E-Government

E-Government

E-Government is the term given to anything that the government asks us to do in terms of participation or tells us to do in terms of information. E-government, or electric government, is ‘digital interactions between a government and its citizens.’ The type of digital interaction I am going to be looking at is that of Information and Communication Technology – and Directgov.co.uk in particular.

Direct Gov.co.uk   
DirectGov is the website of the UK government which acts as a navigation point to public information and services, for people in the United Kingdom. DirectGov provides information on a wide variety of topics ranging from employment, to motoring, to living abroad.  Launched in 2004, Directgov.co.uk acts as an information resource for millions of users. DirectGov is the most prominent form of e-government in the UK.

The objectives of Directgov.co.uk

To give the citizen:

 “Easy and effective digital access to all the public services and information they need, when and where they need it”.

Trusted delivery of tailored services to give citizens a simple and convenient interaction with the government”.

 “New ways of communicating, utilising strategic partnerships, community groups and social media to provide better interaction with Government”.

Good things about Directgov.co.uk

There is a search bar, you can browse by subject or you can browse by people – so you can search for whatever information you are looking for fast.

The DirectGov sign in the top left corner is a direct link back to the home page – so people can navigate round the site easily.

There is a newsroom where articles of the latest news are displayed.

On the home page there is a ‘favourites’ section, so people can see what other people have been interested in, and what they may be interested in, in an instant.

You can get directgov.co.uk on your mobile.

Users can adjust the size of the font – so those with eyesight difficulties, e.g. the elderly, can still use the site.

Links citizens to information they want, preventing them from having to do any of the linking themselves.

Problems with Directgov.co.uk

There’s quite a lot happening on the homepage – a lot of links and sections – which can be a bit confusing.

There are so many sections, subsections and sub-subsections it can be a bit difficult to find the specific information you are actually looking for.

The website is expensive to run.

Information from DirectGov available on mobiles is limited.

Not all public services are included.

Search engine at top can sometimes go wrong and can bring up outdated information.

Crime and Justice   

On the ‘Crime and Justice’ part on the DirectGov site, there are many subsections, and these are; Types of crime; Reporting crime and anti-social behaviour; The police; Jury service; Victims and Witnesses; Being stopped or arrested by the police; Going to court if you’re charged with a crime; Sentencing, prison and probation; Crime and justice (young people section); Crime statistics; Crime preventions and Counter terrorism. These subsections each have further subdivisions, and collectively cover every problem/query involving crime and justice that people may have. There are also links to topics involving crime that are in other sections.

The benefits of the Crime and Justice section on DirectGov

People can receive information on things they may not necessarily know about e.g. jury service. This may help them if they are ever called to do jury duty

The crime statistics information allows people to discover information about local crime – so if someone is thinking about living in an area they can look up the crimes committed around the location and judge the ‘safety’ of the area and whether or not they would feel comfortable living there

Offers help, advice and support to people who have experienced crime such as domestic violence. It also provides links to useful websites and help lines

The disadvantages of Crime and Justice on DirectGov

The local crime information section can make people paranoid about other people in their area and may get concerned that crime is a bigger issue than it really is

There is so much information given at once, it can get confusing

Finding the crime statistics in my area

1. Go to crime and justice

2. Click on Find local crime information subsection under the Crime statistics section

3. Type the name of your village or town, or your postcode, in the search bar – then a separate webpage opens showing a map with different numbers of crimes in various spots. The crimes shown are split into the categories; Burglary, Anti-Social behaviour, Robbery, Vehicle crime, violent crime and other crime.

4. You can zoom in and out depending on where exactly you want to see

It was easy to find the crime statistics in my local area - with few steps and precise instructions. I did find it a bit annoying that, for privacy reasons, they couldn't give exact locations or crimes committed - simply because I felt a bit as though it made me more worried not to know exactly. But maybe that's just me being nosy.

