This site is best viewed using Mozilla Firefox browser.

X

Internet Software, Hardware, and Computers

Terry Lewis

2013-01-02 14:01:07

Q-We have been reading your articles regarding communications. We would like to avoid many of the costly mistakes we read about other companies making. If you can, can you write about the different communications’ systems in a typical office and the most important things that one needs to know?

A-Of course, and thank you for the question. One of the first questions I receive in doing analyses for businesses is, “Tell us about voice mail?” So, let me start with this… At its most basic level, voice mail is essentially a phone answering system that can take messages for any number of people. Unlike an answering machine that stores messages on a single cassette tape, voice mail systems store messages on a computer disk in “mailboxes.” Each staff person is assigned a mailbox where only his/her messages are stored. This mailbox has a password so that only the assigned staff person can retrieve his or her messages. In addition, these systems allow the individual staff person to create his/her own greeting so that callers can receive specific information such as daily schedule, that the person is on vacation, or who else to call for more information. Voice mail systems can allow an organization to have an “unattended” main line. This means rather than having a receptionist answer the phone, the voice mail system answers the phone, provides a common greeting and then guides the caller to the appropriate staff person. This feature is known as the voice mail's “auto-attendant.” At its most advanced levels, the voice mail can unify voice, fax, and e-mail messages into a single screen of a user's personal computer. This feature is known as “unified messaging.” Voice mail can also interact with a caller's voice, recognizing the spoken response and act according (e.g. transfer a call to a specific staff person). This feature is known as “interactive voice response.” Next month I will share with you some things to look for in a voice mail system.

X

Internet Software, Hardware, and Computers

Amal Xavier

2012-08-29 14:56:20

Q- It seems like more and more businesses are not only having an online presence, but they are also having built some most intricate eCommerce mechanisms to take care of their business. I want to do the same with my company, but I have some questions. What are the first things to consider before setting up an eBusiness? What about the legal ramifications? Do I need to consult with an attorney before opening up my eBusiness? Are there any other things I need to be aware of?

A- Last month, with assistance from www.ecommerceoptizimation.com and other sources, we talked about setting up your eBusiness. We will continue by reviewing some the things we have talked about in the past. This month…we will talk more about eCommerce Marketing. eCommerce Marketing Defined: eCommerce marketing can be defined in many different ways and can include both Online or Offline campaign strategies. Most often, it's considered to be the marketing of goods and services over the Internet or any other electronic network (like a mobile phone or pda). eCommerce marketing is commonly referred to as ecommerce optimization, online marketing, search engine marketing, sem, search engine optimization, seo, catalog optimization, catalog seo, product seo, merchant marketing and many more variations of those terms. Beginning & Future of eCommerce Marketing: eCommerce marketing began when the first shopping cart enabled sites started popping up all over the Net. As competition in major markets such as consumer electronics, gifts, clothing or apparel and outdoor goods started to grow so did the need for eCommerce marketing. Online retailers who first began to market through the Internet saw huge potential for success Online and many of them saw enormous profits all the way up until the dot com boom. Since the dot com boom, eCommerce marketing has evolved into a whole new mix of strategies and techniques designed to increase exposure from a multitude of channels to the eCommerce seller. Marketing professionals have spent countless hours testing, experimenting and reporting on which strategies work and which seem to have no positive effects. Now there are many different ways to market an eCommerce enabled site. Marketing Strategies & Techniques: eCommerce marketing today is typically made up of several creative or unique mixes of traditional and new-age marketing strategies that can include techniques related to direct mail, email marketing, search engine optimization, CPC or sponsored listings, building related links, establishing brand recognition and social media marketing. There are many other ways to market an eCommerce store and new ways of reaching out to potential customers are always being discovered and tested. Next month we will discuss the benefits of eCommerce Marketing.

