UiPath Platform: The Backend Engine Powering Your Automation - Session 1
How Audiences use Technology and its impact on their lives
1. Picture 1. by Ibtimes uk (n.d)
Introduction
The Internet started in the 1960s as a way for the USA government
researchers to share information.
Computers in the '60s were large and slow, they were also immobile
and in order to make use of information stored in any one computer,
one had to either travel to the site of the computer or have magnetic
computer tapes sent through the conventional postal system.
But nowadays, computers have evolved and advanced
significantly over the decades since they originated.
Gradually, computers have become smaller and faster, enabling people
to use them virtually anywhere.
The Internet has turned our existence upside down, it has revolutionized
communications, to the extent that it is now our preferred method of
everyday communication. In almost everything we do, we use the
Internet.
Today, we can send information from one end of the world to the other
in a matter of seconds. As we have seen, the Internet revolution is not
just technological; it also operates at a personal level, and throughout
the structure of society.
The Internet makes it possible for an unlimited number of people to
communicate with one another freely and easily, in an unrestricted way.
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2. Access to the Internet
Technology is more and more important in
people’s lives. It is present in everything they do.
Did you know that one in three people checks their
phone within 5 minutes of waking up? That 80%
are active on their phone while having a
conversation?.
Basically people are connected 24/7 and they
expect to receive news in real time.
With the growing importance of technology in all
spheres of our lives, access to the internet has
become vital.
Across developing countries, the availability of
Wi-Fi and the increased data has seen an important
growth.
There is a general expansion of usage regarding
the internet, and its connection, speed and data
have also improved as a response to changing
needs. ( eMarketers 2017 )
Picture posted by Ibtimes uk (n.d)
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3. Picture posted by InternetWorldStats March 3, 2020
Internet Users 2019
More than 4.5 billion people around the world now use the internet – close to 60 percent of the world’s total
population. This number is still growing too, with our latest data showing that 298 million new users came
online in 2019, equivalent to an average increase of more than 800,000 new users each day.
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4. The broadband speeds are expected to double by 2021, to reach 53 Mbps, a noticeable increase from the 27.5 Mbps
in 2016. (Cisco 2017)
The table below represents the fixed broadband speeds between 2016 and 2021. Across all regions, increases are
shown; they vary between 9% and 18% depending on the regions. North America, Africa and the Middle East are
the regions where the highest increase has been seen. This is partly attributable to the Fibre To The Home (FTTH)
and cable broadband. (Cisco VNI, 2017).
Region 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Annual
Growth Rate
(2016-2021)
Global 27.5 39.0 42.3 47.9 50.4 53.0 124%
Asia Pacific 33.9 46.2 49.8 56.4 59.4 63.7 13%
Latin America 9.3 11.7 13.6 15.0 17.6 20.5 17%
North America 32.9 43.2 51.0 57.5 65.0 74.2 18%
Western Europe 30.2 37.9 40.7 46.9 49.3 53.6 12%
Central and Eastern
Europe
29.2 32.8 36.0 39.0 41.6 45.5 9%
Middle East and
Africa
29.3 39.0 46.0 51.6 59.2 67.4 18%
Fixed broadband speeds (in Mbps), 2016–2021
Picture posted by Cisco VNI, 2017
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5. Picture posted by Cisco, VNI global IP Traffic Forecast 2017
Digital devices used
by audiences
5
A recent study by Gartner
shows that in 2017, 8.4
billion connected things are
being used – a 31% growth
from 2016.
This tendency is expected to
increase to reach 20.4
billion by 2021.
( Gartner, 2017)
The table below shows
the different devices
consumers use
worldwide.
We can notice that
smartphone is the device
that uses the most
exabytes per month at
39%, followed by PC,
28%. (Cisco, 2017).
6. Nearly three quarters of the world will use just their smartphones to access the internet by 2025
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Almost three quarters (72.6 percent) of internet users
will access the web solely via their smartphones by 2025,
equivalent to nearly 3.7 billion people.