Motoring   
The motoring section covers a range of topics – Driving licenses; Driving for a living; Buying and selling a vehicle; Personalised registration and number plates; Driver safety; Learners and new drivers and riders; owning a vehicle; do it online and vehicle crime.

                                                                 

The benefits of the Motoring section on DirectGov

 Helps people with little or no knowledge on things such as selling or buying a car.

Can teach people about the rules of the road.

Will help older people keep up to date with changing motor information.

From the motoring section, you can apply for your driver’s license, or renew your existing one – so people can do it quickly and easily online. You can also apply for your theory test and driving test online through this section of the DirectGov site.

The disadvantages of the Motoring section on DirectGov

It isn’t clear exactly what the ‘Do it online’ section is for.

There is a lot of information all in one place.

It can be somewhat to find exactly what you’re looking for – do you go to Driver licensing or learners and new drivers and riders if you want to apply for a first time driver’s license? – Some groups seem to overlap.

Booking your theory driving test through the Motoring section on DirectGov

1. Go to Motoring.

2. Click on ‘Theory test’ under subheading of Learners and new drivers and riders.

3. Click on How to book and manage your driving theory test appointment.

4. Click on Find your nearest driving test centre – this then opens a separate page with the DSA  (Driving standards Agency) where you can find your nearest centre by typing in your postcode.

The process of finding a theory test centre via DirectGov was fairly straightforward – however, there were quite a few steps so it seemed like an unnecessarily long process. Also, when I got to the DSA page I couldn’t work out how to actually book a test at the centres found.

Health and Wellbeing     
The Health and Wellbeing section of Directgov.co.uk is basically just a link to NHS sites as the NHS is the UK health care system.

The benefits of the Health and Wellbeing section on DirectGov

The link to the Health A-Z on NHS Choices allows people to attempt to self-diagnose and establish whether or not there problem/illness is serious or can simply be home-cured.

There is a link to comment section of the NHS site where people can comment on a hospital or GP and let others know what their opinions and experiences were – so they can learn from them.

 The disadvantages of the Health and Wellbeing section on DirectGov

The layout is different from most of the other sections, and so could be a bit confusing for people

For the main part of this section, it is only for people living in England (which isn’t immediately clear) and those who live outside of England e.g. in Wales have to scroll to the bottom of the page to find any information relevant to them

It is basically just a section full of links to NHS sites – so doesn’t really contain any information right there and just acts as a middle passage – users may as well go straight to the NHS page.

Britons living abroad    

The Britons living abroad section is a preparation section for all those planning to move from the UK. The subsections in the Britons living abroad section are; before you go; Money abroad; Education and jobs while abroad and Health abroad.

The benefits of the Britons living abroad section on DirectGov

Gives people immediate information they will need – which will save them having to search loads of sites, which is probably the last thing they want to do when moving country.

Allows people to feel prepared and informed when moving countries.

The disadvantages of the Britons living abroad section on DirectGov

The layout is boring and plain and repetitive.

Most pages involve a lot of scrolling.

The information provided is not specific to wherever you are moving and is just general information.

Environment and greener Living                                The subsections in this section are; recycling and reducing waste; Energy saving and generation; Greener travel and leisure; Greater community and work; Climate change and protecting the environment; Greener home and garden; Smallholders: keeping farm animal and bees and Greener life events and celebrations. Basically, the Environment and greener living section contains all sorts of information that anyone who is environmentally concerned may need – and what with the environment becoming more and more of an issue, a lot of people are looking for ways to live a ‘greener’ life.

The benefits of the Environment and greener living section on DirectGov

       A place where people can find information on how to live more ‘green’ is useful for those trying to make a more environmentally-friendly life change but don’t know how to go about it.

The advice given can be adapted to suite different aspects of your life – some for home life, some for work, some for travel – so people have a choice what part of their life they want to change depending on what works best for them.

It also gives information on how to look after animals such as chickens and pigs so those who are trying to ‘grow their own food’ can receive the information they may need.

