Archive for June, 2010
Selling and buying is an integral part of everyday life. Its existence is as old as human in different formats. After entering into internet world, where people prefer everything online, E-commerce is touted as one of the most viable online business opportunities on the Web today. In comparison to traditional brick and mortar businesses, e-commerce site requires minimal start-up cost and with relatively low-risk.
However that does not imply creating an e-commerce site is a simple process; neither does it guarantee your future success. Since it had become an integral part of our nature, every time anyone looks for an e-commerce application they have to start from scratch and needs to redo all the work by just viewing any online e-commerce website and thus e-commerce development becomes a typical job as the progress was not being distributed among the developers.
Especially after the occurrence of open source technologies need of a centralized e-commerce application become mandatory. Keeping this in mind few organizations/groups started developing. Now in the market there are many build-in e-commerce applications, os-commerce, Zen cart, Xcart are few very popular build-in E-commerce applications. Build-in applications are very popular and you get a basic structure with all the required functionality of an e-commerce application which you can customize accordingly to make it work for you. Some of them are free while few are paid.
At this stage it has become hard to select any application to start your e-commerce business, below are few tips which may help you to select the best possible application.
Easy Setup of store and availability of contributions and forums: Set up of a store should not be a struggle for you. A good wizard having effusive operational facilities will help you to set up your store in minutes. Since stores are based on a general requirement, you have to modify it to suit your requirements, availability of free contributions, forums may help you to get the work done quickly and efficiently. Data Management: Every online store needs their data to be imported and exported. This facility helps in smooth product management and effortless migration in case we plan to change the hosting service provider. Web Analytic: One of the key to the success of e-business is the web analytic. This will help you to understand the business scope and measure your failure rate.
There is no question that designing an effective web page requires the ability to evaluate and implement a variety of technical applications. Are you going to use cascading style sheets? How do you create them and use them? How about browser compatibility? Will the page work just as well in IE for Windows as it does in IE for Macintosh? What kinds of images will you use and how will they be placed in the page? Are you going to use wrap-around text with your images? What about Flash applications? Printer friendly web pages?
Creating an engaging, effective website does require some understanding and mastery of these techniques and other applications, too.
But wait! First things first. Before you spend a lot of timing downloading and plowing through articles and instructions on the technical aspects of web design, take some time to consider the elements of a web page that would really grab YOUR attention- a web design that would have you pause and look again, that would pique your interest and engage you to read on. Does the page that your imagination conjures up look like the standard web templates that are available everywhere? Hopefully not. Ideally you have envisioned something a bit more exciting, inviting and tempting. After all, web site design is marketing. And successful marketing is separating yourself from the horde. How do you differentiate your site and make visitors want to stay and even better, return?
Originality should be your first consideration. The “stick with what works” approach means your site will fall in line with its competitors and you will have missed a valuable opportunity to break away and engage your target. But keep your eye on your objective, which is to engage effectively. ‘Original’ doesn’t mean crazy, loopy, screaming, goofy or weird. Those are turn-offs guaranteed to drive people away. But stepping away from the computer for a few minutes and taking some time to consider innovative approaches to otherwise standard applications can pay big dividends in hits, sales and returns. Try out an innovative approach on a small group of friends, family, colleagues or trusted users. You may be surprised at how effective an original web design can really be.
Though there are as many variations as possible, a Web application is commonly structured as a three-tiered application. The Web browser, in its most common form, is the first tier. The second tier or the middle tier is an engine using some dynamic Web content technology. Some of these are ASP, ASP.NET, CGI, ColdFusion, JSP/Java, PHP,embPerl, Python, or Ruby on Rails. The third tier is a database. The Web browser, which is the first tier, sends requests to the middle tier, which then services them by making queries and updating against the database then generating a user interface.
Learning about the threats is an important aspect of achieving web application security. Such potential threats that are usually faced by certain applications are being categorized depending on its goals and of course of the true principles behind their attacks. A good knowledge of the aforementioned categories of the unwanted threats can assist you by simply organizing an in-demand security strategies so as to countermeasure these so-called threats. At Microsoft, the acronym STRIDE is used to categorize and learn more about the threats on web application security.
• S stands for Spoofing or the attempt to gain access to a particular system by using false information to represent false user identity. This is easily achieved by simply utilizing stolen user untrue IP address.
• T stands for tampering which basically speaks of altering data.
• R stands for Repudiation which is the ability of a certain user to easily decline specific transactions. The absence of auditing makes this activity difficult to uncover.
• I is for Information disclosure or simply the unwanted or intentional exposure of pertinent private personal data.
• D, on the other hand, is the Denial of service which can be easily done is merely forcing them to be unavailable. Bombarding the server is the most common tool used by hackers and manipulators,
• Lastly, E is for Elevation of privilege which can be done by merely using the identity of a privileged user. Thus it compromises and the entire trusted account or financial procedure.
Strengthening the web application security can be done by counter measuring the entire STRIDE group. One way is by using a much stronger authentication procedure. Avoiding using plain text for passwords can also be very useful. Using tools which are tamper-proof such as digital signature is always a smart idea to combat the effects.
Web conferencing or computer conferencing is a way to hold live presentations over the Internet. Generally it is used for group discussions or business conferences. Each member of web conference sits at their PC and can be easily connected to other members through Internet. It may be accompanied either via telephone or VoIP; sometimes text chat is also used instead of voice. It is an easy method to save money as well as time.
Nowadays web conferencing is one of the basic requirements of each organization. Web conferencing is of several types such as web meeting, the Webcast, the Webinar, online presenting, and online collaboration. Users can choose any of them as per their needs. It refers to audio, video or text-based conversations that are conducted in real time.
It is the best for the people who deal within global market place. Web conferencing enables you to be in two places simultaneously. You can attend business meetings while sitting at your home or office. Microsoft NetMeeting or Yahoo Messenger are free downloads forms of web conferencing. Users can invite their dear ones to participate in text-based chats for real time communication. It allows holding seminars and presentations for hundreds of delegates at same time. You can transmit files, documents and slide show presentations with web conferencing.
Web conferencing cuts traveling costs such as tickets, accommodation, subsistence etc. It allows you to meet a person regularly without any expenses. It is also a great way to do work more efficiently and accurately. Cost of web meeting depends on your requirements. You can choose any type of web conferencing that suits your budget.