The Internet Revolution

The Internet Revolution

The explosive growth of the Internet is a revolutionary phenomenon in computing and telecommunications. The Internet has become the largest and most important network of networks today and has evolved into a global information superhighway. The Internet does not have a central computer system or telecommunications centre. There are 13 root servers that are used to handle the bulk of the routing of traffic from on computer to another.

Internet Service Providers

Nobody owns the Internet. An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet to individuals and organizations.

Internet Applications

The most popular internet applications are e-mail, instant messaging, browsing the sites on the World Wide Web, and participating in newsgroups and chat rooms.

Business Use of the Internet

Business use of the internet has expanded from an electronic information exchange to a broad platform for strategic business applications.

The Business Value of the Internet

Most companies are building e-business and e-commerce Web sites to achieve six major business values:

• Generate new revenue from online sales.
• Reduce transaction costs through online sales and customer support.
• Attract new customers via Web marketing and advertising and online sales.
• Increase the loyalty of existing customers via improved Web customer service and support.
• Develop new Web-based markets and distribution channels for existing products.
• Develop new information-based products accessible on the Web.

“Hechte vriendschap vormen via online communicatie blijkt toch lastig”

Even tussendoor... voor de Dutch followers, een Nederlandstalige blog!

“Hechte vriendschap vormen via online communicatie blijkt toch lastig”

Onlinecommunicatie is hip, de sociale netwerksites worden druk bezocht en Twitteren lijkt het nieuwe sms’en te worden. Hyves, Facebook, Myspace, volop sociale media om jezelf online te profileren, contacten te vinden en te onderhouden. Al bestaande vriendschappen kunnen nieuw leven ingeblazen worden via korte online berichtjes en notificaties. En nieuwe vriendschappen en connecties wachten om gevormd te worden.

Maar wat is dan een online vriendschap precies? Een online vriendschap kenmerkt zich als een type vriendschap welke begint en zich verder ontwikkelt via computer mediated communicatie (CMC).  Volgens Grand H. L. Cheng (2006), die onderzoek heeft gedaan naar de kwaliteit van online relaties, is de algemene kwaliteiten van offline relaties hoger beoordeeld dan die van online relaties. Echter, naarmate er meer tijd verstrijkt trekt dit meer naar elkaar toe. Ook uit onderzoek van Parks en Floyd (1996) blijkt dat algemene vriendschapsbeoordelingen voor online relaties significant lager zijn dan die voor offline relaties.

Daarnaast laat onderzoek naar Hyves van Antheunis en Schouten (2007) zien, dat een sociale netwerk site als Hyves FtF vriendencontact niet kan vervangen en blijft dit FtF contact noodzakelijk om een goede vriend te kunnen maken. Het resultaat van het onderzoek van Ellison, Stienfield en Lampe (2007) kon zich verenigen met deze uitspraak. Hieruit kwam naar voren dat Facebook een veel groter effect had op het tijdelijke interesse netwerk, dan op de hechtere vriendschappen welke meer affectie behelzen.

Bovenstaande onderzoeken geven dus allen aan dat FtF contact noodzakelijk blijft voor het vormen en onderhouden van goede vriendschappen. Echte harde uitspraken over hechtheid van vriendschappen zijn er nog niet gedaan. Ook omdat dit waarschijnlijk een moeilijk operationaliseer baar begrip betreft. Vooralsnog lijken sociale netwerksites als Hyves en Facebook een leuke aanvulling op ons (bestaande) contact, maar op zichzelf toch niet in staat tot het vormen van hechte contacten.

Nieuws: Bof op UvT

Van de GGD:

Bof op Universiteit Tilburg

De GGD Hart voor Brabant krijgt de laatste weken meer meldingen van bof, onder andere van studenten aan de Universiteit van Tilburg. Sinds december 2009 circuleert de bof onder universiteitsstudenten in Nederland.

Voor meer info, zie: http://www.ggdhvb.nl/nl-NL/Actueel/Nieuws/Bof%20op%20Universiteit%20Tilburg

The Role of e-Business in Business

The Role of e-Business in Business

Many businesses are using Internet Technologies to Web-enable their business processes and create innovative e-business applications.

E-business is the use of Internet technologies to work and empower business processes, electronic commerce, and enterprise collaboration within a company and with its customers, suppliers, and other business stakeholders. The Internet and Internet-like networks – those inside the enterprise (intranet) and between an enterprise and its trading partners (extranet) – have become the primary information technology infrastructure that supports the e-business applications of many companies.

Enterprise collaboration systems involve the use of software tools to support communication, coordination and collaboration among the members of networked teams and workgroups.

Electronic commerce is the buying, selling, marketing and servicing of products, services, and information over a variety of computer networks.

Blogging on demand... ?

Wouldn't it be a great idea if I start blogging on demand? Tell me what you would like to read about and I will blog on it!! The inventor and all other readers can then respond to this blog, which hopefully leads to an interesting discussion.

Please tell me your opinion about this idea of mine. Perhaps you also have an idea for my next "blog on demand".

Do you want or need to write an essay?

This site tells you how!

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Tips-And-Guidelines-On-How-To-Write-A-Persuasive-Essay/1524306

Information Technology, in general

My first blog on online writing, I will devote to the theme of information technology in general. Based on this book: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072472642/
Interesting information will be provided chronological on the course of business information technology (@ University of Tilburg the Netherlands). This will offcourse all be allternated with more lighter reading material :-)

What Is an Information System?

An information system (IS) can be any organized combination of people, hardware, software, communications networks, data resources, and policies and procedures that stores, retrieves, transforms and disseminates information in an organization. A system is a set of interrelated components, with a clearly defined boundary, working together to achieve a common set of objectives.

Information Technologies

The term information system describes all of the components and resources necessary to deliver information and functions to the organization. The term information technology refers to the various hardware, software, networking, and data management components necessary for the system to operate. We will concentrate on computer-based information systems and their use of the following information technologies:

-          Computer hardware technologies.

-          Computer software technologies.

-          Telecommunications network technologies.

-          Data resource management technologies.

What You Need to Know

An Information Systems Knowledge Framework for Business Professionals

There are five areas of IS knowledge:

-          Foundation concepts.

-          Information technologies.

-          Business applications.

-          Development processes.

-          Management challenges.

The Fundamental Roles of Information Systems  in Business

There are three fundamental reasons for all business applications of information technology. They are found in the three vital roles that information systems can perform for a business enterprise:

-          Support of business processes and operations.

-          Support of decision making by employees and managers.

-          Support of strategies for competitive advantage.

Next blog I will (probably, haha) be discussing The Role of e-Business in Business