Electronic Commerce

Book List

If promises of quick fortunes sound attractive then this site is not for you. Despite the hype, electronic commerce isn't about making quick dollars, its about establishing a long-term relationship with customers. If this sounds like the type of business you're interested in, then read on....

What is Electronic Commerce

Electronic commerce involves a wide range of activities. In its simplest form, the goal of electronic commerce is to improve the way in which business is conducted, through technology. This could be as simple as establishing a computer-mediated relationship between consumer and business, between business and supplier, or between supplier and manufacturer. It could involve automation of existing business systems, such as transaction or manufacturing processes. On the web, electronic commerce often means marketing, and online sales. Behind this though is a vast range of activities and technologies, powered by back-office systems. Electronic commerce is more than just sales!

News and events

Get the latest electronic commerce news from these online media sources. These news items change daily, and require JavaScript to display correctly.

Articles & Essays

Here is a collection of essays and articles on electronic commerce and online marketing, from a variety of sources (used with permission). However, some of these resources may be dated (particularly SET, as it is being continually revised).

Pure Technology	Pure Business & Marketing
Secure Electronic Transactions Protocol : An Overview by David Reilly Learn about the SET protocol, and its technical details. Based on early specifications of SET - future specifications are subject to change.	Who is selling on the Internet? by Jim Smoot Four questions for Internet retailers that are on the minds of consumers. Address these, and you can increase your product sales.
Electronic Cash Systems in Australia by David Reilly Learn about the trials of electronic cash (e-cash) systems in Australia.	How to profit on the Internet by Harvey Segal How can business capitalize on the opportunities presented by the Internet? Harvey Segal offers an analysis.
Marketing your website, with meta-data by David Reilly Meta-data helps search engines drive traffic to your site. Now doesn't it make sense to help customers find your site - and not your competitors?	Targeted e-mail may be simpler than you think! by J. Gregory Wilson Gathering email addresses from your visitors can help grow a list for targeted email. If they didn't want your message, why would they visit your site?

Web marketing

If you want to market your website effectively, you need to learn how to draw customers to your site. The answer lies in search engines, and meta-data! This lesson shows you how to use meta data to improve your ranking on search engines.

E-commerce booklist

Looking for more information? Even though this is an online age, books are still in use :) Get the resources for serious e-commerce now!

General books

Electronic Commerce : A Manager's Guide, by Ravi Kalakota & Andrew Whinston: Understanding electronic commerce is a critical skill that management must quickly acquire to guide their businesses in a rapidly changing marketplace. Many electronic commerce books are aimed at a technical audience, such as software developers and webmasters.

Release 2.1 : A Design for Living in the Digital Age, by Esther Dyson: A new edition of Esther Dyson's popular Release 2.0, this book is of great interest to those involved in electronic commerce, and the future of the information technology revolution.

[More books]

Encryption and privacy

Cracking DES : Secrets of Encryption Research, Wiretap Politics, and Chip design, by the Electronic Frontier Foundation: Produced by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, this text descirbes their efforts to successfully crack the Data Encryption Standard (DES). Includes design specifications for their DES cracking chip, and source code.

The Electronic Privacy Papers : Documents on the Battle for Privacy in the Age of Surveillance, by Bruce Schneier & David Banisar: Highly respected cryptography Bruce Schneier and privacy advocate David Banisar have put together a collection of documents, reports, and speeches concerning the privacy/crypto debate.