Basic arithmetic calculation, Special paste, Freeze pane

Formulas are the backbone of most advanced calculations within Excel. Think of a formula as an equation; it’s a series of steps that lead to a final output. You can tell Excel that you’re entering a formula in Excel by starting your input with the equals sign (=). For example, try entering the following into a cell:

Formulas in Excel use the standard mathematical order of operations to evaluate. As such, operations within formulas are processed in this order:

  • Parentheses
  • Exponents (^)
  • Multiplication (*)
  • Division (/)
  • Addition (+)
  • Subtraction (-)

All Excel formulas begin with an equal sign (=).

After the equal symbol, you enter either a calculation or function. For example, to add up values in cells B1 through B5, you can either:

  • Type the entire equation: =B1+B2+B3+B4+B5
  • Use the SUM function: =SUM(B1:B5)

Press the Enter key to complete the formula. Done.

Elements of Microsoft Excel formulas

When you make a formula in Excel, you can use different elements to supply the source data to the formula and indicate what operators should be performed on those data. Depending on the formula type that you create, it can include any or all of the following parts:

Constants: numbers or text values that you enter directly in a formula, like =2*3.

Cell references: reference to a cell containing the value you want to use in your Excel formula, e.g. =SUM(A1, A2, B5).

To refer to data in two or more contiguous cells, use a range reference like A1:A5. For example, to sum values in all cell between A1 and A5, inclusive, use this formula:

=SUM(A1:A5).

Names: defined name for a cell range, constant, table, or function, for example =SUM(my_name).

Functions: predefined formulas in Excel that perform calculations using the values supplied in their arguments.

Operators: special symbols that specify the type of operation or calculation to be performed.

Special paste

Paste menu options

  • Select the cells that contain the data or other attributes that you want to copy.
  • On the Home tab, click Copy Copy icon.
  • Click the first cell in the area where you want to paste what you copied.
  • On the Home tab, click the arrow next to Paste, and then do any of the following.
Select To paste
Paste All cell contents and formatting, including linked data.
Formulas Only the formulas.
Formulas & Number Formatting Only formulas and number formatting options.
Keep Source Formatting All cell contents and formatting.
No Borders All cell contents and formatting except cell borders.
Keep Source Column Widths Only column widths.
Transpose Reorients the content of copied cells when pasting. Data in rows is pasted into columns and vice versa.
Paste Values Only the values as displayed in the cells.
Values & Number Formatting Only the values and number formatting.
Values & Source Formatting Only the values and number color and font size formatting.
Formatting All cell formatting, including number and source formatting.
Paste Link Link the pasted data to the original data. When you paste a link to the data that you copied, Excel enters an absolute reference to the copied cell or range of cells in the new location.
Paste as Picture A copy of the image.
Linked Picture A copy of the image with a link to the original cells (if you make any changes to the original cells those changes are reflected in the pasted image).
Column widths Paste the width of one column or range of columns to another column or range of columns.
Merge conditional formatting Combine conditional formatting from the copied cells with conditional formatting present in the paste area.

Paste options

Select To paste
All All cell contents and formatting, including linked data.
Formulas Only the formulas.
Values Only the values as displayed in the cells.
Formats Cell contents and formatting.
Comments Only comments attached to the cell.
Validation Only data validation rules.
All using Source theme All cell contents and formatting using the theme that was applied to the source data.
All except borders Cell contents and formatting except cell borders.
Column widths The width of one column or range of columns to another column or range of columns.
Formulas and number formats Only formulas and number formatting.
Values and number formats Only values and number formatting options from the selected cells.
All, merge conditional formats Combine conditional formatting from the copied cells with conditional formatting present in the paste area.

Operation options

The Operation options mathematically combine values between the copy and paste areas.

Click To
None Paste the contents of the copy area without a mathematical operation.
Add Add the values in the copy area to the values in the paste area.
Subtract Subtract the values in the copy area from the values in the paste area.
Multiply Multiply the values in the paste area by the values in the copy area.
Divide Divide the values in the paste area by the values in the copy area.

Freeze pane

To keep an area of a worksheet visible while you scroll to another area of the worksheet, go to the View tab, where you can Freeze Panes to lock specific rows and columns in place, or you can Split panes to create separate windows of the same worksheet.