The disadvantages of the Environment and greener living section on DirectGov

Some of the pages, e.g. the Recycling at home page, are a bit long and involve a lot of scrolling which can be annoying.

The climate change section online provides one point of view as the correct one – and has a section called ‘Myths about climate change’ to address the opposing and denying of climate change – which is bias.

Some of the language used when describing some of the scientific aspects e.g. pollution could be confusing for some people 

Education

Education

Almost every school has I.T equipment and every school has access to the features the internet offers education. This includes variation from marking schemes to on-line test practise. Since educational websites have been available for schools, many teachers and lecturers have used this as a background to help their teaching; for example my psychology class uses questionnaires on a website, which the class has to complete, this is beneficial to the teacher as they do not have to make a questionnaire themselves; a website address can be simply entered.  When marking work if teachers need assistance they can use online marking schemes to grade work or actually mark work online by uploading the work and using templates offered by the website. Exam boards such as OCR offers these to decrease the time a teacher or lecturer needs to spend reviewing work.
But how can online education help the relationship and connection between students and teachers in work? A programme called a VLE can be used to save work on so that students can access work from home. A VLE provides online tools that are good for assessment, communication, uploading of content etc.

What education online offers:

Education online offers a user:

•          Mark Schemes– the internet offers many ways to mark pieces of work, with simple guidance or even software that marks the work for the teacher, and this is often on exam board sites.
•          Online Revision– this is available to students and the most popular site is most probably BBC Bitesize, I used this site whilst taking my GCSEs. 
•          Online homework– is available on sites such as My Maths. My Maths is software available to buy which has immaculate help on maths and teachers can set online homework's.
•          VLE– an online programme which schools buy.
•          Documentaries– are one of the most available educational features of the internet, on websites such as You Tube and TV catch up sites like ‘BBC iPlayer’.
•          Written Information/Revision material– the internet is a large storage of information in itself and by using search engines almost anything is needed to be known can be found.

VLE 

An example of a VLE system is 'frog', which my school offers. The system is secured by username and password which can then access an individual VLE with their timetable, personal information and all files uploaded to it. When logging onto frog I personally access my timetable, check I have been marked present to my lessons, and access files especially to do with I.C.T on the VLE.
VLE's should and will be most definitely introduced into many schools as it is an extreme advance of education compared to chalk and blackboard!

There is also a location called shared drivers on ‘FROG’. It is a piece of software that allows students and/or staff to access the work saved on the school computer from home. When carrying out my I.C.T studies I prefer to log on to ‘FROG’ and do my work this way rather than using a memory stick or emailing work home.

Examination Boards

Edexcel  

Edexcel, a UK company, is one of England, Wales and Northern Ireland's five main examination boards, and is wholly owned by Pearson, the world's largest education publishing and Technology Company which is part of Pearson PLC, the global publisher and owner of Penguin and Financial Times.

AQA  

AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) is an Awarding Body in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It compiles specifications and holds examinations in various subjects at GCSE, AS and A Level and offers vocational qualifications. AQA is a registered charity and independent of the Government. It is regulated by Ofqual, which is the regulator for the public examinations system in England and Wales. AQA is one of five Awarding Bodies which are recognized by the regulators of the public exams systems for England, Wales and Northern Ireland to offer GCSE, AS and A Levels in the United Kingdom.

My uses of examination boards:

I have used examination boards such as Edexcel and AQA when revising for my GCSE exams. I used these websites to access the past papers which then would have given me more practice when it came to writing in the exams.

MyMaths  

MyMaths is a subscription website which can be used on interactive whiteboards or by students and teachers at home. Feedback is auto-generated in this website, but under a different window to prevent browser crashes, hacking, cheating etc. It is currently 110,399 in the world ranking and 2,259 in the United Kingdom.


My uses of MyMaths:
MyMaths was a key asset to my success at GCSE mathematics.  MyMaths broke down every topic into key sections which made it easy for me to revise what I needed to revise. If it wasn't for this, I do not think I would have done as well as I did.                                                                        

BBC Bitesize  
BBC Bitesize is the name given to the BBC's free online study support resource for school-age students in the United Kingdom. It is designed to aid students in both school work and, for older students, exams. Bitesize is available on a variety of platforms including the web and mobile phones.


