Week 5: Amazing E-Learning facts!

There's nothing that you already know that is in the lecture notes! so for today, in regards to E-learning, I am here to present to you 5 AMAZING facts about E-Learning!

Number 1:
E-Learning is good for the environment. Britain’s Open University’s study found that producing and providing E-Learning courses consumes an average of 90% less energy and produces 85% fewer CO2 emissions per student than conventional face-to-face courses.

*Think about the trees, think about the air, think about our world, think about E-Learning!

Number 2: 

With E-Learning students have more control over their learning process and can better understand the material, leading to a 60% faster learning curve, compared to instructor-led training.

*Who doesn't want to be the fastest learner?! 60% increase in learning curve sounds like 60% more successful in getting A's!

Number 3:

IBM, after rolling out an E-Learning program for managers, found that participants learned nearly five times more material without increasing time spent training.

*Learning more without spending more time on something? Apparently, E-Learning has shown that it works!

Number 4:

Revenue generation per employee is 26% higher for companies who employ training and development best practices through E-Learning.

Number 5:

Companies that use online learning technology achieve an 18% boost in employee engagement. This way, as you increase job satisfaction and engagement among your employees, the overall health of your organization also improves.

*E-Learning = better jobs, better satisfaction, better working environment, and better paycheck $$$!

With trends shifting towards E-learning, I feel that education institutions play the biggest role. Who knows what will happen in the future! With technology constantly evolving and advancing, we can only expect the best to come. *Learning from school through a online lecture! how awesome is that!  

Week 4: Biz Buzzz on the net!

First and foremost, i would like to share a fun fact about E-commerce in S'pore! We've always been talking about how fascinating China's E-commerce sites are. Let us take a moment, and take pride in our local E-commerce!

Introducing the top 5 E-commerce sites in Singapore (2013 Edition)

At number 5....

OpenTrolley started out in 2008 and claims to be one of Singapore’s leading online book stores, offering more than two million imported titles from the US and the UK at prices somewhat cheaper than physical bookstores in Singapore.

Number 4...

Luxola is an online beauty and cosmetics store, launched in September 2011. It raised US$590,000 back in August 2012 and plans to expand its reach across Southeast Asia.

Number 3...

This online grocery mart offers a selection of up to 8,000 products including from household items to groceries. Without heading out of the house and waiting in line for their purchases, customers are able to pay via credit cards and receive orders right at their doorstep.

Number 2...

Qoo10, also previously known as Gmarket, is a major global e-commerce site originating from Korea after forming a partnership between eBay and Giosis Gmarket. It has several other localized sites in five countries, including Japan and Singapore.

And lastly, at number 1....

Launched in March 2009, Reebonz is an e-commerce site that deals in luxury products and services.

Even though these E-commerce sites may not be comparable to those in china (yet!), here are some factors as to why i think they succeeded :)

here's what FORBES has to say...

1. Flexible Pricing - The wider you sell your product, the more market prices you have to be aware of and make changes accordingly.

2. Currencies are confusing! - To decrease E-commerce friction and cart abandonment, set prices in every relevant local currency.

3. Price Presentation - Your customers should see product prices in clean, round numbers to further simplify the purchase decision-making process

4. Local Payment - Asking your online customers to pay in a way that they are not accustomed to, may cause suspicion and friction, thus resulting in losing these customers.  

5. Taxes - Showing sales taxes in a way that your customers are familiar with will avoid suspicion and increase customer's comfort level.  

However, there are reasons why some E-commerce sites actually fail..

1. Failure to have proper staff members!

2. Poor user interface - people getting lost in your site

3. Lack of security and credibility

4. Lack of transparency

5. Lack of payment option (bank transfer only!)

In a world where everything starts with an "E" something, how do you actually make E-Marketing a success?

So therefore, businesses should step out of their comfort zone and see the vast differences and benefits that the "E" can do to your life! Till the next post! :))

Week 3: Social Media - The rise of Advertisement spending!

First of all, let's talk about social networking!