Freeze the first column

  • Select View Freeze Panes > Freeze First Column.

            The faint line that appears between Column A and B shows that the first column is frozen.

Freeze the first two columns

  1. Select the third column.
  2. Select View >Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes.

Freeze columns and rows

  1. Select the cell below the rows and to the right of the columns you want to keep visible when you scroll.
  2. Select View Freeze PanesFreeze Panes.

Unfreeze rows or columns

  • On the View tab > Window > Unfreeze Panes.

Basic text and cell formatting

Formatting text or numbers can make them appear more visible especially when you have a large worksheet. Changing default formats includes things like changing the font colour, style, size, text alignment in a cell, or apply formatting effects.

All cell content uses the same formatting by default, which can make it difficult to read a workbook with a lot of information. Basic formatting can customize the look and feel of your workbook, allowing you to draw attention to specific sections and making your content easier to view and understand. You can also apply number formatting to tell Excel exactly what type of data you’re using in the workbook, such as percentages (%), currency ($), and so on.

If you want text or numbers in a cell to appear bold, italic, or have a single or double underline, select the cell and on the Home tab, pick the format you want:

Change font style, size, color, or apply effects

Click Home and:

  • For a different font style, click the arrow next to the default font Calibri and pick the style you want.
  • To increase or decrease the font size, click the arrow next to the default size 11 and pick another text size.

Exploring the Internet, Surfing the web

The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a network of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic mail, telephony, and file sharing.

The origins of the Internet date back to the development of packet switching and research commissioned by the United States Department of Defense in the 1960s to enable time-sharing of computers. The primary precursor network, the ARPANET, initially served as a backbone for interconnection of regional academic and military networks in the 1970s. The funding of the National Science Foundation Network as a new backbone in the 1980s, as well as private funding for other commercial extensions, led to worldwide participation in the development of new networking technologies, and the merger of many networks. The linking of commercial networks and enterprises by the early 1990s marked the beginning of the transition to the modern Internet, and generated a sustained exponential growth as generations of institutional, personal, and mobile computers were connected to the network. Although the Internet was widely used by academia in the 1980s, commercialization incorporated its services and technologies into virtually every aspect of modern life.

Most traditional communication media, including telephony, radio, television, paper mail and newspapers are reshaped, redefined, or even bypassed by the Internet, giving birth to new services such as email, Internet telephony, Internet television, online music, digital newspapers, and video streaming websites. Newspaper, book, and other print publishing are adapting to website technology, or are reshaped into blogging, web feeds and online news aggregators. The Internet has enabled and accelerated new forms of personal interactions through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social networking services. Online shopping has grown exponentially for major retailers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs, as it enables firms to extend their “brick and mortar” presence to serve a larger market or even sell goods and services entirely online. Business-to-business and financial services on the Internet affect supply chains across entire industries.

The Internet has no single centralized governance in either technological implementation or policies for access and usage; each constituent network sets its own policies. The overreaching definitions of the two principal name spaces in the Internet, the Internet Protocol address (IP address) space and the Domain Name System (DNS), are directed by a maintainer organization, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The technical underpinning and standardization of the core protocols is an activity of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a non-profit organization of loosely affiliated international participants that anyone may associate with by contributing technical expertise. In November 2006, the Internet was included on USA Today’s list of New Seven Wonders.

The word internetted was used as early as 1849, meaning interconnected or interwoven. The word Internet was used in 1974 as the shorthand form of Internetwork. Today, the term Internet most commonly refers to the global system of interconnected computer networks, though it may also refer to any group of smaller networks.

When it came into common use, most publications treated the word Internet as a capitalized proper noun; this has become less common. This reflects the tendency in English to capitalize new terms and move to lowercase as they become familiar. The word is sometimes still capitalized to distinguish the global internet from smaller networks, though many publications, including the AP Stylebook since 2016, recommend the lowercase form in every case. In 2016, the Oxford English Dictionary found that, based on a study of around 2.5 billion printed and online sources, “Internet” was capitalized in 54% of cases.

