Web Usage Mining Discussion: General Stored Information (Essay Sample)

Web Usage Mining
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Web Usage Mining Discussion
The World Wide Web, commonly known as the web, is a source of general stored information that provides users with knowledge on different fields of research. In the recent past, the web has gained significant popularity due to advancements in technology and the need to achieve global standards by different entities (Bošnjak, Marić, & Bošnjak, 2009). The business sector, being one of the major entities with interest in taking advantage of available options in technology, has taken a turn to utilize the web in business promotion and provision of useful information to audiences in different global locations. Web Usage Mining (WUM) is among the fields that have provided a great opportunity for the business community (Prasanth, 2013). Through WUM, businesses are able to understand the requirements of their customers by analyzing their log data.
WUM is an automated process that enables retrieval of user access patterns from web servers (Prasanth, 2013). There are three major tools used in WUM, namely preprocessing, pattern discovery, and pattern analysis. Preprocessing involves the collection of incomplete data from IP addresses and click streams, and structuring such data to relevant formats. The data includes scripts, images, and other related information from different referenced sources and links. On its part, pattern discovery involves use of statistical methods to classify data (Bošnjak, Marić, & Bošnjak, 2009). Data that is frequently visited is grouped together and all related information is provided and saved under the same group to serve the visitors with all required information. Finally, the data is filtered through pattern analysis. This is where unimportant data is filtered and discarded while relevant data is provided for use by customers on the web.
In E-Commerce, traditional trading is carried out online, with specific set standards that allow such business to take place. The growth of e-commerce trading has benefited from WUM since the sellers can determine customer satisfaction through the study of customer patterns. These provide an opportunity for them to retain potential customers through discounts and promotional offers (Prasanth, 2013). Additionally, E-Learning has provided a platform for...