COURSE TITLE: DIGITAL LITERACY

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER ENGINEERING:

SPECIALITY: Software Engineering

LECTURER: Mr. Penn Ernest

General objectives
STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND
Internet
Search engine
Piracy
Cyber crime
Marking money online
E commerce and E leaning
Cloud storage and IoT
CHAPTER ONE INTERNET
What Does the Internet Mean?
The Internet is a globally connected network system that facilitates communication and data
services through a vast collection of private, public, business, academic, and government
networks
The Internet is decentralized, which means there is no central authority governing its
operations. To enable communication between devices, the internet relies on protocols and
standards that govern how small units of data are formatted, addressed, and transmitted.
The terms internet and World Wide Web (WWW) are often used as synonyms, but
technically they are not the same thing. The Internet is a global network of interconnected
computers and networks. The World Wide Web is a service that uses the Internet‘s
infrastructure to provide digital devices and applications with access to websites. Popular
internet services include email, VoIP (Voice over IP), and SMS (Short Message Service).

History of the Internet

During the 1960s cold war, the United States Department of Defense‘s Advanced Research
Projects Agency (ARPA) was tasked with creating a robust, reliable communication network
that would be capable of withstanding a nuclear attack. This new communication network
needed to be decentralized to prevent a single point of failure (SPoF) and redundancy so
information could be rerouted in real time if network operations were disrupted.
The first network prototype was called the ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency
Network). It was one network that connected four major universities and research institutions.
Historically, it is important because the researchers used packet-switching to transmit data
across the network in small, manageable units.
In 1974, researchers Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn introduced the idea of an Internet Protocol
Suite, commonly known as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). The
two protocols provide a framework for computers to send and receive data over disparate,
interconnected networks.
As the concept of internetworking gained momentum in the 1980s, the National Science
Foundation established the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET). The NSFNET
became a backbone for the internet and essentially created a ―network of networks‖ that
expanded network access beyond the Department of Defense‘s earlier ARPANET.
It wasn‘t until 1989, however, when British computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee proposed
the idea of interconnecting digital content as well as networks that people began to appreciate
the potential of the internet. In his proposal, Berners-Lee outlined the concept
of hypertext and a new markup language to create an information-sharing system.
This system used HyperText Markup Language (HTML) to create the web pages
and HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) to transmit the data. The web, which sits on top of
the internet and uses its infrastructure, opened up the potential of the internet for more
everyday uses by making it easier to share and access information across networks.
The release of Mosaic, the first browser, marked another significant milestone in the
popularization of the World Wide Web. Its graphical user interface (GUI), support for
images, and intuitive navigation played a crucial role in making the Internet more accessible
and visually engaging for early adopters.
By the end of the 1990s, commercial Internet Service Providers (ISPs) began to offer dial-up
connections to homes and businesses – and America Online (AOL) introduced millions of
new users to the Internet. AOL‘s marketing efforts, user-friendly interface, and bundled
email, instant messaging, and web browsing services appealed to the general public and
fostered the growth of e-commerce.
The turn of the 21st century brought a new chapter in internet history with the proliferation of
mobile devices. The rise of smartphones and tablets unleashed unprecedented connectivity
and allowed people around the world to access the internet from anywhere with an internet
connection. Mobile applications, social media platforms, and streaming devices transformed
the way people consumed information, shared content, communicated, did their jobs, and
shopped.
By the second decade of the century, the Internet of Things (IoT) allowed everyday objects to
be networked. Today, technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) have
the potential to improve the Internet‘s infrastructure and services. Improvements in LEO
satellite internet will enable connectivity for sensors and smart devices in rural areas and
open up new possibilities for precision agriculture and environmental monitoring in even the
most remote regions of the world. Advancements in AI and machine learning (ML)
technologies will improve cybersecurity threat detection and remediation on the Internet –
and improvements in encryption algorithms and new Transport Layer Security (TLS)
protocols will provide more robust protection against eavesdropping and other types of
unauthorized packet interception.
Key Internet
Decade
Development
Development of
internetwork
1960s communication
protocols by the
Defense Advanced

Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) in
the US.
TCP/IP becomes the
standard protocol for
1970s routing packets within
and across
networks.
The term ―Internet‖
is used to describe
1980s
interconnected
networks.
HTML transforms the
concept of the World
1990s
Wide Web into a
reality.
2000s User-generated
 content and mobile
devices revolutionize
how people access
and
interact with the Web.
High-speed broadband
internet enables the
2010s transformation of
cloud computing into
a business strategy.
Covid-19 restrictions
highlight the
importance of treating
the Internet as a utility
2020s by
facilitating the shift to
remote work, online
learning, and virtual
events.
The history of the Internet is sometimes described in terms of Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web
3.0 to highlight significant shifts in the way people use and interact with the Internet.
Web 1.0 refers to the early days of the dial-up Internet when websites and web pages were
static, and their primary purpose was to share information.
Web 2.0 is characterized by social media platforms, blogs, wikis, and other user-generated
content platforms delivered over the internet.
Future iterations of the internet include both Web 3.0 and Web3.
Web 3.0 describes a future version of the internet that focuses on intelligent automation,
context-aware applications, and enhanced privacy and security measures. It describes an
internet supported by ultra-high broadband speeds and websites that use artificial intelligence
and machine learning to provide website visitors with personalized user experiences.
Web3 is one possible implementation of the broader concept of Web 3.0. It describes a future
version of the internet that focuses on blockchain technology, decentralized protocols, and
smart contracts. Web3 is associated with the development of decentralized applications
(dApps), decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and other blockchainbased
innovations.
How Does the Internet Work?
The Internet is a complex network of interconnected networks governed by protocols and
standards.
The foundation of the Internet is built on a protocol called IP (Internet Protocol). IP provides
a set of rules that govern how data is transmitted across networks. Every device connected to
the internet is assigned a unique IP address which serves as its virtual identifier.
IP addresses play a crucial role in routing data packets between different devices and
ensuring the delivery of information across the internet. When a new computing device
connects to the internet, it is assigned an IP address, either dynamically (temporary
assignment) or statically (fixed assignment). The IP address allows other devices and servers
to locate and communicate with the new device on the network.
There are two main types of IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 addresses consist of four sets
of numbers separated by periods (e.g., 192.168.0.1), while IPv6 addresses are longer and
consist of eight groups of hexadecimal numbers separated by colons (for example,
2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334).
When data is sent over the internet, it is broken down into small units called packets. These
packets contain information about the source, destination, and sequence of the packets – as
well as the actual data itself. The process of routing these packets efficiently through the
network to reach their intended destination is called packet switching.
Routers play a crucial role in directing data packets to their destination. Routers communicate
with each other and exchange information about network routes to ensure that packets are
forwarded along the most efficient path to the destination IP address.
Unfortunately, IP addresses are not human-friendly, so the Domain Name System (DNS) acts
as a directory and translates IP addresses into user-friendly domain names that people can
remember. When someone types ―Techopedia.com‖ into their web browser, for example, the
DNS system resolves the domain name to the right IP address and allows the person‘s
computing device to connect to the Techopedia website.
The DNS supports internet redundancy by permitting each domain to host its DNS records on
multiple name servers and balance the workload among the different servers. If one name
server fails or becomes unavailable, the other name servers can still respond to requests.
DNS caching mechanisms store resolved IP addresses locally, which improves internet
performance by reducing the need for repeated lookups.
Internet Protocols
To ensure seamless communication between devices, the Internet relies on protocols and
standards. Some well-known protocols include HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) for web
browsing, TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) for reliable data
transmission, and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) for email communication. Other
important Internet protocols include:
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP): A fundamental protocol that provides reliable,
connection-oriented communication between devices over the Internet.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS): An extension of HTTP that adds encryption
and secure communication through the use of SSL/TLS protocols.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP): A protocol for transferring files between a client and
a server on a computer network.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP): A protocol that dynamically assigns IP
addresses and network configuration settings to devices on a network.
Secure Shell (SSH): A cryptographic network protocol that provides secure, encrypted
communication and secure remote access to devices over an unsecured network.
Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and Post Office Protocol (POP): Protocols used
for retrieving email messages from a mail server to a client device.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP): A protocol for managing and monitoring
network devices and their performance.
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP): The protocol used to exchange routing information between
autonomous systems on the internet.
Transport Layer Security (TLS)/Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): Protocols that provide secure
communication and encryption of data transmitted over the internet, commonly used for
secure web browsing (HTTPS).
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME): A standard that extends the format of email
messages to support non-text attachments, multimedia content, and character encodings.
Uses of the Internet
Some of the important usages of the internet are:
Online Businesses (E-commerce): Online shopping websites have made our life easier,
e-commerce sites like Amazon, Flipkart, and Myntra are providing very spectacular
services with just one click and this is a great use of the Internet.
Cashless Transactions: All the merchandising companies are offering services to their
customers to pay the bills of the products online via various digital payment apps like
Paytm, Google Pay, etc. UPI payment gateway is also increasing day by day. Digital
payment industries are growing at a rate of 50% every year too because of the
INTERNET.