The terms Internet and World Wide Web are often used interchangeably; it is common to speak of “going on the Internet” when using a web browser to view web pages. However, the World Wide Web or the Web is only one of a large number of Internet services, a collection of documents (web pages) and other web resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs.

Surfing the web

Alternatively known as web surfing, surfing with computers describes the act of browsing the Internet by going from one web page to another web page using hyperlinks in an Internet browser. The term “surfing” was first coined by Mark McCahill.

The term comes from “TV channel surfing,” but instead of clicking on the buttons of the remote, the user jumps from page to page by clicking on the links in the Web page.

Surfing is an activity that started with the advent of the World Wide Web. With hypertext links, users can go not only from one part of a document to another, but also from one document to another, including those located in remote sites. Surfing is a favorite pastime for millions of people around the world who have access to the Internet. Many users are hooked on it, spending countless hours doing casual searches or other online activities. Some do it to kill time.

Online aggregation services allow you to surf the Internet. Some of the most popular places include Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Pinterest. Also, you can use a search engine, such as Google, to search for anything that interests you.

Internet Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, FTP

HTTP

HTTP is the backbone of the World Wide Web (WWW). It defines the format of messages through which Web Browsers (like Firefox, Chrome) and Web Servers communicate, whilst also defining how a web browser should respond to a particular web browser request.

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application layer protocol in the Internet protocol suite model for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web, where hypertext documents include hyperlinks to other resources that the user can easily access, for example by a mouse click or by tapping the screen in a web browser.

Development of HTTP was initiated by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN in 1989 and summarized in a simple document describing the behavior of a client and a server using the first HTTP protocol version that was named 0.9.

That first version of HTTP protocol soon evolved into a more elaborated version that was the first draft toward a far future version 1.0.

Development of early HTTP Requests for Comments (RFCs) started a few years later and it was a coordinated effort by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), with work later moving to the IETF.

HTTP/1 was finalized and fully documented (as version 1.0) in 1996. It evolved (as version 1.1) in 1997 and then its specifications were updated in 1999 and in 2014.

Its secure variant named HTTPS is used by more than 76% of websites.

HTTP/2 is a more efficient expression of HTTP’s semantics “on the wire”, and was published in 2015; it is used by more than 45% of websites; it is now supported by almost all web browsers (96% of users) and major web servers over Transport Layer Security (TLS) using an Application-Layer Protocol Negotiation (ALPN) extension where TLS 1.2 or newer is required.

HTTP/3 is the proposed successor to HTTP/2; it is used by more than 20% of websites; it is now supported by many web browsers (73% of users). HTTP/3 uses QUIC instead of TCP for the underlying transport protocol. Like HTTP/2, it does not obsolete previous major versions of the protocol. Support for HTTP/3 was added to Cloudflare and Google Chrome first, and is also enabled in Firefox.

HTTPS

HTTPS is for Web sites using additional security features such as certificates. HTTPS is used when Web transactions are required to be secure. HTTPS uses a certificate-based technology such as VeriSign.

Certificate-based transactions offer mutual authentication between the client and the server. Mutual authentication ensures the server of the client identity and ensures the client of the server identity. HTTPS, in addition to using certificate-based authentication, encrypts all data packets sent during a session.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It is used for secure communication over a computer network, and is widely used on the Internet. In HTTPS, the communication protocol is encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS) or, formerly, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). The protocol is therefore also referred to as HTTP over TLS, or HTTP over SSL.

The principal motivations for HTTPS are authentication of the accessed website, and protection of the privacy and integrity of the exchanged data while in transit. It protects against man-in-the-middle attacks, and the bidirectional encryption of communications between a client and server protects the communications against eavesdropping and tampering. The authentication aspect of HTTPS requires a trusted third party to sign server-side digital certificates. This was historically an expensive operation, which meant fully authenticated HTTPS connections were usually found only on secured payment transaction services and other secured corporate information systems on the World Wide Web. In 2016, a campaign by the Electronic Frontier Foundation with the support of web browser developers led to the protocol becoming more prevalent. HTTPS is now used more often by web users than the original non-secure HTTP, primarily to protect page authenticity on all types of websites; secure accounts; and to keep user communications, identity, and web browsing private.