X

Internet Software, Hardware, and Computers

Amal Xavier

2012-08-02 08:40:02

Q- It seems like more and more businesses are not only having an online presence, but they are also having built some most intricate eCommerce mechanisms to take care of their business. I want to do the same with my company, but I have some questions. What are the first things to consider before setting up an eBusiness? What about the legal ramifications? Do I need to consult with an attorney before opening up my eBusiness? Are there any other things I need to be aware of?

A- Last month, with assistance from www.ecommerceoptizimation.com and other sources, we talked about the Internet, the World Wide Web, Search Engines and Browsers. This month we will begin talking about how to go about setting up your eBusiness. We will begin by doing a review of some things we have talked about in the past. What is eCommerce & eBusiness? eCommerce Defined: eCommerce, which is short for electronic commerce, is the process used to distribute, buy, sell or market goods and services, and the transfer of funds online, through electronic communications or networks. Electronic commerce is commonly referred to as Online commerce, Web commerce, eBusiness, eRetail, eTailing, e-tailing, ecommerce, eCommerce, e-commerce, ecom or EC. Beginning & Future of eCommerce: eCommerce basically began (although debated) in 1994 when Jeff Bezos started Amazon.com out of his own garage. Well known eCommerce stores include sites like eBay, Dell, Wal-Mart and many more. Since 1994, businesses of all shapes and sizes have began launching or expanding their Online presence. At any given time, there are approximately 8 million consumers worldwide that actively shop and buy through Web based stores or retailers (nearly one tenth of our world population). Online studies have claimed that online retail revenues will surpass the quarter-trillion-dollar mark by 2011. eCommerce Site Features: Typical business web sites do not usually have the same features as eCommerce enabled web stores do. In order to effectively distribute, market and sell goods or services Online you will need certain features only found on eCommerce sites. Features may include a shopping cart, ability to process credit cards, online product catalog, automated inventory system, databases, bulk email program, statistics tracking and other non-computer technologies such as product warehousing and shipping transportation. What are the Benefits of eCommerce & eBusiness? The processes involved with conducting business on the Internet and opening an eCommerce shop to sell from have several benefits to both merchants and the customers who buy from them. The biggest benefits of conducting business Online include a cheaper upfront cost to the merchant, it's easier to set up and open the store and it's faster to get an Online business up, running and making sales. Helps Create New Relationship Opportunities: Expanding or opening an eBusiness can create a world of opportunity and helps to establish new relationships with potential customers, potential business associates and new product manufacturers. Just by being in an easy to find location that is accessible to users all over the world, you will be available for others to find and approach you about new opportunities. Customers who don't know you exist will know about you, product suppliers will request you add their items and other businesses will approach you about partnership opportunities. Many of these opportunities would not present themselves without an Online presence or site for them to discover you on their own. Open for Business 24x7: An eCommerce site basically gives you the ability to have unlimited store hours, giving your customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week access to shop and buy items from you. Some merchants choose to limit their hours to 5 days a week, but orders can still be made over the weekend and customers can still make contact 24/7 via email, phone or fax. In addition, the costs associated with having your store open 24/7 are much less than maintaining a physical storefront or phone operator with 247 operation capability. You can literally take orders and let customers shop while you sleep, take vacations or from remote locations. Increases Brand or Product Awareness: Having an Online business means that you can literally reach out to millions of consumers looking for what you sell anywhere in the world. By reaching out to new markets and displaying your site prominently in front of them, you will be able to help increase your company/domain brand name and also increase awareness about your product line. By giving users 24/7 