DQ1 – Based on Lin’s (2008) article, what are the primary e-commerce technologies or categories of applications? What is the C2C business model? What are the Web 2.0 e-commerce opportunities?
Lin’s article E-Commerce Technology: Back to a Prominent Future explores the prevalent e-commerce technologies as well as future technologies that can be utilized by companies to increase revenue. In this article the author identifies three categories of primary e-commerce technologies as B2C (for example where a business sells directly to a customer via a website), B2B (where a business deals directly with another business online) and C2C (where customers and conduct transactions directly with each other such as on auction sites) (60). Lin discusses the C2C business model in terms of sites such as eBay which have enabled, and indeed, created an open online market place which is accessible to all customers.
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Another facet of e-commerce that Lin explores is the potential opportunities that come with the more recent Web 2.0 sites. Web 2.0 sites are generally defined as social media sites where the users update the content media. Lin uses the example of YouTube, Facebook and Myspace and classic examples of Web 2.0 sites. The appeal of such sites are that they are almost self regulatory as the users update the content and furthermore often attract a huge amount of internet traffic. Unlike the typical e-commerce models discussed earlier (B2B, C2C and B2C) these Web 2.0 sites provide a unique angle for e-commerce in the form of advertising, marketing and podcasts (Lin 61). While this departs from the traditional methods of buying and selling over the internet, the huge number of Web 2.0 users provides a huge global audience for advertising and the promotion of businesses.
In Conclusion Lin’s article identifies how e-commerce and technology online is far from dead, and still holds many opportunities for businesses. As society continues to operate to a greater extent online (both socializing on Web 2.0 sites as well as purchasing goods) the market share and value of internet driven business will continue to grow exponentially.
DQ – Based on Clark’s (2008) article, what are the options to create a website, register a domain, and post the site on the Internet? How can the domain name influence traffic to a website?
Clark’s article Put Your Business Online provides a detailed account on the reasons why every business should have an online presences and specifically discusses the options and requirements in setting up a web site for a business. The first aspect Clark tackles is the design and creation of a website which can be completed on a do-it-yourself approach or a more attractive option is the various packages that companies provide. One such package Clark discusses is Yahoo’s web hosting service which provides a complete service in terms of site design, maintenance and domain registration for a relatively low price ($10 per month).
As Clark notes, registering a domain name can be just as easy and cheap by checking the availably of domains and preferably opt for a .com extension and avoid difficult spelling or the use of symbols. Furthermore Clark notes how choosing a domain name is particularly important in order that potential customers and clients are able to locate your site with easy and will inevitably increase the level of internet traffic through the site (78).
Indeed, a clear and simple domain name is just as important as choosing the name of a company. Another essential Clark identifies is to make sure once the site is created and uploaded onto a domain is that there is a large degree of flexibility when it comes updating and modifying the website (78).
Overall Clark’s article demonstrates how easy it is in today’s world to get a business site registered online to create additional revenue. The vast amount of tools and services that are available for such an operation have made the internet commerce friendly and can be run at a relatively low cost.
- Lin, Kwei-Jay (2008) E-Commerce Technology: Back to a Prominent Future. Publication info: IEEE Internet Computing 12. 1 (Jan 2008): 60-65.
- Clark, J.B. (2008) Put Your Business Online: How to Buy a Web-Design Package, Hire a Consultant or do it Yourself. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance 77-78
