Today, I am dedicating my final blog for this class to the professor that makes it all possible when it comes to the great subject of MIDS, Professor Avital. Through out this semester, we have all learned, laughed, giggled, smirked, chuckled, slept, drool, eat, and work together. All of these fun activities were do to the great leadership of our teacher. I did not know what to expect when I first walked into MIDS, but after meeting the professor who at times teaches seriously, and at other comes up with some very funny and not so serious comments, I knew that I had made the right decision for signing up for this class. It has been a very fun semester and I will miss this subject, and especially the instructor.
I think the best part about Professor Avital is his ability to make people laugh. There were times when we would talking abut information systems that I was almost sleeping, but then the professor would call on someone for an example and no matter if it was a good example like an e-business, or something as weird as a bar of soap, Professor Avital used it and made it work and that was very funny.
I thought my favorite experiment for the semester was the play that we acted out about a company and their concerns with information sharing and systems. Professor Avital wrote the entire play, which is something that I have never really found with any of my other professors. That must have been time consuming, but it was very interesting and had some rewarding issues within the lines.
I felt that the worst part about MIDS was that is was only held on Tuesday and Thursday. This is a class that I believe needs to be held every day, and only for half the usual amount of time on Sunday. I know that might sound stupid and not possible, but think of how much we could learn about IT.
I really did learn a lot this semester. Tools such as groove and Wikipedia that I never once used are now part of my weekly activity. I found out quicker ways to share information, and extremely cool ways to write blogs. Professor Avital did a great job keeping us enthusiastic, and I am going to miss MIDS 301.

When dealing with the case presented in class last week, both teams supported their arguments very well. If I had to pick a winner for the debate, I would defiantly have to go with those who were against having a fixed cost and bandwidth for all internet users. I was a judge, so I guess by me saying I agreed with them that in fact entitle them to be proclaimed winners.
Having a fixed cost and bandwidth does not allow the economy to grow. I realized that the argument that each household would get the same amount would in fact take away from slow internet because of over users, but some people just need to over use. I felt that the best example would be a small e-business ran out of some ones home. For example, one of my friends owns his own business where he sells books over the internet. He has multiple operating systems and need to be online at all times. His internet usage may cause it to be slower for other people, but he pays for that advantage. People who have money always get the nicer things. That is just how the world works, and it has been like that forever. Now, if the internet usage was a fixed rate, he would not be able to do as much business. He would make fewer profits, and not need more internets, but that does absolutely nothing for the economy. In some sorts, it makes the economy worse off. If a small business owner can not profit due to the internet, than he will become less wealthy which will bring the entire wealth of the country down. We want just the opposite of that. We want to make money, and make this country more profitable. Information sharing systems and pc were created to do this. To make every day business efforts easier, and to share information more efficiently. By not allowing people to take advantage of this, we are simply keeping the economy from being better off.
I also understand that the people who want a fixed rate have the argument that everyone will get the same amount of internet for the same costs, which will make a more competitive market. This is not true, because it will not allow for any industry leaders. Yes, it will probably get rid of monopolies, but these are almost non-existent anyways. If people want to pay more to have a better internet, than so be it. Who is anyone to tell someone what they can and can not spend their money on? The internet is just like any other product, and for the right cost it could be as good as individual wishes it to be.