access in an easy to find location, you will help to create more word of mouth buzz for your eBusiness, in turn helping to promote your brand name and products. Users who haven't heard of you will discover you exist and help spread the word about you. Helps Establish Customer Loyalty: An eCommerce storefront will help create an easier means for your customers to purchase the items you sell and offers a unique way to display and describe your products in a informative, visual and interactive way. The customers you have will become more loyal shoppers each time they visit, making eCommerce great for improved customer satisfaction and visitor loyalty. Now that you offer your products for sale Online, consumers will be able to shop from your catalog more easily, get updates on new items or product discounts and can shop or buy anytime they wish. Potential to Increase Overall Business Sales: An eCommerce store that is an extension of a physical storefront is a great way to boost overall business sales and potentially increase company profits across the board. Companies who already do business from a physical location are typically unaware of how much more they could be making if only they were to expand into their Online marketplaces. Selling Online opens up many opportunities for businesses both new and old. It's a great way to increase sales, especially if you already have a physical store. Potential to Increase Company Profits: As mentioned above, opening an Online extension of your store or moving your business solely Online are great ways to boost sales and potentially profits. Remember, just because SALES increase it does not necessarily mean that company PROFITS will increase also. Online businesses do have a greater chance of increasing sales and profits by opening up an eCommerce store to sell the items they offer. Sales and profits are the lifeblood of any company, so it makes sense to increase them where ever possible and whenever possible throughout the existence of your company. More sales, more profits, bigger budgets, etc. Potential to Decrease Some Costs: In addition to potentially increasing sales and profits, eBusiness owners can also typically reduce the costs of running their business by moving it or expanding it into the Online world. eCommerce stores can run with less employees including sales staff, customer service reps, order fulfillment staff and others. eBusinesses also do not need a physical location in order to stay operational, which can reduce costs related to building leases, phone bills, utility costs and other costs associated with running a brick-and-mortar storefront. Expands Geographical or Customer Reach: As mentioned, owning an eCommerce business typically means no limits as to who and where you can sell your products. Some countries outside the United States have additional regulations, licensing requirements or currency differences, but generally you will not be limited on the customers you can reach out to. Physical storefronts are limited to the city in which they are located, Online businesses aren't limited unless you put geographical limits in place. At the very least, you should consider targeting U.S. buyers, but also consider, Canada, UK, Australia and others. Sell to anyone, anywhere, anytime! Allows for Smaller Market or Niche Targeting: Although your customer reach may expand beyond your local area, you may only wish to target smaller consumer markets and buyer niches for your eCommerce products. Owning an Online store gives the merchant much control over who they target and reach out to notify about the items for sale in their store. Currently, you can target women, men, a generation of users, a particular race and many more smaller niche markets. This is typically done by placing keywords that those niche markets use on a regular basis when shopping for the items you offer. Allows for Easier Delivery of Information: An Online store and Web brochure are great ways to deliver and display information about your company and the products you sell. With an Online presence your customers will have direct access to product information, company information, specials, promotions, real time data and much more information that they can easily find just by visiting your site day or night. Not only does it benefit your customers, but it's also generally easier for merchants to update their site rather than break down an in store display and put up another for the next event. It saves both your customers and you precious time and can help you to plan more updates or better sales as it will be much easier for you to update and take down. Next month we will begin discussing eCommerce marketing.

