Online Banking

Some people find the idea of Online Banking hard to grasp, as it is not actually using real money-just numbers on a screen. However, the popularity of Online Banking is ever increasing due to the ease and convenience of it. More and more banks are setting up facilities online, which allow their customers to use their usual services through the internet and without having to actually go into a bank.

            One of the many reasons why Internet Banking is so convenient is because it is accessible 24/7, unlike an actual bank. It allows you to check your balance, make payments, transfer money, and download bank statements. The fact that you are able to do all this on the internet means that you can use a smart phone to do it, and therefore access your bank anytime, anywhere.  

            One of the biggest concerns with online banking is the security of it. Due to the fact that there is no way to prove that it is actually you trying to access your account, banks have to put a series of security checks in place to make sure that no one but you is able to access your account. These security checks include security questions, and sometimes your bank gives you a card reader, in which you insert your card, enter your pin, and it gives you a code which you enter into the website which gives you access to your account. This ensures that no one else can just log into your account and pretend to be you.

 This is the safety message that is displayed on Halifax’s website when you click on Online Banking. It ensures customers that they will refund your money if you unfortunately experience fraud- provided it was not your fault i.e. if you have been careless with your details.

            However, with the growth of online banking, comes the decline in actual branches. As more people are doing their banking on the internet, there isn’t as much need for staff in branches, which results in people losing their jobs, and branches closing down.

            Identity theft is also a big risk when using online banking, as it is easy to fall for scams through things such as fake e-mails. This is where people e-mail you pretending to be a big company asking for your bank details. It is harder for people to do this when you do not use online banking, so this could be seen as a disadvantage.

           

Personally, I do not use online banking as it was only recently that I found out that my bank provided this service.  I have never needed to use this as I don’t usually transfer money to anyone etc. so there would be no need for me to do my banking online. I think if it got to a point that I needed to regularly transfer money to different accounts then I would definitely set up and account for online banking, as it seems very easy and convenient, but I would make sure to be wary of potential dangers of entering my details online.

E-Commerce

E-commerce is when you buy or sell things online. E-commerce services include online banking, shopping, and auctions. Recently, this has grown more popular due to the ease and convenience of being able to do it all on the internet.

            There are many advantages of e-commerce, such as the variety of products available, the convenience, and often, the price of a product on-line is cheaper than in-store.

           

Product Variety

A big attraction to shopping online is the wider range of products available, as shops are able to display a lot more products on a web page than in a store. This also means that products are available in more sizes and colours etc. For example, if you were in a shop, and saw a dress that you liked but they didn’t have it in your size, it is more than likely to be in your size on the shops website.

            It is also a lot easier to browse through different products online, as you can just enter into a search bar exactly what you are looking for, and the website will filter out everything else, and leave you with the relevant products.

Recommendations

Websites are also able to recommend items to you that it thinks you will like, based on your past search history and purchases. The website knows this information through the use of cookies, which documents what you look at and search for while on their website. This means that you can find products that you didn’t know were on the website based on the previous things you have bought or searched for.

Cheaper online price

Quite often, products will have a cheaper online price compared to the in-store price. This is because it is cheaper to run and maintain a website than a shop, as you need fewer staff, and do not have to pay rent for an extra building.

           

Convenience

A huge advantage of shopping online is the convenience of it. Many websites now have an app for your mobile or tablet device, meaning that it is now even easier to shop online, wherever you are, provided you have internet access. You can even do your grocery shopping online, and have it delivered later that day.

This is the Tesco website, which shows how you can create an account with them, to make shopping online faster and easier, meaning you can do a whole food shop without even leaving the house. This is very helpful if someone is disabled or unable to leave the house for whatever reason, as they can then get their shopping delivered straight to their door.

 This is the Tesco app, which allows you to shop online, on your phone. It also has special features, such as being able to scan a barcode of something that isn’t even in-store, and adding it to your shopping list, so that it automatically gets added to your online ‘basket’ and delivered to you. This all makes the shopping experience even faster and more convenient, therefore persuading more people to shop online.

           

However, even though there are many advantages of shopping online, there are also a few limitations, such as the issue of returning items, the possibility of loss or damage, and the fact that you don’t actually know what the product is like exactly.

Returns

When shopping online, there will always be an example of the company’s return policy, telling you whether or not you can return certain items.