My uses of BBC Bitesize:
I only really used BBC Bitesize when I was revising for my GCSE German exam. I used this because it gave clear explanation to what I needed to know. This was very useful as German is quite a tricky language to get hold of.

Advantages of Education

The main advantage of Education online:

Online homework and online revision is the best advantage of education online in my personal opinion because by having resources to learn more and revise information learnt in the classroom, it allows students to excel and absorb more and more information. Educational videos contribute to this as they give information in different contexts, allowing students to use different learning techniques suited to their acquirements. Documentaries look at education in different forms other than text and can teach facts about almost every subject.

Other advantages of Education online:

•          You can learn from the comfort of your own home. One of the greatest things about online learning is that you can learn anywhere - even in the comfort of your own home. This means you can learn without having to have that stress you will constantly have when learning at school.
•           Online learning can accommodate different learning styles and provide a variety of learning activities that may not be possible in traditional face to face learning.
•           Online learning may be more student-centred if it allows students the option to select learning materials that meet their level of knowledge and interest.

Disadvantages of Education

The main disadvantage of education online:

As a whole education online is a great advance of technology in schools and cannot be faulted. But it can lead to a lot of plagiarism and if important information gets leaked students may be able to cheat in exams etc. Online there is also a lot of hoax information and people have to be careful that they notice this and don’t make mistakes of absorbing this.

Other disadvantages of Education online:

•         Students, who are not highly motivated or have poor study habits, may fall behind and find it difficult to stay up with the required work.
•           Students who don't have good digital file management skills may or with beginner level computer skills may find the complexity of file downloads difficult and hard to keep organized.
•           Slow internet connections may make it difficult or time consuming to access online course materials.

E-Commerce

E-Commerce

E-Commerce (also known as Electric Commerce) is the market place of the internet where buying, selling and distributing services/items takes place through an electronic middle-man. It is where the buyers and sellers agree on financial services – virtually.

•  Online banking – today, every conventional bank offers an online service. It allows people to check their bank balance, make a payment, cancel standing order and transfer funds from their computer.

·         As I am still young, I do not feel that I have experienced the full potential of online banking. My balance is not changing constantly meaning I do not need to check it regularly. I get a statement each month in the post informing me of everything I need to know, resulting in my thoughts of online banking being slightly futile for a person with my bank activities.

•  Transactional websites – as online shopping now coexists with the shops on the high street – people are left with the choice of whether to go down to the high street; or to simply do it online. Shops now have the option to expand, rather than through the opening of more stores over a wider area, but via the internet.

·         As I have been preparing for sixth form over this previous summer I have found the option of shopping online particularly useful, as it has allowed me to browse clothing easily and quickly. My only problem was that, as I do not have a credit card, I had to use my parents’ when paying – fortunately for me; they didn’t have much a problem as the payment process was stress-free and immediate. Despite the off-putting aspect of being unable to try on the clothes I was considering, I was not deterred as most online shops offer free returns. I enjoy online shopping as I find it easy, fast, and believe I gain full potential from online shop as to me it has become just a leisurely and clear-cut as actually going to the shop, within my home.

•         Online auctions - Online Auction sites, like eBay, have emerged out of the internet and expanded the idea of auctions, so much farther than it could without the aid of the internet. They provide an online environment where people can buy and sell new or second-hand goods to people all over the world.

·         I personally am not a member of an auctioning site (due to the fact most require members to be over 18), however my parents have an eBay account and find the site simple to join and extremely useful and easy to use. A few problems did arise once when a buyer pulled out of a sale after it had been agreed, or after someone winning one of our bids, they never actually buy the item. But other than that their experience of the years has been relatively trouble-free.