Spot any country or continent that has a white spot? NONE!
From the picture given, you can see that every single country shown use a certain form of social networking platform to socialize. And of course, the dominating platform now belongs to.... "The Book" as I would call it. (Facebook for those who don't know)



The average person spends more than 60 hours a month online. This is the equivalent of 30 straight days a year in front of a computer monitor, smart phone or other internet-capable device!

Among people who use the Internet, each person visits 2,646 Web pages on 89 domains and logs in 57 times per month!!

* That is some serious human traffic going on in the cyber world!

 
With more people inclined to social networking,  the era of advertisements is blooming! Never judge a small little advertisement by the side of Facebook! here's why!

Social networking and spending is on the rise! A recent study by E-Marketer predicts that advertisers will spend nearly 1.7 BILLION dollars on social networking sites! As of now, HALF of the world's social networking advertisement spending are directed towards Facebook! Now, that is pretty impressive!

So therefore, as the trend for social networking increases, it opens doors and windows of opportunity for people to interact, socialized and even to earn more money! but then again... 

 till next time! :)

Week 2: Social Media Revolution!

A noisy but interesting video on various statistics in regards to Social Media! Enjoy & be Amazed!

Social Media for effective group communication

The term Social media‘ refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue.

A statement that further reinforces the definition was made by Andreas Kaplan, "Social Media is a group of internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content."

Personally, I feel that when we talk about an interactive dialogue, we are talking about shared ideas, shared knowledge and even share emotions. Fortunately for us, Social Media can in fact promote these values to improve communication within a group.

The Solution: The Bird & The Book


Facebook & Twitter
 

Twitter-like communications can serve the need for quick, relevant information sharing. Impromptu information serves as a great example of a "need to know now" situation. You simply tweet, and "chip" "chip" "chip", members of the group are instantly notified of any important information. Thus, reducing the problem of miscommunication and broken communication.

And as for Facebook, to be successful, project team members must learn about each other, how you work, your strengths and weaknesses. And so happen, Facebook do provide members of the group with such information! It is sometimes important to have an insight of a each other's human side.

Can't wait to see how web4.0 would be like!

 In conclusion, Social Media just like the internet, have become a vital component of our lives. Everywhere we go, we always feel a need to be connected to the people around us. With Web 4.0 in the making, it really makes me wonder what the future will hold for us with Social Media!

Checking in soon! :)
 



Week 1: The Internet taken for granted

First and foremost, I would like to say that COM125 is totally not the class I expected it to be! Honestly, when I first saw the notes and the title of the module, I thought to myself, "F***! Another version of CSE111?!" However, all things changed when I had my first lecture.

It all sums down to one word: INTERNET. This is a term so commonly used in daily conversations and workplaces that often it is overlooked and taken for granted. What do I mean?

This is what I mean!

Often times, we go about our daily lives browsing for information, updating our Facebook status and occasionally purchasing stuffs online. What we have overlooked is the power within our finger tips! A click of a mouse, or a touch of a button and we are connected to the world. The internet is a collection of computers connected to form a global network environment. Imagine a day, a day where you disconnect yourself from the world, your friends, your love ones and most of all, disconnect yourself from information. Well, I can't!

Having gone through the first lecture, I was amazed at the endless possibilities that the internet could provide our lives with. So therefore, I was intrigued at how something that was created way back in 1968 can become something so attached to our daily lives.

Introducing ARPANET
 

Did you know that ARPANET stands for "Advanced Research Projects Agency Network"
It was one of the first operational networks to implement TCP/IP, and the progenitor of is to become the global internet.

In short, the internet was created by the defense department of the US military. It was a communication tool for them to relay messages to each other in an event of a military strike. However, along the way as technology continues to advance, people began to pile ideas upon ideas on how the internet should be like! Till date, the internet has served us in various aspects of our lives. From communication, information and even to the aspect of e-commerce.

In the next post, I would be sharing more of Social Media and the Internet! Till next time! :)