This is Tesco’s returns policy, which tells customers what they should do in the event that they want to return an item(s).  It explains that sometimes, you are not able to return certain items, as they can sometimes be ‘perishable’, meaning that the food items may go out of date if they go through the process of being returned and refunded. Similarly, with clothing websites, you never know for sure what the actual product is going to be like compared to the picture that is on the website. Personally, it has happened to me many times where I’ve ordered something from a clothing website, then it has turned out to look nothing like the picture on the website, and it is quite a lengthy process to send it back.

Postage and Packaging

 When buying things online, you also have to pay a postage and packaging fee, something you would not have to do had you bought the product in-store.  However, most websites do give you the option to select the postage you would like, for example if you pay more for first class delivery, then your purchases will get to you sooner than if you paid for standard delivery. There is also no guarantee that your purchases will reach you in the correct time, and in the condition it was in when it was dispatched. This is another disadvantage to shopping online, as there is always a possibility that your purchases will get lost or damaged in the process of delivery.

Security Issues

 Another major issue when shopping or bidding online is security. A lot of people are put off from shopping online due to the fact that you have to enter your bank and personal details online in order to pay for your purchases. As there are a lot of scammers who try to access your details, you can never be sure if the website you are using is 100% trustworthy, as some websites sell your details to other companies, which results in you receiving thousands of junk e-mails, trying to sell you things, or asking for your bank details etc.

My personal experience of E-commerce

Personally, I do shop online quite regularly, simply because there is such a wider range of products, and more often than not, they are easier to find, as you can just type in some key words into the search bar, and it will provide you with relevant results; something you cannot do in-store. I also use auctioning sites, such as ebay, as you can buy and sell things on there for great prices, and you know that your details are secure as you have the option to pay through another site called PayPal, which is like a bank account dedicated to ebay, meaning that you can pay straight from there. You also know who you can trust on ebay, as people can give you ‘feedback’, which results in a rating of how trustworthy you are, which all customers can see. So if someone has very negative feedback, you know not to buy or sell anything to them, because chances are, you will never receive the goods that you have paid them for.

Real Time Information

Real time information is ever growing and developing, giving us access to all types of new services, such as train information, flight times, bus and parcel tracking, weather updates and road traffic updates. This allows us to plan our day just by looking on the internet.

Railway Services

                On the internet, you can check railway timetables as well as finding out if there are any cancellations or delays, so you can plan your journey completely. Southeastern railway even have their own twitter account, to alert customers when there is a sudden delay in services.

                This is very useful when planning your journey anywhere as it means that you won’t get to the train station only to find out that all the trains are delayed or cancelled.

                However, there is no guarantee that all this information that you are receiving is necessarily right, as train times are changed quite a lot due to various things that may or may not delay them. It is also not that easy to find out what is going on with the exact train that you want, as there are so many that arrive within minutes of each other.

                Personally, I get the train to school every day, so I find the live twitter feed very useful, as it allows me to check that my train is running on time, and if it is not, then I can make alternative arrangements to get to school on time.

Bus tracking

Bus tracking is a fairly recent development in the real time information world, as it allows us to find out exactly where a bus is, and how long it will be until it reaches a certain stop. This is accessed through a website called http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/11560.aspx

                This is a useful website because, like the railway service, it allows you to plan your journey according to when the bus will arrive. The website explains how you can receive updates via text and ‘mobile friendly websites’, making it even easier to track the bus.

                However, the websites also explains how the service can go wrong. For example, it explains that if the bus is in an area with poor signal, then the estimated times will not be accurate. It also says that if a bus goes off route at all, it will disappear from the map completely. If a bus is delayed for any reason at all, then the website will stop counting down minutes, and instead just show a ‘Delayed’ notice.

                Personally, I have not used this service before as I normally use trains instead of buses, but from looking at the website for bus tracking, I found a similar service for trains: http://traintimes.org.uk/map/#bhm

Weather

There are many ways to find out the daily weather forecast, as live weather updates are regularly broadcasted on radio, TV, and in newspapers. There are now also thousands of apps available to download on mobile devices and tablets. Essentially, there is no difficulty in finding out the weather forecast whatsoever.

                As well as the ease of being able to find out the weather forecast, they have now extended the services to include a wider range of places and an hourly forecast. This means that you can find out what the weather will be like during the day and exactly what time it will rain etc.

