Using the Internet

1. Using the Internet Searching and Ecommerce basics

2. Searching from the internet

3. “Computers download information— • They do not teach you to think. • Computer education imparts technical skills; • It does not impart knowledge.” • John Rosemond

4. “Not all the information that exists in the world is on the Internet-- Not all the information that is on the Internet is accurate.” Mrs. Kotsch

5. An hour on the Web may not answer a question that you could find within two minutes of picking up a reference book.

6. Question: • What is the name of the largest/smallest monkey that lives in Africa?

7. URL’s • Uniform Resource Locator • The web “address” that connects you with a website • Goes in the address bar at the top of the screen • Gives you information about the website

8. Parts of a URL http://www.starwars.com/seminars.html • http://--hypertext transfer protocol: • the language computers use to “talk” to one another • www—world wide web: • the body of information connected by the cables and computers of the Internet • .starwars—domain name: • the structured, alphabetic-based, unique name for a computer on a network • .com—top level domain: • gives an idea of where the document is stored

9. /seminars—file name: • a folder within a website • .html—hypertext markup language: • the computer language used to format documents

10. What Do You Use To Search? • Search engines • Search directories • Metasearchers

13. Who Pays For The Internet? • Advertisers pay for Internet websites. • Popups and banners are trying to influence your spending habits. • The information on commercial sites--.com—may be presented in such a way as to encourage you to buy a particular product. • Be wary of URL’s with a ~ in the address—this indicates a personal homepage and does not guarnantee accuracy.

14. How Do You Find What You Need? • Libraries and department stores are planned. • No one is in charge of organizing the Internet. • Well-prepared searches will eliminate useless hits and wasted time.

15. Before you search, you need to: • Prepare • Organize • Combine

16. Prepare • What do you need to know about your topic? • Make a list of all the terms connected with your topic. • Include names, organizations, and phrases.

17. Organize • Make a list of the words that are critical to your search. • Note terms that you don’t want to see appear. • Discard the rest.

18. Combine Use Boolean operators to combine your most important terms. • Use AND to connect the terms you want to see. • Use NOT to exclude terms you don’t want. • Use OR to include similar terms. • Use quotation marks around names or phrases • Use lower case for all proper nouns, except for acronyms

19. Getting Started Searching • URL’s • Searching techniques • Search engines

20. SearchDirectories-- • Are like the table of contents in front of a book • Let you search for concepts or subject categories • Go from general to specific. • Sites are added by people.

21. What is/are the names of the monkeys? • Search by yourself!

23. ECommerce

24. What is e-commerce? Includes: • Online business to business transactions • Online business to consumer transactions • Digital delivery of products and services • Online merchandising • Automated telephone transactions eg phone banking • EFTPOS and other automated transfer systems

25. Contracts • Law of contracts • Issues for e-commerce

26. Contracts - the basics • Offer • Acceptance • Intention to enter legal relations • Consideration • Legal capacity • Genuine consent

27. Offer • Clear statement of terms • Person who makes it is prepared to be bound • Not just an “invitation to treat”

28. Acceptance • Unqualified agreement to terms of offer • Express or inferred by conduct • Can’t be forced on unwilling person

29. Time of creation of contract • Contract formed at time and place the acceptance is communicated to offeror

30. Termination orrevocation of offer • Can be revoked prior to acceptance • Revocation must be communicated to offeror

31. Certainty • Essential parts of contract must be clear and complete • Courts may imply a meaning • Uncertain term can be “severed”

32. Consideration • Valuable consideration • Passing between parties to contract • Can’t be unlawful or immoral

33. Intention • Express • Inferred from the circumstances • Must be genuine consent - not obtained under duress

34. Capacity • Age • Intellectual capacity

35. Terms and conditions • Express • Implied

36. Formalities • Oral or written • Writing required under statute eg for sale of land

37. Practical concernsfor e-commerce deals • Identity and capacity of seller or buyer • Authenticity of offer and acceptance (digital signatures) • When and where contract formed • Governing law • Terms and conditions (click through)

38. Practical Concerns for e-commerce deals(2) • Agreement on electronic payment system • Security of information exchanges • Consequences on breach • Storing electronic data to prevent alteration

39. Electronic Transactions Act • Federal law with mirror State laws (NSW, VIC, WA) • To remove obstacles to electronic transactions, communications, signatures and record keeping • 1 July 2001 applies to all federal laws unless exempted

40. Electronic Transactions Act(2) • Validates electronic transactions • Given in writing met electronically now • Govt can specify technology requirements • Business requirement valid only with consent • Signatures-parties free to agree on method • Production and retention of documents • Method must ensure integrity and accessibility • Time and place of dispatch and receipt of communications

41. Electronic Transactions(3) • Time of dispatch is when it enters the first information system outside control of sender • Time of receipt is when it enters an information system designated by the addressee for receiving it. • Place of dispatch and receipt taken to be respective places of business

42. Electronic Transactions (4) • Record keeping OK electronically if law says: • Information to be recorded in writing • A written document to be kept • An electronic communication to be kept • Records must be kept identifying origin, destination, time of sending and receipt of electronic communication

43. Making a contract • What terms do you want to include? • What risks are you trying to avoid? • How will disputes about contract be dealt with? • What is the governing law? • Who will sign it?

44. Setting up a business entity • Sole trader • Partnership • Company • Trust

45. Sole trader • All profits • All losses • All liabilities • Own name or choose business name • Register business name

46. Partnership • Carrying on a business • In common • With a view to profit • Established by written agreement, oral agreement or conduct

47. Partnership • Partnership Act 1892 (NSW) • Corporations Law: Not more than 20 partners (except doctors, solicitors and accountants)

48. Partnership • Profit sharing • Joint and several liability • Fiduciary duties to partners

49. Companies • Corporations Act • Artificial legal entity • Liability of members can be limited

50. Companies • Constitution • Directors duties • Limits on raising money from the public