Advantages of E-commerce to customer:

•    Easier to search – you can easily find what you are looking for instead of having to trawl through other items to get what you want.
•    Wider choice- you get more items available to you online rather than when you are in store.
•    Saves time- it saves you have to take a few hours out of your day going to the shops. Instead you can just do all of it at home without feeling rushed.
•    Saves money- it saves money in the sense that if you live far away from your main big town or city, you are going to have to spend money on travel; whether that is from petrol for your car, or money for the bus or train.
•    Preferences- cookies will save specific information about what you like buying online, and what you search for; so when you go back on the website, your preferred options will come up.
•    Reviews and recommendations (for both product and store itself)-reviews and recommendations allow you to see what other people have said about a certain product, or the store itself. This then can give you a clear picture whether you would like to buy that product, or even shop at that specific store.

Advantages of E-commerce to stores:

•        Wider customer base- in having a wider customer base, it means that there is a higher ratio of purchase over a certain period of time. This means that the company itself is gaining more money as people are buying it from the high street stores, they a buying further than that.
•         Target advertising- this allows cookies to be saved which take note of which sites you go on the most. This then results in adverts being put up on your internet page which are recommended for you.
•          Fewer overheads (rent on premises;  storage space; employees) – this means that in having an online store, less money is needed for: the rent on premises because the high street stores will not have to be open as much; won’t have to worry about the storage space because it can all be kept at different warehouse to which they presentation doesn’t have to be amazing as no customer will ever see it; and finally less money will be needed for employees as there will not be as many roles to play within the company, as the online store will be such a huge part of it, therefore the company will make an overall profit due to not having to give as much money to its workers.
•          Increase footfall- it will increase because there will be more availability on the online store which can be worked around the customer. As the online store will be open 24/7 this means that the company will be gaining money all the time as people will be buying things, no matter what time it is.
•    Increase customer satisfaction- this increases because the online store can base the way in which it can help around you. The great thing about online stores is that they are very versatile, which means that any problems people have about it can easily be rectified. This means that, the overall customer satisfaction rate will increase. 

Disadvantages of E-commerce to customer:

•        Cannot try the goods- this is a problem which will probably be around forever. You will never be able to try on the products, so you will never know if they fit (if they are clothes), or if they are the right product in general.
•        Waiting for delivery- this is a major downfall when comparing high street stores to online ones. You will never get the product immediately. This means that you won’t be able to have the product straight away; which may overall decrease your customer satisfaction of the stores.
•        Cost for shipping/ delivery- sometime this is not the case but for most products you have to pay an extra bit of money for your product to be shipped and delivered to your front door. This means that you end up paying more than you actually would if you just went to a high street store. This might make people hesitant to buy products online.
•        Returns- the online returns policy is always a longer process than a normal high street store one. As you would have bought the item online, this means that you might have to send it all the way back to where the product originated from-which would cost more money. Or even if you could return it to the nearest high street store, the transaction of returning would be a lot longer as you would have to find your order code to use as a type of ‘receipt’- which means a lot of your time would have been wasted.
•         Damage to goods during transaction- this can be a regular occurrence when buying products online. When you buy a product online you expect to get what you asked for without any problems with it. But it can happen that your product arrives with some damages. In your eyes you could see this as you not getting the product you actually wanted, which overall could decrease the company’s satisfaction rate.
•    Security issues- when doing things online, there is always that risk of somehow leaking out personal information about you. This could lead to identity fraud and things such as that. This then would mean customers might not want to risk that and therefore results in a particular company losing out on money.

Disadvantages of E-commerce to stores:

•         Malicious attacks- uses something called ‘Malware’ which  is created to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems. This means that many online stores are prone to these types of attacks. This would repel customers from using these sites just in case these attacks may occur.
•         Security- some people may question the security of a company’s online store. All websites are prone to things such as ‘Malicious Attacks’, so people may not trust the security of the website which then would make them not shop online, therefore making the company lose potential money.

