Okay, this time I've got module 6, assignment question 6.
Question 6
Visit the website e-gold. Test the trustworthiness of this site using the six criteria listed in Topic 2 of this module.
Based on your results, do you find this site to be trustworthy? Why or why not?
Those six criteria are that:
* The site is genuine and is a legitimate business.
* The electronic transactions are secure and not susceptible to interception or tampering.
* The information about the transactions is adequately protected.
* The privacy of the consumer is appropriately safeguarded.
* The merchant treats customers fairly.
* There's a fair and equitable dispute resolution mechanism.
The site is a legitimate business? Check! E-gold is electronic money backed by gold, silver, platinum and palladium bullion.
The electronic transactions are secure and not easily tampered with? Seems to be, there are a lot of security precautions and implementations (including detailed instructions for users on how to keep their own computers secure when dealing with e-gold transactions.
The information about the transactions are adequately protected? Yes, see above.
The privacy of the consumer is appropriately safeguarded? Again, see above. In addition, there is a specific security called Account Sentinel used for this particular issue.
The merchant treats customers fairly? Seems to also be the case, e-gold Account User Agreement , Privacy Policy , and Anti-Spam Policy are all reasonable policies that are fair to the user.
There's a fair and equitable dispute resolution mechanism? Unfortunately I could not find the information required for this. Considering the rest of the information, I'd assume yes, but I can't guarantee it right now.
Based on these results, if I'd had the money to go and buy e-gold, I'd feel my trust would be well-placed in this business. I see nothing here that would lead me to believe this site offered something other than what it has advertised. I don't particularly like the idea of checking something dealing with money over my cellphone, but that's more a personal issue rather than a flaw with the business.
Seeing as how I don't have any interest in purchasing e-gold, the issue of trustworthiness is moot for me, but I find the whole operation to appear reputable and legitimate.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
NEW Online activity!
So I'm supposed to point out two things I don't agree with/like about www.flightcentre.com 's terms and conditions of use.
WE DO NOT WARRANT OR REPRESENT THAT THE CONTENT OF THIS WEBSITE IS ACCURATE, UP-TO-DATE OR COMPLETE, NOR THAT IT DOES NOT INFRINGE THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS. WE ARE PROVIDING THIS WEBSITE AND ITS CONTENTS ON AN "AS IS" BASIS.
Okay, so what they're saying is... they made a website but don't check out their information? If their information is not checked out and not accurate, what general good is there to using it over, say, expedia.ca? And providing this website on an "as is" basis while supposedly continuing to update it is rather inefficient if they don't clean up their website. I foresee a lot of junk deals going up there.
WE DISCLAIM ALL IMPLIED REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, IMPLIED WARRANTIES THAT THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OFFERED AND SUPPLIED THROUGH THIS WEBSITE WILL BE OF MERCHANTABLE QUALITY, FIT FOR ANY PURPOSE OR WILL COMPLY WITH ANY DESCRIPTIONS ON THIS WEBSITE OR SAMPLES.
Wow.
No responsibility from something they're trying to peddle. What's the point of being a middle-man when you don't even know basic knowledge about the quality of your product or service? Having read this I'm pretty certain I would never use this website.
Now, let's try out expedia, shall we?
THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES PUBLISHED ON THIS WEBSITE MAY INCLUDE INACCURACIES OR ERRORS, INCLUDING PRICING ERRORS. IN PARTICULAR, EXPEDIA, ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND CORPORATE AFFILIATES (COLLECTIVELY, THE “EXPEDIA COMPANIES”) AND THE AFFILIATED, CO-BRANDED AND/OR LINKED WEBSITE PARTNERS THROUGH WHOM WE PROVIDE SERVICE (COLLECTIVELY, “EXPEDIA AFFILIATES”) DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF, AND DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR OTHER INACCURACIES RELATING TO THE INFORMATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE HOTEL, AIR, CRUISE, CAR AND OTHER TRAVEL PRODUCTS DISPLAYED ON THIS WEBSITE (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE PRICING, PHOTOGRAPHS, LIST OF HOTEL AMENITIES, GENERAL PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS, ETC.), MUCH OF WHICH INFORMATION IS PROVIDED BY THE RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS. IN ADDITION, EXPEDIA EXPRESSLY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CORRECT ANY PRICING ERRORS ON OUR WEBSITE AND/OR ON PENDING RESERVATIONS MADE UNDER AN INCORRECT PRICE. IN SUCH EVENT, WE WILL OFFER YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP YOUR PENDING RESERVATION AT THE CORRECT PRICE OR, AT YOUR OPTION, WE WILL CANCEL YOUR RESERVATION WITHOUT PENALTY.