Education: It is the internet facility that provides a whole bunch of educational material
to everyone through any server across the web. Those who are unable to attend physical
classes can choose any course from the internet and can have point-to-point knowledge
of it just by sitting at home. High-class faculties are teaching online on digital platforms
and providing quality education to students with the help of the Internet.
Social Networking: The purpose of social networking sites and apps is to connect
people all over the world. With the help of social networking sites, we can talk, and
share videos, and images with our loved ones when they are far away from us. Also, we
can create groups for discussion or for meetings.
Entertainment: The Internet is also used for entertainment. There are numerous
entertainment options available on the internet like watching movies, playing games,
listening to music, etc. You can also download movies, games, songs, TV Serial, etc.,
easily from the internet.
Internet Services
The Internet provides many services such as : email ; The World Wide Web ; research ;
discussion forums ; online shopping ; online translation ; WebPhone or VoIP « Voice Over
Internet Protocol » ; online marketing ; e-learning ; online television….
1. World Wide Web
The World Wide Web The World Wide Web commonly called Web (or WWW) is the
graphic part of the Internet. It constitutes a gigantic whole of documents stored in special
computers called servers. A Web site is a documentation stored in a server and intended for
the Net surfers. The Web site has a single address starting with http:// «HyperText Transfer
Protocol » or shttp:// «Secured HyperText Transfer Protocol », to indicate that this site is on
the World Wide Web. The first page of a Web site is called a welcome page. The
welcomepage makes it possible to open the other pages. All its pages are programmed in
HTML «Hyper Text MarkupLanguage »
2. Email
Email « electronic mail» makes it possible to send and receive messages or emails
electronically. Email has many advantages:
Less expensive ;
Transportation of the message is spontaneous
Possible to attach files ;
Possible to receive delivery confirmation of sent messages
Sending the same message to multiple recipients;
Transmitters and addressees are not obliged to be online at the same time.
Creation and use of electronic address is simple and user friendly.
3. Research
After web surfing and email, research seems to be the major preoccupation of pupils and
professors. The Internet is often compared to a giant library—the biggest dynamic electronic
library of the world. This is not really an accurate description because the information found
on the Internet is not classified or organized under a single system and there is no head
librarian deciding how to arrange all of its information. However, there are search engines
such as ‗Google‘ that can help users find the information they are searching for.
4. Online Shopping
The Internet also allows users to make purchases. Many stores have websites to «showcase»
their merchandise: computers, cameras, books, clothes… The online purchase is made in
several stages:
First go to the web site to choose the goods;
Place an order using the links available on the website ;
As soon as order is accepted, the company sends an electronic message for the
purchaser to confirm his order It is then necessary to pay for merchandise and transport cost
which can be difficult. It is possible to pay by credit card or bank transfer. When transferring
money but it is wise to pay particular attention because the boutique can be fictitious.
The transportation of the goods can be made by boat, by post office or by courier.
5. Chat Room
Online chat is a way of communicating by sending text messages to people in the same
chatroom in real-time. Chat rooms or discussion forum is one of the most stimulating parts of
theInternet. Discussion of the hour or topics for debate are endless (policy, economy,
religion,sex, agriculture, racism, health, science, sports, education…).
6. WebPhone VoIP
WebPhone or VoIP « Voice Over Internet Protocol » is fast becoming the replacement
technology for voice communication. WebPhone costs less than the traditional phone service.
The biggest advantage of Webphone is the ability to incorporate, video and texts at the same
time. This gives WebPhone the dimension of a real multimedia communication.
7. Online marketing
Online marketing, or eMarketing, is the marketing of products or services over the Internet.
Internet marketing also refers to the placement of media along different stages of the
customer engagement cycle through search engine marketing (SEM), search engine
optimization (SEO), banner ads on specific websites, and e-mail marketing. It‘s no surprise
when opening an email to find advertising on goods, tourist sites, travel agencies….
8. E-Learning
Online education or e-Learning consists of « attending » a high school or a university without
conversing physically with a professor. Sometimes the site of the high school or of the
university is fictitious (virtual). Professors as well as students can be located in different
corners of the world.
9. Online translation
It is possible to translate a document from one language to another on the Internet.
Translations can be made by programs or individuals, and may cost or not.
10. Online media
(newspaper, radio, television…) More and more, television stations are incorporating their
websites address into their television broadcast (example http//:www.tv5.org). Media
websites offers radio, news, and numerous information (in pictures and sound).
Searching information from the internet
a. Web Browser
A web browser (or simply browser) is a computer program that enables a user to read
hypertext in files or on the World Wide Web. Popular browsers include Mozilla Firefox,
Microsoft Internet Explorer, Opera Mini and Netscape.
There are different types of web browsers, each with its own unique characteristics.
According to a source, there are four major categories of web browsers:
1. Traditional Web Browsers: These are the most common type of web browser. They
allow users to enter a query, and the browser will display results based on relevance and
importance. Traditional web browsers use algorithms to scan websites for keywords that
match the user‘s query. The more relevant these words are, the higher ranking they will
receive in the search results. For instance, if you‘re looking for information about a
specific topic, traditional web browsers will provide a list of websites that contain
relevant content. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari are all examples of
traditional web browsers.
2. Virtual Assistants: Virtual assistants use voice recognition software to interpret a user‘s
questions and provide answers. These virtual personal assistants are used mainly on
smartphones, tablets, and smart speakers. The software uses natural language processing
to understand a user‘s inquiry and provide relevant answers.
3. Text-Based Browsers: Text-based browsers like Lynx do not display images or videos
on websites. They only display text-based content on websites. These types of browsers
are useful for people who have slow internet connections or who want to save data.
4. Specialty Browsers: Specialty browsers are designed for specific purposes such as
privacy or security. For instance, Tor Browser is designed to protect users‘ privacy by
routing their internet traffic through a network of servers around the world.
b. Search Engine
A search engine is a computer program that searches for specific words on the World Wide
Web and returns a list of documents in which they were found. Examples of search engines
include Google and yahoo
There are different types of search media, each with its own unique characteristics.
According to a source, there are four major categories of search engines:
1. Traditional Search Engines: These are the most common type of search engine. They
allow users to enter a query, and the engine will display results based on relevance and
importance. Traditional search engines use algorithms to scan websites for keywords that
match the user‘s query. The more relevant these words are, the higher ranking they will
receive in the search results. For instance, if you‘re looking for information about a
specific topic, traditional search engines will provide a list of websites that contain
relevant content. Google, Yahoo, and Bing are all examples of web search engines.
2. Virtual Assistants: Virtual assistants use voice recognition software to interpret a user‘s
questions and provide answers. These virtual personal assistants are used mainly on
smartphones, tablets, and smart speakers. The software uses natural language processing
to understand a user‘s inquiry and provide relevant answers.
3. Social Media Networks: Social media networks like Facebook and Twitter have their
own search engines that allow users to find content within their platforms.
4. Image Search Engines: Image search engines like Google Images and Bing Images
allow users to find images based on keywords or by uploading an image.
Advantages of the Internet
Online Banking and Transaction: The Internet allows us to transfer money online
through the net banking system. Money can be credited or debited from one account to
the other.
Education, Online Jobs, Freelancing: Through the Internet, we are able to get more jobs
via online platforms like Linkedin and to reach more job providers. Freelancing on the
other hand has helped the youth to earn a side income and the best part is all this can be
done via the INTERNET.
Entertainment: There are numerous options for entertainment online we can listen to
music, play games can watch movies, and web series, and listen to podcasts, youtube
itself is a hub of knowledge as well as entertainment.
New Job Roles: The Internet has given us access to social media, and digital products
so we are having numerous new job opportunities like digital marketing and social
media marketing online businesses are earning huge amounts of money just because the
Internet is the medium to help us to do so.
Best Communication Medium: The communication barrier has been removed from the
Internet. You can send messages via email, Whatsapp, and Facebook. Voice chatting
and video conferencing are also available to help you to do important meetings online.
Comfort to humans: Without putting any physical effort you can do so many things like
shopping online it can be anything from stationeries to clothes, books to personal items,
etc. You can books train and plane tickets online.
GPS Tracking and google maps: Yet another advantage of the internet is that you are
able to find any road in any direction, and areas with less traffic with the help of GPS
on your mobile.
Disadvantages of the Internet
Time Wastage: Wasting too much time on the internet surfing social media apps and
doing nothing decreases your productivity rather than wasting time on scrolling social
media apps one should utilize that time in doing something skillful and even more
productive.
Bad Impacts on Health: Spending too much time on the internet causes bad impacts on
your health physical body needs some outdoor games exercise and many more things.
Looking at the screen for a longer duration causes serious impacts on the eyes.
Cyber Crimes: Cyberbullying, spam, viruses, hacking, and stealing data are some of the
crimes which are on the verge these days. Your system which contains all the
confidential data can be easily hacked by cybercriminals.