Just over 1.3 billion are forecast to access the internet
via smartphone and PC by 2025, according to a report
published by the World Advertising Research Center
(WARC), using data from mobile trade body GSMA.
Sixty-nine million will access the internet via PC only.
World Advertising Research Center estimates that
around 2 billion people currently access the internet via
only their smartphone, which equates to 51 percent of the
global base of 3.9 mobile users.
Most of the growth in smartphone use will come from China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan, but there
will still be 2.4 billion people who do not own a mobile phone by 2025, the report said.
These figures present huge opportunities for businesses to sell products via the mobile internet — already, $101
billion was spent via mobile apps alone in 2018, according to a report by App Annie, China accounted for almost
40 percent of that spend, which included paid downloads, in-app purchases and subscription fees, with most of
the money spent on gaming.
Picture posted by Pixabay (n.d)
7. Mobiles vs TV
According to World Advertising Research Centre
data companies are forecast to spend more on
advertising their products via smartphone than they
do on TV by the end of 2019 if the current growth
rates are maintained in 12 countries including the
U.S. U.K. and China. In 2018, businesses spent
$137.9 billion on advertising via smartphone,
which is equivalent to $35.36 per user.
Advertising via social media on smartphones is the most
popular way to reach consumers in the (EMEA) Europe,
Middle East and Africa and (APAC) Asia Pacific regions
That World Adverstising Research Centre surveyed in
March 2018, with video ads coming second, followed
by mobile search.
The time spent on smartphones is set to overtake the hours spent on accessing the internet from PCs. People are
forecast to spend three hours 22 minutes on their smartphone every day this year, beating time spent online via a
PC, laptop or tablet for the first time, which is set to fall to three hours 19 minutes, down nine minutes on 2018.
But although people are likely to spend more time on their phones, a key consideration for advertisers, ad
locking is still a concern: 24 percent of people in the U.S. used a blocker on their mobile phone in the first half
of 2018, with similar proportions in Spain (24 percent), the U.K., Italy and Germany (all 21 percent). But
marketers would do well to make sure their mobile apps are in order, as most ad-blocking takes place on
websites over apps.
Picture posted by Media News August, 2015
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8. How Customers
search for
information
In the modern information age the majority of
consumers use search engines as a mean of
accessing information. As a greater portion of
the world begins to live more of their life
online. the world’s top 100 websites, continue to
see explosive growth in their traffic numbers.
To claim even the 100th spot in this ranking, your
website would need around 350 million visits in a
single month. Using data from SimilarWeb, the
Visual Capitalist has mapped out the top 100
biggest websites on the internet. Examining the
ranking reveals a lot about how people around
the world search for information, which services
they use, and how they spend time online.
The 100 biggest websites generated a staggering
206 billion visits in June 2019.
Google
YouTube
Facebook took the top spots, followed by
Baidu
and Wikipedia.
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Google
is the undisputed top website that Audiences are
using in nearly every country in the world to search for
Information.
Picture posted by US Search Market Share sep 2018
9. Understanding the digital consumer in 2019
Digital consumers now use a variety of devices to
connect to the Internet and interact with digital content.
But the digital habit of the digital consumer in 2019
are changing faster than ever. Some trends are already
taking root but will grow in importance and will affect
your strategy.
Google receives 63,000 searches every second on a
Typical day. Many of these searches are done on a
smartphone when a need develops. These instant queries
give the consumer the power to make purchasing decisions
without the need for intermediaries. And without needing to
direct him/her towards a specific product. Digital research
offers consumers the possibility to start their experience before
the purchase trip.
This creates opportunities for customer engagement that helps customers explore their product and service options in
advance. It allows the consumer to investigate, wherever you are, on any device you like.
These consumers will combine their search results with influence information and product specifications and then
will make their final decision.
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Picture posted by BigStock (n.d)
10. What consumers buy
online
Consumers who have purchased selected products online in the past 12
months as of 2018
Internet has proven to be a good way to find
information, inspiration, searching for promotions and
buying products and services. With the enhancement in
digital technology, it’s no surprise that today’s
consumers are in control of their path to purchase.