Huh. Okay, so a few things on expedia could be wrong. One chief difference between the two is that expedia seems to want to keep its website cleaner by updating deals and prices, as well as making an attempt at compensation if they do make an error by allowing you the option to keep your reservation at an adjusted price or by cancelling your reservation with no cost to you (whereas flightcentre completely disclaimed responsibility in bad reservations entirely).
Flightcentre has another failing in that it suggests that if there are ANY issues, you do not contact them but instead go after the providers hosting the flights. Expedia, on the otherhand, will help their customers through it:
SERVICE HELP
For quick answers to your questions or ways to contact us, visit our Customer Support Centre You may also contact us by e-mail using our support and feedback form.
Bonus points for Expedia.
WE DO NOT WARRANT OR REPRESENT THAT THE CONTENT OF THIS WEBSITE IS ACCURATE, UP-TO-DATE OR COMPLETE, NOR THAT IT DOES NOT INFRINGE THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS. WE ARE PROVIDING THIS WEBSITE AND ITS CONTENTS ON AN "AS IS" BASIS.
Okay, so what they're saying is... they made a website but don't check out their information? If their information is not checked out and not accurate, what general good is there to using it over, say, expedia.ca? And providing this website on an "as is" basis while supposedly continuing to update it is rather inefficient if they don't clean up their website. I foresee a lot of junk deals going up there.
WE DISCLAIM ALL IMPLIED REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, IMPLIED WARRANTIES THAT THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OFFERED AND SUPPLIED THROUGH THIS WEBSITE WILL BE OF MERCHANTABLE QUALITY, FIT FOR ANY PURPOSE OR WILL COMPLY WITH ANY DESCRIPTIONS ON THIS WEBSITE OR SAMPLES.
Wow.
No responsibility from something they're trying to peddle. What's the point of being a middle-man when you don't even know basic knowledge about the quality of your product or service? Having read this I'm pretty certain I would never use this website.
Now, let's try out expedia, shall we?
THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES PUBLISHED ON THIS WEBSITE MAY INCLUDE INACCURACIES OR ERRORS, INCLUDING PRICING ERRORS. IN PARTICULAR, EXPEDIA, ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND CORPORATE AFFILIATES (COLLECTIVELY, THE “EXPEDIA COMPANIES”) AND THE AFFILIATED, CO-BRANDED AND/OR LINKED WEBSITE PARTNERS THROUGH WHOM WE PROVIDE SERVICE (COLLECTIVELY, “EXPEDIA AFFILIATES”) DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OF, AND DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR OTHER INACCURACIES RELATING TO THE INFORMATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE HOTEL, AIR, CRUISE, CAR AND OTHER TRAVEL PRODUCTS DISPLAYED ON THIS WEBSITE (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE PRICING, PHOTOGRAPHS, LIST OF HOTEL AMENITIES, GENERAL PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS, ETC.), MUCH OF WHICH INFORMATION IS PROVIDED BY THE RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS. IN ADDITION, EXPEDIA EXPRESSLY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CORRECT ANY PRICING ERRORS ON OUR WEBSITE AND/OR ON PENDING RESERVATIONS MADE UNDER AN INCORRECT PRICE. IN SUCH EVENT, WE WILL OFFER YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP YOUR PENDING RESERVATION AT THE CORRECT PRICE OR, AT YOUR OPTION, WE WILL CANCEL YOUR RESERVATION WITHOUT PENALTY.
Huh. Okay, so a few things on expedia could be wrong. One chief difference between the two is that expedia seems to want to keep its website cleaner by updating deals and prices, as well as making an attempt at compensation if they do make an error by allowing you the option to keep your reservation at an adjusted price or by cancelling your reservation with no cost to you (whereas flightcentre completely disclaimed responsibility in bad reservations entirely).
Flightcentre has another failing in that it suggests that if there are ANY issues, you do not contact them but instead go after the providers hosting the flights. Expedia, on the otherhand, will help their customers through it:
SERVICE HELP
For quick answers to your questions or ways to contact us, visit our Customer Support Centre You may also contact us by e-mail using our support and feedback form.
Bonus points for Expedia.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
New Activiy
Okay, new Online Activty (activity 1)
So today's exercise revolved around making a new mock website.
http://dogwarrior.tripod.com/index.html is mine, and it just screams "nerd."
It's a reference to my latest Civ 4 match with Timmeh.
-J
So today's exercise revolved around making a new mock website.
http://dogwarrior.tripod.com/index.html is mine, and it just screams "nerd."
It's a reference to my latest Civ 4 match with Timmeh.
-J
Online Assignments, the next generation
Okay, next assignment:
Choose a Collaboration software that you could use to set up a business meeting over the internet. The meeting is scheduled to last for 6 hours and you are expecting 11 participants from 7 different countries to attend. What are the features provided by this particular software (describe each particular feature). What are the costs involved in this project? In the best case scenario, approximately how much would it cost to bring all the participants to one location?
