Online Entertainment

Online TV

How people use their computer has changed dramatically over the last century. With the introduction of sites such as YouTube, iTunes and BBC iPlayer people have stopped using their devices as means of communication and started using them as entertainment devices.

Online Games, Music and Videos

Gaming businesses such as Sony (PS3) and Microsoft (Xbox) have tapped into the online entertainment industry. Sony and their PS3 have introduced PlayStation Network which allows people to sign up and play online. How does it work? PlayStation Network requires people to use and individual username, you can then add and play against friends. There are also online arenas – these allow a group of total strangers or a group of friends to enter and play against each other, in teams or individually. Another feature of Online Gaming is the Online Gaming Competitions – these allow serious gamers to enter these competitions and earn/win money from playing a game. These competitions are popular with games such as FIFA or Call of Duty. Xbox’s online service is very similar to that of PlayStations however Xbox charge customers to sign up – however it argued that the gameplay is much better so it is worth playing.

Another popular game played online by millions is World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft was originally released in November 2005, and now it has over 10.3 million subscribers who pay to play. It is currently the world’s most popular M.M.O.R.P.G (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game); and also hold the Guinness record for the most popular M.M.O.R.P.G. World of Warcraft allows you to create your own ‘avatar’ – you then go through the game fighting monsters, completing quests, explore the landscape and interact with other online players.

Advantages

One advantage of Online Gaming is the variety of games available. The variety of games means that everyone, no matter what their preference is can find a game that they enjoy playing. Another advantage of Online Gaming is how you can make new friends. The online arena feature allows you to meet new people and even talk to them using a headset device. A third advantage of Online Gaming is, as I previously mentioned, the chance to win money. Virgin Media do a competition on FIFA were up to 5000 pounds can be won.

Disadvantages

One disadvantage of Online Gaming is the addictive nature of them. There have been many cases of people becoming addicted to the games – this can cause serious mental and physical problems. Another disadvantage of Online Gaming is cyber bullying can occur. With the use of headsets – racial or gender related abuse can be thrown by other people playing the game. Online gaming can also start to drain you wallet – with many people spending real money on the games they play in order for them to be the best.

Personal Experience

I have a PlayStation 3 and enjoy regularly against my friends on games such as FIFA and Call of Duty. I think it is a great way to make games more competitive and fun, however I can see the negative side of Online Games.

Online Films

Watching films online is becoming more and more popular. The conventional way of going to the shop and buying a DVD is long gone and if the films aren’t bought online then they are streamed straight from the internet. Sites such as Netflix allow customers to access online films for just 6 pounds a month – on the other end of the scale sites such as 1channel allow people to watch films online for free.

Netflix

Netflix allows people to access unlimited films on their TV, or more popularly stream them to a games console. Netflix offers a wide range of films that people can watch instantly and for a reasonable price. On the other hand sites such as 1channel allow people to watch films and TV series for free but the quality is usually poor.

Advantages

One advantage of Online Films is that you can get them instantly this is a hassle free process and save time. Another advantage of Online Films is the variety that they offer – in store you have a limited space to get in as much as possible but online you can have a much wider range of films.

Disadvantages

A possible disadvantage of Online Films is the video copying or ‘piracy’ many sites offer videos that have been filmed in the cinema – this is illegal. Another advantage of Online Films is the poor video quality, this again comes from piracy.

Personal Experience

I have had experience with Netflix and I find it to be an excellent service it has a wide range of films and for an affordable price.

Online TV

Many broadcasting companies have invested in setting up Online ‘Catch up Sites’. Companies such as BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have the most popular ones with BBC iPlayer being fair and away the most popular.

iPlayer

“Making the un-missable, un-missable”

BBC iPlayer offer a ‘catch up service’ this allows people to watch shows that they may have missed, this service is offered for both TV and Radio. They offer a feature piece which would be a popular TV show from that week, as well as an A-Z of shows. Both ITV and Channel 4’s sites are very similar.

