There is no doubt that technology has revolutionized the way we live. Electronics and computers have enabled the automotive industry to build cars that outperform and outlast anything we envisioned a few years ago. Cellular phones make it possible for us to communicate with others wherever our busy lives take us, and with an Internet connection, we can obtain information about, or purchase, almost anything, from anywhere in the world, at any time.

Within minutes of slipping an AOL disc into my computer for the first time, I was fascinated by the vast amount of information available by merely connecting my computer to the telephone jack, and logging on to the Internet, but I soon began to visualize the potential for online business. Instead of opening a new location and stocking it with expensive inventory to expand their business, these online “e-tailers” concentrated on one “virtual” location and worked at drawing customers into their store from all over the world via the Internet. What a brilliant marketing tool!

The dot com boom and bust gave pause to the financiers who invested (and lost) billions of dollars in online ventures, but it focused their attention on those who not only survived, but flourished. E-bay, Amazon, Dell Computers, and a few others had developed business models that worked, and electronic commerce established itself as a viable way to do business without the limitations or expense of a physical location.

As many of you know, Sarah and I began a web site design and development business a few years ago. Our online venture was born in our minds, but after much “online research,” an “online purchase” of the development software we chose, and opening our “virtual office,” “Show Me Web Works” was officially launched.

Doing business online is a fact of modern life. My 18 year old daughter pays bills, checks on class assignments, submits job applications, and makes purchases online, without giving a thought to the technology required to make it possible. Sarah and I do research and comparison shopping online more than actual buying, but as I said, we do make some purchases and pay a few bills electronically.

Anyone who wants a web site can build and publish one with almost no knowledge of HTML (the language of the Internet), and I would encourage them to do so, however, sites with dynamically generated content, wherein information is displayed based on interaction from the user, require a vastly greater knowledge of, not only HTML, but scripting, databases, etc., as well. We are now engaged in developing e-commerce enabled, business web sites, fully equipped with shopping cart and checkout. Sarah and I have chosen, not only to embrace technology, we’ve chosen to try to make our mark with it, but like most adults who remember life without the Internet, we are still awed by the vastness and un-tapped potential of cyber space.

E-commerce is here to stay! The convenience and time savings of shopping and buying online help people cope with the fast pace of their lives, thus assuring that the popularity of e-commerce will continue to grow. Security risks such as identity theft and credit card fraud are very real, but a little caution and the use of some common sense can reduce them considerably. One way to improve online shopping safety is to open a credit card account with a very low credit limit. In this way you can limit the amount a hacker or fraudulent business can potentially steal. A variation of this method is to open a separate debit card account at your bank specifically for making purchases online. Deposit only enough money in this account to cover the purchases you plan to make. This requires a bit more advance planning and effort since you have to put the money in before you can make your purchase, but you gain some peace of mind in the knowledge that your life savings are not available through this account number.

Another important security measure to take is to do some research into the reputation of the e-tailer before making your purchase. If they have defrauded others, it’s almost a sure bet that you will be able to find the negative reviews by doing a search for the business name.

Next month, I’ll discuss more ways to make your online shopping more secure, until then…

Happy shopping,

Terry