Online book

An online book is a resource in book-like form that is only available to read on the Internet. It differs from the common idea of an e-book, which is usually available for users to download and read locally on a computer, smartphone or on an e-reader. "Book-like" means information is presented in a page format; pages are normally available to read sequentially (though "flipping" to another page is possible using a mouse, keyboard or other controllers); and pages are read passively, with little or no interaction or multimedia. This contrasts with a text which a user is reading on an interactive Web 2.0 website, which usually enables the user to click on links, to reference words or keywords. "Online" means the content may only be read while the reader is connected to the Internet. Thus, the reader's experience with an online book is similar to reading a printed book, except that the book is read on an internet connected device and is only accessible while the reader is online.

Online books are a common resource in virtual learning environments (VLEs). For example, the Moodle VLE defines an online book in this way.

See also