TV Catch Up

TV Catch Up is a site that allows people to watch live TV on a device connected to the internet. This site offers the same channels that free view does but for free! You have to sign up and become a member to use this site but you don’t get any annoying emails from them which could be seen as a downside.

Advantages

One advantage of this site is the free usage. They say nothing is free these days but TV Catch Up really is! Another advantage of TV Catch Up is the on the go TV you can watch. TV Catch Up can be accessed on a laptop, tablet and even now on a hand held device with the purchase of the App.

Disadvantages

One disadvantage of this site is that you need internet connection to use it, but other than that I can’t think of anything.

Personal Experience

I have registered to TV Catch Up and find its service very useful.

Music

 

The days of going to the shops and buying the newly released CD are over! Now songs are downloaded (legally or illegally) from the internet. With iTunes being the obvious choice for most people sites such as Spotify are becoming a serious challenger.

Spotify

Spotify is a music streaming service, which offers a huge range of music. Daniel EK, Martin Lorentzon launched it in 2006 with the help of an internet marketing company called TradeDoubler. By 2010 Spotify had around 10 million users, 1 million of which payed for using Spotify. Spotify has 3 different membership accounts: Free, Premium and Unlimited. Free, as the name suggests is free. It offers users access to most songs, but not all and there is a 5 time play limit. Spotify Unlimited, which at 4.99 a month is a great option if you just want unlimited music at home. Unlimited offers unlimited music and no adverts, unlike the free service. Spotify Premium, at 9.99 a month is the most expensive by as you may expect offers the most. Premium allows you to access songs on the go without internet access, this is good for people on the move all the time.

iTunes

iTunes is Apples software that allows you to download music, podcasts, apps and even movie. Some items are free, some are not, for example some apps are free on the other hands some albums can cost up to 10 or even 20 pounds. These items can then be synced onto an Ipod or other hand held devices.

Advantages

One advantage of sites such as iTunes and Spotify is that massive range of downloads available, either for free or for a small sum of money. Another advantage of these sites is that it’s all on your computer so you don’t have piles of CD’s in your house. A third advantage would be that prices would be cheaper due to the lack of packaging.

Disadvantages

One disadvantage to this is that it you always have to be connected to the internet in order to access the store. Another disadvantage would that you have to create an account some people do not trust this and don’t like giving details to a website.

Personal Experience

I use both iTunes and Spotify and I find them very useful! I use Spotify at home connected to the internet and iTunes is used to download music onto my iPhone.

Piracy 

Film piracy is now being considered a serious offence, with people serving jail sentences for up to 5 years! this short clip shows how video recording a film in a cinema is no different to stealing.

Download Services

These days there are a huge variety of things that can be downloaded from the internet. As well as being able to download things straight from the Internet, you can now share files between each other with different programmes, although if you do use them you have to be very careful with what you download because some files can contain viruses or other malicious software.

Software

Store such as Curry’s and PC World still stock software in store that can be purchased however there is now an easier way to do it. You can now visit an online site and download software straight onto your computer. These downloads are important in the ICT world and the simplicity of them is a massive bonus. Some of the most common software downloads are items such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel etc. Software can be downloaded through many devices and not just a computer, this makes software download’s easy do. It also helps keep all your technologies up to date. Software can also be added to your device. For example, Apple’s Mac lines do not come with items such as Microsoft Word etc. This is a huge disadvantage for students wanting to use them. However Microsoft Office can be downloaded and added to the device.

Advantages

One of the main advantages is that you can now easily download/buy any software from anywhere in the world, this makes it highly accessible to a wide range of people. Another advantage of software downloads is that there is no risk of losing of disk of CD with the software on. With software downloads there is no danger of this because there is a download straight from the system to the device.