Effects on Children: Small children are heavily addicted to the Internet watching
movies, and games all the time is not good for their overall personality as well as social
development.
Bullying and Spreading Negativity: The Internet has given a free tool in the form of
social media apps to all those people who always try to spread negativity with very
revolting and shameful messages and try to bully each other which is wrong.
CHAPTER TWO SEARCH ENGINE
A search engine is a software program that provides information according to the user
query. It finds various websites or web pages that are available on the internet and gives
related results according to the search.
For example: a student wants to learn C++ language so he searches the ―C++ tutorial
GeeksforGeeks‖ in the search engine. So the student gets a list of links that contain the
tutorial links of GeeksforGeeks or we can say that a search engine is an internet-based
software program whose main task is to collect a large amount of data or information about
what is on the internet, then categorize the data or information and then help user to find
the required information from the categorized information. Google, Yahoo, Bing are the
most popular Search Engines.
How do Search Engines Work?
Search engines are generally working on three parts that are crawling, indexing, and
ranking
1. Crawling: Search engines have a number of computers programs that are
responsible for finding information that is publicly available on the internet. These
programs scan the web and create a list of all available websites. Then they visit
each website and by reading HTML code they try to understand the structure of the
page, the type of the content, the meaning of the content, and when it was created or
updated. Why crawling is important? Because your first concern when optimizing
your website for search engines is to make sure that they can access it correctly. If
they cannot find your content you won‘t get any ranking or search engine traffic.
2. Indexing: Information identified by the crawler needs to be organized, Sorted, and
Stored so that it can be processed later by the ranking algorithm. Search engines
don‘t store all the information in your index, but they keep things like the Title and
description of the page, The type of content, Associated keywords Number of
incoming and outgoing links, and a lot of other parameters that are needed by the
ranking algorithm. Why indexing is important? Because if your website is not in
their index it will not appear for any searches this also means that if you have any
pages indexed you have more chances of appearing in the search results for a related
query.
3. Ranking: Ranking is the position by which your website is listed in any Search
Engine. There is following three steps in which how ranking works .
Step 1: Analyze user query – This step is to understand what kind of information
the user is looking for. To do that analyze the user‘s query by breaking it down
into a number of meaningful keywords. A keyword is a word that has a specific
meaning and purpose, for example when you type how to make a chocolate
cupcake search engines know that you are looking for specific information so
the results will contain recipes and step-by-step instructions. They can also
understand the meaning of how to change a light bulb is the same as how to
replace a light bulb search engines are clever enough to interpret spelling
mistakes also.
Step 2: Finding matching pages – This step is to look into their index and find
the best matching pages, for example, if you search dark wallpaper then it gives
you the result of images, not text.
Step 3: Present the results to the users – A typical search results page includes
ten organic results in most cases it is enriched with other elements like paid Ads,
direct answers for specific queries, etc.
Performance of Search Engine
The performance of search engine is determined by 2 requirements. They are:
Effectiveness (quality of result).
Efficiency (Response time & through put).
Components of Search Engine
There three components in search engine. They are web crawler, data base, and search
interface:
Web crawler: A search engine uses multiple web crawlers to crawl through world
wide web and gather information. It is basically a software which is also known bat
or spider.
Data base: The information which is gathered by web crawler by crawling through
internet is stored on the database.
Search Interface: Search interface is just an interface to the data base which is
employed by the user to search through the data base.
Basic building blocks of search engine:
There are basically two building blocks which perform various activities.
Indexing
Querying
Indexing: Indexing Indexing performs mainly 3 activities text acquisition, text
transformation index creation.
i)Text acquisition: Text acquisition basically identifies and stores documents into data
base for indexing. It convert variety of documents into a consistent data Format. It also
stores text meta data and other related information of document.
ii) Text transformation: It transforms document into indexed terms.
Parser: It recognizes the ―words‘ in the text with the help of tokenizer and process the
sequence of text tokens to recognize structural pattern.
Stopping: Removes stop words like ―and‖, ―or‖, ―the‖.
Stemming: It groups together all the words derived from same stem.
Link analysis: It is used identify the popularity page. It uses links & of & anchor text
from web pages.
Information extraction: Information extraction identifies classes of index terms which
are important for some application.
Classifier: Identifies class related data of document.
iii) Index creation:
Document statistics: It collects the features like position & count of words.
Weighing: Calculates weights of index terms.
Inversion: As the format of inverted files is fast for query processing it converts
document term information to term document information
Querying: It consists following three tasks
User interaction: User interaction provides a query input which gives an interface and
parser for query language. Then it transforms the query by improving query. Then it
shows the output by Constructing the display of ranked documents for a query.
Ranking: It first calculates the score of document by using ranking algorithms. It
processes query in distributed environment.
Score: qi*di , Where qj & di are term weights for term i query and document
Evaluation: It this step it logs user queries & interaction for improving search engines
efficiency & effectiveness.
Usage of Search Engine
Search engines have so many usages and some of them are:
Searching for information: People use a search engine to search for any kind of
information present on the internet. For example, Rohit wants to buy a mobile phone
but he does not know which one is the best mobile phone. So he searches ―best mobile
phones in 2021‖ in the search engine and gets the list of best mobile phones along with
their features, reviews, and prices.
Searching images and videos: Search engines are also used to search images and
videos. There are so many videos and images available on the internet in different
categories like plants, animals, flowers, etc., you can search them according to your
need.
Searching location: Search engines are also used to find locations. For example, Seema
is on a Goa trip but she doesn‘t know the location of Palolem beach. So she searches
―Palolem beach‖ on the search engine and then the search engine gives the best route to
reach Palolem beach.
Searching people: Search engines are also used to find people on the internet around
the world.
Shopping: Search engines are also used for shopping. Search engines optimize the
pages to meet the needs of the user and give the lists of all the websites that contain the
specified product according to the best price, reviews, free shipping, etc.
Entertainment: Search engines are also used for entertainment purposes. It is used to
search videos, movies, games, movie trailers, reviews of movies, social networking
sites, etc. For example, Rohan wants to watch a movie named ―Ram‖, then he searches
this movie on a search engine and the search engine returns a list of links (of the
websites) that contain the Ram movie.
Education: Search engines are also used for education. With the help of search engines,
people can learn anything they wanted to learn like cooking, programming languages,
home decorations, etc. It is like an open school where you can learn anything for free.
CHAPTER THREE SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media is a phrase we throw around a lot these days, often to describe what we post
on sites and apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and others. So you can infer that
social media are web-based sites that allow people to interact with each other.
But if we use the term to describe a site like Facebook, and also a site like Digg, plus a site
like Wikipedia, and even a site like I Can Has Cheezburger, then it starts to get more
confusing. Just what exactly is social media, anyway?
The term is so vague that it can basically be used to describe almost any website on the
internet today. Or can it? Some people have more of a restricted view of social media, often
equating it to mean the same as social networking (a.k.a. Facebook, Snapchat, etc.). Other
people don't consider blogs to fall under the social media category.
It seems as if everyone has their own personal opinion of what social media is and isn't. But
let's dive deeper into the general concept to gain a clearer and more precise understanding.
So, What Is Social Media?
Rather than define the term using a bunch of boring jargon that would probably only
complicate things further, perhaps the best way to get a clearer understanding of it is to
break it down into simpler terms. To start, let's look at each word individually.
The 'social' part: refers to interacting with other people by sharing information with them
and receiving information from them.
The 'media' part: refers to an instrument of communication, like the internet (while TV,
radio, and newspapers are examples of more traditional forms of media).
From these two separate terms, we can pull a basic definition together:
Social media are web-based communication tools that enable people to interact with each
other by sharing and consuming information.
Types of social media
Knowing the differences between types of social media and how users interact with them can
help you engage more effectively with prospective customers. Here are some of the most
popular types of social media:
1. Social networks
Social networking sites help people connect with each other and offer a multitude of ways for
different brands to attract individuals. Users can share their thoughts, form groups based on
their interests, curate content, upload photos and videos and participate in group discussions.
You can reach wide and diverse audiences with advertisements and persuade influential
people with the right targeting metrics. You can also build connections between your brand
and those individuals, research user preferences and monitor online conversations about your
business.
Learning what people post about your brand on social networks can help you use that
information to create a positive presence and boost brand awareness. Examples of social
networking platforms:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
TikTok

2. Discussion forums
Discussion forums encourage people to answer each other's questions and share ideas and
news. Many of these social media sites focus on posing questions to solicit the best answer.
Answering them correctly and honestly can increase your credibility on the forum.