FTP

The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard communication protocol used for the transfer of computer files from a server to a client on a computer network. FTP is built on a client–server model architecture using separate control and data connections between the client and the server. FTP users may authenticate themselves with a clear-text sign-in protocol, normally in the form of a username and password, but can connect anonymously if the server is configured to allow it. For secure transmission that protects the username and password, and encrypts the content, FTP is often secured with SSL/TLS (FTPS) or replaced with SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP).

The first FTP client applications were command-line programs developed before operating systems had graphical user interfaces, and are still shipped with most Windows, Unix, and Linux operating systems. Many FTP clients and automation utilities have since been developed for desktops, servers, mobile devices, and hardware, and FTP has been incorporated into productivity applications, such as HTML editors.

In January 2021, support for the FTP protocol was disabled in Google Chrome 88, and disabled in Firefox 88.0. In July 2021, Firefox 90 dropped FTP entirely, and Google followed suit in October 2021, removing FTP entirely in Google Chrome 95.

Parameter HTTP FTP SMTP
Port number 80 20 and 21 25
Type of band transfer In-band Out-of-band In-band
State Stateless Maintains state
Number of TCP connections 1 2 (Data Connection and Control Connection) 1
Type of TCP connection Can use both Persistent and Non-persistent Persistent for 
Control connection.
Non-persistent for 
Data Connection
Persistent
Type of Protocol Pull Protocol (Mainly) Push Protocol (Primarily)
Type of Transfer Transfer files between the Web server and Web client Transfer directly between computers Transfers mails via Mail Servers

Modes of Connecting Internet (Hotspot, Wi-Fi, LAN Cable, Broadband, USB Tethering)

Hotspot

Wifi Hotspots are sites that offer Internet access over a wireless local area network (WLAN) by way of a router that then connects to an Internet service provider. Hotspots utilize WiFi technology, which allows electronic devices to connect to the Internet or exchange data wirelessly through radio waves. Hotspots can be phone-based or free-standing, commercial or free to the public.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is the radio signal sent from a wireless router to a nearby device, which translates the signal into data you can see and use. The device transmits a radio signal back to the router, which connects to the internet by wire or cable.

A WiFi network is simply an internet connection that’s shared with multiple devices in a home or business via a wireless router. The router is connected directly to your internet modem and acts as a hub to broadcast the internet signal to all your Wi-Fi enabled devices. This gives you flexibility to stay connected to the internet as long as you’re within your network coverage area.

Wi-Fi uses radio waves to transmit data from your wireless router to your Wi-Fi enabled devices like your TV, smartphone, tablet and computer. Because they communicate with each other over airwaves, your devices and personal information can become vulnerable to hackers, cyber-attacks and other threats. This is especially true when you connect to a public Wi-Fi network at places like a coffee shop or airport. When possible, it’s best to connect to a wireless network that is password-protected or a personal hotspot.

LAN Cable

Cable Internet connection is a form of broadband access. Through use of a cable modem, users can access the Internet over cable TV lines. Cable modems can provide extremely fast access to the Internet, making a cable connection a viable option for many.

Broadband

This high-speed Internet connection is provided through either cable or telephone companies. One of the fastest options available, broadband Internet uses multiple data channels to send large quantities of information. The term broadband is shorthand for broad bandwidth. Broadband Internet connections such as DSL and cable are considered high-bandwidth connections. Although many DSL connections can be considered broadband, not all broadband connections are DSL.

USB Tethering

When the mobile internet connection is shared with a connected computer or laptop using physical USB data cable then it is called USB Tethering. It gives a high-speed connection while sharing the internet between mobile devices and connected computer systems, it is because Wired connection is quite stronger than Wireless LAN connection.

Advantages of USB Tethering.

  • It does not lower the battery life of mobile, as the mobile gets charged while sharing the internet.
  • The computer does not need to have Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) functionality for USB Tethering.
  • The internet speed obtained in the connected computer is quite faster because of the strong connection build by USB data cable.
  • Also, If mobile does not have Hotspot functionality, still USB Tethering can work for it.