Disadvantages

One disadvantage of software downloads is that if you do not have good internet connection, downloading would take a long time or may not even work. Another disadvantages of software downloads is the danger of viruses of malware. These can affect the computer you are downloading onto. Some software companies may ask for personal details and credit card details can also be affected.

Personal Experience

I have had previous experience of downloading software online. When I purchase a new laptop I downloaded the newest Windows software (Window 7 at the time), I found it quick an easy with step by step instructions.

Apps

An app (application) is a piece of software that can run on the internet, on your computer on your phone or other electronic devices. Apps are one of the most frequently downloaded items; this is down to its multiple uses such as gaming, entertainment etc. Apps are a really valuable and beneficial addition in the technology world. Due to the introduction of smart phones and different operating systems (iOs and Android) the popularity of apps has risen sharply.

Advantages

One advantage of apps is the simplicity of them, they are easy to get and you can use them as many times as you want. Another is the variety of apps to choose from, as I previously mentioned apps range from business and photography to games and cooking.

Disadvantages

There are some disadvantages of apps however. For example if you smartphone crashes there is a possibility that you can lose a number of your apps. Another disadvantage to apps is that they need quite a lot of updating, this can become tedious. 

PDF (Portable Document Format)

A PDF or Portable Document Format is a file that ‘captures’ all element if a printed document as an electronic image you can print, view and navigate. PDF files are useful for advertising documents such as magazine articles, broachers or flyers. PDF files can contain a variety of information such as: previous exam papers, bus timetables etc.

Advantages

One advantage of PDF files is that they are environmentally friendly, because they keep paper use to a minimal. For example, you can get manuals for new products as PDF files, so viewing them online with save tonnes of paper. PDF files are a massive time saver, using the example of a manual again; instead of flicking through page after page, you can search for what you are looking for or just enter the page number you want. Another advantage of PDF files is that they can be downloaded in individual languages instead of receiving page after page of language that you cannot read.

Disadvantages

Not all companies adopt the PDF files. This means that some companies still send masses of paper. Another disadvantage of PDF files is that if you lose the first copy then you will have to print off another – this impacts the ‘environmentally friendly’ aspect of the PF file.

Education

As I have previously mentioned download services can be useful for Educational purposes. You can now download files such as; podcasts, past papers and newsletters. Whilst I was studying for my GCSE’s and my A Levels I found past papers useful in finding out how to answer specific questions. Exam board such as OCR or AQA offer papers from the year’s previous exam so they are obviously kept very current.

Advantage

Downloading education material can be really useful for revision and practice for an upcoming test. Downloading podcasts are another advantage of download services, this podcasts can be downloaded onto an MP3 player so you can revise on the go. Another advantage of this is the lack of paper; you can download things like past papers and keep them in files on your computer.

Disadvantage

A possible disadvantage of this service is that some less well known exam board don’t offer their services online – this means students using that exam board won’t be able to find what they are after.  

Online Banking

Online Banking

The first online banking system (RBS 1983) only provided online banking services to commercial companies and not to their customers. In today’s age, however, many of the major high streets banks, NatWest, Nationwide, HSBC etc. offer online banking services to their customers.

Egg

Egg is an exclusively online banking service. It was founded in 1998 and has been growing in popularity since. Egg have a large number of customers, competing in numbers with the main high street banks, but have very few employees purely due to the fact they operate exclusively online, according to the latest statistics egg only employee 1100 people. This is an advantage of working exclusively online, because the less employees you have the lower your cash output will be.

Advantages for the customer

One advantage for the customer is getting an online statement quickly; because online banking is open 24/7 you can receive it any time of day.

It is convenient for people who work 9-5 days.

You can make instant transfers from anywhere in the world, this is better than high street banks, as bank transfers can take 3 – 5 days.

Online banking can be accessed from handheld devices such as iPhones and Android Phones; this is great for people today.

There is no paper!

Disadvantages for the customer

Banks have very complex security systems, and entering security details can be time consuming.