                However, the weather forecast is not always necessarily right, and there is no guarantee that it will be.  A lot of different forecasts predict different things for the same day, so they are by no means accurate.

                Personally, I check the weather forecast on my phone every day, so that I can plan what I need to wear and what I can do that day. Normally I find that it is mostly accurate, apart from a few exceptions.

GPS

GPS stands for Global Positioning System, which is a space-based satellite navigation system which transmits time and location information about anywhere on earth. GPS is used for military purposes, as well as by civil and commercial users.

                Probably the most common use of GPS is in Satellite Navigation Systems in cars. These allow you to enter the name or address of a place you want to go, and it will find out where you are and give you directions to get to your destination. This can be very useful for travelling long distances, as it gives you the option to pick from the shortest route, the longest route or sometimes a route that avoids motorways. Most Sat Navs give you an estimated arrival time, as well as alerting you when there are speed cameras etc.

                As useful as they are, there are some limitations when it comes to GPS in cars. For example, as it gives you directions in terms of roads, if a road is closed or a new one is built, it will not show up on the Sat Nav. However, for this reason you are able to update your Sat Nav so that it is up-to-date with any road changes etc.

                Personally, I use a SatNav quite regularly, as I often drive across the country to visit my sister at university, and as I am not familiar with that part of the country, the SatNav is very helpful. I also use GPS on social networking sites, as it can let people know where I am posting from, or on Facebook you can ‘check in’ to a place, which tells people where you are and what you are doing.

Parcel Tracking

                Another helpful use of real time technology is parcel tracking. This allows you to find out where a parcel that you have either sent or bought is. Many transactional websites provide this service, so that you have security in knowing when it is expected to arrive or if there are any delays. The Royal Mail also allows you to track parcels, on the website http://www.royalmail.com/track-trace  ,you have to enter a 13 character reference, which is given to you when you send the parcel. It also gives you the option to check whether a parcel you’ve sent has been signed for, and who by.

                Parcel tracking also as certain limitations, as it is not exactly real time; it only gets updated when a message is sent at each stage of delivery. For example, when the postman picks it up and takes it to the sorting office etc. In some cases as well, you have to pay for the extra service of tracking your parcel.

                Personally, I have never used a parcel tracking service as I do not often buy things online or send parcels to anyone else, but if I did, I think I would use a parcel tracking service as I think it would reassure me about the delivery status of my parcel.

Online Communication

E-mail

‘E-mail’ can be loosely defined as ‘messages transmitted electronically’, meaning that the first actual electronically transmitted messages were in the form of telegraph messages and Morse Code transmissions. However, the real development of E-mail came during the late 1970’s, due to the large growth in personal computers. E-mail has continued to develop further; meaning that it is now available worldwide, and is so well known and widely used that one can immediately assume that others will have an e-mail address.

There are many advantages of using E-mail nowadays as it is more widely available, for example one can access their e-mail account on their computer, tablet, mobile phone and gaming consoles etc. There are no limitations when it comes to when you can send an e-mail; they can be sent 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As long as you have an internet connection and a working device, you can send and receive e-mails anywhere in the world. Although you have to pay for broadband, the actual e-mail is free, therefore proving cheaper than sending a letter in the post for example. E-mails can also be sent to multiple recipients, therefore saving time.

A large disadvantage of e-mail is spam/junk mail, as it is hard to control who is sending you them. Viruses can also be sent in an e-mail, which can harm your computer. However, most e-mail providers scan emails for viruses for you, and warn you if they are going to be harmful to your computer. Phishing is also a common problem with e-mails, as some people manage to persuade others into giving them their personal details by pretending to be a legitimate company. The personal details can then be used for identity theft.

Personally, I do not use e-mail that much anymore as the development in technology provides us with access to Instant Messaging through mobile devices, tablets, laptops etc. I find that this is a much easier way of communicating with others as it gives you information such as whether the recipient has read your message and if they are typing a reply back to you. However, I still use my e-mail address for registering to things like Facebook and Twitter, and I also receive notifications about my accounts. E-mailing can also seem more professional compared to texting and social networking sites, so I use my e-mail for work and school related subjects.