They’re open to explore as many categories, brands,
and products as they would like to.
Nowadays, you can basically find and buy anything
online, from the way we socialise, to the way we get
our news , we are slowly but surely moving everything
online, and shopping is no an exception. In the past
few decades, online shopping has gone from being non-
existent to becoming a multibillion-dollar industry.
Buying things online has become a common practice
among millions of people around the world. Recently
the number of people buying goods and services online
has increased more than ever before. One of the reasons
why online shopping has grown so much over the years
is because of the experience that businesses are able to
provide to their customers.
We’re constantly seeing
businesses add new features and services for online
shoppers, with the intent of providing them the same
support and comfort that they would have during an
in-person shopping experience.
Published by J. Clement, Jan 21, 2020 10
11. The Most Popular Items Bought Online in Australia
More than 50% of
Australians shop for clothes on the internet,
making them the most popular item on Aussies
online shopping lists. Other popular items include
physical media like books, CDs, DVDs and games
as well as consumer electronics like cell phones,
according to the Statista Global Consumer Survey. Food
and drink products were quite high up on the list with
around a quarter of Australians saying they had bought
groceries online in the past year.
When asked what items they preferred to purchase
online rather than offline, physical media ranked highest.
Around a quarter of Australians still said that they did
not prefer online purchases over store purchases at all.
Two thirds of Australians reported to researching products online before making a bigger purchase, half of them
on their cell phones or tablets. 57% of respondents said they found online customer reviews helpful.
Picture posted by Katharina Buchholz, May 29, 2019
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12. Online Video
Consumption
There are over 2 billion logged-in users visiting YouTube each
month. In total, users are watching over a billion hours of video on
the platform every day. No wonder, YouTube is the second most
popular website in the world (after Google). HubSpot research
confirmed that YouTube is the favorite platform for watching
videos, but Facebook is catching up with it.
YT lets users to discover, uploads and monetize their created videos.
There are other alternatives sites for Video Sharing Sites also
available on the Internet such as:
Vimeo
Metacafe
Dailymotion
Video consumption has evolved since it was born in the
early 90s. Advances in technology have developed ways to
compress video files that in the beginning
were impossible to deliver through an internet connection.
Video streaming originally started as video on demand. An
American company named “Startlight Networks” in
Mountain View, California is credited with the first
development of this video compression technology and
tested over a private corporate IP Network.
Video has threaded into the lives of consumers and video
streaming technology has drastically changed the way
these products are delivered, marketized and sold to the
final customer.
Youtube is a video sharing service that allows users to
upload and share video content through their own channel.
The service initially started only as a video sharing
platform, but nowadays has evolutionized into a full and
sophisticated movie streaming service via a paid
subscription competing this way against giants such a:
Netflix and Amazon prime for a piece of market share into
this business segment.
.
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Picture posted by Tech Support 2019
13. Devices used to watch online video worldwide as of August 2019
According to an August 2019 survey of global online video viewers, smartphones were the primary
device used to watch online video, followed by computers, and smart TVs and other connected devices.
Picture Posted by Statiista J. Clement, Nov 26, 2019
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14. Picture posted by AudienceProject Nov 28, 2018
Percentage of internet users in selected countries who watch online video content every day as of January 2018
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15. 15
Best streaming services 2020
Fig 1. TechRadar March 13, 2020
The best of the best when it
comes to online TV
streaming.