Cyber Monday    

Cyber Monday is a marketing term for the Monday immediately following Black Friday, the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, created by companies to persuade people to shop online. The term made its debut on November 28, 2005 in a Shop.org press release entitled "'Cyber Monday' Quickly Becoming One of the Biggest Online Shopping Days of the Year". According to the Shop.org/BizRate Research 2005 eHoliday Mood Study, "77 percent of online retailers said that their sales increased substantially on the Monday after Thanksgiving, a trend that is driving serious online discounts and promotions on Cyber Monday this year".

Brick and Click Stores  

Bricks and clicks (aka clicks and bricks, click and mortar, or bricks, clicks and flips) is a business model by which a company integrates both offline (bricks) and online (clicks) presences, sometimes with the third extra flips (physical catalogues). Additionally, many will also offer telephone ordering as well, or at least provide telephone sales support. A popular example of the bricks and clicks model is when a chain of stores allows the customer to order products either online or physically in one of their stores, also allowing them to either pick-up their order directly at a local branch of the store or get it delivered to their home.  The bricks and clicks model has typically been used by traditional retailers who have extensive logistics and supply chains, but are well known and often respected for their traditional physical presence. Part of the reason for its success is that it is far easier for a traditional retailer to establish an online presence, than it is for a start-up company to employ a successful purely online one, or for an online only retailer to establish a traditional presence, including a strong and well recognized brand, without having a large marketing budget.

Real Time Information

Real-Time Information

Real-time data denotes information that is delivered immediately after collection. There is no delay in the timeliness of the information provided. Real-time data is often used for navigation or tracking. Examples of Real-Time Information are: weather forecasts; traffic updates; news feeds; booking information; airline information; rail information; route planners; SAT NAVS; bus tracking and parcel tracking. All of these incorporate the key aspects of Real-Time Information as they deliver the information straight away after it has been given to them. If it wasn’t for these, then it would be much harder to know what was happening in the world, which therefore could leave many people frustrated; especially if trying to find about traffic delays or airplane times etc. From my own personal experiences, Real-Time Information has been very useful, especially from the news feed front, as I like to know what is happening around the world- and with this it has made my life a lot easier.

News updates 

There are many different forms of news updates which provide you with the facts you want instantly. News updates are a way of finding things out that you want to know at the click of a button.

The benefits of news updates

·         Provides instant information

·         It’s free

·         Updated regularly

The disadvantages of new updates

·         You need to have an internet connection which could cause problems in areas where signal is hard to find.

Rail information

In order to discover train times, just go to a website (e.g. the national rail website) and enter the desired information e.g. the station you are travelling from and the station you wish to get to, and the date and timing of the journey.

Lots of travel companies have put time tables of their service online in order to appeal to a broader market and in the hope of increasing the number of people who travel with public transport.

The benefits of Rail Information

·         They are available for anyone to use and at any time

·         Free (for those with internet access).

·         They don’t require any personal information for you to view the timetables – unless you choose to pay for a ticket online.

·         Relatively simple to use.

·         Information requires is provided quickly

·         Some site gives extra information on alternative routes that may be more convenient or cheaper for the user.

·         Most sites offer an estimation of the length of time the journey will take and of the time of arrival. Also ticket cost is displayed – this allows customers to plan ahead and make a more informed decision about their travels.

The disadvantages of Rail Information

·         Computer-illiterate people may find it more confusing to look up train, or other transport, timetables online than simply checking at the train station or asking someone who works at that station.

·         Problems that may inflict on the journey including delays or strikes are not usually displayed by train timetable websites – this could cause difficulties for people relying solely on public transport.

My uses of Train timetablesAs someone who rarely travels by train and therefore finds reading the timetables at the stations quite confusing, I find using an online timetable far more easy and useful. Using online timetables has allowed me to check the timings online, which allows me to avoid having to walk down to the station and then have to wait for ages for the next train to arrive. It also allows me to get some idea of how much it would cost – this means I can calculate if maybe an alternative mode of transport may work out cheaper. I have found online train timetables to be fairly reliable and will continue to use them whenever I take a train journey.

