Katie's Blog

A content management system (CMS) is a tool to help design, organize, and present the content on a website.  A CMS can help facilitate the creation and maintenance of websites, even by those who may not be familiar with the coding and languages behind the site.  Because of this, a CMS is especially helpful to small business owners who want a cheap and easy way to keep their business websites up-to-date.  By implementing a CMS, one can often improve navigation, quickly create and change pages, reduce costs, and eliminate redundant information on the site.

A CMS can also keep track of all past versions of a page, and control which pages certain employees or designers can edit.  These logs of past changes are essential if a customer sues the company, or if one wishes to revert to previous design or content.  The increased control over editing can help establish a chain of command or workflow, so that different pages can be edited by different people, and sent to a superior for validation (http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_what/index.html).

Almost all sites use a CMS.  Some sites even use WordPress as a simple way to manage content, even without having a blogging appearance.  Sites that use WordPress as a CMS include the Ford Auto Shows Center and the Furniture Warehouse (http://www.webhelpermagazine.com/2008/04/wordpress-wow-seven-top-sites-using-wordpress-as-a-cms/).

Intellectual property can be divided into two categories: industrial property and copyright.  The former includes inventions and trademarks, while the latter includes literary and artistic creations like novels, music, and architectural designs (http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/).  Protection of intellectual property allows the creators of ideas and physical goods to retain rights to their creation, preventing anyone from copying their idea.  Infringment is when one violates another’s intellectual property rights by copying their idea. 

Recently, China has become a threat to the United States through its extensive violation of intellectual property rights.  Vendors in China thrive on sales of bootlegged DVDs, while so-called “fake markets” throughout major cities are dedicated to selling copies of brand name goods like clothing, purses, shoes, and electronics.  Some estimate that “as much as a third of China’s GDP comes from piracy and counterfeiting” (http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010117279&mode=view).  But controversies over intellectual property are not limited to problems with China.  Apple recently filed a lawsuit against Samsung for alledgedly copying the iPad and iPhone in making their own tablet and smartphone.  Apple argues that Samsung’s products are designed to look as similar to the Apple products in question as possible, from the general appearance of the phone or tablet down to the eerily similar icons (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/04/19/businessinsider-check-out-these-obvious-samsung-rip-offs-of-iphone-icons-2011-4.DTL).

Because of the dependence of technology on information and new ideas, intellectual property is just as important as physical products and goods, and therefore should be equally protected.  Protection for intellectual property can somewhat adversely affect consumers, as it can limit the competition and improvement of ideas between companies and therefore impede the creation of goods.  However, the rights of companies and individuals to their intellectual property outweigh the possible setbacks to consumers.

The cloud essentially comprises all services that can be accessed via a device with an Internet connection, rather than data that is downloaded and saved to a specific computer.  It is at the center of all web communications, and it allows Internet companies to operate software on multiple servers simultaneously.  Most major Internet tycoons rely on the cloud to support and transmit their services, like Amazon.com, Yahoo, and Google.  I use cloud services all the time, including common and readily available things like email.  As the computer industry continues to evolve, the cloud is likely to reduce the need for reliance solely on the speed and storage of computers, as information can be shared and readily accessed via the cloud, without downloading (http://www.readwriteweb.com/cloud/2010/07/as-the-internet-loses-its-way.php). 

Amazon recently introduced a service that stores up to 5 GB of a user’s mp3 files on the cloud, rather than on a personal computer.  This allows users to access their music from any computer with Internet access.  This service eliminates the disadvantages of services like iTunes, where a user’s music is stored on his or her computer and can only be accessed from there (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383506,00.asp).

Web hosting is a service that stores and serves up web pages to the Internet.  To host information, you can either make arrangements with your Internet Service Provider to host your own website, or pay for a company to provide the service.  Web hosting works through computers called servers that store all the files that are part of a website (HTML and image files, for example).  These servers then provide the information for downloading when someone tries to access the webpage.  Companies usually provide basic web hosting for a small monthy fee, around ten dollars per month.  However, depending on the size of the website (and other perks including in the package, such as registering a domain name or help design the pages), some web hosting companies charge several hundred dollars per year (http://www.ironspider.ca/website/webhosting.htm).

Another option that is more applicable to small businesses is hosting one’s own website.  However, this is a complicated process that requires a highly reliable Internet connection, web servers, and more.  It isn’t a very pratical solution for most individuals because it requires a constant connection and has a high liklihood of clogging one’s Internet connection with too many hits (http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/internet-web-hosting/714-1.html).

A few options for web hosting companies are Host Monster and Inmotion Hosting, both of which offer unlimited diskspace, unlimited bandwidth, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee, the former for $4.50 per month and the latter for $5.95 per month.  Another option is Super Green Hosting, which offer the same guarantees for $5.95 per month, but with a limit of 6 domain names.  If I were to buy web hosting, I would choose Host Monster, because it has received excellent ratings on ease of use, and offers a comprehensive service for a low cost (http://www.findmyhosting.com/compare-hosting/).

Cyberwarfare constitutes an attack on the computers and Internet of a country, and is often considered an act of terrorism (“Cyberwarfare”).  Throughout the world, computer systems and the Internet are used to provide a variety of essential services, both for private and goverment use, and their importance to modern society renders them vulnerable to attacks with potentially catastrophic and far-reaching consequences.  A common component of cyberwarfare is a “botnet,” or a harmful program than can be used to remotely control computers and further spread this virus (“Obama”).  A widespread or crippling cyberattack on the United States is not very likely.  However, if there were a cyberattack on the United States, my life could be affected by the limited ability to access popular websites, like Google and eBay, or government websites and services.  Another likely consequence is that my bank’s website would stop working, and I could potentially lose money from my bank in the attack.  In a country with already high levels of Internet censorship, however, the effects of cyberwarfare on individuals could be comparatively minimal.  The United States depends much more on Internet access as a part of daily life than China, for example, where websites like Facebook and Youtube are blocked.  If I were living in China, where an individual’s dependence on the Internet in daily life is much lower, I could potentially be largely unaffected by a cyberattack.  The majority of the danger there would be in the lack of access to government websites and services, rather the loss of the Internet as a source of popular entertainment. 

Works Cited:

“Obama to expand cyberwarfare capabilities.” UPI NewsTrack 28 Apr. 2009. Global Issues In Context. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.

“Cyberwarfare worries on ethical grounds.” UPI NewsTrack 14 Oct. 2010. Global Issues In Context. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.

Definition:  Net neutrality is the principle that dictates that Internet service providers and network owners cannot discriminate against certain websites, applications, or devices, allowing for the free and open flow of ideas across the web.

Scenario:  A few weeks ago, I was trying to stream video from NBC’s website to catch up on one of my favorite television shows. The video worked well; my Internet connection was fast and the video played smoothly.  However, a short while later, I tried to stream video from Netflix and did not meet with the same success.  Though the video file itself was the same size and quality, it was slow to play and often choppy.  This is an example of a breach in the principle of net neutrality.  My Internet service provider Comcast recently acquired NBC through a joint venture, and without regulation to protect net neutrality, it can give preference to websites with ties to its company, while limiting free access to those of its competitors.  Actions like this by corporations violate the open flow of ideas through the Internet and show discrmination that negatively affects the experience of Internet users like me.