With online banking there is no personal contact, some people have trouble trusting others without human contact.

As I previously mentioned banks have very complex security systems, but these still can be accessed and therefore you money can be accessed.

Advantages for the bank 

Banks such as egg operate just online, this saves paying for a shop floor/premises, this saves them a lot of money, and they can then invest that money into security for their site.

Adapting their system to use online banking will attract a lot of new customers as in this day and age a lot of people are now on the move and do not have time to go to a bank, they would prefer to do it online.

An online bank doesn't have to employ as many employees as a usual brick and click one.

Advertising is much easier and you have a wider audience to entice them to sign up.

Disadvantages for the bank

They invest a lot of money into their security system. This can be very expensive, but also pays off after a while.

Some of the customers enjoy going into the bank and having a face-to-face interaction,

Advantages for the employees

New jobs will be created and this will help improve the current economic climate.

Working in IT will give you a range of new skills.

Disadvantages for the employees

Some employees will have to be retrained to use the system.

Eventually they may no longer be required to work there, as sooner or later everything will become fully automated.

I have no personal experience with online banking, however, members of my family have tried it before and they have said that they find branch banks easier to trust. I can however see there are a number of positives to online banking.

E-Government

E-government: is the term given to  anything that the government askes the public to  do in terms of participation such as Paying Taxes and E-Petitions or tells us to do in terms of information for example Direct Gov and Government Gateway.

E-Petitions:

E-petitions is an online voting technique which allows anyone to vote on a current situation such as placement of speed bumps for an example. On most local government websites you are able to create your own petition and search through previous petitions that have been put forward by other members of the public. E-petitions on any local government website can be voted on by anyone who lives in that area, this allows everyone in the area to have an equal say in what goes on in their area. Once an online petition reaches a certain amount of signatures it is debated. On my local council websites it is possible to watch the debates online after they have happened.

Advantages

One advantage of e-petition is that everyone in the local area gets an equal say in what happens. Another obvious advantage of an e-petition is that it saves time; previously when voting you would have to go to your local town hall but in this case you can do it with the click of a button. As with all online activities it saves a lot of paper and is easier to organised and keep on top of.

Disadvantages

One disadvantage with an e-petition is there is nothing stopping people from going online and voting even if they do not live in that area; this can disrupt the balance of votes. Another disadvantage of e-petitions is that not everyone in the area would have access to the internet; this is especially common for elderly people who may have trouble voting online. A third disadvantage of e-petitions is that you usually have to sign up in order to vote, this may cause problems as some people do not like giving their details way online. 

Personal Experience

I have had limited experience with E-Petitions. I once took part in signing a petition in order for 16-18 year olds to have a Kent Freedom Bus Pass. This involved me, along with hundreds of others submitting our votes online; however the petition did not reach enough votes and therefore was not passed.

Paying Taxes:

There are many types of tax that you are now able to pay online such as car tax, you can also claim your tax repayment and complete your self-assessment tax return. Some websites also offer information on whether people would be entitled to benefits, for example people who are unable to obtain a job need certain types of benefits.

Advantages

One advantage of websites that offer this service is  that it makes it easier for people to pay taxes and that it can save people a lot of time by giving out a lot of information on the website.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of paying taxes online are that it may be difficult for some people to understand where they find the information and generally navigating their way around the page. This could be seen as a waste of time.

Personal Experience

As I do not pay taxes I do not have any experience with this but I can see that it could be a useful way of paying taxes.

Vehicle Licensing/ Insurance:

Today there are countless numbers of insurance sites on the web all offering different and supposedly better offers on car insurance. The most widely used sites are ‘comparison sites’ e.g. www.comparethemarket.com or www.gocompare.com these sites evaluate all the different insurance sites and compare them against one another, this makes it easy for people to get the best deals.