Weather updates/ webcams

Weather Forecasts                                                      
Similar to Weather forecasts on the TV or newspapers, forecasting sites present people with the opportunity to an estimation of how the weather will be in the future – with some sites, e.g. BBC Weather offering the forecast of the weather of up to 5 days ahead. On the BBC website, all the user needs to alter is the location they want. As well as the 5 day forecast, which gives a brief overview of the basic information for the weather over the next 5 days, you can also look at a 24 hour forecast which gives more details – including hourly estimates.

The benefits of Weather Forecasts

·         Weather forecasts are available to anyone with internet, at any time.

·         Free.

·         Accessible to people who do not have a TV – unlike the Television forecast.

No personal information is required to discover the forecast – so users do not have to feel as though their privacy is being breached.

·         All the forecasting information provided is relevant to the user as they select exactly which area they would like to know the weather for.

·         5 day forecasts allow people to prepare far in advance for any extremes of weather.

]·         Most weather forecast are regularly updated – so the information is relevant and reliable.

The disadvantages of Weather Forecasts

·         Computer-illiterate people may not know how to get the most out of the site.

·         The information provided may be inaccurate as times – especially is updated do not happen as regularly as possible – because no one can predict the weather certainly.

My uses of Weather forecast – BBC Weather

I use BBC Weather for the weather forecast quite often – especially when I am going on a day out, particularly in the summer holidays as the English summer weather is not very consistent. Due to the fact that I spend more time on a computer or laptop than watching TV, I find it very beneficial to have access to the forecast online rather than just on the news. Online weather forecasting is convenient for me, and I take full advantage of it as I find it easy to use and it makes me feel somewhat prepared when making future plans.

Route Planner

What with people travelling increasingly, there is a demand for a modern map-alternative. This can be found in the form of a route planner site. Simply enter the relevant details e.g. where you’ll start your journey and your final destination, then route planners provide you with not only directions – usually in the form of an illustration on a map along with instructions – and also provides time estimation for the journey.

The benefits of Route Planners

·         Details are given to the exact location – needing just the postal code.

·         Route planners can prevent people from getting lost on their travels.

Free.

]·         Doesn't require any personal information to help you.

·         Many sites have options to avoid certain things e.g. speed cameras.

·         Some routes provided with petrol stations emphasised – this can prevent break downs and allow people to plan when exactly they may want to stop for petrol, to suite their need.

·         Using a route planner is quicker and easier than using a map.

The disadvantages of Route Planners

·         Route from websites are oblivious to traffic jam, so could lead you straight into one unnecessarily.

·         If the user takes a wrong turn, there is no way of discovering location or how to get back on route as the map may not show much more than the exact course.

·         If the user doesn't know the postal code of the destination they are trying to find a route to, they may not be able to process a route plan.

·         The plan given may not be up to date as roads are changing all the time.

My uses of Route planners

SAT NAV is probably more preferable to Route planners nowadays. I find route planners (the one on the Green Flag website in particular) very useful when trying to work out the way to an unfamiliar destination.

SAT NAV

Short for satellite navigation, SAT NAV systems can be bought attached to a car, as a separate machine to be attached to a car or can be found as an application on a mobile – to use you simply type in the destination (comparable to a route planner) then receive a step by step guide both visually and audibly.

The benefits of SAT NAV’s

·         SAT NAV systems give a moving picture of the user’s location and the neighbouring roads so they can relate exactly to their surroundings – even if the setting is new to them.

·         The audio description means drivers can concentrate on driving rather than having to repeatedly check the screen, or a map.

The audio directions allow time for the driver to prepare for the next direction e.g. ‘in 20 metres take a left turn’.

·         SAT NAV’s are easy and quick to use.

·         The route is determined and provided instantly; meaning less preparation is needed by the user – meaning less stress.

·         Using a SAT NAV saves on paper as there is no need to print out directions or a route on a map, on paper.

