The different services of the Internet

Services of the internet community

Compared with “real world”

Software used DerivedServices

World wide webwww, Web

Library Browser FTP – integrated in web sites

Email Letter Email software Mailing list

Discussion Groups –forums

Newsgroup

Notice Boards(non real time)

Browser

On Line Chat Discussion rooms ( real time)

Normally specific software

How big is the Internet

• Latest Statistics available on

• http://www.forrester.com

• http://www.thestandard.com

The Major Online Industries

• New/second hand cars (e.g. http://www.carpoint.com )

• Real estate (e.g. realestate.yahoo.com)

• Auction (e.g. www.ebay.com)

• Employment (e.g. www.careerpath.com)

• Personal encounters (e.g. www.match.com)

• Financial products (e.g. www.etrade.com).

Will the Internet Continue to Grow?

• Much faster

• Cheaper

• More user-friendly

• More attractive in terms of content.

• Increasingly useful/indispensable

Major assets of (Internet-based) e-mail

• advantages• Extremely low cost• High speed of transmission• Highly handy build-in address

book• Received messages can be

edited, copied, forwarded, etc.• Easy-to-learn functions• to link an e-mail message with

a web site• All kinds of files can be

attached• E-mails can be digitally signed• E-mails can be encrypted• Sender get return receipt

• Some weaknesses• 1-2% of losses are

unavoidable• spam dilemma• Most emails have to be in

simple text format

Effective use of e-mailfeatures:

• Make your Subject Line clear so that it gets read.• Keep the message short and stay on one topic.• Personalize your message to the receiver.• Reply promptly (within 24 hours) to messages.• Use customized signature (sig.) files, which include

name, title, contact• information, and a short tag line if desired and is

automatically added to the bottom of your e-mail messages.

• Use the automatic response feature when you plan to be away so that senders know when to expect you back or whom to contact in the interim.

Netiquette

Regarding general communications:• Don't use CAPITALS (upper case letters) as this is the

equivalent ofshouting on the Internet• Be courteous and avoid sarcasm.• Use good grammar and spell check your message.• Don't send attachments or complex graphics without

permission as they can take a long time to download.Regarding promotional or group messages:• For mass mailings, use the "blind copy" feature.• Only post ads where they are welcome.• Avoid spamming (equivalent of "junk mail").

Where to Find e-Mail Addresses?

• From emails received• Web sites – Feedback Forms• Business Cards & Letter Heads• specialized e-mail directories• buy (targeted) e-mail addresses• large mailing lists: www.listserv.com, www.majordomo.com• mid-sized mailing lists: www.listbot.com• small mailing lists: Microsoft Outlook Express

Discussion Groups• Commercially speaking, discussion groups can be a powerful tool to

be used to:• Exchange information about specific topics. Researchers and

computer• programmers use this tool abundantly, particularly if they are not

direct competitors.• To advertise one’s products (normally in an indirect way).• To find resources (suppliers, employees, …).• To know what people really think about one’s products. Indeed,

many discussion• group participants use anonymous e-mails addresses; therefore,

they tend to• express their opinion very frankly.

Telephony &Videoconferencing

1.The transition towards packet switching now supports the provision of long distance telephone service at the cost of a local call (unit rather than distance pricing) over the Internet. Be sure to investigate what telephony services might be available from your ISP

2.The cost of videoconferencing technology is now quite affordable for many businesses. Small cameras can be attached to office computers, allowing real-time

videoconferences to replace expensive travel for in-person meetings. Alternatively, commercial video conferencing facilities are available in many major centers, to use on a fee-for-service basis.

Email to Fax & vice versa

Search Tools

• Directories www.yahoo.com

• Search Engines www.altavista.com

• Meta-Search Tools www.profusion.com

• Pattern-based search engines www.google.com

• “Manual” services www.rapide.net

More Search Engines

• Alta Vista http://altavista.digital.com• Excite Inc. http://www.excite.com• Hot Bot http://www.hotbot.com• Infoseek http://www.infoseek.com• Lycos Inc. http://www.lycos.com• Meta-Crawler http://www.metacrawler.com• Northern Lights http://www.nlsearch.com• Webcrawler http://webcrawler.com• Yahoo! Inc. http://www.yahoo.com

Choosing an ISPQUESTIONS• Do you offer flat-fee service?• How many hours of access do I receive per month within the basic

fee structure?• How many users can I add per modem line without additional

charges?• Is a free Homepage included in your basic subscription fee?• Do you offer 24 hour technical support? In what languages? How

long is the average wait to speak to a real person?• When I travel, will I be able to receive local dial-in access?

Roaming services?• Do you offer an executive news service?• Do I receive free Internet browser software with my subscription?• Do you offer/include e-mail and Internet research training?• How often can I expect to receive a busy signal during dial-in?

What are your peak usage times?• What is your network utilization ratio?• How fast is your e-mail delivery?