Social Networking

The world of social networking is ever-expanding, in the fact that we can now fully communicate with others over sites such as Facebook and Twitter. There is no longer any need for chatrooms, as you can virtually have your whole life on one account, as well as contact people directly through things such as ‘Facebook Chat’. However, due to the world of online communication developing so quickly, we have seen the fast decline of previously popular websites such as MySpace and Bebo.

On Facebook, you can load photos on of you and your friends, and ‘tag’ people in them so it appears on their profile too. You can add information about where you go to school or where you work, as well as hobbies and interests. People can basically get to know you through your Facebook profile, as well as contact you directly through ‘Facebook chat’.  This is a big advantage as everything is all in one place, therefore making contacting people online very easy.

However, as with all forms of online communication, it’s not as personal as actually speaking to someone in person. For example, there is always the chance of being misunderstood when speaking online, as you cannot hear the tone of someone’s voice or see their facial expressions. As well as this, it is very easy to get addicted to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, and often people find themselves spending more time speaking to people through these sites than they do actually communicating in person. It could be said that the term ‘Social Networking’ is actually quite ironic, as spending all your time on these websites is preventing you from actually socialising with people in person. Another drawback of social networking is the lack of privacy because although you can change your personal privacy settings on your profile, people can still access photos of you through other people’s profiles if they have tagged you in them. There is also the fact that whatever you put on the internet stays on the internet, even if you think you have deleted it from your profile.

                Personally, I use social networking sites every day, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. I have an account for all of them, as well as the app for each of them on my phone. I’d say  that it is very easy to become addicted to them, but I’ve found that I generally use Twitter more than anything, as you can keep up to date with what is going on that day, through the use of ‘hashtags’ and ‘trending topics’. You can also keep track of what celebrities are doing, and you can ‘follow’ them so you can see tweets directly from them, something you cannot do on Facebook as Twitter ‘verifies’ celebrities accounts so that you know it is definitely them, and not someone pretending to be them. From using social networking sites as often as I do, I have definitely encountered some of the disadvantages that come with them, but it wouldn’t put me off using them.

Video Communication

                Recently, the world of online communication has seen the rapidly increasing popularity of Video Communication, with things such as Skype and FaceTime. These programmes allow you to communicate with people through the use of video, so it is almost as if you are actually with the person/people, as you can see and hear them. Businesses also regularly use this technique to contact people, like a conference call. This enables them to talk to people from all over the world, without spending money on expensive, long-distance calls.

                A huge advantage of this is, unlike Facebook, it is more personal, and there is a lower risk of being misunderstood, as you can see and hear the person just as if you were actually having a conversation with them in person. You can also chat for as long as you like, with no additional charge, providing you are connected to WiFi. Again, this proves to be better than long distance phonecalls, as you have to pay more the longer you chat, which can end up being very expensive.

                Nevertheless, although there are many advantages of Video Communication, there are also a few limitations. For example, to be able to communicate effectively, you have to have a strong internet connection, so if you lived in a rural area, you might not be able to successfully use things like Skype and FaceTime. These can also be affected if you have a lot of other programmes open on your computer or phone, and it can slow down your connection.

                Personally, I don’t use video communication that often, but when I do, it is very clear as to why so many people use it. It allows you to multi-task when using it, as you don’t have to stop what you’re doing to write a text, for example. When I use it, it is normally to contact relatives in different countries. I prefer using Skype to talk to them as I don’t see them that often so it’s nice to be able to see what they look like etc.

Online Newspapers

Online newspapers have become increasingly popular due to the internet becoming widely accessible, as it is easier to go on the internet and read them than to go to a shop and buy one. This means you can keep up-to-date with current affairs easier and from virtually anywhere, as there are now apps for your phone or tablet for online newspapers as well. It also is economically friendly as it saves having to use paper.

                However, with the increase of popularity of online newspapers, there is a decrease in the sales of actual, traditional newspapers. This has an effect on the economy, as online newspapers are usually free, whereas traditional newspapers are not. The term ‘online newspaper’ is also quite ironic as it is obviously not on paper, it is on an internet page.

                 Personally, I still buy and read traditional newspapers, however I will occasionally look up news stories on the internet as they sometimes have content that is not included in the traditional newspapers, and I have downloaded a few of the apps for online newspapers just in case I’m not able to buy one, so I can still keep up-to-date on the news.