Tutorail Questions Week 2 (9/03/11)

1) Define a Portal:

   A Portal is an internet site that acts as a gateway to other sites or search engines, supplying their link or URL. It can often have free email and chat rooms as well.

2) Is a search engine the same as a Portal?

   No, they are different. A portal can provide a pathway towards various search engines available on the internet. A search engine is designed to search for inertnet sites and information.

3) Is a Search Engine the same as a Directory?

   No, a web directory is an internet site focussed usually on a particular topic that can contain links to other websites. However it differentiates itself from a Search Engine as the web directory listings are reviewes and added by human editors.

4) List Search Engines/Portals you use and why:

   I use:
www.google.com - because it is the homepage to firefox on my laptop.
http://chisfx14lseu.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/ballarat41/az?lang=eng - the database / portal from the University website that gives me access to e-journals.

4) What are the six webs?

   The "Far" web is like watching a television, the "Near" web is desktop computing, the "Here" web is mobile devices with personal information on them, the "Weird" web is voice recognition, the "B2B" web is business computers dealing exclusively with each other and the "D2D" web is intelligent buildings and cities.

5) Could there be more?

   Yes there could be more types of web, especially in the future as our technology and knowledge of the capabilities of e-business and the use of internet expand. The more involved and educated we become the more likely that we will find or create more types of web.

6) What does it mean for business?

   This means that for business, the expanding of more ways to utilise the internet can lead to reaching even further markets and competition. This will be great for the consumer as good competition gives the consumer the power in the buyer/seller relationship and it is great for the producer and it drives more efficient means of production and development.

7) What are the four points Michael Rappa makes about search?

1. pick the right keywords for your web page
2. position these key words correctly on your web page
3. use meta-tags (including html links and graphics)
4. and submit only one key page to search engines