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.

E-Commerce

What is E Commerce?

E Commerce, also referred to as electronic commerce, involves any business or commercial transaction which takes place over the internet. E Commerce covers a number of different businesses from retail sites, auctions, music sites, to business exchanging trading goods. Ecommerce first emerged in the late 1970s. Ecommerce provides a 24/7 online ‘shopping’ experience with no barriers regarding distance.

Advantages of Ecommerce

Ecommerce offers a quick way of buying and selling products in an environment with no time limit or distances restrictions. Ecommerce also allows small businesses that have no have retail stores open to ‘open’ online; this gives smaller companies more of a chance to compete against bigger businesses. Ecommerce is easy to set up and manage and allows the customers to easily select the product they want, read details and reviews about that product and even compare it to similar products.

Disadvantages of Ecommerce

There are some disadvantages to Ecommerce. Many sites can take the customers money for the product that they are buying without any guarantee that the quality will be as promised, this is particularly common with auction sites such as EBay. Security is also a massive part of Ecommerce; many hackers/ viruses are able to access sites and take credit card details and then use them for other purchase without the knowledge of the customer.

Personal Experience:

In my experience E-Commerce offers so many different advantages such as shopping online for clothes, controlling my bank balance using Nationwide’s Online Banking sites. It saves me so much time and effort.

Online Banking

Egg.com Logo

Many of the well known banks such as NatWest, HSBC and Nationwide now offer online banking for their account holders. These are referred to as ‘Brick and Click’ banks. There are a number of ‘Brick and Click’ banks, although sites such as Egg Banking (www.egg.com) that operate entirely online, which started back in 1998 and has been growing ever since. There are many advantages and disadvantages of online banking:

Advantage of Online Banking for the Customer

With all Online Ecommerce, you can access your latest online bank statement any time of day, unlike the high street branches this makes it extremely convenient people who may have busy lives. Another advantage of Online Banking is that you can make transfers in to your bank or transfers to other accounts anywhere in the world. This makes Online Banking very much an international business; this compared to high street where it usually takes 3-5 working days. Online Banks also set up ‘app’ with both Android and iOS compatible devices which allow customers to make transfers on the go.  With Online Banking no paper is being used, which could be seen as an advantage and a disadvantage (for the more old fashioned).

Advantage of Online Banking for the Bank:

One advantage of Online Banking is the attraction of more customers and the bank itself can begin to gain more profit. This then increases how well the bank is known on a global scale.

Disadvantage of Online Banking for the Customers:

There are, however, some disadvantages of Online Banking.  Trust is a big part of Online Banking; trusting a computer with what can be, your life savings, is a big risk for some people. Although banks always have very complex security systems, your money could still be at risk. There is no human interaction for the customer, a friendly face is always useful if you need someone to trust, if anything goes wrong you can go back to that person, this doesn’t happen with Online Banking.

Disadvantage of Online Banking for the Banks:

Setting up of an Online Bank for the Bank can be very expensive with the setting up of security and the website itself.

Personal Experience:

As I previously mentioned I use Nationwide’s Online Banking site, it allows me to cheque my balance etc and is a really useful asset to have.

Online Shopping:

Online Shopping is one of the most successful additions to the web since it was created. It is now easier and quicker to buy things online than it even has been with next day delivery as an added option. There is also no need to travel which saves the customer money on car/bus/train.

Advantages of Shopping Online for the Customer:

One obviously advantage of online shopping is the lack of queues, you can now have your product delivered to your front door the day after you have ordered it; again like all Ecommerce online shopping offers 24/7 service. Online shopping allows you to save your favourite item and come back for it later, you can also leave comments and reviews on products for other customers to read and ‘like’ or ‘dislike’. One of the biggest that Online Shopping offers is the range and size of the stock they have.

Advantage of Shopping Online for the business:

There are a number of obvious advantages that Online Shopping offers to stores. It boosts the store appearance and makes the shop look good; it increased their popularity and brings in far more revenue then retail stores. Online shopping is also a fantastic way of expanding newly formed businesses.

Disadvantages of Shopping Online for the Customers:

Online shopping doesn’t give the customer the option to try out the product he/she are buying, sizing, quality etc. When buying online you have to pay for P&P (Postage and Packaging). There is a possibility of delays with the delivery therefore you may not be at home when it arrives and miss the delivery.

Disadvantages of Shopping Online for the Business:

Websites may not seem it but they are very expensive to run and maintain. Another disadvantage of online shopping for the businesses is the amount of competitions around.

Personal Experience:

I online shop, A LOT! I find it so much easier than going down to the nearest town and into store, it also gives me the option to shop on sites that may not be near me.

Online Auctions

The days of auction houses and hammers have gone and in their place are computers and the sound of mouse’s clicking. The most well known online auction site eBay was found in 1995 and has expanded to a global phenomenon. EBay allows customers to list an item up for auctions, other members then bid on that item in an attempt to get the highest bid.  

Advantages of Online Auction Sites for the Customer:

Online Auction sites allow customers to find items for great prices that they wouldn’t find anywhere else. Auction sites such as eBay allow you to see how trustworthy the person you are buying off is, it shows you a percentage of how happy people were with their products. If you already a product which is broken, you can buy parts for that product.