Popular Web Browsers (Internet Explorer/Edge, Chrome, Mozilla Firefox)

The increased growth of the Internet in the 1990s and 2000s means that current browsers with small market shares have more total users than the entire market early on. For example, 90% market share in 1997 would be roughly 60 million users, but by the start of 2007 9% market share would equate to over 90 million users.

Apple and Google also encourage you to use Safari and Chrome on their respective platforms, although like Windows there are plenty of other options available to download.

There’s no limit on how many you can install at any one time, although it’s probably important to set one as your default browser. This will be the browser that links from messaging apps and emails will open.

Internet Explorer/Edge

Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer, (from August 16, 1995 to March 30, 2021) commonly abbreviated IE or MSIE) is a discontinued series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included in the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year. Later versions were available as free downloads, or in-service packs, and included in the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) service releases of Windows 95 and later versions of Windows. New feature development for the browser was discontinued in 2016 in favor of new browser Microsoft Edge. Since Internet Explorer is a Windows component and is included in long-term lifecycle versions of Windows such as Windows Server 2019, it will continue to receive security updates until at least 2029. Microsoft 365 ended support for Internet Explorer on August 17, 2021, and Microsoft Teams ended support for IE on November 30, 2020. Internet Explorer will be discontinued on June 15, 2022, after which the alternative will be Microsoft Edge with IE mode for legacy sites.

Internet Explorer was once the most widely used web browser, attaining a peak of about 95% usage share by 2003. This came after Microsoft used bundling to win the first browser war against Netscape, which was the dominant browser in the 1990s. Its usage share has since declined with the launch of Firefox (2004) and Google Chrome (2008), and with the growing popularity of mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS that do not support Internet Explorer.

Estimates for Internet Explorer’s market share in 2021 are about 0.45% across all platforms, or by StatCounter’s numbers ranked 9th. On traditional PCs, the only platform on which it has ever had significant share, it is ranked 6th at 1.15%, after Opera. Microsoft Edge, IE’s successor, first overtook Internet Explorer in terms of market share in November 2019.

Microsoft spent over US$100 million per year on Internet Explorer in the late 1990s, with over 1,000 people involved in the project by 1999.

Versions of Internet Explorer for other operating systems have also been produced, including an Xbox 360 version called Internet Explorer for Xbox and for platforms Microsoft no longer supports: Internet Explorer for Mac and Internet Explorer for UNIX (Solaris and HP-UX), and an embedded OEM version called Pocket Internet Explorer, later rebranded Internet Explorer Mobile made for Windows CE, Windows Phone, and, previously, based on Internet Explorer 7, for Windows Phone 7.

On March 17, 2015, Microsoft announced that Microsoft Edge would replace Internet Explorer as the default browser on “for certain versions of Windows 10”. This makes Internet Explorer 11 the last release. Internet Explorer, however, remains on Windows 10 LTSC and Windows Server 2019 primarily for enterprise purposes. Since January 12, 2016, only Internet Explorer 11 has official support for consumers; extended support for Internet Explorer 10 ended on January 31, 2020. Support varies based on the operating system’s technical capabilities and its support life cycle. On May 20, 2021, it was announced that full support for Internet Explorer would be discontinued on June 15, 2022, after which, the alternative will be Microsoft Edge with IE mode for legacy sites. Microsoft is committed to support Internet Explorer that way to 2029 at least, with a one-year notice before it is discontinued. The IE mode “uses the Trident MSHTML engine”, i.e. the rendering code of Internet Explorer.

The browser has been scrutinized throughout its development for use of third-party technology (such as the source code of Spyglass Mosaic, used without royalty in early versions) and security and privacy vulnerabilities, and the United States and the European Union have alleged that integration of Internet Explorer with Windows has been to the detriment of fair browser competition.

Features

Internet Explorer has been designed to view a broad range of web pages and provide certain features within the operating system, including Microsoft Update. During the heyday of the browser wars, Internet Explorer superseded Netscape only when it caught up technologically to support the progressive features of the time.

Chrome

Google Chrome is a cross-platform web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. It was later ported to Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android, where it is the default browser. The browser is also the main component of Chrome OS, where it serves as the platform for web applications.

