INTERNET
An internet is a network of computer
networks, which operates worldwide using a common set of communication rules
(protocols). A website is to the internet as a market shed is to the market. (A
market is a place where buying and selling can take place)
Burton and Minus (1960)
states that; “those wishing to sell in the market rent a shop or a market store
or shade where they display their goods. Those who wants to buy from the market
needs not to acquire a shade”. The internet at the moment has over 900 million
users (growing at the rate of 100 thousand new users per day).
Similarly, Lucy(1997) states that “the internet is a very big market, so if
one needs to sell on the internet, the person must acquire a website where
documents can be exchanged. Online goods and services can be stored much as a
trader stores his goods in a market shade”. Those not wishing to sel
l but might
buy or obtain free information on the web need not to acquire a website.
Orillia
et al (1972) states that; “websites are actually
hosted on the internet computer services; one server could hold several
websites for different individuals or organizations”.
Lucy
(1989) states that “internet is an electronic
communication network that connects computer networks and organizational
computer facilities around the world”
ELECTRONIC
COMMERCE
Online buying and selling where internet
is often referred distinguish online from ordinary commerce requiring direct
and non-direct electronic exchange of goods and services. To participate in
electronic commerce, the following is important.
Ø Internet
merchant account
Ø Website
Ø Online
business automation
2.2.1 Website
A
website is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other
digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server accessible via a
network such as the internet or a private local area network (intranet) through
and an internet address known as a uniform resource locator.
The web and internet links provided in
the website is often called the World Wide Web (www) which is actually a
distributed multimedia hypertext system that is based on client and server
architecture. An internet website name normally starts with http://www. Where http stands for
hypertext transfer protocol and www stands for World Wide Web. http is a set of
rules for communication between www clients and servers.
A website name (location), including its
full path, is also known as uniform resource locator (URL). Therefore, URL can
be regarded as the address of object on the World Wide Web for example, the
website of that organization (CY online supermarket) will be on the internet so
that the customers will browse the net and get the address of the organization
for purpose of buying and selling of goods online or advertisement of
commodities.
2.2.2 Online Magazine (E-Zine)
E-zine
is a magazine that is distributed partially or solely on electronic network
like the internet. Your website can also be promoted by placing an
advertisement using online magazine or e-zine. There are several e-zines in the
internet which are seen on newspapers, but in an electronic form on the
internet, although it is possible to advertise free in many instance but serious
minded online business man pay money for advertisement on those e-zines that
will catch the most attention from target population.
2.2.3 Autoresponder
The
uses of an autoresponder for online supermarket maximize profit for online
business man due to the promptness of its response to queries and online form
submission. There are several automations which promote online business; one of
the categories of this is the autoresponder. As internet user(customer) request
for some information or services in your online business, an autoresponder (if
installed) sends an automatic reply to tell the visitor that he or she has been
received and he or she is receiving urgent attention and he will be
communicated within a due course. But because the visitor that make the uniform
resource locator request might not be aware that it was a computer programmed
that is responding, he becomes impressed that he was able to retain a relevant
instantaneous response from your website