X

Internet Software, Hardware, and Computers

Amal Xavier

2012-08-01 12:31:37

Q- It seems like more and more businesses are not only having an online presence, but they are also having built some most intricate eCommerce mechanisms to take care of their business. I want to do the same with my company, but I have some questions. What are the first things to consider before setting up an eBusiness? What about the legal ramifications? Do I need to consult with an attorney before opening up my eBusiness? Are there any other things I need to be aware of?

A- Last month, with assistance from www.ecommerceoptizimation.com and other sources, we talked about exploring the potential of your online business and operation of the same. This month we will talk about the Internet, the World Wide Web, Search Engines and Browsers. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Internet has revolutionized the way in which we live our lives. Nearly everything you can imagine is a simple point and click away from any person (over 1 billion) with a computer and Internet access. Technologies like email and Online chat have taken the place of snail mail and phone conversation. If you want information about a particular topic, it’s just a matter of typing in a few words and a millions of pages appear to show you more about what you searched for. The Internet has made it much easier to access information about a nearly infinite number of topics. Most of all, we have seen the Internet change the way in which consumers shop and buy the items they like. Online shopping has become increasingly popular since eCommerce first began and industry trends do not show any signs of this trend slowing down any time soon. There is a lot of opportunity to make money through selling Online. eBusinesses often have a better chance of success due to the low overhead and broad customer reach. It’s challenging to be successful selling Online as competition across nearly every major market has made top search engine rankings a necessity for successful eRetailers. In addition, more and more merchants are becoming familiar with search engine marketing and optimization techniques making it ever more difficult to compete within search engines. Knowing how the Internet and Online business works will be an integral part of starting your own eCommerce business. The Internet & World Wide Web: The Internet is basically a very complex network that links together other computer networks. This is the reason why often times it’s referred to as the Net, as it connects together similar to how an actual net is constructed. It is also referred to as the Web often times because it can best be described as a spiderweb where the cross sections would represent individual computers across a network (although the Net is not the same thing as the WWW). The Net first began around 1996 when the U.S military created the ARPAnet (Advanced Research Project Agency Network), an advanced system that allowed the government to route messages in the event of outside breach into their protected networks. ARPAnet is the basis for the Net we know today, and although it is no longer exclusive to government agencies, it has become an important means by which individuals, companies and institutions communicate. Although the Net first began as a home for information, it has broadened into the world of commerce. Now we can even make transactions Online from any computer which has made life a lot easier for both business owners and consumers. In the past, if we wanted to buy something, we either had to physically enter a store or order from a catalog over the phone. Currently, all we need to have is a computer that has an Internet connection, making our next purchases just a few clicks away. It has basically become a new way of living for many people. The World Wide Web (WWW) shouldn’t be confused with the Internet, they are not the same thing. The WWW is basically an interconnected number of Web sites linked together by a series of hyperlinks (a reference that points to another site and tells a browser where the site is located). The Internet is what connects your computer to the billions of sites that make u the WWW. The WWW first began with an idea by Tim Berners-Lee, who built the first Web browser (software application that allows users to view and access Web pages. The idea basically resulted due to his job at the time with CERN, when he wanted to be able to access CERN’s directory quickly and easily. At the time, CERN has it’s information stored in separate databases, making it nearly impossible to access and retrieve the information easily. As a result, the first Web browser was born, quickly turning the WWW into what it is today. The WWW first became available to the public in 1991, but it didn’t quite gain world wide popularity until 1993 when CERN announced that the public would be granted access for free. Search Engines & Web Surfing: A search engine is basically a program that helps Internet users find information on the WWW. Searching has also changed the way we live and find information. Now anyone can research and browse for information just by using search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask. Search engines are key when conducting Online research, especially for eBusiness owners and entrepreneurs. Search engines mostly do the work for you when it comes to finding information on any topic imaginable. Search engines first began in about 1990 when Alan Emtage, a student at McGill University in Montreal, created the first Internet search engine, which he called “Archie.” Emtage originally created the Archie search engine to index directory listings in order to easily find information on file names. Another individual, Mark McCahill, joined the University of Minnesota computer center as a programmer in Apple II and CDC Cyber programming. In 1991 McCahill led the development team that created another search engine, which they named “Gopher” (designed to index text files). Since indexing text files is very similar to indexing of Web sites, this is considered the beginning of Web site search. Sites and files within the WWW are accessed by the crawlers of each search engine and are then evaluated for possible indexing. On the other end, a user types in a keyword or series of words and the search engine will look for relevant words within the indexed files and retrieve the most related or relevant results to display. The words they evaluate are located in many places, but typically they look for words within the page title, domain, description and content. Jean Armour Polly, a librarian in Liverpool, England, coined the term “Surfing the Internet.” It was the title of an article she wrote in 1992. That article gained worldwide popularity and it has been translated into many languages. Some of the search engine categories today are: General information search engines Meta crawler search engines Pay-per-click search engines Shopping search engines News search engines The most popular general search engines today are: Google Bing Yahoo You may be asking yourself how having knowledge about search engines can help you when opening an eBusiness. Well, the answer is consumers who buy Online tend to search for keywords related to the products they want to buy. After the search is performed, Web pages are ranked in each engine’s search results pages (SERP), and merchants should realize and understand that optimizing their pages and content will help their site rank higher in the search results. There are also sometimes results that show sites that have paid a search engine so that their site ranks higher, or some sites pay an advertising fee. These advertisements are typically called sponsored links, pay per click ads or cost per click listings. Sponsored links are commercial or non-commercial sites that have paid a fee to advertise. These ads usually show up on the right side of search results or near the top and bottom of the page. Try searching for something that interests you. Carefully analyze the results you see from the search engine you choose to use. Take a look at the first 10-20 results and study how site owners write their titles and descriptions. Ask yourself the following; Are the services written clearly? Does the site give too much information? Is the wording confusing? Is there a call to action? Is it just perfect? These are all things you should consider when designing your eCommerce site. Remember, knowing about search engines and how they work will help you during your site design processes and once the site is live. Web Browsers: Web browsers are what Internet surfers use to navigate from site to site or page to page on the Web. Browsers help to make the task of traveling from one area of the Net to the next easier. With browsers, users can gain access to information that has been published on Web pages or they can easily transmit information across the Web. There are several Web browsers currently available for download and use. Internet Explorer is the most popular Web browser followed by FireFox, Netscape, Safari and Opera. The most popular Web browsers today are: Microsoft Internet Explorer Mozilla FireFox Google Chrome Apple Safari Google Opera Next month, with all of the information we have provided thus far, we will begin to lay out a plan for your very own eCommerce business.