That credibility and respect could lead to an increase in visits to your business or product
website. You can also use discussion forums to do market research by asking people what
they think of your products and brand. This can help you create more focused marketing
campaigns. Examples of discussion forums:
Reddit
Digg
Quora
Clubhouse
3. Image-sharing networks
These social media sites let people share photos and related content. They offer a platform to
start conversations, inspire creativity, make products seem more appealing and encourage
customers to talk about your brand. For example, a clothing company could give everyone
who posts a picture of their gear on the image-sharing network a chance to win a gift
certificate. Examples of image-sharing networks:
Instagram
Flickr
Photobucket
4. Bookmarking networks
Bookmarking networks are platforms where users save different ideas, articles, posts and
other content for later use. Many people also share links to lists of online resources. The
purpose of these websites is to discover new content based on shared interests and to discuss
trends. You can use these networks to direct people to your website and engage with and
influence their opinion by sharing your own content to bookmark. Examples of bookmarking
networks:
Feedly
Flipboard
Pocket
StumbleUpon
Pinterest
5. Blogging and publishing networks
These social media networks give you a place to publish your thoughts on your job, current
events, hobbies and more. You can enjoy many of the benefits of having your own blog
without having to host it on your own website.
You can also attract new readers from the pool of people who visit the network looking for
interesting content. Consider writing blog posts about how to use your product in creative
ways or post news about your industry to drive more traffic to your account. Examples of
blogging and publishing networks:
Medium
WordPress
Facebook
Tumblr
6. Consumer review networks
These sites display customers' reviews of businesses, giving users a full perspective of the
type of services and products offered and the overall satisfaction rate. Customer reviews can
help you identify any common problems that many people share and allow you to improve
their experiences over time.
Promoting positive reviews and thoughtfully handling negative ones can make your business
more popular and boost brand awareness. Examples of consumer review networks:
TripAdvisor
Yelp
OpenTable
Google My Business
7. Interest-based networks
Use these specialized networks to share your hobbies and unique interests with others. Sites
and apps related to your industry can help you network by shared interest as well.
For example, an interest-based site could allow people to discuss their favorite books and get
recommendations about what to read next. Authors could create profile pages to promote
their work and answer questions from readers. Examples of interest-based networks:
Strava
Peanut
Goodreads
8. Sharing economy networks
These sites give people access to resources by encouraging them to share goods and services.
For example, a sharing economy site focused on pets could help a user find someone willing
to take care of their dog while on vacation.
It would be less costly than a kennel and more comfortable for the pet. If your company sells
pet toys or food, you could gain new customers by advertising, perhaps by offering
promotions of your products or services for users to try. Examples of sharing economy
networks:
Lending Club
Couchsurfing
Eatwith
9. Social shopping networks
These networks help people spot trends, share great finds, make purchases and follow their
favorite brands. They focus on e-commerce, and the social element makes it engaging and
entertaining. These social shopping sites are ideal for building awareness about your brand
and selling to a wider audience.
Many of them let hobbyists and small business owners sell their art, jewelry, crafts and other
items. Sellers are able to reach customers who are looking for unique, handmade products.
Other social shopping networks offer home-related products along with content about home
improvement, making them interest-based networks as well.
Many social networks now also include social shopping elements. People can sell items to
their friends, followers and other buyers near them, making it much easier to get rid of old
appliances and furniture. Examples of social shopping networks:
Instagram
Poshmark
Etsy
Facebook
10. Video hosting platforms
Video hosting platforms give independent filmmakers, journalists and other creators a way
for their audiences to stream videos quickly and easily. Brands can use paid ads to reach new
customers, they can ask influencers to use and talk about their products or they can film their
own video content. Examples of video hosting platforms:
YouTube
TikTok
Snapchat
Vimeo
Instagram
CHAPTER FOUR
PIRACY AND CYBERCRIME.
When someone installs and uses commercial software without paying for the program, it is
called "pirating" the software. This name comes from the traditional meaning of the word
"pirate," which is a sea-faring criminal that steals and loots belongings from others. But far
from the stereotypical sea pirate, a software pirate can be anyone who owns a computer.
Software piracy is committed by simply downloading or copying a program that a user has
not paid for.
Since computer programs are stored in a digital format, they are easy to copy and reproduce.
For example, a game may be burned to a CD and transferred to the computer of an individual
who has not paid for the program. Software programs can also be illegally downloaded from
the Internet from unauthorized sources. Since pirating software does not require many
resources, it has grown into a major problem for the computer industry.
While it may seem like an innocuous act, pirating software is the same as stealing. Software
companies often invest thousands or even millions of dollars into creating the programs they
sell. The income from selling these programs is what allows companies to produce the
software and to continue improving the programs we use. Just because it is possible to copy a
software program does not mean it is OK. Installing a commercial program from an illegal
copy is the same thing as walking out of a store with the program and not paying for it.
While there are some programs that are free to use (such
as shareware and freeware programs), it is important to pay for commercial software. You
can avoid software piracy by only downloading software from authorized sources and making
sure that you have valid software licenses for all the programs you use. Remember that
paying for software programs supports the software industry, which is good for all of us!
Types of piracy
Piracy, when elaborated in terms of software, can be classified into 5 types, those being –
Counterfeiting: It is the illegal acquisition, duplication, and distribution of any
copyrighted material, which directly imitates the copyrighted product. The nature
of the distribution of the said product may be a sale, or not. The most common
way of distributing such pirated works is through compact discs.
Internet Piracy: Internet piracy is the act of downloading a file from the internet,
or by procuring an online software through a compact disc. Methods of conducting
internet piracy are websites offering free downloads of software, auctions selling
illegally obtained software or P2P servers which transfer programs.
End-User Piracy: This form of piracy involves the user illegally reproducing
software which he isn‘t authorized to do. An example would be a user using one
license to the software and installing it on multiple systems, or upgrading an
already pirated software.
Client-Server Overuse: In a computer network, when the number of clients
exceeded the number prescribed in the server license, then it is termed as overuse
piracy.
Hard-Disk Loading: This occurs when a business sells new computers with
illegal copies of software loaded onto the hard disks to make the purchase of the
machines more attractive.
Assignment
Explain the disadvantages of piracy.
Cybercrime.
Cybercrime is criminal activity that either targets or uses a computer, a computer network or
a networked device. Most cybercrime is committed by cybercriminals or hackers who want to
make money. However, occasionally cybercrime aims to damage computers or networks for
reasons other than profit. These could be political or personal.
Cybercrime can be carried out by individuals or organizations. Some cybercriminals are
organized, use advanced techniques and are highly technically skilled. Others are novice
hackers.
Different Types of Cybercrime
Cybercrime is a serious issue, and most of us have been affected by it in some way, with
reports stating that cybercrime has been up by approximately 600% since the onset of the
pandemic.
One of the best ways to protect yourself from internet crime is to be aware of the different
types of cybercrime. This way, you can stay safe, protect your identity and personal
information, and keep other pertinent data secure.
Below are 17 of the most common types of cybercrime:
1. AI-Powered Attacks
AI-powered cybercrime attacks are a form of cybercrime that utilizes artificial intelligence to
attack a person. These attacks can be used to steal a person's personal data or even cause
disruptive cyberattacks.
Examples can include AI-enabled phishing attacks, data poisoning, and AI-powered malware
attacks.
2. Computer Vandalism
Computer vandalism is the act of damaging a person's computer through malicious software.
This can include disabling systems, causing files to become corrupted, stealing confidential
information, and even causing a system to crash.
Most computer vandalism is committed using a virus or malware designed to damage a
computer system.
3. Copyright Infringement
Copyright infringement is stealing or sharing copyrighted materials without the owner's
permission. The biggest example of copyright infringement is the act of sharing copyrighted
music, videos, and other content through file-sharing sites.
Copyright infringement cybercrimes occur when someone illegally downloads copyrighted
content, such as when someone uses a BitTorrent client to download music and movies
illegally.
4. Cross-Site Scripting
Cross-site scripting, or XSS, is one of the types of internet crime in which a hacker injects
malicious code into a website. This code is designed to steal a website visitor's data, such as
their usernames and passwords. One recent example involved British Airways, which faced a
data breach in 2018, affecting roughly 380,000 booking transactions and putting thousands of
customers‘ sensitive data at risk.
5. Cyber Harassment
Another one of the most common in this list of computer crimes is cyber harassment. This
occurs when a person uses technology to cause someone else stress, often using offensive
language or images. This can be done through text or email by sending unwanted messages
such as harassing sexual or violent messages.
Examples of cyber harassment include sending threatening messages or sharing intimate
photos without a person's consent. Cyber harassment is often used as a form of bullying.
6. Cyber/Typosquatting
Cyber/typosquatting is using a website or domain name similar to a person's or company
name to dupe people into thinking it is them. This often occurs with the intent to steal a
person's name or company name, which can be used to steal sensitive information, such as
usernames and passwords.
7. Cyberstalking
Cyberstalking is often used to describe the act of stalking a person online, such as by
repeatedly sending them unwanted messages or using the internet to track their location.
8. Cyberterrorism
Cyberterrorism is the act of using the internet to cause harm and damage, often in a way that
causes mass panic or fear. Examples of cyberterrorism include a person using a computer to
cause a power outage, such as using a virus or the internet to hack into a government
database.
