COMPUTER APPLICATION

University of Abuja

Faculty of Science

Department of Computer Science

CSC 300: Microcomputer Applications

LECTURE 3: Internet, E- mail, IM & E-commerce

Communication is an important component of life. It is also a known fact that Information or knowledge
is power. Nowadays, there are various forms of communication. This ranges from one way
communication devices such as TV and radio, to two way communication devices such Laptops, Tablets
and Mobile Phones. This trend enhances voice calls, text messaging, email and instant messaging.
Teenagers’ and young adults’ usage of Instant Messaging (IM) is on rapid rise, and this has been a recent
object of media attention. Indeed, the popularity of IM indicates that synchronous (or near-
synchronous) text messaging and presence awareness has a place in teenage communications, despite
an array of competing media available to them. This lecture discusses various email communication
types, instant messaging, Social Media and its security considerations as well as e-commerce
applications. All these are achievable with internet connectivity.

TYPES OF EMAIL

Generally speaking, HTML email can be broken down into two categories:

1. One-to-many, where a large list of people are sent the same or very similar emails from a source
to which they’ve intentionally subscribed to (like a newsletter, or an event invitation).

2. Transactional, where an email is sent to a person on an individual basis, usually as a result of an

action they’ve taken (like making a purchase, or receiving a shipping update).

ONE-TO-MANY EMAIL

One-to-Many emails have been a staple of electronic marketing since the early days of the web. They’ve
been an optimal way to market for millions of people at a lower cost than print or other types of media
like television and radio. Since HTML email marketing is generally interest driven, the audience to which
you’re sending is already receptive.

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Email evolved with the explosion of social media to include more focused subjects and audiences,
allowing “one-to-many” to actually be personal, despite large audiences.

One-to-Many emails include:

1. General interest newsletters from organizations, businesses, and communities

2. Product marketing, coupons

3. Event announcements, invitations, and details

An example is shown on Fig.1.

Figure 1

Transactional Email

Transactional emails are becoming essential to the way we interact with applications and services on the
web. You know those emails from Facebook letting you know someone’s commented on a photo, or
those receipt emails you get from Amazon? They’re transactional emails, with content that’s tailored
specifically to you. Transactional email is a type of one-to-one email. It’s different from bulk email, which
goes to many people with the same content.

Transactional emails might invite us back to a web service after a period of inactivity, let us know what’s
happening online while we’re away, or encourage us to purchase items we left in our shopping cart.

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The idea of the term “transactional” may vary across industries—it doesn’t necessarily infer e-
commerce, as not all transactional emails are related to purchases. Many people refer to transactional
emails as triggered, automatic, real-time, or even personalized

You may receive a transactional email when you:

1. Sign up for a service, site, or newsletter

2. Forget your username or password, and request a new one

3. Make a change to an account profile

4. Have updates or notifications sent from an account

5. Make a purchase or donation online or in a brick-and-mortar store (some retailers will now offer
to email a receipt to you)

6. Leave items in an online shopping cart

7. Renew a subscription to a site or service

8. Get a reply to a comment on a blog or social-media site

9. Get a response from a contact form or online survey

Generally speaking, transactional emails aren’t considered marketing emails. However, they may
sometimes contain a marketing message along with the transaction details.

Email Access Types by ISP

The most common types of accounts are referred to by their Internet protocol name — POP3 and IMAP
or just POP and IMAP. Your ISP can tell you which protocol you use to access your e-mail account, but
POP3 is by far the most common. The POP3 and IMAP accounts differ in where your messages are saved
ultimately.

What are IMAP and POP?

IMAP and POP are two methods to access email. IMAP is the recommended method when you need to
check your emails from several different devices, such as a phone, laptop, and tablet.

IMAP

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IMAP allows you to access your email wherever you are, from any device. When you read an email
message using IMAP, you aren't actually downloading or storing it on your computer; instead, you're
reading it from the email service. As a result, you can check your email from different devices, anywhere
in the world: your phone, a computer, a friend's computer.

