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| In Today's Issue: | |
| Quote: | Thomas Edison on success |
| News: | HP Unveils Portal Partnership With Yahoo! |
| Facts: | Online Banking predicted to triple in 5 years |
| Tip: | Writing for the Web! |
| Biz Sites: | 1. BRINT - Business, Technology and Management Network |
| 2.Inkspot - Writer's Resources | |
| Term: | Smart Cards |
| Ripple Rock: | Lines blurring between technologies! |
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
*** " I never did anything worth doing by accident, nor did any of my
inventions come by accident. They came by work."
--Thomas Edison
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LATE BREAKING NEWS:
Hewlett-Packard, a traditional hardware and system vendor, announced Monday a partnership with Yahoo to build internal information portals for employee services over the Internet.
Scheduled for availability early next year, the Corporate My Yahoo interface will offer a personalized point of entry to corporate applications and services, such as travel policies and compensation and benefits. The applications and services available will include e-mail, instant messaging, calendaring, address book, travel reservations and ticket purchases, message boards, and stock portfolios. Customers can also gain access to services outside the firewall, such as I2 supply-chain capabilities or Ariba procurement capabilities, according to HP.
Source: TechWeb
http://www.techweb.com/
CyberSisters' comments:
Last week our term of the day was "portal" - well, here's a trend to
watch out for - the corporate portal. First there were general search engines
like Yahoo or Excite, who became portal by adding news, email, etc.. Then,
"specialized" portals like "canada.com" or "women.com" sprouted up. But
here's the twist- the portal of the future just might be one that is run
by your boss! Large software companies are jumping on this trend too -
e.g. PeopleSoft is re-designing its applications nto a portal framework.
So is their rival SAP (large scale
enterprise management software). It makes good business sense - --if their
applications are easy to access from customized portals, companies
may buy licenses for more employees. It's all about who controls our net
experiences. With applications themselves coming so tied into the net,
it's a natural progression that software companies will jump on the "portal"
bandwagon.
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FACTOID OF THE WEEK:
Online Banking predicated to triple!
The number of US households using PC banking applications is expected to more than triple in the next five years, from 7 million at the end of 1998 to more than 24.2 million by 2004, according to GartnerGroup's Dataquest.
Source: CyberAtlas
http://www.cyberatlas.internet.com
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TIP:
Writing for the Web
Writing for the web or other online media is a unique craft. Whether you are working on an online newsletter, or developing a complex corporate Internet web site, you've probably realized that writing for a web page is different than writing for a printed page. Here's some helpful tips to remember:
1. Write short, compelling copy.
2. Determine the purpose of the web page and write to draw the
visitor to the intended result. (i.e do you want them to buy your product?
Then the words should draw them toward the purchase).
3. Put your most important point or key concepts in the first 50 words.
Many search engines will grab the first sentence or two to describe your
document.
4. Avoid long screens of scrolling text. Use short paragraphs and add
boldface or italics discretely to aid the eye.
5. Remember the Internet is not local. You could have vistitors from
all over the world. So, remember to state the currency you are using, where
you deliver to, etc.. Tell international visitors up-front if you can't
service them, so they don't waste their time filling out orders you can't
fulfill. Avoid local references (unless that's your intended audience,
and if so, state that clearly).
6. Most web visitors are used to a more informal, relaxed writing style.
Unless you have a particular reason for writing formally, use an informal,
friendly tone.
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BIZ SITES OF THE WEEK:
1. BRINT - Business, Technology and Management Network
The BRINT network covers business and technology news and research It has a full management research library, general online research library and a bookstore. It also has articles and book reviews. Check it out at:
2. Inkspot - Writer's Resource on the Web!
If our "writing for the web" tip inspired you, check out Inkspot - a comprehensive writing resource and community. Named by Writer's Digest Magazine as one of the best sites for writers, Inkspot offers over 2000 pages of information about the craft and business of writing, as well as discussion forums and other online networking opportunities.
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TERM OF THE DAY:
"Smart Card"
A credit card with a built-in microprocessor and memory used for identification or financial transactions. When inserted into a reader, it transfers data to and from a central computer. It is more secure than a magnetic stripe card and can be programmed to self-destruct if the wrong password is entered too many times. As a financial transaction card, it can be loaded with digital money and used like a travelers cheque, except that variable amounts of money can be spent until the balance is zero.
Source: CMP Techweb
http://www.techweb.com/
CyberSister Comment:
It won't be long before we'll be buying our computers with a card reader attached. Open up your wallet and look at all the various cards for have in there. (e.g VISA, M/C, bank cards, "Save on More" card, "Safeway Club Card", "Club Z points", "Air Miles"). Now think of all these payment methods and savings programs interacting with web sites. That's what smart card technology allows.
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Ripple Effect "Rock"
What's a Ripple Effect Rock? Well, think of a rock thrown in a lake, and how the water ripples outward. This section of the newsletter covers developments and technologies that we think might soon cause a "ripple effect" in business or society.
Ripple Rock for Aug 13, 1999:
Lines are blurring between technologies...
Sega just released a new $199 Dreamcast video game console (http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2309077,00.html) The game console has a built-in web browser and email progam, which demonstrates why the lines between PCs and "Internet Appliances" are going to be getting very blurry. Yet another player in the war to own our web experience.
Things to ponder: According to Forrester Research, by 2004 "Interactive TV" or "WebTV", a melding of the Web and the TV will yield $11 billion in advertising (in, for example, new "Electronic Program Guides"), $7 billion in commerce, and $2 billion in subscriptions (http://www.emarketer.com/estats/080999_ITV.html). If this takes off as Forrester predicts, the line between "computers" and "TV," and perhaps between work and play, will get fuzzier and fuzzier.....
(hey... is "fuzzier" a real word? or has my mind gone fuzzy? :)
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That's it for now! Have a great week!
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"Exploring the Ripple Effect of Digital Technology"
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