For Christmas I am specifically asking my family members to give me money. Although they probably think I want the money to go the local bar night every night, they are wrong. I will only go to the bar a couple of times, other than that I want to put the money into good use. I will use it to start my own account on Scott Trade. 500 dollars is the amount needed to do this, and hopefully I will achieve my goal in getting that much.
Scott Trade is an online stock account. This website allows thousands of people and young college kids like me to trade stocks online at which ever pace they want. Years ago, trading stocks had to be done over the phone and through a stock broker. Today, the vast majority of it is done over the internet. It is yet another perk of e-commerce. I can simply wake up every day and trade stocks with no broker involved. I will simply log in to Scott Trade and start buying and selling. They charge a fixed rate for each transaction, which in the long run still saves people a ton of money when comparing to what it would cost to get a stock broker. The only disadvantage of Scott trade is that there is no broker to give you advice. But when you are as young and intelligent as some one like me, brokers are not really needed. On a more serious note, the advantage of not having a broker is mainly that you get to make your own decisions with out any one else telling you what to do all of the time. For Instance, if I am going to lose money I want to know that the main reason I lost it is because I am an idiot and made my own choice to gamble, not because I took the advice of someone else, who is charging me for it.
Scott Trade is another perfect example of an E-business that has just flourished over time. Most of my fellow college population uses Scott Trade to make transactions. The bottom line is that it is just easier top use than a broker and it cost less money. People can make a living off of simply waking up and trading stocks open their computers in their own homes, and that was a subject that I felt was necessary talk about.

Operating Systems have changed the common way of life. A computer holds some of the key elements of a person’s daily activity. For instance, waking up and checking your email. This is something that I partake in every day, as well as all of my roommates and family members. Our emails are almost more important than our answering machines. Messages can be sent quickly, read, and replied. I also like to check the weather out before work, or see the latest news. This is all done with in minutes by the use of my computer. Every thing that has to do with my operating system is all because of Windows. Windows was created by Bill Gates and Microsoft, and after a long and awaited time, they are upgrading their software in less than one year from now. Windows will now be called Windows Vista. Windows Vista has been created mainly to deal with security issues. Activities such as searching the web or emails can often be viewed by others with out consent of the writer or searcher. Windows Vista is also going to offer a better search engine to compete with Google. Google will actually run and own the engine that Windows Vista will probably still call MSN, but it will be upgraded and more advanced to help people find exactly what they want and quicker. Windows has taken all sarcasm out of searches, so people are not viewing pages of which no interest comply.
The system is being introduced to provide more safety for personal computers. Operating System components such as Symantec and Norton antivirus are not going any where. These will still be very important factors, but much easier to use and manage. Even though these are still needed, Windows Vista will give a variety of antivirus systems to choose from, giving every one the chance to use their personal taste when choosing. Although these activities are still needed, Windows Vista increases the safety of computers significantly
I really thought that it was necessary to talk about this new system because of how important information and operating systems are today. Seriously, almost everything revolves around computers. There are people who buy their wives off the internet. I would attach a link, but I really don’t want to be one of those people who search for a web site like that, but there are people out there who do. This new Windows will probably once again enhance society’s technological advancement, and make everyone better off. Technology is the cause for more efficient business, and I am sure that more businesses and especially E-businesses will benefit from this new creation.

It seems that every time I win something by using a computer or it that I just have to share it with my fellow bloggers. Today I want to talk about fantasy football. Fantasy football is jus another e-business that has really taken off in the last few years. It is used by the internet, and people who play can compete against others from all over the world.
Fantasy football would not work without having a draft. A draft is where a group of friends get together and draft their fantasy football team for the year. The players they choose come from the NFL, and you are allowed 25 in total. In recent years, it took my group of players an average of four hours to complete our draft. This year, we used a chat room to do our draft, which decreased the amount of time needed dramatically. This is more proof of how IS can make life easier, but I have been talking about that all year, and I don’t want to bore people anymore. So we decreas3ed our time by using a chat room, then your season begins just as the NFL season begins. Each player on your team scores you points based on their performance. Touchdowns are worth the most, but the entire team’s performance can earn you points as well. It is a very fun game to play, and even more interesting if there is money on the line.
What is so cool about fantasy football is that it is so much easier to keep track of your points if you have a computer. Years ago, it would have at least taken 3 hours to figure out how any points your team members have earned. Now, there are fantasy football websites where you can become a member and they will automatically update your [points as soon as they are scored on a weekly basis. All the player has to do is log in and simply check there points. This is why so many people are now playing fantasy football, it is easy and fun and there can sometimes be the possibility of winning money.
Fantasy football is a great example of how lucky we are to have IT pretty much everywhere in this country. I wanted to talk about it because it really is a fun game, and if some of you bloggers have never played in a fantasy football league, maybe this post will make you more interested in it. IT has a great deal to do with fantasy football, because of the convenience of a draft and checking your score. This game probably would not have the popularity it does if it wasn’t for IT. So please, if you get a chance next year, play fantasy football or any other fantasy sport, it will be fun and worth your time. To get started, simply look at this free website and league for next year.

