a WAN, it might consist of a single network or can be a combination of multiple LANs.

More on Internet Usage

There is even more to what you can find on the internet.  The best is shopping (and that’s only because I love to shop and look for bargains).  Not only am I able to expand my search of what I am looking for to different states or even countries, I can price compare so that I know that I am getting the best deal around.  I found this especially useful when buying books for my college classes.  There are several out there including DealOz, AbeBooks and Half.

Banking is another popular resource that many are finding convenient.  You can do everything from issue checks, check balances and even transfer funds (Shelly, 2010).  Although many people are already on board with this, I am not.  And this surprises a lot of people because they know that I am constantly on the Internet.  For some reason, this is one area that still scares me when it comes to the security of it.  I think once I am done with school and can afford the time to research more into it, I will jump on the bandwagon.

Are you an internet user or do you prefer doing things the old-fashion way? I would consider myself both depending on the subject matter at hand.

References

Shelly, Napier, Rivers  Discovering the Internet  2010

            Course Technology, Cengage Learning, Boston, Massachusetts

Internet Usage

I don’t know about you, but I depend a great deal on the internet.  My husband laughs at me and makes a smart remark every time I go to Google something we were discussing.  I can’t help it.  With all the wealth of information that is available to you, why not take a second to look something up.

My favorite is when my husband is arguing with me about something.  Normally we would have to wait to find out the answer while he would insist that he is right.  With the help of the internet, I am able to prove him wrong and make him eat his words.

Think back to the day, when the local weather (and by local is was usually the weather at the airport) could be seen on the hour and on the half-hour.  First of all, that was a long time to wait and if you missed it, you had to wait another half-hour.  At least now The Weather Channel runs the weather updates constantly on one of their two channels, but even that is very generic to the area.  The other downfall was the fact that the weather was based from a specific central location.  Living 15 miles away from the airport, my weather can be totally different from that on the TV.  With the help of the internet, I am able to customize by search for a specific area (usually by zip code or town).

PLN Update

So far, I have found very interesting data being connected to my PLN.  I have utilized new recipes, caught up to date on worldwide activities (seeing that I don’t get to surf much internet or watch the news because my time is consumed doing homework).  But I’m starting to get more involved. 

There have been a few job postings (not that I’m interested in a new job) that are relevant to my field of experience.  It is very interesting to see the companies that are searching for a Program Scheduler and the qualifications required.  I need to be more diligent and get involved with others in my field to learn from them and expand my horizon. 

I must say that I am still a little hesitant when it comes to LinkedIn.  Part of my hesitation is that I need to learn more about it.  The other part is hearing others speak about the fact that it is “so professional” and that they actually have refused people to join their link.  I’m sure as I get more acclimated with it, I will benefit more from it.

More to come – I will keep you posted.

Networking Online? - Be Smart and Safe About It

This is the part of online social networking that really gets to me.  I know to Tweet or Facebook is an easy way to stay connected to friends and family, but is it really necessary to share your every move with them?  Do you think that your friends care that you just got up?  We all get up everyday – so what’s the big deal?  Then to post your plans for the day or talk about an upcoming vacation giving specific details on when, where and for how long.  You are just opening you and your family up to danger.  Remember – what you post on the Internet is pretty much open for everyone to see.  You might as well be blunt and invite a potential robber to your house.  There are too many stalkers out there in the world.  Why subject your family, especially your kids, and your belongings to these kinds of predators?

But wait – there’s more about being safe and smart online.  How about posting information about your current position or company?  Employers are savvy to the fact that people vent and sometimes put information about their current work status online.  Employers need to be aware of the company’s reputation that is being laid on the line by employees.  Potential employers are even surfing online for information about potential candidates.  Even bigger than this are colleges who are viewing potential students to see if they are academic material.  Do you think an Ivy League school is going to accept someone who brags about being out all night partying?  Sure most of us have probably partied during our college years, but we didn’t put it in writing and post it to the world.

Charles Brant (Brant, 2011) has posted the top 10 things to not post on social networking sites.  There is a lot of value information to read in his article including reasons not to post pictures of your kids.  After educating yourself, be sure to pass this information on your kids.  KidSMART (2009) talks to your kids about smart online rules including telling a parent or caregiver if something doesn’t seem right.

I know that I limit what I say online – do you?

GoAnimate.com: Safe Social Networking by SpikeShelby

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References

Brant, Charles  2011

      Top 10 Things You Should Not Share on Social Networks

      How Stuff Works Inc., Retrieved 13 March 2011 from

      http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/social-networking/information/10-things-you-should-not-share-on-social-networks.htm

KidSMART  2009

      Childnet International, Retrieved 13 March 2011 from

      http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/beingsmart/

Email Viruses and Spam



So now that you have entered the world of the Internet and having been emailing all your friends and family with this totally cool new means of communication, there are some things that you need to be aware of – viruses and spam.

  

Courtesy of elisha06.mlblogs.com

Emails can contain computer viruses, worms and spyware.  These are designed to damage your computer.  The sad thing is that the email’s recipient is unaware that his/her machine is being affected.  They open what looks like a legitimate email and Bam! - your computer is affected (Thanks Emeril).  

Courtesy of metrolic.com

Microsoft  warns you to never open an email attachment from someone you don’t know and even if you do know them and are not expecting an attachment, don’t open it (Microsoft, 2011).   Damages include corrupting your files and computer, erasing your hard drive or spreading the virus to all of your email contacts.

Like viruses, spyware can be accessed through email attachments or even from downloads from the Internet (Shelly, 2010).  Spyware differs in that it gathers your personal information and uses it in malicious ways.