By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Coos Bay Nissan - Coos Bay, Ore.
www.coosbaynissan.com
Professional graphics and easy navigation make the site friendly to the visitor. An online appointment scheduler and parts order form are also provided for convenience. Staff profiles add professionalism and credibility to the site.
Web Wise
That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles
Cookies are prevalent in today's evolving Internet experience. And although the use of cookies once came under fire by advocates of Internet privacy laws, complaints have subsided in the past year. A cookie is a data file written to your hard drive by a Web server that identifies you to a particular site. Overall, these files eliminate the need to repeatedly fill out order forms on Web sites and helps a Web site recognize who you are and set certain preferences accordingly when you return to a site. They also allow advertising companies to track user patterns and behaviors as they surf the Internet.
There are two varieties of cookies. Session cookies are deleted after you end a session and are often used by “shopping carts” at online stores to keep track of items you are purchasing. Persistent cookies reside on your hard drive after you leave a site and are used to track your return to a particular site. Both types of cookies are basically harmless. As with most evolving technologies, certain myths about cookies have surfaced. Cookies cannot be used to get data off your hard drive. They contain personal information only if you have given that information to the Web site you visited. It is important to understand that cookies cannot take personal information directly from your computer.
Oftentimes, cookies are used to profile your interests, spending habits and lifestyle, which eventually might be used to market certain products to you. If you are concerned about your Internet privacy, both Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator have ways of disabling cookies or prompting you when a cookie is being set. Check your Internet preferences for these options. Also, be sure to view the privacy policy of sites you visit. Most will explain how cookies on their site are being used.
Net Numbers
In a sampling of more than 1 billion page views, cookies were rejected by Internet users only 0.68 percent of the time.
WebSideStory (www.websidestory.com)
ASA Web Ways
Register Online for ASA's Annual Convention
Online registration for the 2002 ASA Annual Convention is now available on the ASA Web site (www.asashop.org). The convention will be held April 8-13 at Marriott's Crystal Gateway in Arlington, Va.
In addition to online registration, an online brochure is also provided for anyone interested in attending the 2002 convention. The brochure contains general information as well as travel accommodations, activities and policies. A schedule of events and descriptions of educational courses are also provided. The brochure and online registration can be accessed through ASA's home page.
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Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
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