Using the Internet

Searching and Ecommerce basics

• Searching from the internet

“Computers download information—

• They do not teach you to think.• Computer education imparts technical

skills;• It does not impart knowledge.”• John Rosemond

“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

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

• Question:– What is the name of the largest/smallest monkey

that lives in Africa?

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

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

• /seminars—file name: –a folder within a website

• .html—hypertext markup language:

• the computer language used to format documents

What Do You Use To Search?

• Search engines• Search directories• Metasearchers

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.

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.

Before you search, you need to:

• Prepare• Organize• Combine

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.

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.

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

Getting Started Searching

• URL’s• Searching techniques• Search engines

Search Directories--

•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.

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

ECommerce

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

Contracts

• Law of contracts• Issues for e-commerce

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

Offer

• Clear statement of terms• Person who makes it is prepared to be

bound• Not just an “invitation to treat”

Acceptance

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

Time of creation of contract

• Contract formed at time and place the acceptance is communicated to offeror

Termination orrevocation of offer

• Can be revoked prior to acceptance• Revocation must be communicated to

offeror

Certainty

• Essential parts of contract must be clear and complete

• Courts may imply a meaning• Uncertain term can be “severed”

Consideration

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

Intention

• Express• Inferred from the circumstances• Must be genuine consent - not obtained

under duress

Capacity

• Age• Intellectual capacity

Terms and conditions

• Express • Implied

Formalities

• Oral or written• Writing required under statute eg for sale

of land

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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?

Setting up a business entity

• Sole trader• Partnership• Company• Trust

Sole trader

• All profits• All losses• All liabilities• Own name or choose business name• Register business name

Partnership

• Carrying on a business• In common• With a view to profit• Established by written agreement, oral

agreement or conduct

Partnership

• Partnership Act 1892 (NSW)

• Corporations Law: Not more than 20 partners (except doctors, solicitors and accountants)

Partnership

• Profit sharing

• Joint and several liability

• Fiduciary duties to partners

Companies

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

Companies

• Constitution

• Directors duties

• Limits on raising money from the public

Companies

• The “corporate veil”

• Lifting the veil: fraud, agency, paying more dividends than profit, incurring debts when company insolvent

Companies

Form a company by:• Registering name• Lodge application with ASIC• Registered office• Names of directors and members

Which structure?

• Where are you getting your money from?• What is your risk/liability?• Who will be in control?• What are the ongoing costs?

What is a domain name

• Human friendly form of an Internet address• Actual address is an Internet Protocol (IP)

number• System globally administered by ICANN• Generic top level domains (gTLDs)

– .com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov, .biz• Country code top level domains (ccTLDs)

• Find three local companies that are doing Ecommerce?

• Next session– Review before the mid term exams