Most of Chrome’s source code comes from Google’s free and open-source software project Chromium, but Chrome is licensed as proprietary freeware. WebKit was the original rendering engine, but Google eventually forked it to create the Blink engine; all Chrome variants except iOS now use Blink.

As of October 2021, StatCounter estimates that Chrome has a 68% worldwide browser market share (after peaking at 72.38% in November 2018) on personal computers (PC), is most used on tablets (having surpassed Safari), and is also dominant on smartphones, and at 65% across all platforms combined. Because of this success, Google has expanded the “Chrome” brand name to other products: Chrome OS, Chromecast, Chromebook, Chromebit, Chromebox, and Chromebase.

Stability

A multi-process architecture is implemented in Chrome where, by default, a separate process is allocated to each site instance and plugin. This procedure is termed process isolation, and raises security and stability by preventing tasks from interfering with each other. An attacker successfully gaining access to one application gains access to no others, and failure in one instance results in a Sad Tab screen of death, similar to the well-known Sad Mac, but only one tab crashes instead of the whole application. This strategy exacts a fixed per-process cost up front, but results in less memory bloat over time as fragmentation is confined to each instance and no longer needs further memory allocations. This architecture was later adopted in Safari and Firefox.

Chrome includes a process management utility called Task Manager which lets users see what sites and plugins are using the most memory, downloading the most bytes and overusing the CPU and provides the ability to terminate them. Chrome Version 23 ensures its users an improved battery life for the systems supporting Chrome’s GPU accelerated video decoding.

Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox or simply Firefox is a free and open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. Firefox uses the Gecko rendering engine to display web pages, which implements current and anticipated web standards. In 2017, Firefox began incorporating new technology under the code name Quantum to promote parallelism and a more intuitive user interface. Firefox is available for Windows 7 and later versions, macOS, and Linux. Its unofficial ports are available for various Unix and Unix-like operating systems, including FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, illumos, and Solaris Unix. Firefox is also available for Android and iOS. However, the iOS version uses the WebKit layout engine instead of Gecko due to platform requirements, as with all other iOS web browsers. An optimized version of Firefox is also available on the Amazon Fire TV, as one of the two main browsers available with Amazon’s Silk Browser.

Firefox was created in 2002 under the code name “Phoenix” by the Mozilla community members who desired a standalone browser, rather than the Mozilla Application Suite bundle. During its beta phase, Firefox proved to be popular with its testers and was praised for its speed, security, and add-ons compared to Microsoft’s then-dominant Internet Explorer 6. Firefox was released on November 9, 2004, and challenged Internet Explorer’s dominance with 60 million downloads within nine months. Firefox is the spiritual successor of Netscape Navigator, as the Mozilla community was created by Netscape in 1998 before their acquisition by AOL.

Firefox usage share grew to a peak of 32.21% in November 2009, with Firefox 3.5 overtaking Internet Explorer 7, although not all versions of Internet Explorer as a whole; its usage then declined in competition with Google Chrome. As of December 2021, according to StatCounter, Firefox has 8.34% usage share as a desktop web browser, making it the fourth-most popular desktop web browser after Google Chrome (66.35%), Safari (9.82%), and Microsoft Edge (9.53%), while its usage share across all platforms is lower at 3.91% in fourth place, after Google Chrome (64.06%), Safari (19.22%), and Edge (4.19%).

Searching on Internet

An internet search, otherwise known as a search query, is an entry into a search engine that yields both paid and organic results. The paid results are the ads that appear at the top and the bottom of the page, and they are marked accordingly. The organic results are the unmarked results that appear in between the ads.

At the core of an internet search is a keyword. In turn, keywords are at the hearts of search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO).

Search engine marketing, also known as paid search, is the practice of advertising on search engine results pages (SERPs). All the major search engines offer ad space, and the most prominent platform is Google Ads (formerly known as AdWords). Google Ads is a pay-per-click platform: an advertiser pays every time someone clicks on its advertisement.

There are many different search engines you can use, but some of the most popular include Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. To perform a search, you’ll need to navigate to a search engine in your web browser, type one or more keywords also known as search terms then press Enter on your keyboard. In this example, we’ll search for recipes.