9. Denial of Service (DoS)
Denial of service (DoS) cyberattacks are designed to make a website or other online service
unavailable or unusable to other users. This is often accomplished by flooding a website with
requests, causing it to slow down or crash.
Examples of denial of service cyberattacks include a person using a computer or a botnet to
send a large number of requests to a website to overload its servers.
10. Distribution of Child Pornography/Human Trafficking
Cyberattacks involving the distribution of child pornography and human trafficking are
illegal methods of using the internet to exploit people for sexual exploitation or labor.
These cybercrimes are considered severe and can result in extensive prison sentences, as was
the case for a 29-year-old Mexican national sentenced in West Palm Beach federal court to
25 years in prison for his role in a child sexual exploitation case.
11. Drive-By Attacks
Drive-by cyberattacks are a form of cybercrime in which someone hacks into a website or
computer system and then uses that access to launch a series of coordinated cyberattacks
against another person or entity without the victim‘s knowledge.
12. Eavesdropping Attacks
Eavesdropping cyberattacks are the act of secretly monitoring another person's online
activities. These cyberattacks often occur through the use of a trojan or spyware, which is
used to intercept a person's online communications, such as through the use of keyloggers
and other spyware.
13. Insider Threats
Insider cyberattacks are a form of cybercrime in which employees use their access to a
company's computer system and other resources to damage or steal from the company.
14. Malware
Malware is short for ―malicious software,‖ which is a term used to describe programs
designed to cause harm. Examples of malware include viruses, worms, spyware, and adware.
Unlike other kinds of cybercrime, such as theft or fraud, malware is designed to cause
damage and harm to a computer system or the data it contains.
15. Online Libel/Slander
Online libel/slander is the act of posting false information about another person online with
the intent of causing emotional distress or harm. It is often used to describe the posting of
false information about a person in a public forum, such as a social media page, with the
intent of causing emotional distress to the person, such was the case in the Aflalo v.
Weiner case where Alfalo filed a lawsuit alleging Florida defamation per se and intentional
infliction of emotional distress against Weiner.
16. Phishing
Phishing is a form of cybercrime in which someone uses the internet to try and trick someone
else into giving them their login information, often using a fake website or email.
17. Ransomware
Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts a computer or files and then demands
payment in exchange for the computer or files to be decrypted. Ransomware is often used to
hold a computer or files hostage until the victim pays a ransom
SECURITY MEASURES
1. User Authentication
The process of authenticating users can be based on a user's possession like a key or card,
user information like the username and password or user attributes like fingerprints and
signature. Among these techniques, user information is often the first and most significant
line of defence in a multiuser system. Unfortunately,
2. Passwords
can often be guessed, illegally transferred or exposed. To avoid such situations, a user
should keep the following points in mind:
a) Password should be at least 8 characters in length.
b) The system should keep track of any event about any attempt to break the password.
c) The system should allow limited number of attempts for submitting a password on a
particular system.
d)Password based on dictionary words should be discouraged by the system.
Alphanumeric passwords, such as PASS011, should be used.
e) Passwords should be changed every after three months.
3. Backup of Data
To backup is to copy files to a second medium (a disk or tape) as a precaution in case the first
medium fails. One of the cardinal rules in using computers is back up your files regularly.
Operating system should provide a feature of backing up of data, for example, from a disk to
4. Data encryption
Encryption is the conversion of data (called plaintext) into a form (called a cyphertext)
that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized user. Before being able to understand
the content of the data, the receiver must be in possession of an encryption key used to
decrypt the cypher text.
5. Firewalls
You should also use a firewall on your computer for added security. A firewall is a
system that prevents unauthorized use and access to your computer. A firewall can be
either hardware or software based. Hardware firewalls provide a strong degree of
protection from most forms of attack coming from the outside world and can
be purchased as a stand-alone product or are contained in Internet routers.
For individual home users, the most popular firewall choice is a software firewall (both
Windows and Macintosh operating system software include a software firewall). A good
software firewall will protect your computer from outside attempts to control or gain
access your computer.
6. Updating Software
It is very important to update your software regularly. When a program is released,
particularly Internet browsers, it may contain flaws (bugs). These bugs may be invisible to
the user, however wrongdoers will exploit these flaws for their own use. Ensuring your
software is up to date is a very important step in keeping your computer secure.
Install an antivirus program. Antivirus programs are used to help detect, defend, and remove
dangerous worms, trojans, and malware, like adware and spyware. Antivirus software
typically runs as a background process, scanning computers, servers
or mobile devices to detect and restrict the spread of malware. Many antivirus software
programs include real-time threat detection and protection to guard against potential
vulnerabilities as they happen, as well as system scans that monitor device and system files
looking for possible risks.
CHAPTER FIVE
MAKING MONEY ONLINE (DIGITAL MARKETING)
Whenever you use the internet to inform people about your brand, you‘re doing digital
marketing. You can use any type of digital marketing channel including social media posts,
email, and content marketing to engage potential consumers.
Types of digital marketing
If you‘re still wondering how digital marketing works in real life, here are a few practical
examples. There are many types of digital marketing, and we‘ve outlined the pro‘s and con‘s
of each below.
1. Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing, also called search advertising, is a type of digital marketing
that empowers you to pay only for the clicks you get on your ad. PPC campaigns involve a
thorough search and analysis of keywords relevant to your product or service. You can use
applications such as Google AdWords or Google Keyword Planner for your keyword
research.
Among the most common types paid ads out of PPC providers is Google Ads.
The quality score of your website will determine whether you get a spot-on Google‘s search
engine results pages (SERPs). Other channels that use PPC include Sponsored Messages on
LinkedIn and paid Facebook ads.
Pros:
Provides quick results and precise targeting.
Allows for easy budget control.
Cons:
Can be costly, with expenses mounting if not managed properly.
Click fraud can also drain budgets.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO utilizes tactics that help you rank higher on SERPs so you can reach more potential
customers. On-page SEO is everything you do on your website to win clients including
engaging content and great website design.
Off-page SEO is everything you do outside the website including the use of backlinks. SEO
can help you optimize your digital presence and increase conversion rates when you act as a
blogger for your website‘s content.
Pros:
Generates organic, sustainable traffic.
Enhances website credibility and user trust.
Cons:
Takes time to see significant results.
Requires continuous effort to maintain rankings.
3. Email Marketing
Email marketing is a fantastic way to boost interest and awareness from potential clients that
already like your business enough to join your mailing list.
A smart digital marketer uses a variety of marketing channels to add leads to their email list.
To build an email list, you need to create engaging content for your target customers so they
can see the value of hearing what you have to say. When you send out emails to the people
on your email list, you need to write enticing subject lines and define the best time to send
emails. The contents of your emails can be:
General newsletter information from your business
New product and or service announcements
Special event invitations.
Coupons and special offers
The idea is to use your emails to nurture your client relationships and improve customer
retention.
Pros:
Highly cost-effective for reaching a targeted audience.
Allows for personalized communication.
Cons:
Risk of emails being marked as spam.
Response rates can vary widely.
4. Video Marketing
Video is a wonderful medium for conducting a marketing campaign that showcases your
products or services. High-quality video content helps increase customer engagement and
boosts website traffic.
YouTube is the second most popular search engine after Google with more than two billion
users. Lots of potential customers search for information on YouTube before making a
purchasing decision. You can use video marketing on YouTube or Facebook to demonstrate
products or services and educate your viewers.
Pros:
Engages users effectively with visual content.
Can convey complex messages in an engaging manner.
Cons:
Production costs can be high.
Requires a platform for hosting and distribution.
5. Social Media Marketing (SMM)
Social media has dominated digital media lately. Popular social media channels include:
Instagram
TikTok
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Pinterest
Facebook
The greatest benefits of social media are its accessibility and affordability. When you market
on these platforms, your aim should be to create brand awareness and build social trust
among your followers and the wider digital population.
If you have a WordPress website, you can streamline your digital marketing and increase
engagement by adding social media plugins to your web pages.
Pros:
Enables direct engagement with a broad audience.
Offers valuable customer insights.
Cons:
Can be time-consuming to manage.
Success depends on platform algorithm changes.
6. Affiliate Marketing
When you do affiliate marketing, you don‘t directly promote your products or services.
Instead, you incentivize other content creators (affiliates) to advertise your product. You give
affiliates a unique link and whenever a reader clicks on it and makes a purchase, the content
creator earns a commission. Many companies, including Bluehost, offer affiliate programs.
It‘s an easy way to outsource your digital marketing without an upfront cost.
Pros:
Low risk for advertisers, as payment is based on performance.
Expands reach through affiliate partners.
Cons:
Requires effective affiliate management.
Competition can lead to lower commissions.
7. Content Marketing
Content marketing involves creating assets that answer specific questions in a user‘s mind.
Your content might include:
Webinars
Blogs
Online tutorials
E-books
Infographics
Podcasts
Your content marketing strategy and efforts should be geared towards providing high-quality
content and relevant resources to your audience. You don‘t want your content to feel like an
advertisement. Instead, help people solve their problems and make decisions as they
experience your brand.