Fantasy Football

Easy Shopping =

Well, Christmas is coming up and my family takes that very seriously. There is nothing more important than all of us getting together and enjoying the holiday season with some spirits and some laughs. Along with those activities, church, eating etc… comes another very important aspect of Christmas, shopping!
Being a college student shopping is always a little hard for me, due to the fact that I have no money. So, this year I figured I would be a little bit smarter, and shop early before my entire checking’s account is empty. I figured I would buy my immediate family gifts now, so I could get them something really nice. Little did I know, this only took some right clicks and a short period of time, all due to E-commerce and online catalogs.
My family is really into the outdoors, excluding my mom. So I figured I would buy every one some very nice fleece shirts that would be warm in the winter. I wanted to know where I could get them, so I searched Cabelas on Google. Immediately, this took me to the home page and allowed me to search and shop online. I was done in twenty minutes. I picked out four gifts, and now I have no worrying to do for the next eight weeks, when it come to my brothers and my dad’s Christmas gifts.
By shopping online for these gifts, it has just been another perk of E-business. On the website link above, which is where I shopped, you will be able to see how easy and effective this E-business is. This link will provide a full online catalog, showing all of the products you would wish to see, as well as let you buy them on the spot. I did not really know that I would be able to do this. But some companies, other than Cabelas, can often use forms of internet advertising to let people know of their services. This can be done by pop-up ads, email advertising, electronic brochures, or even news and chat room group postings. This is all sounds crazy, but I would bet money that the companies who use these forms of E-advertising make more money. If I ever would have seen a pop-up for Cabelas, I would have instantly clicked on it and seen what they had to offer, because of my outdoors background.
This all was possible do to the perks of E-business and E-commerce. I love sharing stories like this one to all fellow bloggers. It really does show how lucky we are to have the internet. My life, especially this year, has been made a lot easier due to E-businesses. When something personal like this happens, it is fun to think of what I have learned about information systems, and compare them to my life

Working in a professional environment with a large network of people has really brought me to notice one very important aspect of the business life; Email is key. I use my email probably a dozen times an hour. It is a way for me to talk to people without having to move from my computer. I can send information, numbers, graphs, or even live videos of conferences if wished. Email is a very important aspect of any business. The world is dominated by IT, and email makes life easier for all people in a business.
Email is a type of information sharing by using the internet. It literally takes less than a minute to send a message or any information that is wished. This information can be sent to or sheared with other people all over the world. This allows businesses to save money. Businesses do not have to worry about costs for traveling, mailing, or shipping. The simple click of a button does the job. Most business could not survive without email, which is why I have come up with my top 5 reasons businesses need email.
1. Email saves time. By Information sharing technology, such as the internet and email companies save a lot of time. The worry of stamps and addresses of simple mail is no longer there. A message that could take two weeks to send across the only takes two minutes to email.
2. Email saves money. The simple fact that companies can save time by using email, allows them to do more work. By doing more work, companies can make more money. Making more money is the one thing that all companies want to do, and email allows that.
3. Email serves as a more sufficient work environment. If a task is given to someone to send some numbers to another company, or a review of their inventory, that person can simply email it. This can be done so quickly. IT also allows information to be kept on computers, like an online filing cabinet for instance. This makes it even easier to find what you need and then simply send it. By a process this easy, every one that has to do with their company is more efficient and gets more done.
4. Email boosts the supply chain. Nearly every aspect of the supply chain is better off due to email. Email and other benefits companies receive from IT make them better off. The supply chain goes up, as well as business due to email.
5. Email can even serve as a type of enterprise system. Companies can attach schedules, and files to all of their employees over email. By doing so, the company is in fact integrating their planning. This makes the company better off, because everyone knows what is going on and each person can relate to others, due to the information on these emails.
These are the five most important aspects of email to me. Email is so popular among all companies. It really does allow modern day business to flow so much better. It is one of the many benefits we receive from IT. It is a top way to share information. These are the top 5 reasons I believe it is so important. If any one would like to differ, or add input, please feel free to post a comment, and I will do my best to back my top 5.