X

Internet Software, Hardware, and Computers

Bodie Engel

2004-09-01 11:07:00

: What are the biggest threats to my computer?

ANSWER: Technology you either love it or you hate it. More and more people are starting to hate the computer age.  Between viruses, spam, and spy ware it is getting harder to get work done or have fun on a computer. It is very important to protect yourself from these threats on the internet and there are many programs on the market that can protect you.  Something to keep in mind when choosing a solution is that although there are free packages, they do not keep as up to date those created by companies that get paid to do so. Also keep in mind that there is no 100% protection from these threats. The first threat is assault from a virus.  Once one is created and released on the internet no one but the person who created it knows how to stop it, or what all it does. The first users that get infected have to alert the anti-virus programmers who then test and find out how it is infecting the computer and how to clean it. Once the programmers have it laid out and know they can protect you from it, they release a new virus definition file.  These files are usually automatically downloaded to your computer by your anti-virus software. Keep in mind this can take several hours if not days. Some viruses go behind your anti-virus package and disable it, hindering its ability to find the virus or update the virus patterns and allowing it to play free on your system. It is best practice to check the date on your virus definition daily.  Each good anti-virus program has real time virus protection that you can look at to make sure it is up to date and working. The second threat is spam. This is the onslaught of advertisers sending email to any address they can find. It is a very inexpensive way to advertise: create an ad and blast it out to everyone you can. You are bound to get someone to read and respond to your ad. All emails like this are required by law to have a way to remove you from their list. The problem lies in the fact that when you click to get off their lists some spammers turn around and sell your email address to 10 other spammers as a good email address. The best thing to do with spam is just to delete it as you get it. There are also software packages that help with spam and can either move it to another location or even delete it. Keep in mind the software can also move or delete emails you want to receive. The third threat is probably the worst: spy ware or ad ware. These can bring the fastest computers down to a crawl. Before downloading any internet programs or clicking any message box that pops up on your screen, read it very carefully. The way they word some of the questions can be confusing. There are some programs that first ask if you want them to install their handy program with the yes as the default and you click no.  Then they ask you if you wish they not install at this time with the yes as default so if you are not reading it closely you would expect that no would be the best answer.  They want you to say yes. Then they install their program. There are also websites that install software without even asking. These programs are what cause the pop-ups that everyone complains about the most. There are software packages available to help protect and clean this spy ware.Sometimes these threats can make a system un-repairable. The only thing that can be done is to reformat and start over. This can be a large task and it is best to have the assistance of someone with experience in cleaning up computers.  If you are on the internet it is best to have the best defense that you can have. Have a consultant help you select the best tools: a Firewall (hardware is best), Anti-virus, Anti-Spam, and ad ware programs. Always keep your critical updates current on your computer.