As cost is an issue, of course, I opt to go with the OpenSource software, Mindquarry. It is a software platform designed for file sharing of numerous types such as media, documents, and others. The program boasts a blend of simplicity and functionality suitable to many levels of depth, whether the business is relatively small and concentrated in one area or if the company is widespread and global through the use of a Wiki server.
http://www.mindquarry.com/
Some of the features include:
Offline/Online compatability: Work done offline is submitted and updated as you come back online.
Redo/Undo projects: Full backups are kept, just in case!
Team and Task manager: Assign tasks to individuals and allocate your personnel to teams! Each team's progress can be tracked, and each task's completion is detailed.
Browser-based Login: secure browser login features connect to the Mindquarry server.
The great news is, being an OpenSource software, the costs are negligible.
Since we're saving money on OpenSource, we can consider bringing our 11 participants here for a meeting from their 7 countries.
We're going to allocate appromximately $2500 per person, which includes return flight (business class), hotel, and vehicle rental.
Choose a Collaboration software that you could use to set up a business meeting over the internet. The meeting is scheduled to last for 6 hours and you are expecting 11 participants from 7 different countries to attend. What are the features provided by this particular software (describe each particular feature). What are the costs involved in this project? In the best case scenario, approximately how much would it cost to bring all the participants to one location?
As cost is an issue, of course, I opt to go with the OpenSource software, Mindquarry. It is a software platform designed for file sharing of numerous types such as media, documents, and others. The program boasts a blend of simplicity and functionality suitable to many levels of depth, whether the business is relatively small and concentrated in one area or if the company is widespread and global through the use of a Wiki server.
http://www.mindquarry.com/
Some of the features include:
Offline/Online compatability: Work done offline is submitted and updated as you come back online.
Redo/Undo projects: Full backups are kept, just in case!
Team and Task manager: Assign tasks to individuals and allocate your personnel to teams! Each team's progress can be tracked, and each task's completion is detailed.
Browser-based Login: secure browser login features connect to the Mindquarry server.
The great news is, being an OpenSource software, the costs are negligible.
Since we're saving money on OpenSource, we can consider bringing our 11 participants here for a meeting from their 7 countries.
We're going to allocate appromximately $2500 per person, which includes return flight (business class), hotel, and vehicle rental.
Online assignments!
I guess I need to work for my "A" after all. Thanks anyway, Joan!
First Assignment: Describe how you would use a Blog in a medium-sized company. Who should create and update the Blog? What type of information is suitable to be published on a Blog?
Generally a company Blog would be useful to give interested people updates on current affairs (which could include new deals, products, or services) as well as give a little more advertising power on a more intimate level.
On one hand you create the blog with customers or investors in mind; on the other you could create a Blog to keep your employees "in the know" for things professional and social events. A lot depends on the tone of the Blog itself but the ability to leave comments would bring people a little closer than a newsletter would.
The creation and maintenance of a Blog would usually be the job of someone skilled in writing (you want it to look professional, don't you?) as well as public relations. Someone with detailed knowledge of what goes on within/with regards to the company would be ideally suited - but be sure they know what not to include (company secrets are called such for a reason).
Suitable information is dependant on the expected use of the the Blog, but as stated above could be anywhere from professional content to social events and discourse. Especially for a public company, offensive material should obviously be avoided: use clean language, stay away from racist/political/religious topics, and leave pornographic material off of the website (there's plenty of that all over the internet as it is).
First Assignment: Describe how you would use a Blog in a medium-sized company. Who should create and update the Blog? What type of information is suitable to be published on a Blog?
Generally a company Blog would be useful to give interested people updates on current affairs (which could include new deals, products, or services) as well as give a little more advertising power on a more intimate level.
On one hand you create the blog with customers or investors in mind; on the other you could create a Blog to keep your employees "in the know" for things professional and social events. A lot depends on the tone of the Blog itself but the ability to leave comments would bring people a little closer than a newsletter would.
The creation and maintenance of a Blog would usually be the job of someone skilled in writing (you want it to look professional, don't you?) as well as public relations. Someone with detailed knowledge of what goes on within/with regards to the company would be ideally suited - but be sure they know what not to include (company secrets are called such for a reason).
Suitable information is dependant on the expected use of the the Blog, but as stated above could be anywhere from professional content to social events and discourse. Especially for a public company, offensive material should obviously be avoided: use clean language, stay away from racist/political/religious topics, and leave pornographic material off of the website (there's plenty of that all over the internet as it is).
Just as an FYI:
This is my first blog, but I'm doing it for a class. No idea if I'll keep this up, but I have one!
When my teacher sees this (as he'll check for it) please give me an "A" for following directions so quickly.
When my teacher sees this (as he'll check for it) please give me an "A" for following directions so quickly.
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