IMAP only downloads a message when you click on it, and attachments aren't automatically
downloaded. This way you're able to check your messages a lot more quickly than POP.

POP

POP works by contacting your email service and downloading all of your new messages from it. Once
they are downloaded onto your PC or Mac, they are deleted from the email service. This means that
after the email is downloaded, it can only be accessed using the same computer. If you try to access
your email from a different device, the messages that have been previously downloaded won't be
available to you.

Sent mail is stored locally on your PC or Mac, not on the email server.

A lot of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) give you email accounts that use POP.

Webmail accounts vs email apps

If you've used Gmail, Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, or iCloud, then you've used webmail. To get to your
webmail account, you access the Internet and sign in to your email account.

If you have a PC or Mac, you've probably used a program like Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird to
manage your email. Outlook, Apple Mail, and Thunderbird are email apps: programs that you install on
your computer to manage your email. They interact with an email service such as Gmail or Outlook.com
to receive and send email.

You can add any email account to your email app for it to manage your email. For example, you can add
webmail accounts - Gmail, Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, AOL, and Yahoo - to the Outlook or Apple Mail
app to manage your email, and you can add work email accounts.

Adding webmail accounts to email apps such as Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird

When you add your email account to your email app, it will usually attempt to set it up with IMAP
access, without any input from you.

If the email app has difficulty adding your email account, it's usually because the email account is set up
for POP access. In this case, you need to go to your email provider and find out the name of their POP
and SMTP server so you can enter the info into the email app. The info usually looks something like this:

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1. Incoming Mail (IMAP) Server: imap.<name of service>.com

2. Incoming (POP) Server: pop.<name of service>.com

3. Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server: smtp.<name of service>.com

INSTANT MESSAGING

Instant messaging (IM) is a form of online communication that allows real-time (or close to real-time)
interaction through personal computers or mobile computing devices. Users can exchange messages
privately, similar to e-mail, or join group conversations. Although typed text remains the primary
convention for IM, the technology has grown significantly from early versions and now allows users to
send images, audio and video files, and other attachments. Early versions of IM appeared in the late
1990s, and the list of IM tools has grown to include dozens of applications. Technologies that enable IM
—such as wireless connectivity and mobile devices—have become widespread, providing a “critical
mass” for IM to reach near ubiquity. At the same time, many vendors whose primary business is
something other than IM have added IM functionality to their products. Nearly all learning management
systems have incorporated chat tools, ranging from the elegant and sophisticated, which include icons,
sounds, and pictures, to the rudimentary, which simply provide text in boxes.

The interactive nature of IM is closer to spoken conversation than written correspondence, allowing
users to communicate in a manner that e-mail does not. IM users have a sense of presence of other
users, as if they were in a room together. At the same time, the technology facilitates the kind of on-
screen interaction, with its perceptions of distance and safety, that many found comfortable.

The IM Users

Large and growing numbers of teens in today’s and tomorrow’s college students—are regular users of
IM, both as a personal communication tool and, in some cases, for educational initiatives in high school.
As IM matures into an accepted means of communication, and as ever-larger numbers of students arrive
on campus as seasoned IM users, colleges and universities are adding IM to campus functions ranging
from recruiting and admissions to teaching and support. Some institutional libraries have set up online
reference desks with IM applications, and faculty has begun using the technology to facilitate virtual
office hours. For many current and prospective students, IM is becoming the preferred mode of contact
with recruiters and admissions staff, the registrar’s office, and academic advisors.

IM FUNCTIONALITIES

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Functionality ranges widely for IM applications, but typically users log in to a service with a screen name
or ID. Most IM applications notify users when others join or leave, and many allow users to indicate their
status, such as “away from desk” or “in a meeting.” Once logged in, you can send messages to
individuals or join IM sessions. Most IM windows include an area where messages are displayed
chronologically and a composition box where messages are typed. Composition boxes usually allow
basic formatting of text, and most let you add images, multimedia files, or other attachments. When
someone types an instant message, the chat client indicates that a message is being composed. When
the message is sent, it pops up on your screen in front of other applications.