X

Internet Software, Hardware, and Computers

Allen Graham

2004-05-01 15:26:00

Question:  With "always on" Internet how do I protect my computer?

ANSWER:  There really isn't a way to be 100% safe, but there are ways to protect yourself and your investment. The best way to start is by placing a firewall/router between your computer and the Internet. These are inexpensive and easy to get from most stores that sell computer accessories. You simply connect your computer to the "LAN" side of the router and connect the Internet to the "WAN" side. The only thing you need to do, once it is connected, is change the default password of "admin" or "password" to something you can remember.The next step to securing your computer is to keep your operating system up to date.  Most software companies offer free updates. These updates may seem like a waste of time but often patch security breaches that hackers exploit. These updates also help you resolve issues with compatibility. Check them at least once a month and install them as soon as they are available.The most obvious recommendation is to install and keep up-to-date virus protection on your PC. Updated definitions come out on a regular basis and virus software can often be configured to automatically download and install these updates. I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping this protection up-to-date in today's environment.  Things will still get by, even after protecting yourself. NEVER open email attachments from people you don't know. In fact, make sure you scan every attachment you receive for a virus. If you blindly open email attachments then you are just looking for a nasty virus infection. Email worms have been known to infect thousands of files on the same PC taking hours to remove. In some cases there is no way to clean these infections up, resulting in data loss.Like email, websites can cause problems for you. They can transfer viruses to your computer just by accessing them. They can also "Hijack" your default page and add unwanted search bars to your browser. This happens when you answer yes to certain pop-up windows or accept certificates. Make sure you read the pop-up windows before answering and make sure you only accept certificates from trusted sites. Hijacker programs can be difficult to remove and in some cases may take a special program to remove them. They are not considered viruses so most virus scan programs do not block them. These programs can also cause you to experience performance problems.

X

Internet Software, Hardware, and Computers

Shawn Wilson

2004-01-01 11:57:00

: Some-time back I remember reading something in your publication about the differences between cable and a DSL Internet connections. I am sure things have changed in the two or more years since that article appeared. Can you give me some new and updated information?

ANSWER:  Ever since cable internet service and DSL came out there has been a long standing debate over which service is better, faster, or more secure. These questions are not always simple to answer because so much can vary depending on the specific company you get the service from. This month, we'll deal with the speed differences and next month we'll take a detailed look at the security of both systems. When people refer to cable or DSL, they often use terms like:  High-Speed, Always-On, and Broadband.  All of these terms, while not always used one hundred percent correctly, are pretty much interchangeable in today's marketplace. Speed is usually the first thing on your mind when planning to upgrade your internet connection, so we'll start there.The cable internet system is typically advertised as 3 megabits per second (3 Mb/s), or roughly 60 times faster than the best dial-up modem. The DSL internet system is typically advertised at 1.5 megabits per second (1.5 Mb/s), or roughly 32 times faster than the best dial-up modem.  Based on those numbers, cable is twice as fast as DSL, but that's not a clear picture of how it works in the real world.  Because some companies need to share bandwidth, or oversell, to cut costs, the end user's service sometimes suffers, but this is caused by cost saving measures not a failing within the technology.In the real world, the cable internet system has some similarities to a very small network.  This raises some security concerns (that we'll discuss next month), as well as speed concerns. If several cable subscribers are in any given area, then all of them will suffer slowdowns during peak usage times. The same is not true with the DSL system. So although cable may have a higher top speed, you may not get to see it if your area is full of cable subscribers.  Of course, even if cable slows down, it's still typically much faster than a dial-up modem and users may not even notice the slowdown.The best way to decide which service is right for you is to talk with friends and neighbors and find out what they are using and how they like it.  It shouldn't take long to find a company that stands out amongst your friends and should work out great for you.