Dumex Web Site

The Danone Dumex Web site located at <http://www. dumex. com. my/> is the online presence of Dumex (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.. , a Malaysian health food company operating since 1958. The Web site serves as a company brochure and features company news, the company’s products, tips on various health-related topics like nutrition, advice, and child development, as well as health news and recipes. Strengths The site is presented in a clutter free way. It’s easy to see what the whole site has to offer, so the user does not get lost.

The content also allows for returning visitors, or visitors who go back to the site for updates and new information. The New This Month, and Featured This Month section, not only encourages returning visitors, it also highlights the things that they haven’t seen since their last visit, so that they won’t have to go through material they’ve seen before. Also, the site can be navigated easily. The menu bar at the left side of the page points the user to various areas of the Web site, from news, to recipes, to the company’s products, to medical advice, etc.

It’s all there, near each other. The site encourages more user participation and interactivity with its contests. It provides the user with by featuring user photographs, writings, experiences and advise. On the company side, it allows them to build a reputation and image of being an expert on health issues. By featuring health experts’ advice and opinion, along with health-related news, they are positioning themselves in a way that they can be trusted with one’s health. The site also offers a display case for all their products.

Content-wise, the site features news and information that is valued highly by its target market. Since the product is for babies and pregnant mothers, their content is geared towards issues related to pregnancy and children. This makes it a one-stop resource for their customers, further consolidating their brand and company image. Weakness As a healthcare-related Web site, the site should include language warning users that the site might have insufficient advice and implores users to seek further medical attention or to see their doctor.

The disclaimer would put the user’s best interest in mind specially if he’s really sick, or have a condition that might need individual care. An example is the site’s pregnancy teaser on the home page which says “Pregnant? Don’t forget to exercise”. Colette Bouchez at WebMD writes that although exercise during pregnancy is not only recommended, it also have certain benefits for both mother and baby, the mother should be aware of some warning signs like vaginal discharges and bleeding, and stop exercising. This caution is not on the Dumex home page.

As such, it is highly probable that while material on the site might have been checked and is reliable, it might adversely affect some people who follows medical, nutritional advise without consulting their doctors. Also, while the site has its products online, there is no way to order their products on the site. * * * As a consumer, I need to be sure of what I’m purchasing. It has to give me value for my money. It has to deliver its promises. For me, I want to be an informed consumer, price is only secondary.

Web sites like Dumex provides me with the necessary information that I would not normally see in other forms of advertisements. A good Web site should let me know about the product, for me to know its benefits, potential threats and how it fares against the competition. And I don’t have to leave home to do it, it’s all, literally, at the tips of my fingers. Aside from information, good product Web sites offer their customers other related information. That would keep me informed of the things I need to be aware of.

In the case of Dumex, it also tells me how their products would fit my needs. Lastly, Web sites offer the convenience of purchasing at home, which would give me more time to do other more important things, and other perks like avoiding the long lines at the supermarket or horrendous traffic. Effects of IT Employment. Information technology makes it easier to do the tasks that would have been more difficult and time consuming without it, a prime example of which is the use of the word processor instead of the manual typewriter.

According to Michael Handel at the SRI Institute, however, automation using I. T. may lead to unemployment. If you have computers that run certain processes or monitor certain activities running, then you don’t need to hire somebody to do that for you (Handel, 2003). Privacy and Individuality. Information technology is also changing the way we live. With the advent of social networking sites like Friendster, Myspace and countless of others, it has been easier to find new friends and maintain relationships and contact (Dwyer, 2007) .

IT, while making it easier to buy products and services and have them delivered to your doorstep without leaving your home, like a book from Amazon. Com, also raised privacy issues like hackers gaining access to your credit card information, or personal data. Even one’s behavior patterns on the World Wide Web, like the sites being accessed, and the amount of time being spent on a particular site can be monitored. Co-workers, hackers, and family members may have their own personal motivation now have access to illicit computer programs to get such information from one’s computer.

(Rittenhouse, 2004). Computer Crimes. Computer crimes are on the rise and it may involved the unauthorized use of a computer (stealing passwords, or accessing another’s computer via a backdoor program); spreading malicious computer programs like trojan, virii and worms; or an online version of stalking and harassment. The underlying premise is that computer crimes are done by people who lack respect for property and privacy of other people (Standler, 2002). Ironically, computer crimes are also being battled via I. T.