SIGNIFICANCE OF IM

Hundreds of millions of people use IM to stay connected. In many ways, IM epitomizes the notion of the
always-connected, multi- tasking student, sending and receiving messages at all hours, from a wide
spectrum of devices, while doing several other things at the same time. For many students, the
technology has become as ingrained in daily life as telephones are for older generations. Many colleges
and universities are working to incorporate IM into the educational aspects of students’ lives, rather
than relegating it to a social function.

IM interactions are infused with a level of serendipity and the possibility of chance encounters online
that are unique to the medium. Some applications allow users to set a status of “hidden.” Even though
you cannot tell they are online, they might suddenly send you a message. You can send a message to
someone who is logged in, but perhaps she is away from her computer. Maybe she is in class or
otherwise occupied but hasn’t set her status to show that.

IM users have developed an evolving syntax that includes short- hand, acronyms, symbols, and other
elements that constitute a unique lexicon, encouraging users to interact in ways not possible either in
person or with other forms of electronic communication. While this dynamic expands access to students
who are uneasy with other types of communication, it also provides new modes of expression for
students who are otherwise comfortable participating in class. IM creates an environment that
approximates the sharing of a physical space, allowing distance students to engage in learning that
approaches face-to-face meetings.

The technology is also promoting the practice of creating “back channels,” or secondary conversations
that happen at the same time, for example, as a lecture, board meeting, or conference call. Students in a
lecture hall might use IM to ask each other questions about the lecture topic and share their thoughts
without interrupting the professor

IM CHALLENGES

The flip side of offering new modes of interaction is that the technology might encourage some
participants to engage in offensive, disruptive, or other behavior that, in different contexts, they would
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see as inappropriate. As with any new form of communication, IM can lead to misunderstandings about
what others are trying to convey. Moreover, the always-on notion of IM carries the risk of unrealistic
expectations about how quickly users can expect responses. Because messages pop up on users’ screens
who are logged in, some consider the technology to be a source of continual distractions.

Users of IM technologies face a number of security risks. Although sending attachments through IM
fosters a richer experience, those files are subject to viruses and other malware, particularly since IM
attachments often bypass antivirus software. Some IM networks are more susceptible than others to
eavesdropping, and a problem looming on the horizon is that of “spim,” the IM version of spam.
Because it’s difficult to verify the source of an instant message, some people have begun sending
unwanted messages to IM clients, with bogus advertisements or solicitations for personal information.

IM TREND

Just as IM tools are showing up in non-IM software, so too are traditionally non-IM features included in
IM applications, blurring the lines between types of applications. The introduction of new consumer
electronic devices and the growing functionality of existing ones are broadening the scope of IM
availability. Video chat applications are appearing, and IM networks are starting to allow users to send
messages to users who are not online and to see archived transcripts of past messages. New IM features
are being added to allow richer conversations, such as turn taking, collaborative composition, and game
playing. The proliferation of IM-capable devices will bring new uses of the technology that take
advantage of its unique nature.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

Students who use IM feel connected with peers and faculty, and some users have found that IM
facilitates semiformal distance relationships that are difficult to create through other media. IM offers
higher education a new mode of communication, often for relatively low cost and without significant
overhead for IT infrastructure. Increasingly, students will arrive on campus having spent years using IM,
expecting the technology to be part of their educational lives. In addition, because IM is used for
communication in many corporations, for many its use will extend beyond college.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS

Social media is defined by Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) as ‘a group of internet-based applications that
build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and
exchange of user generated content’. Trends suggest that social networking websites are becoming
more common and important for individuals (Szwedo et al., 2010), and recently also for organizations
(Light et al., 2008; Kuikka and Äkkinen, 2011).