After you run a search, you’ll see a list of relevant websites that match your search terms. These are commonly known as search results. If you see a site that looks interesting, you can click a link to open it. If the site doesn’t have what you need, you can simply return to the results page to look for more options.

Most browsers also allow you to perform a web search directly from your address bar, although some have a separate search bar next to the address bar. Simply type your search terms and press Enter to run the search.

Website Address and URL

The web address contains information about the location of the webpage. It is also known as the URL (uniform resource locator).

URL is the short form for Uniform Resource Locator, a website URL is the location of a specific website, page, or file on the Internet. Every URL is made up of multiple parts, and the way yours are built will have a variety of effects on your site’s security and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

For example, if you enter https://indiafreenotes.com/value-innovation-co-creation-of-value/ in your web browser, your web browser will take you to this post. But if you just enter https://indiafreenotes.com/, you get taken to the indiafreenotes homepage.

Basic elements of a website URL:

  • The protocol; HTTP or HTTPS.
  • The domain name (including the TLD) that identifies a site.
  • The path leading to a specific web page.

e-mail Protocols: SMTP, IMAP, POP3

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the standard protocol for sending emails across the Internet.

By default, the SMTP protocol works on three ports:

Port 25: This is the default SMTP non-encrypted port;

Port 2525: This port is opened on all servers in case port 25 is filtered (by your ISP for example) and you want to send non-encrypted emails with SMTP;

Port 465: This is the port used if you want to send messages using SMTP securely.

Command Description
HELLO
This command initiates the SMTP conversation.
EHELLO
This is an alternative command to initiate the conversation. ESMTP indicates that the sender server wants to use extended SMTP protocol.
MAIL FROM
This indicates the sender’s address.
RCPT TO
It identifies the recipient of the mail. In order to deliver similar message to multiple users this command can be repeated multiple times.
SIZE
This command let the server know the size of attached message in bytes.
DATA
The DATA command signifies that a stream of data will follow. Here stream of data refers to the body of the message.
QUIT
This commands is used to terminate the SMTP connection.
VERFY
This command is used by the receiving server in order to verify whether the given username is valid or not.
EXPN
It is same as VRFY, except it will list all the users name when it used with a distribution list.

IMAP

The Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is a mail protocol used for accessing email on a remote web server from a local client. IMAP and POP3 are the two most commonly used Internet mail protocols for retrieving emails. Both protocols are supported by all modern email clients and web servers.

While the POP3 protocol assumes that your email is being accessed only from one application, IMAP allows simultaneous access by multiple clients. This is why IMAP is more suitable for you if you’re going to access your email from different locations or if your messages are managed by multiple users.

By default, the IMAP protocol works on two ports:

Port 143: This is the default IMAP non-encrypted port;

Port 993: This is the port you need to use if you want to connect using IMAP securely.

Command Description
IMAP_LOGIN
This command opens the connection.
CAPABILITY
This command requests for listing the capabilities that the server supports.
NOOP
This command is used as a periodic poll for new messages or message status updates during a period of inactivity.
SELECT
This command helps to select a mailbox to access the messages.
EXAMINE
It is same as SELECT command except no change to the mailbox is permitted.
CREATE
It is used to create mailbox with a specified name.
DELETE
It is used to permanently delete a mailbox with a given name.
RENAME
It is used to change the name of a mailbox.
LOGOUT
This command informs the server that client is done with the session. The server must send BYE untagged response before the OK response and then close the network connection.

POP3

Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) is a standard mail protocol used to receive emails from a remote server to a local email client. POP3 allows you to download email messages on your local computer and read them even when you are offline. Note, that when you use POP3 to connect to your email account, messages are downloaded locally and removed from the email server. This means that if you access your account from multiple locations, that may not be the best option for you. On the other hand, if you use POP3, your messages are stored on your local computer, which reduces the space your email account uses on your web server.

By default, the POP3 protocol works on two ports:

Port 110: This is the default POP3 non-encrypted port;

Port 995: This is the port you need to use if you want to connect using POP3 securely.

Command Description
LOGIN
This command opens the connection.
STAT
It is used to display number of messages currently in the mailbox.
LIST
It is used to get the summary of messages where each message summary is shown.
RETR
This command helps to select a mailbox to access the messages.
DELE
It is used to delete a message.
RSET
It is used to reset the session to its initial state.
QUIT
It is used to log off the session.