Various Web sites have come up with online privacy tools, virus detection and deletion programs, tips on how to detect illicit computer activities, among others. Societal Solutions. One of the most widespread and easily-seen effect of I. T. on society is the way people get their news nowadays. Before, people have to rely on rumors and the next morning’s papers, and eventually, the evening broadcast and breaking news on T. V. The thing is, people have to wait before they get the news. Now, all they have to do is to log on to various news Web sites to get the latest happenings, on a wider variety of topics.

They can get news from Somalia, or news on the latest Britney happening. The problem with this is that there tends to be a lot of wrong news coming from unverified sources. An example of which comes from the the Virginia Polytech Institute and State University shooting a year ago. At that time, many students, checked out sites on the Internet, like Fark. Com, Facebook. Com and other social networking sites to get information on the shooting. But then, it happened that one unnamed student became suspected as the gunman when his own Facebook. Com profile showed pictures of him and his gun collection.

The student became the threats, and hate campaign, until news came out that the real gunman was shot dead and the unnamed student’s identity was verified (IDG News Service, 2007). Health Issues. Speaking of misinformation, the World Wide Web is full of it. While the Web has made it easier to obtain information on various topics like what to do when you’re pregnant, how to make bombs, how to cook the best lambchops, it would be wise to check the reliability of the information presented first. Make sure that the site, or the writer of the article is authoritative on the subject matter.

Take special care when it comes to one’s health. As in the case of Dumex’s Web site, take all information presented there with a grain of salt and a word of caution. While healthcare advice is plentiful on the Web, it might be best to consult one’s physician if you’re sick. Leslie Teach at Emory University puts it succinctly when she says that previously health-related videos, books, brochures were tediously edited and reviewed before released to the public, and that’s not happening with Web sites. Health improvement, disease prevention, and information about diseases are the primary health-related information that are being accessed.

Teach gives a number of criterion for evaluating health-related Web sites, including: ? a clearly stated purpose of the site; ? no evident bias; ? the site is not a disguised advertisement; ? all aspects of the subject are adequately taken up; ? the site provides accurate information, with documented sources. * * * Information technology is here to stay. In fact, the widespread and pervasiveness of this technology has made so many profound effects on our daily lives that it has become a part of our culture, and our psyche. As with other advances, it has its drawbacks.

But the simple truth is, the benefits outweighs the dangers. And the disadvantages can be easily fought, with a little awareness, knowledge and a critical mind, one can be safe. References Bouchez, Colette. (2007). Exercise During Pregnancy: Myth Vs. Fact. WebMD. Com. Retrieved on 18 April 2008. <http://www. webmd. com/baby/features/exercise-during-pregnancy-myth-vs-fact? page=3> Danone Dumex Web page. (2008). Retrieved on 18 April 2008. <http://www. dumex. com. my/> Dwyer, Cathy. (2007). Digital Relationships in the MySpace Generation: Results From a

Qualitative Study. Proceedings of the 40th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences – 2007. Retrieved on 16 April 2008. <http://csdl2. computer. org/comp/proceedings/hicss/2007/2755/00/27550019c. pdf> Handel, Michael J. (2003). Complex Picture of Information Technology and Employment Emerges. SRI International. Retrieved on 18 April 2008. <http://www. sri. com/policy/csted/reports/sandt/it/Handel_IT_Employment_InfoBrief. pdf> Rittenhouse, David. (2004). Information Technology Abuse — Privacy Issues. Retrieved on

18 April 2008. <http://www. infopackets. com/channels/en/windows/gazette/2002/20020521_information_technology_abuse_privacy_issues_part_1_of_2. htm> Standler, Ronald. (2002). Computer Crime. Retrieved on 18 April 2008. <http://www. rbs2. com/ccrime. htm> Teach, Leslie. Evaluating Health-related Web Sites. Emory University. Retrieved on 18 April 2008. <http://www. sph. emory. edu/WELLNESS/abstract. html> Virginia Tech shooting shows benefits, pitfalls of social networking sites. (2007). IDG News Service. Retrieved on 19 April 2008.