Compatible
devices: Android, Apple,
Windows, Roku,
PlayStation, Xbox, Google
Chromecast, Amazon Fire
TV Stick, Apple TV, Smart
TVs | Free trial: 1 month
| Simultaneous
streams: 1-4
Fig 2. TechRadar March 13, 2020
A strong selection of both
popular films and TV
Compatible
devices: Android,
Apple, Windows, Roku,
Play
Station, Xbox, Google
Chromecast, Amazon Fire
TV
Stick, AppleTV, Smart
TVs
Simultaneous streams: 3
Fig 3. TechRadar March 13, 2020
The go-to for big name TV
shows
Compatible
devices: Apple,
Android, Windows,
Roku, PlayStation, Xbox,
Nintendo Switch,
Google Chromecast,
Amazon
Fire TV Stick, Apple TV,
Smart TVs Simultaneous
streams: 1
Fig 4. TechRadar March 13, 2020
The new home of Disney
shows and movies
Compatible devices: PS4,
Xbox One, Samsung and
LG
devices, Roku players,
Amazon Fire TV and Fire
tablets, Apple TV, Android
TV, Android, iOS, Chrome,
Firefox, Edge, Google
Chromecast
Simultaneous streams: 4.
1 2 3 4
16. 16
Fig 5.TechRadar March
13, 2020
Live TV streaming
without the hassle
Compatible
devices: Apple,
Android, Windows,
Roku,
Xbox, Google
Chromecast,
Apple TV,Smart
TVs
Simultaneous
streams: 6
Fig 6.TechRadar March
13, 2020
Game of Thrones,
The Wire, Silicon
Valley – what's not to
love
Compatible
devices: Apple,
Android, Windows,
Roku,
Xbox, Google
Chromecast,
Apple TV, Android
TV,
Smart TVs
Simultaneous
streams: 3
Fig 5.TechRadar March
13, 2020
More affordable than
YouTube TV but not
as good
Compatible
devices: Apple,
Android, Windows,
Roku,
Xbox, Google
Chromecast,
Apple TV, Android
TV,
Smart TVs
Simultaneous
streams: 3
Fig 5.TechRadar March
13, 2020
Free streaming of
game playthroughs,
musicians and so
much more
Compatible
devices:
Apple, Android,
Windows,
Xbox, Google
Chromecast,
Apple, Nvidia Shield
|
Simultaneous
streams:
Unlimited
Fig 5.TechRadar March
13, 2020
A free streaming
service with a
rotating hit or
miss collection of
films
Compatible
devices: Apple,
Android, Windows,
Chromecast, Android
TV,
Amazon Fire Stick,
Google Chromecast,
Xbox,
Playstation, Blu-ray
players |
Simultaneous
streams: unlimited
Best streaming services 2020
5 6 7 8 9
17. Technology does not stop and it will continue to innovate the way we do businesses, how companies and new
entrepreneurs envision new services and products that will enhance our productivity, comfort and quality of life.
Remain productive !!!
Companies and consumers have made practical and effective use of productivity tools such ZOOM, SLACK,
ASANA, TEAMVIEWER and others to remotely access their office work from home, giving companies and
employees flexibility on their schedules and create big savings on both sides, time and monetary savings. This
tendency has increased dramatically and we have seen an exponential growth in the use of these technologies during
the current Covid-19.
The way YOU like it !!!
On the other side, personalised services are also well received by audiences. An example of that is the “American
coffee chain STARBUCKS” that makes use of information such as “purchase history and location”, to customise and
order drinks via their app. McDonald's also provides their customers a similar service. Using their mobile “app or
store KIOSK”, customers can easily order and pay for their food order ahead of time...
Consumer Trends
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Fig 1. Forbes April 2, 2020 Fig 2. Forbes April 2, 2020 Fig 4. Forbes April 2, 2020Fig 3. Forbes April 2, 2020
Fig 1. GetImage Fig 2. GetImage
18. Continue Consumer Trends
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Bring it to my door !!!
Food delivery services have also expanded into a new territory. Companies like: UBER have created a new home delivery
service which is “UBER EATS”. This service has an online platform that allows customers to choose from hundreds of
Restaurants, placing their Menus in front of your screen and delivering your food to your front door.
Taxi delivery services have also expanded into new territory. Companies like UBER, LYFT and DIDI, are the biggest
providers for this new service that has had a great impact not only on riders, but also among job seekers and students
who are always searching for flexibility and most important convenience on having a second or part-time job. These
platforms offer drivers an extra salary and unbeatable freedom at work schedules and management. In other words, you
are your own boss.