Pros:
Builds brand authority and trust.
Provides long-term value through evergreen content.
Cons:
Takes time to see significant ROI.
Requires consistent content creation and promotion.
8. Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing targets users on their smartphones and tablets, utilizing tactics such as:
Mobile apps
SMS marketing
Location-based services
It engages with audiences where they spend a significant portion of their online time. It offers
the advantage of reaching users on the go and is highly personalized.
Pros:
Effective in reaching users in real-time.
High potential for personalization and targeting.
Cons:
Requires optimization for various mobile devices and platforms.
Intrusive mobile ads can lead to user annoyance.
9. Viral Marketing
Viral marketing leverages social media sites, sharing and word-of-mouth to quickly spread a
marketing message or content across the internet. It relies on the audience‘s enthusiasm and
interest in sharing content within their social networks.
Pros:
Can generate massive exposure and brand awareness rapidly.
Often cost-effective as it relies on organic sharing.
Cons:
Difficult to predict or control virality.
Content may not always align with the brand‘s image or goals when shared widely.
CHAPTER SIX
E-COMMERCE AND E-LEARNING
E-commerce, short for electronic commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods and
services over the internet 1. It is conducted over computers, tablets, smartphones, and other
smart devices 1. E-commerce operates in different types of market segments and can be
conducted over computers, tablets, smartphones, and other smart devices 1. Nearly every
imaginable product and service is available through e-commerce transactions, including
books, music, plane tickets, and financial services such as stock investing and online
banking 1. E-commerce has helped businesses gain access to and establish a wider market
presence by providing cheaper and more efficient distribution channels for their products or
services 1
Types of E-commerce
Depending on the goods, services, and organization of an ecommerce company, the business
can opt to operate several different ways. Here are several of the popular business models.
I Business-to-Consumer (B2C)
. B2C e-commerce companies sell directly to the product end-user.
Instead of distributing
goods to an intermediary, a B2C company performs transactions with the consumer that will
ultimately use the good.
This type of business model may be used to sell products (like your local sporting goods
store's website) or services (such as a lawn care mobile app to reserve landscaping services).
This is the most common business model and is likely the concept most people think about
when they hear the term e-commerce.
II. Business-to-Business (B2B)
Similar to B2C, an e-commerce business can directly sell goods to a user. However, instead
of being a consumer, that user may be another company. B2B transactions often entail larger
quantities, greater specifications, and longer lead times. The company placing the order may
also have a need to set recurring goods if the purchase is for recurring manufacturing
processes.
I Business-to-Government (B2G)
I Some entities specialize as government contractors providing
I goods or services to agencies
.
or administrations. Similar to a B2B relationship, the business produces items of value and
remits those items to an entity.
B2G e-commerce companies must often meet government requests for proposal
requirements, solicit bids for projects, and meet very specific product or service criteria. In
addition, there may be joint government endeavors to solicit a single contract through
a government-wide acquisition contract.
IV. Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
Established companies are the only entities that can sell things. E-commerce platforms such
as digital marketplaces connect consumers with other consumers who can list their own
products and execute their own sales. These C2C platforms may be auction-style listings
(i.e. eBay auctions) or may warrant further discussion regarding the item or service being
provided (i.e. Craigslist postings). Enabled by technology, C2C e-commerce platforms
empower consumers to both buy and sell without the need for companies.
V. Consumer-to-Business (C2B)
Modern platforms have allowed consumers to more easily engage with companies and offer
their services, especially related to short-term contracts, gigs, or freelance opportunities. For
example, consider listings on Upwork. A consumer may solicit bids or interact with
companies that need particular jobs done. In this way, the e-commerce platform connects
businesses with freelancers to enable consumers greater power to achieve pricing,
scheduling, and employment demands.
V
Consumer-to-Government (C2G)
I
Less of a traditional e-commerce relationship, consumers can
.
interact with administrations,
agencies, or governments through C2G partnerships. These partnerships are often not in
the exchange of service but rather, the transaction of obligation.
Advantages and Disadvantages of E-commerce
Advantages
E-commerce offers consumers the following advantages:
Convenience: E-commerce can occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Although
eCommerce may take a lot of work, it is still possible to generate sales as you sleep
or earn revenue while you are away from your store.
Increased Selection: Many stores offer a wider array of products online than they
carry in their brick-and-mortar counterparts. And many stores that solely exist online
may offer consumers exclusive inventory that is unavailable elsewhere.
Potentially Lower Start-up Cost: E-commerce companies may require a warehouse or
manufacturing site, but they usually don't need a physical storefront. The cost to
operate digitally is often less expensive than needing to pay rent, insurance, building
maintenance, and property taxes.
International Sales: As long as an e-commerce store can ship to the customer, an ecommerce
company can sell to anyone in the world and isn't limited by physical
geography.
Easier to Retarget Customers: As customers browse a digital storefront, it is easier to
entice their attention towards placed advertisements, directed marketing campaigns,
or pop-ups specifically aimed at a purpose.
Disadvantages
There are certain drawbacks that come with e-commerce sites, too. The disadvantages
include:
Limited Customer Service: If you shop online for a computer, you cannot simply ask
an employee to demonstrate a particular model's features in person. And although
some websites let you chat online with a staff member, this is not a typical practice.
Lack of Instant Gratification: When you buy an item online, you must wait for it to
be shipped to your home or office. However, e-tailers like Amazon make the waiting
game a little bit less painful by offering same-day delivery as a premium option for
select products.
Inability to Touch Products: Online images do not necessarily convey the whole
story about an item, and so e-commerce purchases can be unsatisfying when the
products received do not match consumer expectations. Case in point: an item of
clothing may be made from shoddier fabric than its online image indicates.
Reliance on Technology: If your website crashes, garners an overwhelming amount
of traffic, or must be temporarily taken down for any reason, your business is
effectively closed until the e-commerce storefront is back.
Higher Competition: Although the low barrier to entry regarding low cost is an
advantage, this means other competitors can easily enter the market. E-commerce
companies must have mindful marketing strategies and remain diligent on SEO
optimization to ensure they maintain a digital presence.
E-LEARNING
E-learning, also known as online learning, is a method of teaching and learning through
electronic media, such as the internet, intranets, extranets, and satellite broadcasts. E-learning
can be used to deliver educational content and resources to learners in a variety of settings,
including schools, workplaces, and homes.
Types of E-learning
There are many different types of e-learning, but some of the most common include:
Synchronous e-learning: Synchronous e-learning takes place in real time, with learners and
instructors interacting simultaneously. This can be done through video conferencing, live
chat, or other online tools.
Asynchronous e-learning: Asynchronous e-learning does not take place in real time,
allowing learners to access and complete course materials at their own convenience. This can
be done through discussion forums, pre-recorded videos, or other online tools.
Blended learning: Blended learning combines synchronous and asynchronous e-learning
with traditional face-to-face instruction. This approach can offer learners the best of both
worlds, allowing them to benefit from the flexibility and convenience of e-learning, as well as
the social interaction and personal support of face-to-face instruction.
Advantages of e-learning
There are many advantages to e-learning, including:
Flexibility: E-learning allows learners to learn at their own pace and on their own time. This
is especially beneficial for learners who have busy schedules or who live in remote areas.
Convenience: E-learning can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. This
makes it a convenient option for learners who travel frequently or who have difficulty getting
to a traditional classroom setting.
Cost-effectiveness: E-learning is often more cost-effective than traditional classroom
instruction. This is because e-learning programs can eliminate the need for travel, materials,
and classroom space.
Personalization: E-learning programs can be personalized to meet the individual needs of
learners. For example, learners can choose to focus on specific topics, modules, or activities.
Engagement: E-learning programs can use a variety of multimedia elements, such as videos,
simulations, and games, to make the learning process more engaging and interactive.
Disadvantages of e-learning
Some of the disadvantages of e-learning include:
Lack of face-to-face interaction: E-learning can lack the social interaction and personal
support of traditional classroom instruction. This can be a disadvantage for learners who
prefer to learn in a collaborative setting.
Difficulty staying motivated: It can be difficult for learners to stay motivated in an e-learning
setting, especially if they are not used to self-paced learning.
Technical difficulties: E-learning programs can be susceptible to technical difficulties, such
as internet outages and software glitches.
Limited access to resources and support: Learners who participate in e-learning programs
may have limited access to resources and support, such as libraries and tutors.
CHAPTER SEVEN CLOUD COMPUTING
What is Cloud? The term Cloud refers to a Network or Internet. In other words, we can say
that Cloud is something, which is present at remote location. Cloud can provide services over
public and private networks, i.e., WAN, LAN or VPN. Cloud Computing refers to
manipulating, configuring, and accessing the hardware and software resources remotely (over
the internet). It offers online data storage, infrastructure, and application.