Proflowers

Every year on October 10 my girlfriend makes us celebrate our anniversary, which I still do not understand. We are not married, so it doesn’t really even count as a real anniversary. Yet, I really don't care as long as she is happy for a short period of time, and not yelling at me. After 6 years of being with her, all that she ever says to me is that I never surprise her with flowers. So this year, to score some extra points with her I figured I would finally man-up and do it for her.
This may sound like an every day ordinary task, but it turned out to be very hard. She goes to school at Ohio University, which is four hours away in the middle of no where. So I had to go to all the trouble of finding florists down there, getting her address, and making sure of delivery. After doing all of this, it was going to end up costing me over 100 dollars. I really did not want to spend that kind of money. Then, I thought about all that I have learned in this class, and I figured that there had to be a business over the internet that probably sells and delivers flowers for even a cheaper price than at the store. Sure enough, I found a site that did this instantly. I visited proflowers.com,
This was just another perk of how easy E-business can make ones' life. I was more than stressed and did not have any money to really buy her flowers from florists down there. So, all it took was typing in some letters, a few right clicks, and a credit card. ProFlowers did there busy efficiently, which was guaranteed on the sites homepage. They are definitely a B2C business, because they depend on consumers to find them. They d no advertising and most people have never heard of this small company.
I felt this was the perfect story to share because it is modern proof of how much the internet and E-businesses can help people today. I was in a jam, and without the use of a computer I would not have been able to get her flowers. It does not sound like that big of a deal, but to her it is. Therefore, this whole experience was a big deal to me. The main thing I will always remember from this class is to take advantage of the internet and e-businesses. They really do make life easier. I did have to move more than two feet from my bed to buy something, which is very handy due to my increase in weight and laziness. E-businesses will always have a promising future, and I soon see them taking over even more.

This is a link to one of the most controversial arguments congress has had with the not only the state of nevada, but gambling as an association alone. Online gambling has become one of the nations most popular businesses. Once again, it is not just a business, it is an e-business. Without the intrernet online gambling would not exist. If that happened, gambling would be as scarce as it was years ago due to regulations and laws. Congress and our president, George W. Busch, do not agree that online gambling should be legal. They say it can be done anywhere and kids under the age of 18 can be a product of this new business. Congress believes that gambling is just another addiction that can ruin lives, and that we should not be teaching our youth that it is cool or right to gamble. Yet many gamblers believe that this is the wrong message to send. The business of online gambling takes in billions of dollars a year world wide, and some people make a living off of it. I myself have been known to win a tournament or two over the internet, not to brag or anything. When discussing online gamblibg, and this article, I must be clear and point out that we are talking about poker. Not just betting on anything that people would wish. Poker is considered a sport, like any other sport than can be played online. Like uker, or spades. Yet due to the fact that we can make or lose money off of it congress wants to eliminate this business. Much of the nation's population is torn over this argument. People are taking sides and congress has a very tough battle to face.
This entire blog post and article is all based on online gambling. This is all do to endless possibilities that e-businesses have offered us. Online poker is a multimillion dollar business. People are getting rich every day off of it, and if the internet did not exist this business would have never even taken place. I wanted to talk about it because it is just another example of how much we rely on the internet and e-businesses in today's society. It started off years ago with dot.com companies, amazon, and ebay. Since then, e-businesses have have exploded into one of society's most popular markets. Online poker is the best example because it is the newest and probably most popular. It is so popular, that congress and even the president have had to get involved. Everyone in the world should be beyond thankful for the internet, and all of the possibilities it has given us. E-businesses circluate so much money, and our economy is better off with them then we ever were without.