If you are creating a pay-to-learn website, you have no doubt looked at the various web-based open-source LMS (Learning Management Systems) or sometimes called CMS (Course Management Systems). These programs were designed by educators, not marketers, so they don't contain the payment solutions that marketers want to cash in on the 'Boom' in pay-to-learn web sites.
You need the flexibility of the LMS, but you also want:
* A professional-looking cart and checkout system
* The ability to use any payment processor - not just PayPal
* A pro-grade affiliate management system
* Ability to track payments
* A system that integrates with popular 3rd party systems such as autoresponders
* Professional design and a reliable system
The sad fact is, that the open-source LMS products today just do not have robust ecommerce support. It is possible to add a shopping cart to an open-source LMS product like Moodle. With a little set of hacks and the E-Junkie shopping cart system, it's really quite easy to do, even if you have basic to moderate coding skills. Moodle is a good choice because it is so modular.
So what is Moodle? Moodle is designed to help educators create online courses with opportunities for rich interaction. Its open source license and modular design means that people can develop additional functionality. Development is undertaken by a globally diffused network of commercial and non-commercial users, streamlined by the Moodle company based in Perth, Western Australia.
Moodle has many features expected from an e-learning platform, plus some original innovations (e.g. its filtering system).
Moodle is modular in construction and can readily be extended by creating plugins for specific new functionality. Moodle's infrastructure supports many types of plugin:
* Activities
* Resource types
* Question types
* Data field types (for the database activity)
* Graphical themes
* Authentication methods
* Enrollment methods
* Content Filters
The stated philosophy of Moodle includes a constructivist and social constructionist approach to education, emphasizing that learners (and not just teachers) can contribute to the educational experience in many ways. Moodle's features reflect this in various design aspects, such as making it possible for students to comment on entries in a database (or even to contribute entries themselves), or to work collaboratively in a wiki.
Having said this, Moodle is flexible enough to allow for a full range of modes of teaching. It can be used for both introductory and advanced delivery of content (e.g. HTML pages) or assessment, and does not necessitate a constructivist teaching approach.
Constructivism is sometimes seen as at odds with accountability-focused ideas about education, such as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in the United States. Accountability stresses tested outcomes, not teaching techniques, or pedagogy, but Moodle is also useful in an outcomes-oriented classroom environment because of its flexibility.
The word Moodle is actually an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment, although originally the M stood for "Martin", named after Martin Dougiamas, the original developer.
Moodle can also be considered a verb, which describes the improvisational process of doing things as it occurs to you to do them, an enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity. As such it applies both to the way Moodle was developed, and to the way a student or teacher might approach studying or teaching an online course.
Many third-party Moodle plugins are freely available making use of this infrastructure.
PHP can be used to author and contribute new modules. Moodle's development has been assisted by the work of open source programmers. This has contributed towards its rapid development and rapid bug fixes.
They key to doing ecommerce in Moodle is by using the remote enrollment database feature. You 'intercept' the enrollment code within Moodle, and replace it with your shopping cart buttons. Then the remote callback feature of the EJunkie shopping cart populates your external enrollment database.
Adding ecommerce to Moodle and other open source LMS' can be done- it just takes a little ingenuity and some great features from the EJunkie Shopping cart.
Want to launch a successful ecommerce business? Having an easy-to-use, reliable shopping cart is a necessity. But what many first-time business owners don't understand is that a shopping cart is only one part of the process. In order to upload a working site that makes money, you'll need a shopping cart and much more! Don't panic. I'll gladly take you through what's required to create a basic ecommerce site.
What Is An Online Shopping Cart?
The term "online shopping cart" is mistakenly used when referring to the entire process visitors go through when reading product descriptions, adding an item to their virtual baskets, checking out and paying for their orders. That is only partially correct.
The shopping cart comes into play when a site visitor chooses to add an item to their basket. According to Wikipedia.com, "The software allows online shopping customers to place items in the cart. Upon checkout, the software typically calculates a total for the order, including shipping and handling charges and the associated taxes, as applicable." That's it.
Until your visitors add an item to their carts, and after they initiate payment, the shopping cart isn't involved. Those functions take additional types of software and accounts. Let me explain.
In the Beginning?
When a visitor types in your URL (also called a domain name or web address), he/she can view your website. The website is what delivers your pictures and product descriptions. It includes the design and any necessary programming to make the basic site function. Perhaps the site uses a content management system (CMS) to serve up your products in a logical way or it may simply use basic HTML. Either way, once the site design is completed, you are now able to show your products to the world. But that's all. At this point, they can't buy anything. This is where the online shopping cart enters the game.
The shopping cart provides visitors with the ability to create a list of items they want to buy. It stores the items as the shopper continues to browse through your site. The shopping cart can calculate totals, show listings of what's currently saved in the cart and more. When a visitor has finished shopping, two other components come into play: a merchant account and a payment gateway.
Show Me the Money!
In order for a visitor to pay for their items, your site must be equipped with the ability to accept credit cards and the ability to process those cards via the Internet. This requires a merchant account as well as an online payment gateway.
A merchant account is provided by a bank or other institution. It allows you to accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and other credit cards as payment for purchases your visitors make. Generally, if you were a brick-and-mortar store, this would be all you needed. However, for ecommerce sites, you must have a way to instantaneously process the cards in real time via the Internet. That requires a payment gateway. Once you have all four elements in play (a website, an online shopping cart, a merchant account and a payment gateway) you can launch your ecommerce site and sell products or services.
Sound complicated? Not really. Because the functions work hand-in-hand, you can find companies that offer complete packages containing all four elements. That makes it simple for you to quickly upload your pictures and content and start receiving orders right away.
The Internet can be an exciting place to earn a living. Before jumping onto the ecommerce playing field, however, do your research. You'll want to find a reputable company to provide these all-important services. If possible, find one organization that offers all the services. Look for a business that has a proven track record of dependability and outstanding support before making your decision.
Both Carl Ringwall & Lena Crossan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Carl Ringwall has sinced written about articles on various topics from The Internet, Family and Blogging. Carl Ringwall is a recognized experts and consultants. Carl also is an expert with the. Carl Ringwall's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.
Lena Crossan has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, The Internet. Lena Crossan is Marketing Manager of GoEmerchant.com that has offered affordable award-winning ecommerce services since 1995. Discover their proven, innovative