Advantages:

There are two major advantages of buying car insurance online; it is both convenient and you can find the best deals. It is convenient to be able to go online from the privacy of your own home and compare many auto insurance companies, their policies, and how much they charge for the premium.

As I previously mentioned doing it online offers you both the opportunity to visit multiple website or comparing websites. This, in my opinion, beats calling up different insurance companies around town trying to find the best quote. Insuring your car online is easy and simple. You can have your quote in minute, and you can usually get as many quotes as you want free of charge. Another advantage of insuring online is that you can find the cheapest deals that you may not be able to otherwise.

Disadvantages:

Although there are a number of advantages to online car insurance, there are a few disadvantages. Trust is a big part of insurance and if you do not have physical contact with something some people find it hard to trust it, this problem could be common with online car insurance companies.

Personal Experiences:

As I have recently started to drive I have been looking into many insurance sites to get myself a cheap deal. As a 17 year old male it is hard to get a cheap deal anywhere but comparison sites are a huge help.

NHS Direct: 

NHS Direct offers help and advice on health issues that you may have. NHS Direct is the most used health website in the UK and caters for the needs of those in England, Scotland and Wales. As a part of the National Health Service, all NHS Direct services are free. NHS Direct first started with a 24 hour telephone advice line and from then on, it has developed. As the internet started to develop the NHS were able to set up a website that offered the same services as their phone line did. Their websites aim was to be a good source of accurate and up to date health information. The website allows people to access clear and straightforward health information whilst remaining anonymous.

Advantages

The main advantage of NHS Direct is its easy access and instant information; people prefer this over making a personal appearance at the doctors with things they may want to keep to themselves. As I have mentioned the NHS Direct website offers quick results, hence the ‘direct’ I suppose. Another advantage of the NHS Direct site is that it offers 24/7 help.

Disadvantages 

One disadvantage of the NHS Direct site is that you need internet connection, some people do not have this or have difficulty using a computer. Another more personal disadvantage is that some people prefer to see a doctor face-to-face rather than trusting a computer.

Personal Experiences

I have had no previous experience with NHS Direct but I have heard from friends that if you have a cough or a cold you can go and diagnose yourself to see if it is anything serious, which I think is very useful.

Local Government:

My local government is Kent County Council (www.kent.gov.uk). K.C.C offers services on adult and children social services, business, community and living, environment and planning, education and learning, health and welling, leisure and culture, jobs and careers, news and events and roads and transports. K.C.C deals with anything happening in the Kent area. It also offer e-petitions which I have talked about. One of the key features on the K.C.C website is the latest news section which offers all the latest from Kent.  

Advantages:

I believe there are a number of advantages of Local Government. It offers the people who live in Kent information on their local area they may not know. Another key feature of the website is its ‘have your say’ section which allows people to voice their opinions towards the local council.

Disadvantages:

I can’t see any disadvantages with the K.C.C website.

Personal Experience: As I have previously mentioned I have taken part in e-petitions on the Kent County Council website. 

Education

Online education is now very popular. Many students now use the internet to revise, research, and receive information from; it is now more widely used than textbooks. Due to the growing popularity of online education many websites have been set up such as: MyMaths and BBC Bitesize being the most well known. Alongside these websites forums and student rooms are being set up. Some teachers have also adopted the use of online services to use as a teaching aid. Online education helps people who lead busy lifestyles and don’t have the time to go through pages and pages of books to find the information; they need it at the click of a mouse.

Revision:

Revising online is easy, and with the huge number of resources you have, informative too. BBC Bitesize leads the way in online education but smaller sites such as MyMaths as catching up. Most exam boards also offer sites where students can go and pick up past exam papers.

Buying books and other resources:

Different websites now sell school books, textbook and revision guides which students can purchase online. These are helpful for revising throughout the year as well as before exams. Using different sources of information give the student a wider range of information to use.