Cloud computing offers platform independency, as the software is not required to be installed
locally on the PC. Hence, the Cloud Computing is making our business applications mobile
and collaborative. Basic Concepts There are certain services and models working behind the
scene making the cloud computing feasible and accessible to end users. Following are the
working models for cloud computing:
• Deployment Models
• Service Models
Deployment Models
Deployment models define the type of access to the cloud, i.e., how the cloud is located?
Cloud can have any of the four types of access: Public, Private, Hybrid, and Community
1) Public Cloud: The public cloud allows systems and services to be easily
accessible to the general public. Public cloud may be less secure because of its
openness.
2) Private Cloud: The private cloud allows systems and services to be
accessible within an organization. It is more secured because of its private
nature.
3) Community Cloud: The community cloud allows systems and services to be
accessible by a group of organizations.
4) Hybrid Cloud: The hybrid cloud is a mixture of public and private cloud, in
which the critical activities are performed using private cloud while the noncritical activities are
performed using public cloud.
Service Models Cloud computing is based on service models. These are
categorized into three basic service models which are -
• Infrastructure-as–a-Service (IaaS)
• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
Anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) is yet another service model, which includes Network-as-
aService, Business-asaService, Identity-as-a-Service, Database-as-a-Service or Strategy-as-
aService.
• Infrastructure as a Service is a provision model in which an organization outsources
the equipment used to support operations, including storage, hardware, servers and
networking components. The service provider owns the equipment and is responsible
for housing, running and maintaining it.
• Software as a Service is a software distribution model in which applications are
hosted by a vendor or service provider and made available to customers over a
network, typically the Internet. It is becoming an increasingly prevalent delivery
model as underlying technologies that support Web services and service‐oriented
architecture become increasingly available.
• Platform as a Service is an outgrowth of Software as a Service (SaaS). It is a way to
rent hardware, operating systems, storage and network capacity over the Internet. The
service delivery model allows the customer to rent virtualized servers and associated
services for running existing applications or developing and testing new ones.
Security aspect of cloud computing
• The impact of Cloud Computing on security is profound. There are some benefits
and unfortunately some hurdles to overcome. One challenge in trying to evaluate
security is that it tends to relate to all aspects of IT and, since Cloud Computing`s
impact is similarly pervasive. Security domains:
• Access control – provides mechanism to protect critical resources from
unauthorized access and modification while facilitating access to authorized users
• Cryptography ‐ presents various methods for taking legible, readable data, and
transforming it into unreadable data for the purpose of secure transmission, and
then using a key to transform it back into readable data when it reaches its
destination.
• Operations security – includes procedures for back‐ups and change control
management.
Advantages of Cloud Computing
• Cost efficiency – The biggest reason behind shifting to cloud computing is that it
takes considerably lesser cost than an on-premise technology. Now the companies
need not store the data in disks anymore as the Cloud offers enormous storage space,
saving money and resources of the companies.
• High Speed – Cloud computing lets you deploy the service quickly in fewer clicks.
This quick deployment lets you get the resources required for your system within
fewer minutes.
• Excellent accessibility – Storing the information in cloud allows you to access it
anywhere and anytime regardless of the machine making it highly accessible and
flexible technology of present times.
• Back-up and restore data – Once the data is stored in Cloud, it is easier to get the
back-up and recovery of that, which is quite a time taking process on-premise.
• Manageability – Cloud computing eliminates the need for IT infrastructure updates
and maintenance since the service provider ensures timely, guaranteed and seamless
delivery of your services and also takes care of all the maintenance and management
of your IT services according to the service level agreement (SLA).
• Sporadic Batch processing – Cloud computing lets you add or subtract resources and
services according to your needs. So, if the workload is not 24/7, you need not worry
about the resources and services getting wasted and you won‘t end up stuck with
unused services.
Disadvantages of Cloud Computing
• Vulnerability to attacks – Storing data in cloud may pose serious challenge of
information theft since in cloud every data of your company is online. Security breach
is something that even the best organizations have suffered from and it‘s a potential
risk in cloud as well. Though advanced security measures are deployed on cloud, still
storing a confidential data in cloud can be a risky affair.
• Network connectivity dependency – Cloud computing is entirely dependent on the
internet. This direct tie up with internet means that you need a reliable and consistent
internet service as well as a good connection speed and bandwidth for your business
to reap the benefits of cloud computing.
• Downtime – Downtime is considered as one of the biggest potential downside of
using Cloud computing. Your cloud providers may sometimes face technical outages
which can happen due to various reasons such as loss of power, low internet
connectivity, data centres going out of service for maintenance etc. This can lead to a
temporary downtime in your cloud services.
• Vendor lock in – When in need to migrate from one cloud platform to another, your
company might face some serious challenges because of the differences between
vendor platforms. Hosting and running the applications of your current cloud platform
on some other platform may cause some problems.
INTERNET OF THINGS
What is internet of things?
Learn about how the Internet of Things is enabling businesses to monitor, manage and
automate their operations more efficiently and with more control.
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of physical devices, vehicles, appliances and
other physical objects that are embedded with sensors, software and network connectivity
that allows them to collect and share data. These devices — also known as ―smart objects‖ —
can range from simple ―smart home‖ devices like smart thermostats, to wearables like
smartwatches and RFID-enabled clothing, to complex industrial machinery and transportation
systems. Technologists are even envisioning entire ―smart cities‖ predicated on IoT
technologies.
IoT enables these smart devices to communicate with each other and with other internetenabled
devices, like smartphones and gateways, creating a vast network of interconnected
devices that can exchange data and perform a variety of tasks autonomously. This can include
everything from monitoring environmental conditions in farms, to managing traffic patterns
with smart cars and other smart automotive devices, to controlling machines and processes in
factories, to tracking inventory and shipments in warehouses.
The potential applications of IoT are vast and varied, and its impact is already being felt
across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, transportation, healthcare and
agriculture. As the number of internet-connected devices continues to grow, IoT is likely to
play an increasingly important role in shaping our world and transforming the way we live,
work and interact with each other.
In an enterprise context, IoT devices are used to monitor a wide range of parameters such as
temperature, humidity, air quality, energy consumption and machine performance. This data
can be analyzed in real time to identify patterns, trends and anomalies that can help
businesses optimize their operations and improve their bottom line.
Why is IoT important?
IoT is important for business for several reasons. Here are the core benefits of IoT:
Improved efficiency
By using IoT devices to automate and optimize processes, businesses can improve efficiency
and productivity. For example, IoT sensors can be used to monitor equipment performance
and detect or even resolve potential issues before they cause downtime, reducing
maintenance costs and improving uptime.
Data-driven decision-making
IoT devices generate vast amounts of data that can be used to make better-informed business
decisions and new business models. By analyzing this data, businesses can gain insights into
customer behavior, market trends and operational performance, allowing them to make more
informed decisions about strategy, product development and resource allocation.
Cost-savings
By reducing manual processes and automating repetitive tasks, IoT can help businesses
reduce costs and improve profitability. For example, IoT devices can be used to monitor
energy usage and optimize consumption, reducing energy costs and improving sustainability.
Enhanced customer experience
By using IoT technology to gather data about customer behavior, businesses can create more
personalized and engaging experiences for their customers. For example, retailers can use IoT
sensors to track customer movements in stores and deliver personalized offers based on their
behavior.
The technologies that make IoT possible
Several technologies come together to make IoT possible.
Sensors and actuators: Sensors are devices that can detect changes in the
environment, such as temperature, humidity, light, motion or pressure. Actuators are
devices that can cause physical changes in the environment, such as opening or
closing a valve or turning on a motor. These devices are at the heart of IoT, as they
allow machines and devices to interact with the physical world. Automation is
possible when sensors and actuators work to resolve issues without human
intervention.
Connectivity technologies: To transmit IoT data from sensors and actuators to the
cloud, IoT devices need to be connected to the internet. There are several connectivity
technologies used in IoT, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, Zigbee and
LoRaWAN.
Cloud computing: The cloud is where the vast amounts of data generated by IoT
devices are stored, processed and analyzed. Cloud computing platforms provide the
infrastructure and tools needed to store and analyze this data, as well as to build and
deploy IoT applications.
Big data analytics: To make sense of the vast amounts of data generated by IoT
devices, businesses need to use advanced analytics tools to extract insights and
identify patterns. These tools can include machine learning algorithms, data
visualization tools and predictive analytics models.
Security and privacy technologies: As IoT deployments become more widespread,
IoT security and privacy become increasingly important. Technologies such
as encryption, access controls and intrusion detection systems are used to protect IoT
devices and the data they generate from cyber threats.
Examples of IoT applications
I. Healthcare
In the healthcare industry, IoT devices can be used to monitor patients remotely and collect
real-time data on their vital signs, such as heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation.
This sensor data can be analyzed to detect patterns and identify potential health issues before
they become more serious. IoT devices can also be used to track medical equipment, manage
inventory and monitor medication compliance.