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Most IM systems presently in use were designed with scalability rather than security in mind. Virtually
all freeware IM programs lack encryption capabilities and most have features that bypass traditional
corporate firewalls, making it difficult for administrators to control instant messaging usage inside an
organization. Many of these systems have insecure password management and are vulnerable to
account spoofing and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Finally, IM systems meet all the criteria required to
make them an ideal platform for rapidly spreading computer worms and blended threats:2 they are
ubiquitous; they provide a communications infrastructure; they have integrated directories (buddy lists)
that can be used to locate new targets; and they can, in many cases, be controlled by easily written
scripts. Even worse, no firewall on the market today can scan instant messaging transmissions for
viruses.

Virtually all IM systems employ the same basic client-server architecture. Users install instant messaging
clients on their client machines—desktop computers, wireless devices, or PDAs, for example—and these
clients communicate with an IM server in the messaging provider’s infrastructure to locate other users
and exchange messages. In most instances, messages are not sent directly from the initiating user’s
computer to the recipient’s computer, but are sent first to an IM server, and then from the IM server to
the intended recipient.

Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn increasingly are being used by
enterprises to engage with customers, build their brands and communicate information to the rest of
the world. However, social media for enterprises is not all about "liking," "friending," "up-voting" or
"digging." For organizations, there are high risks to using social media, ranging from damaging the brand
to exposing proprietary information to inviting lawsuits.

SOCIAL MEDIA SECURITY THREATS:

Information security has become a growing concern for companies by the advent of social media. New
technologies for collaboration and interaction have increased the possibilities for information sharing.
Although online communication has become very popular and has become the way to maintain social
relationships, it has also highlighted the adverse effects on human behaviour. For companies, it would
be important to get an understanding of whether and how social media represents a threat to
information security in order to be better able to plan their appearances in and policies concerning
social media.

For companies and their employees, social media allows new ways to communicate with customers and
colleagues. Vast amounts of information are being exchanged in social media. Information is a highly
valuable asset, and therefore questions concerning information security become more and more
important. Companies are becoming increasingly worried about information security in social media.

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There are three main security challenges:

First, challenges arising from employees’ actions or unawareness in social media (especially reputation
damage) seem to represent bigger threats to information security than threats caused by outside
attacks.

Second, the confusion of private and professional roles in social media represents an information
security risk, and distinguishing between these roles becomes more difficult the higher an employee’s
position in the company.

Third, communication with employees and colleagues represents an information security challenge
especially when communication is not steered by the company.

MOBILE APPS: ADVERTISING

The rise of social media is inextricably linked with the revolution in mobile computing, which has
spawned a huge industry in mobile application development. Naturally, whether using their own or
company-issued mobile devices, employees typically download dozens of apps because they can.
Sometimes they download more than they bargained for. In early March, Google removed from
its Android Market more than 60 applications carrying malicious software. Some of the malware was
designed to reveal the user's private information to a third party, replicate itself on other devices,
destroy user data or even impersonate the device owner.

And all because this new game is supposed to be even better than Angry Birds!

E-commerce

Electronic commerce, commonly known as E-commerce is trading in products or services using

computer networks, such as the Internet. Electronic commerce draws on technologies such as mobile
commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction
processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data
collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web for at least one
part of the transaction's life cycle, although it may also use other technologies such as e-mail.

Definition of E-commerce:

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Sharing business information, maintaining business relationships and conducting business transactions
using computers connected to telecommunication network is called E-Commerce.

E-Commerce Categories:

1. Electronic Markets

Present a range of offerings available in a market segment so that the purchaser can compare the prices
of the offerings and make a purchase decision. Example: Airline Booking System

2. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

1. It provides a standardized system

2. Coding trade transactions

3. Communicated from one computer to another without the need for printed orders and

invoices & delays & errors in paper handling

4. It is used by organizations that a make a large no. of regular transactions

Example: EDI is used in the large market chains for transactions with their suppliers

3. Internet Commerce

It is use to advertise & make sales of wide range of goods & services. This application is for both business
to business & business to consumer transactions.

Example: The purchase of goods that are then delivered by post or the booking of tickets that can be
picked up by the clients when they arrive at the event.