Value Delivery and Upstream Marketing

Value delivery is the manner in which you design your products such that it gives maximum value to the customer using it. The value delivered to customers can be in the form of products, benefits, attributes etc. Anything which creates value for your customer should be involved in your value delivery process.

If you were to ask your parents in India whether they had air conditioners 3 decades back in their childhood, the answer will probably be no. India had just become independent and it was still a developing albeit struggling nation.

Strategies:

1) Choosing which value is most important to customers

Today in the value delivery process, the customer is at the center of attention and the products and services are designed keeping the customer in mind. Thus, the value delivery process is correct from the start wherein the product itself is chosen based on its value to the customer. The products which are not valuable are phased out from the start.

2) Delivering the value

Forming a strong marketing strategy, placing the marketing mix, finding the target markets and other such tactics are ways by which delivering the value to the customer has become easier. Marketing as a career itself has evolved whereby many companies are closely watching the strategies being implemented by their marketing department. Thus, delivering the value has become easier.

3) Communicating the value

Once the value delivery process is designed, it is important that you communicate the value to the customer. Today there is a lot of noise and customers do not pay attention to a message unless it is repeated over and over. Thus forming a promotion mix and ensuring that the customer does not overlook the value being delivered is important.

Thus over a period of time, customers have evolved to form the base of the value delivery process. With the advancement of technology, we can be sure that the value of products will only increase instead of decreasing, the product development function will evolve even faster and give unthinkable innovations and developments from current age products. Thus, you need to look at your business and decide is your value delivery upto mark.

Upstream marketing

Upstream marketing refers to the strategic process of identifying and fulfilling customer needs. Upstream marketing takes place at a much earlier stage by developing a clear market segmentation map and then identifying and precisely defining which customer segments to focus on. It analyzes how the end-users uses the product or service and what competitive advantage will be required to win the customer and at what price point. It is done very early in the product or service development cycle, and is one of the missing links for generating revenue growth at many companies.

Strategies:

Analyze trends

Analyze trends provides great insight into the future needs of customers. Some trends to analyze include considering what products or services sell, looking at your competitors and identifying the growing popularity of certain items. Trends are statistical and factual which makes them reliable. Implement this information in your decision-making and refer to it later in the future to see how it impacted your business.

Focus on growth

Upstream marketing assumes the long-term success of your company. Focusing on growth considers what products or services could contribute to expansion. Upstream marketing thinks ahead and predicts future needs. Focusing on growth includes growing your customer base, your company and the number of products and services you offer. For example, you might want your company to offer an upgraded version of your product overseas, therefore reaching more customers.

Create a timeline

Creating a timeline helps you plan the timing of achieving certain goals. Timelines include specific dates that correlate with company goals and help create an attainable action plan. Timelines are an easy way to simplify steps while still maintaining daily structure. They map out the future in a visual manner that is easy to understand for everyone involved. A timeline is also motivating because the result is noted.

Survey your customers

Upstream marketing considers the future needs of the customer. The best way to know what these needs are is by speaking directly to the source. Surveying your customers gives you a better idea of what they need and allows them a chance to share their thoughts. Some ways to survey your customers include social media polling and in-person interviewing.

Think of innovative ideas

A primary characteristic of upstream marketing is innovation. Innovative thinking is brainstorming in a new and refreshing way. Consider products or services not yet made and customer needs not yet met. Innovative thinking creates effective solutions through a new perspective.

For example, a company produces a phone app that tends to a customer desire not yet addressed by other products. This could be a brand new app on the market or an updated version of an existing app. The characteristics of upstream marketing lie in the concept of creating this new idea as a long-term goal and the intention to help customers in the future.

Evaluate the market

Evaluating the market, what products it has and where it is going is crucial for upward marketing planning. To strategically design future products, services and solutions, you first study the market. Some aspects to consider include the urgency of products and what pricing looks like. Much of market evaluation assesses potential. For example, the potential of a product to succeed or the potential for a product to continue selling after a long period of time.

error: Content is protected !!