 The disadvantages of SAT NAV’s

·         SAT NAV’s can be expensive.

·         The voice of the audio description is sometimes unclear and difficult to understand – and can be quite annoying.

·         Some people may not understand how to use it as it might not be simple enough for people who aren’t used to working with technology.

·         Routes provided by SAT NAV’s don’t take into account traffic jams.

My uses of SAT NAV

My parents own a SAT NAV both for the car, and on their smartphones– which is very useful as it means we can use it even when just walking somewhere, but it doesn’t have the audio description and, what with the screen being so small, the directions are sometimes a little unclear. However the SAT NAV for the car gives out clear instructions and provides instant information on things such as: speed limits and speed cameras.

Parcel Tracking

When ordering an item, many sites provide a special code that allows you to ‘track’ your order as it travels to you. The intention of this service is to simulate the feel of control that is lost when ordering online in comparison to picking it up in person.

The benefits of Parcel Tracking

·         Having the knowledge of which stage your order is at gives the customer a feeling of reassurance.

·         If the order has still not arrived after a few more days than expected, they can look online and discover where it is and possibly identify any problems in the process of delivery

·         If parcel is lost, it is easier to discover where it may be if it is being tracked.

The disadvantages of Parcel Tracking

·         There is an illusion of accuracy is given when someone is tracking a parcel as there may still be a problem in the delivery.

My uses of Parcel Tracking

I tend to do a lot of online shopping so parcel tracking for me has been a very useful aspect. I like to know whereabouts my parcel is as if there are any problems in transaction, I know where roughly the problem happened.

Cinema Bookings 

For big cinemas such as Odeon, an online booking system is an effective way of being more convenient and accessible to more customers.  Customers can sign on, select a certain film and a certain viewing and book their tickets instantly. As soon as any booking is made, the information is then updated – so the same seat cannot be booked more than once. You receive your tickets from a machine at the cinema where you enter your payment card number and they are printed out.

The benefits of Online Cinema Bookings

·     There is no need to leave the house and arrive 10/15 minutes before the start of the film

·         When booking online there is the opportunity to pre-book tickets for films that have yet to be released

·         You can immediately see when a film showing is fully booked without having to arrive and then go home or rearrange your plans

·         Once your seat is booked, you have a guaranteed place as no one else can book the same seat

·    Some cinema sites have special ‘points’ offers for people who book online

·         The payment is straightforward and means you don’t have to take any money with you to the cinema, unless you’re buying refreshments

My uses of Online Cinema Booking

As I have recently got a debit card, I have never personally bought a ticket booked online. I have used my mum’s card to pay for tickets though so have had quite a lot of experience with online cinema booking – especially recently as our family have become members of Odeon’s ‘Premiere Club’ which enables us to collect points for every time we buys tickets. I have found booking online really beneficial as it is quick and easy and it reassures me that, even if I’m late, I will still have a seat.

Online Flight Bookings

You can book tickets for flights online either through specific airlines or with an independent website that could provide lots of flights from a variety or airlines.

The benefits of Online Flight Booking

·         It can be cheaper than booking via high street travel agents as it ‘cuts out the middle man’

·         Booking online allows people to compare prices of different airlines quickly and easily

·         There is no need to leave the house

Immediacy

·         You can book tickets online at any time of the day or night

The disadvantages of Online Flight Booking

·         Unlike with travel agents, there is no one to ask for advice from

]·         Some people who find using computers may find booking a flight online confusing and difficult

·         If a booking site is not valid there may be privacy concerns as you have to obviously give away a lot of personal details, including credit card details, online

·         Mistakes may be made in the booking process and they may not be able to be changed online but there could be the possibility of rectification if done with a travel agent

·         There are sometimes additional charges with booking flights online

My uses of Online Flight Booking

I don’t really get the opportunity to go on holiday abroad so I have never encountered having to book flight tickets online. However when I have gone on holiday it has been with my dad, and he was always the one to book the flights.