Advantages Of E-commerce:

1. Buying/selling a variety of goods and services from one's home or business anywhere, anytime
transaction

2. Can look for lowest cost for specific goods or service

3. Businesses can reach out to worldwide clients - can establish business partnerships

4. Order processing cost reduced

5. Electronic funds transfer faster

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6. Supply chain management is simpler, faster, and cheaper using ecommerce

- Can order from several vendors and monitor supplies.

- Production schedule and inventory of an organization can be inspected by cooperating supplier who
can in-turn schedule their work

Disadvantages of E-commerce:

1. Electronic data interchange using EDI is expensive for small businesses

2. Security of internet is not very good - viruses, hacker attacks can paralise e-commerce

3. Privacy of e-transactions is not guaranteed

4. E-commerce de-personalises shopping

Threats of E-commerce:

1. Hackers attempting to steal customer information or disrupt the site.

2. A server containing customer information is stolen.

3. Imposters can mirror your ecommerce site to steal customer money

4. Authorised administrators/users of an ecommerce website downloading hidden active content

that attacks the ecommerce system.

5. A disaffected employee disrupting the ecommerce system.

It is also worth considering where potential threats to your ecommerce site might come from, as
identifying potential threats will help you to protect your site.

Consider Potential Threats:

1. Who may want to access your ecommerce site to cause disruption or steal data; for example
competitors, ex-employees, etc.

2. What level of expertise a potential hacker may possess; if you are a small company that would
not be likely to be considered a target for hackers then expensive, complex security may not be
needed.

Features of E-Commerce:

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1. Ubiquity of Internet/Web technology in the marketplace is extended beyond traditional

available everywhere: at work, at home, and boundaries and is removed from a temporal and
elsewhere via mobile devices, anytime .

2. Market space‖ is created; shopping can take place anywhere. Customer convenience is
enhanced, and shopping costs are reduced.

3. Global reach: The technology of eCommerce is enabled across cultural and across national
boundaries, around the earth. national boundaries seamlessly and without modification.

4. Market space‖ includes potentially billions of consumers and millions of businesses worldwide.

5. Interactivity: As the technology works, Consumers are engaged in a dialog that through
interaction with the user dynamically adjusts the experience to the individual, and makes the
consumer a co-participant in the process of delivering goods to the market.

6. Information density: The technology of Information processing, storage reduces information

costs and raises quality. Communication costs drop dramatically, while currency, accuracy, and
timeliness improve greatly. Information becomes plentiful, cheap, and accurate.

7. Personalization/Customization: The Personalization of marketing messages and technology

allows personalized messages to customization of products and services be delivered to
individuals as well as groups based on individual characteristics.

Business models of e-commerce:

There are mainly 4 types of business models based on transaction party.

Business-to-Consumer (B2C)

In a Business-to-Consumer E-commerce environment, companies sell their online goods to consumers

who are the end users of their products or services. Usually, B2C E-commerce web shops have an open
access for any visitor, meaning that there is no need for a person to login in order to make any product
related inquiry.

Business-to-Business (B2B)

In a Business-to-Business E-commerce environment, companies sell their online goods to other

companies without being engaged in sales to consumers. In most B2B E-commerce environments
entering the web shop will require a log in. B2B web shop usually contains customer-specific pricing,
customer-specific assortments and customer-specific discounts.

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Consumer-to-Business (C2B)

In a Consumer-to-Business E-commerce environment, consumers usually post their products or services

online on which companies can post their bids. A consumer reviews the bids and selects the company
that meets his price expectations.

Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)

In a Consumer-to-Consumer E-commerce environment consumers sell their online goods to other

consumers. A well-known example is eBay.

References

1. Kaplan, A.M. and Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the World, Unite. The Challenges and
Opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68.

2. Kuikka, M and Äkkinen, M. (2011).Determining the Challenges in Organizational Social Media

Adoption and Use. In Proceedings of the 19th European Conference on Information Systems.

3. Rebecca E. Grinter & Leysia Palen. Instant Messaging in Teen Life. In CSCW’02, November 16–20,
2002, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Copyright 2002 ACM 1-58113-560-2/02/0011

4. Symantec Security White Paper: Securing Instant Messaging

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