II. Manufacturing
Industrial IoT devices can be used in manufacturing to monitor machine performance, detect
equipment failures and optimize production processes. For example, sensors can be used to
monitor the temperature and humidity in an manufacturing facility, ensuring that conditions
are optimal for the production of sensitive products. IoT devices can also be used to track
inventory, manage supply chains and monitor the quality of finished products. Industrial IoT
is such an expansive new technology space, that it is sometimes referred to by its own
abbreviation: IIOT (Industrial IoT).
Explore manufacturing solutions
III. Retail
In the retail industry, IoT devices can be used to track customer behavior, monitor inventory
levels and optimize store layouts. For example, sensors can be used to track foot traffic in a
store and analyze customer behavior, allowing retailers to optimize product placement and
improve the customer experience. IoT devices can also be used to monitor supply chains,
track shipments and manage inventory levels.
IV. Agriculture
IoT devices can be used in agriculture to monitor soil conditions, weather patterns and crop
growth. For example, sensors can be used to measure the moisture content of soil, ensuring
that crops are irrigated at the optimal time. IoT devices can also be used to monitor livestock
health, track equipment and manage supply chains. Low-power or solar-powered devices can
often be used with minimal oversight in remote locations.
V. Transportation
In the transportation industry, IoT devices can be used to monitor vehicle performance,
optimize routes and track shipments. For example, sensors can be used to monitor the fuel
efficiency of connected cars, reducing fuel costs and improving sustainability. IoT devices
can also be used to monitor the condition of cargo, ensuring that it arrives at its destination in
optimal condition.
Explore travel and transportation solutions
Risks and challenges in IoT
IoT offers many benefits, but it also poses several risks and challenges. Here are some of the
most significant ones:
1. Security and privacy risks: As IoT devices become more widespread, security and
privacy become increasingly important. Many IoT devices are vulnerable to hackers
and other cyber threats, which can compromise the security and privacy of sensitive
data. IoT devices can also collect vast amounts of personal data, raising concerns
about privacy and data protection.
2. Interoperability issues: IoT devices from different manufacturers often use different
standards and protocols, making it difficult for them to perform what‘s called
―machine to machine‖ communication. This can lead to interoperability issues and
create silos of data that are difficult to integrate and analyze.
3. Data overload: IoT devices generate vast amounts of data, which can overwhelm
businesses that are not prepared to handle it. Analyzing this data and extracting
meaningful insights can be a significant challenge, especially for businesses that lack
the necessary analytics tools and expertise.
4. Cost and complexity: Implementing an IoT system can be costly and complex,
requiring significant investments in hardware, software and infrastructure. Managing
and maintaining an IoT system can also be challenging, requiring specialized skills
and expertise.
5. Regulatory and legal challenges: As IoT devices become more widespread, regulatory
and legal challenges are emerging. Businesses need to comply with various data
protection, privacy and cybersecurity regulations, which can vary from country to
country.
The future of IoT
The future of IoT is promising, with many exciting developments for businesses on the
horizon. Here are some of the trends and predictions for the future of IoT:
Growth: The number of IoT devices is expected to continue growing rapidly, with
estimates suggesting that there will be tens of billion IoT devices in use over the next
few years. This growth will be driven by increased adoption across industries, as well
as the development of new use cases and applications.
Edge computing: Edge computing is becoming increasingly important for IoT, as it
allows data to be processed and analyzed closer to the source of the data, rather than
in a centralized data center. This can improve response times, reduce latency and
reduce the amount of data that needs to be transferred over IoT networks.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning: AI and machine learning are becoming
increasingly important for IoT, as they can be used to analyze vast amounts of data
generated by IoT devices and extract meaningful insights. This can help businesses
make more informed decisions and optimize their operations.
Blockchain: Blockchain technology is being explored as a way to improve security
and privacy in IoT. Blockchain can be used to create secure, decentralized networks
for IoT devices, which can minimize data security vulnerabilities.
Sustainability: Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important consideration for
IoT, as businesses look for ways to reduce their environmental impact. IoT can be
used to optimize energy usage, reduce waste and improve sustainability across a range
of industries.
The future of IoT is exciting, with many new developments and innovations on the horizon,
with providers of devices offering attractive pricing, as the cost of IoT device production
declines. As the number of IoT devices continues to grow, businesses will need to be
prepared to adapt to new technologies and embrace new use cases and applications. Those
that are able to do so will be well-positioned to reap the benefits of this transformative
technology.
Applications of IoT
The applications of IoT technologies are multiple, because it is adjustable to almost any
technology that is capable of providing relevant information about its own operation, about
the performance of an activity and even about the environmental conditions that we need to
monitor and control at a distance.
Nowadays, many companies from different sectors or sectors are adopting this technology to
simplify, improve, automate and control different processes. Next, we show some of the
surprising practical applications of the IoT.
1. Wearables.
Virtual glasses, fitness bands to monitor for example calorie expenditure and heart beats, or
GPS tracking belts, are just some examples of wearable devices that we have been using for
some time now. Companies such as Google, Apple, Samsung and others have developed and
introduced the Internet of Things and the application thereof into our daily lives.
These are small and energy efficient devices, which are equipped with sensors, with the
necessary hardware for measurements and readings, and with software to collect and organize
data and information about users.
2. Health.
The use of wearables or sensors connected to patients, allows doctors to monitor a patient's
condition outside the hospital and in real-time. Through continuously monitoring certain
metrics and automatic alerts on their vital signs, the Internet of Things helps to improve the
care for patients and the prevention of lethal events in high-risk patients.
Another use is the integration of IoT technology into hospital beds, giving way to smart beds,
equipped with special sensors to observe vital signs, blood pressure, oximeter and body
temperature, among others.
3. Traffic monitoring.
The Internet of things can be very useful in the management of vehicular traffic in large
cities, contributing to the concept of smart cities.
When we use our mobile phones as sensors, which collect and share data from our vehicles
through applications such as Waze or Google Maps, we are using the Internet of Things to
inform us and at the same time contribute to traffic monitoring, showing the conditions of the
different routes, and feeding and improving the information on the different routes to the
same destination, distance, estimated time of arrival.
4. Fleet management.
The installation of sensors in fleet vehicles helps to establish an effective interconnectivity
between the vehicles and their managers as well as between the vehicles and their drivers.
Both driver and manager/owner can know all kinds of details about the status, operation and
needs of the vehicle, just by accessing the software in charge of collecting, processing and
organizing the data. Even, receive alarms in real time of maintenance incidents without
having been detected by the driver.
The application of the Internet of Things to fleet management assists with geolocation (and
with it the monitoring of routes and identification of the most efficient routes), performance
analysis, telemetry control and fuel savings , the reduction of polluting emissions to the
environment and can even provide valuable information to improve the driving of vehicles.
5. Agriculture.
Smart farms are a fact. The quality of soil is crucial to produce good crops, and the Internet of
Things offers farmers the possibility to access detailed knowledge and valuable information
of their soil condition.
Through the implementation of IoT sensors, a significant amount of data can be obtained on
the state and stages of the soil. Information such as soil moisture, level of acidity, the
presence of certain nutrients, temperature and many other chemical characteristics, helps
farmers control irrigation, make water use more efficient, specify the best times to start
sowing, and even discover the presence of diseases in plants and soil.
6. Hospitality.
The application of the IoT to the hotel industry brings with it interesting improvements in the
quality of the service. With the implementation of electronic keys, which are sent directly to
the mobile devices of each guest, it is possible to automate various interactions.
Thus, the location of the guests, the sending of offers or information on activities of interest,
the realization of orders to the room or room service , the automatic charge of accounts to the
room or the request of personal hygiene supplies, are activities that can be easily managed
through integrated applications using the Internet of Things technology.
With the use of electronic keys, the check-out process is automated, disabling the operation of
doors, offering information about the rooms immediately available, and even assigning
housekeeping tasks to maintenance personnel.
7. Smart grid and energy saving.
The progressive use of intelligent energy meters, or meters equipped with sensors, and the
installation of sensors in different strategic points that go from the production plants to the
different distribution points, allows better monitoring and control of the electrical network.
By establishing a bidirectional communication between the service provider company and the
end user, information of enormous value can be obtained for the detection of faults, decision
making and repair thereof.
It also allows offering valuable information to the end user about their consumption patterns
and about the best ways to reduce or adjust their energy expenditure.
8. Water supply.
A sensor, either incorporated or adjusted externally to water meters, connected to the Internet
and accompanied by the necessary software , helps to collect, process and analyze data,
which allows understanding the behavior of consumers, detecting faults in the supply service,
report results and offer courses of action to the company that provides the service.
Likewise, it offers final consumers the possibility of tracking their own consumption
information, through a web page and in real time, even receiving automatic alerts in case of
detecting consumption out of range to their average consumption record, which could
indicate the presence of a leak.
9. Maintenance management.
One of the areas where the application of IoT technology is most extensive is precisely
maintenance management. Through the combination of sensors and software specialized
in CMMS/ EAM maintenance management, a multifunctional tool is obtained whose use can
be applied to a multiplicity of disciplines and practices, with the purpose of extending the
useful life of physical assets, while guaranteeing asset reliability and availability.