Introduction
HTML, which is an acronym for Hypertext Markup Language, is a markup language used to create web pages. This language is useful in describing the structure of documents’ information that is text-based, as well as allowing embedded images, interactive forms, and any other object. The Hypertext Markup Language is written in tags that are boxed in angle brackets.
HTML and Web design
There are four most significant HTML tags that any HTML document must have. These are the HTML, body, head and the title tags. Except in some tags such as the, HTML requires that an opening tag be accompanied by a closing tag. Therefore, the two HTML tags create a HTML element. An example of a HTML element showing the main HTML tags;
<HTML>
<head>
<title>my website</title>
</head>
<body>this is my website</body>
</HTML>
The HTML tags describe the beginning and the end of an HTML document. All tags are included within the HTML opening and end tags. It is worth to note that the tag is outside the HTML tags; it is a declaration of the HTML document. The title element is written within the head tags and that is where the name (or the title) of the web page is typed. The head element includes any information that is not to be displayed on the web page. The body element includes information that is to be displayed on the web pages. It is worth to note that HTML has other tags like <b>, <BR>, <h>, <p>, etcetera which have their own function within an HTML document.
E-Business
An online business presence does not strictly necessitate one to have a detailed knowledge of HTML code. The reason for this is that online businesses use e-commerce websites where it is best if the responsibility of building an e-commerce website is left to an expert. Furthermore, there are several businesses whose core purpose is to develop e-commerce websites. Therefore, just like conventional businesses that require constructions of premises, an online business requires development of a comprehensive e-commerce website that is the precinct of web developers. On another note, there are several other languages better that plain HTML that can be used to create web pages. However, it is worth to note that most are compatible with HTML.
The internet is not only a tool on which business can utilize to grow their sales, but it has become a platform for doing business. The internet has allowed people to trade and conduct business without necessarily the creation of the physical structures that characterize the conventional business approach. With access to a computer that is connected to the internet one can buy goods or services from a seller – who is not necessitated to be present. Internet business, however, are described by various models.
A business model is an approach of doing business. Although, the internet has given rise to new business models, it has also “re-invented” the traditional ones (Tombly 2000, p. 1). In this respect, e-business models include affiliates, advertising, brokerage, merchant, subscription, among other. Affiliate business model allows web surfers to purchase goods or services through affiliated partners who receive a percentage of the sales as incentives. So the affiliate links a customer to the merchant who pays the commission is sales are generated through the affiliate. The e-advertising model is almost similar to the conventional media broadcasting model. Therefore, a website contains quality information that is usually free, and may provide services as well, together with advertising messages that are the main source of revenue. In this model, it is advisable to attract a large volume of traffic. Elsewhere, the brokerage model allows sellers and buyers to come together, and is the facilitator of the transactions. A commission or fee is charged for every transaction that it facilitates. The merchant model represents the retailers and wholesalers of goods and services. Either auction or list prices can be used as the basis of making sales. Lastly, in the subscription model users pay a fee periodically for a service. The subscription fee is paid whether the user used the service at the actual rate of use.
Conclusion
The other uses of the internet, apart from generating revenues, include providing information. Also the internet is used in advertising, education, and so on.
References
- Lamersdorf, W, Tschammer, V, Amarger, S, International Federation for Information Processing 2004, Building the E-service Society, Springer, New York.
- Export.gov, What Is E-Commerce? Web.
- Rappa, M 2008, Business models on the web, managing the digital enterprise, Web.
- Trombly, R 2000, E-Business Models.
- Weill, P, Vitale, R M 2001, Place to Space: Migrating to Ebusiness Models, Harvard Business Press, Harvard.