TAXI Please !!!
Fig 1. GetImage
Fig 1. GetImage
Fig 2. GetImage
Fig 3. GetImage
19. Continue Consumer Trends
Teacher I’ve got a Question !!!
Online learning has exploded in the recent years. Internet
technology opened the window for working parents, remote
location students, busy workers and many more the opportunity
to improve their knowledge, skills and curriculum. It is
estimated that the Online Education market will reach the size
of US $ 319.167 billions in 2025, increasing from US $
187.877 billions in 2019.According to Forbes magazines
website the best online learning platforms right now are:
Udemy, Skillshare, Coursera.
Since knowledge is power and following the old saying of “the
more you learn, the more you earn”, online education will
continue to grow not only in the number of students, but also on
improving the current technologies to make the learning
experience easier using new tools that might be unimaginable at
the moment but will be part of an ordinary
day in the future.
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Fig 3. Forbes April 2, 2020
Fig 2. Forbes April 2, 2020
Fig 1. Forbes April 2, 2020
20. 20
Continue Consumer Trends
OK GOOGLE... take me home !!!
Today's generations are starving consumers of technology.
There is one giant piece of technology that is currently in its
beta testing before making its entrance into the US market,
and obviously will spread out to the rest of the world once it
takes off on American soil. That is the Autonomous Cars or
self-driving cars. You might believe that is a far
distance future, but self-driving cars are already a reality.
During the year 2019, twenty nine US States already
approved legislation laws, permitting autonomous cars while
in Europe some main countries such the UK, France, Italy
and Belgium are planning to operate transport systems using
this self-driving technology.
Only a Glimpse...
Consumer trends are a positive reaction or rejection of new technologies that try to make its way into our
lives. People either adopt or dismiss the new high tech. The above mentioned trends are only a glimpse of all
the implementations that are already in place. Innovation and trends are happening at many levels of the
modern society and industry fields such as; Science, Telecommunications, Robotics, Medical, E-commerce
are only a few examples. It must be considered that big corporations are also “customers” that create new
consumption trends at the corporate level. They do this by adopting and adapting innovation into production
processes utilising the latest discoveries and become eager of new technology that can improve productivity
and profit. The big winner at the end of the day is human race.
Fig 1. Forbes April 2, 2020
21. Summary
Technological evolution has had a huge impact on audiences because more of us are connected to the internet than
ever before. This impact changes audiences habits, expectations and prospects. The prospect of ‘convenience’ is an
important part. Audiences want simple user interfaces, like a 'click of a button', fast satisfaction whether that be with
the fastest most convenient service online and meeting audiences needs with a consistent stream of digital devices
that simplify our lives.
We are no longer fixed to a desktop or a TV, as everything is now on-demand and available at any time. We use cost
comparison sites and social media platforms to search for information, and businesses take advantage of this and
therefore provide us with more personal customer experience. We spend more time in the virtual world and have
been handed power as consumers to speak our minds using social media, which has in turn changed what we expect
from businesses.
As shown technology impacts all aspects of our day-to-day lives:
From the access, we have to the internet
To the numbers of devices we use
What search engines we use, what we can purchase online.
Technology has improved our lives, we are able to connect and communicate with people from all over the world.
Technology aids companies to improve their business, students are able to have access to online studies.
All of these developments have defined how we live our lives. In short: we are living two lives; one virtual and one
offline.