BBC Bitesize:

BBC Bitesize is the most popular and most widely used online revision site. Its revisions tools range from KS1 all the way to higher A-Levels; this is a good thing because it has a wide audience. It also has different sites for different regions of the UK who may have different exam boards.

Advantages:

There are many advantages of BBC Bitesize. One advantage of Bitesize is the wide range of subjects it offers and that no matter what course you are studying Bitesize always has resources for you to use. A second advantage of Bitesize is that it is all online, in one place; this means that there is no need for any paper or spending money on textbooks. A final advantage of Bitesize is how interactive it is. I find interactive learning a lot easier that just reading out of a book etc.

Disadvantages:

In my experience I have found no disadvantages with the site.

Personal Experience:

From my personal experience I have found BBC Bitesize to be an extremely useful asset. I used it mostly for my GCSE’s but also for my A-Levels. I found it to be an easy to use, fun and interactive way of revising. I didn’t find myself getting board. Overall a great revision site.

VLE’s – Virtual Learning Environment

VLE’s are a great tool used by multiple schools today. More and more schools are starting to use state of the art systems such as frog. VLE’s such as frog allow you to access work from virtually anywhere with an internet connection. Many teachers now set work via VLE’s students are then able to log on using a username and password and then you are able to view resources from your school files.

Advantages:

One advantage of VLE’s such as Frog is that teachers can set work for students that are ill or away or if the teacher is ill themselves this means students can easily catch up on work they may have missed.  Another advantage of sites such as Frog is that all of your files are in one place and can be easily accessed and, much like BBC Bitesize, there is no paper involved. A final advantage of VLE’s is the huge amount of resources that are available to students.

Disadvantages:

One possible disadvantage there could be with Virtual Learning Environment’s is that they can be very expensive to set up. Another disadvantage that there may be with VLE’s is that younger students may find it complicated and difficult to use.

Personal Experience:

In my experience our schools VLE has been good for when I forget to transfer stuff and email it home. Also in the winter if we have a lot of snow and our school is closed, all of my teachers can set school work via the VLE and we could hand it in via it as well. It worked great and the teachers approved of it!

MyMaths

MyMaths is an online-based maths revision site. You have interactive tasks for different topics on there and they show you how to do a certain thing; so essentially it’s just like a teacher! Your maths teacher can also set online homework though it; you complete it and it the mark will be submitted to your teacher. Lots of schools now use this just because of the use of ease of it.

Advantages:

MyMaths has a number of great advantages. One advantage of MyMaths is that you can go over and revise work you would have covered in the lesson that day, but in a different way. MyMaths caters to all different learning styles. A third advantage of MyMaths is that if you do badly in homework you can go it again and improve

Disadvantages

One disadvantage of MyMaths is that the only thing that gets set to your teacher is your overall mark; this means they can’t see any of your working or where you can improve.

In my personal experience MyMaths was a huge help during my GCSE exams, if I was unsure on a certain topic I could log onto MyMaths and learn it. I liked the revision side of MyMaths more than the online homework because it doesn’t tell you were you go wrong, just what your mark is; so it is hard to improve on it

Online tutoring

Online tutoring has taken off in the last couple of months with the use of programs such as Skype. Online tutoring can be much easier because mainly everyone has a computer, and you may not always be able to find a good tutor for that subject in your area. A 1-1 tutor will help you immensely because all of their focus and attention is centred on you and it can help improve your grades dramatically.

Advantages:

One advantage that an Online Tutor has over a regular one is that they don’t always have to live near you, they could live anywhere! Another advantage of an online tutor is that they are usually cheaper due to the lack of travel they have to make.

Disadvantages:

One disadvantage of online tutor is that your Internet might not be very reliable and if you don’t have an internet connection then you can’t connect with your tutors. Another disadvantage of Online Tutoring is that it might be too time consuming writing out equations on the computer for subjects such as Maths and Chemistry.

I have had no experience with online tutoring although I have a friend who has one and he says it’s really helpful and just as good as a in person tutor.