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22. References
eMarketer (January 13, 2017), ‘Releases New Estimates for Video Audience Worldwide’ availabe at
https://www.emarketer.com/Article/eMarketer-Releases-New-Estimates-Video-Audience-Worldwide/1015031
[Acessed 15 March 2020]
John Burger (December 26, 2019), Delhi Magazine ‘What is Internet? Who Created it? Who Regulates it’ availabe
at https://www.delhi-magazine.com/2019/12/what-is-internet-who-created-it-who.html
[Acessed 15 March 2020]
Cisco(n.d), ‘Internet adoption and network performance’ availabe at
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/executive-perspectives/annual-internet-report/index.html
[Acessed 15 March 2020]
Internet World Stats (n.d) https://www.internetworldstats.com/ [Acessed 15 March 2020]
Rob van der Meulen (February 07,2017) Gatner ‘Gartner Says 8.4 Billion Connected "Things" Will Be in Use in
2017, Up 31 Percent From 2016’ available at https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2017-02-07-
gartner-says-8-billion-connected-things-will-be-in-use-in-2017-up-31-percent-from-2016
[Acessed 16 March 2020)
Saheli Roy Choudhury (January 21, 2019) CNBC ‘Chinese mobile users forked out 40 percent of the $101 billion
spent globally on apps in 2018’available at https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/22/china-accounted-for-40-percent-of-
global-spending-on-apps-report.html
Soda New (March 04 2019) Soda Pdf anywhere ‘The 6 Best Mobile Devices for Business’ available at
https://www.sodapdf.com/blog/mobile-devices-business/
Media News (April 17, 2020) medianews4u.com ‘Mobile delivers double the ROI of TV : reveals MMA SMoX
study’ available at https://www.medianews4u.com/mobile-delivers-double-the-roi-of-tv-reveals-mma-smox-study/
Modern Technolab (n.d) Search Engine Journal ‘How People Search the Internet 2018 Infographic’available at
https://www.social4retail.com/how-people-search-the-internet-2018-infographic.html
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23. References
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Alesandra ( September 26, 2018) Seotribunal ‘63 Fascinating Google Search Statistics’available at
https://seotribunal.com/blog/google-stats-and-facts/
Simon Kempt (January 31, 2019) DataReportal ‘Digital 2019: Global Digital Overview’ available at
https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2019-global-digital-overview
Peter Roesler (n.d) Marketing Newsletter ‘Nielsen Study Show How Consumers Search and Shop Online’available
at https://www.inc.com/peter-roesler/nielsen-study-shows-how-consumers-search-and-shop-online.html
Nicole Martinss Ferreria (November 27, 2018) Oberlo ‘What is Ecommerce? Everything you need to know’
available at https://www.oberlo.com/blog/what-is-ecommerce
Jana Rumberger (August 2019) Selz ‘40 Powerful Online Shopping and Ecommerce Statistics’available at
https://founderu.selz.com/40-online-shopping-ecommerce-statistics-know/
Felix (January 20,2020) Millennial Studios ‘Online Video Consumptios Statistics’ available at
https://millennialstudios.co.uk/blog/online-video-consumption-statistics/
Omnicore (February 10,2020) Omnicore ‘Youtube by the Numbers: Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts’ available at
https://www.omnicoreagency.com/youtube-statistics/
Henry St Leger (March 13, 2020) TechRadar ‘Best TV Streaming Service 2020: Where to get the best online TV’
available at https://www.techradar.com/best/best-tv-streaming-service-cord-cutting-compare
Vijay K Sharma (February 20, 2017) Klient Solutech ‘ Top 12 Examples, How Technology has Changed Our Lives’
available at http://www.klientsolutech.com/examples-of-how-technology-has-changed-our-lives/
Benjamink Soyka (October 16, 2019) Medium Com ‘ 4 Ways Technology Has Chnaged Our Lives for the Better’
available at https://medium.com/21st/4-ways-technology-has-changed-our-lives-for-the-better-c2cb4cc8da87
Research and Markets (n.d) Research Markets ‘Global Online Education Market - Forecasts From 2020 To 2025’
available at https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/4986759/global-online-education-market-forecasts-from
Devon Delfino (April 2, 2020) Forbes ‘Here Are Some Of The Best Online Learning Platforms Right Now’ availabe
at https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/2020/04/02/3-of-the-best-online-learning-
platforms/#47f3a0064c51