Advantages of Online Auctions site for the sellers:

Sites such as eBay can make a business out of selling other people items and even take commission on the profit that people make. eBay offer a service where if you build up a good enough reputation on their site you can become a ‘Power Seller’ and have your own section on eBay.

Disadvantages of Online Auction Sites for the Customer:

Online auctions are well known to be full of ‘scammers’ whose sole purpose is to rip people off. Some people sell fake products, to make people buy them and then sell them nothing. The customer is unable to test out products before buying them. The product that the customer receives may be broken or damaged.

Disadvantage of Online Auction Sites for the sellers:

As previously mentions eBay take commission (10%) on some good that you may sell. Selling on an online auction can be very time consuming as well. 

Real Time Information

The internet offers us the possibility to view up-to-date information on demand; this is called ‘Real Time Information’. There are a growing number of services that offer this on demand services such as: News Updates, Traffic Updates, Parcel Tracking, Cinema Booking and Rail Information. 

News Updates

There are many sites on the internet that offer real time information on the latest breaking news. One of the most prolific online news services is the BBC’s website (www.bbc.co.uk/news). The BBC’s news website offers a wide variety of topics such as: news, sport and weather all encompasses the real-time information aspect that people need. 

News

The News section on the BBC’s website is very easy to use, informative and most importantly offers up to date information with new news stories appearing in the ‘breaking news’ section. The News’s section has a number of different corridors to go down with the option of; World, UK, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales with each of these having their own sub headings of Business, Politics, Health, Education, Science/Environment, Technology and Entertainment/Arts. This wide range of topics allows people to search through the site easily and acquiring the information they were after. There is also a most popular section which includes‘Top 5’ news stories of the week; this can help people stay up to date with the news that everyone else is hearing about.

Sports

Sports updates on the BBC Website are also useful. If you miss a match you are then able to find the results. Real-Time Information also allows you to get up to date sports commentary; if you are un-able to watch the match you can get step by step news updates on it. They also offer news on transfers and other sporting news that you could want.

Personal Experience:

As a huge sports fan I find real time information on sports hugely useful. I have read step by step matches on the BBC Website countless numbers of times because I am unable to access a TV.

Weather

Real-Time Information is used to its full potential on weather updates. On the BBC Weather Site shows the 7-day weather, monthly weather assessment and the hot and cold spots in the UK.

Personal Experience

Before leaving the house I always check the BBC weather site which tells me what the weather is going to be like and ultimately whether I need a coat or not!

Air Traffic Information

‘Plane Spotting’ is now seen as a hobby for many people, and with the help of real time information sites offer the public access to plane times and the location of thousands of planes worldwide. Sites such as Flight Rader (http://www.flightradar24.com/) allow people to track the location of planes, the destination and where it came from as well as the air line it belongs too.

Advantages

One advantage of a site like Flight Rader; is that it allows people who enjoy the hobby of plane spotting to have greater access and more information about the planes they are looking at. Another advantage is that Flight Rader shows if there is a delay on the flight, this could be an advantage for people picking people up for the airport and knowing when to be there.

Personal Experience

I have had limited experience on Flight Rader but I can appreciate how useful it is, the plane selected in the image below I could actually seeing flying in the sky above me, I think that it is amazing to be able to do that.

Parcel Tracking:

Real time information allows us to track parcels that we have ordered, this allows us to see where the parcel is, how much it weights etc. A lot of websites now offer this option the most successful ones I have used have been from Amazon and the Online Apple Store; both allow you to see the location and the weight of your parcel.

Advantages:

There are multiple advantages to parcel tracking such as: being able to see where your parcel is and if there are any unexpected delays this then allows you to make sure you are at home or the place of delivery where the parcel arrives thus avoiding trips to the local post office to receive it. You can also see if the parcel has been delivered to the wrong address which is helpful. Below is an image showing the parcel tracking on the Amazon website; notice how it shows the location of the parcel.

Disadvantages

Parcel tracking heavily relies on the delivery driver updates his delivery as he goes along. But I can’t think of any more disadvantages of parcel tracking from my experiences it has been very useful.

It is not only parcels that you can track; other delivery services such as Dominos Pizza offer you a parcel tracker. Unlike other parcel trackers from websites such as Amazon the Dominos Pizza Tracker allows you to follow your pizza as it is being prepared, cooked, boxed and delivered; this screen print below shows the different stages.  

 

The Dominoes Pizza Tracker also gives you a rough estimate on how long it may take to get to your front door, as well as giving you the option to give Dominos feedback on your delivery; as customer feedback is vital this is a important feature.  

Personal Experience

In my experience parcel tracking is a huge advantage, it allows the customer to know when there parcel is arriving and therefore be there for when it does arrive.

Bookings (Cinemas, Theatre)

As I have previously mentioned more and more sites are now adapting real time information. Odeon (a well know cinema in the UK) use real-time information to their advantage, they use it to show customers what films are showing, what times and more importantly which seats are available. Below is an image showing the booking of seats for a film.

 Advantages

I find being able to book tickets online a huge benefit. It allows you to get the best seats possible, and sometimes offers you online deals you wouldn’t get buying over the counter.

Personal Experience

Whenever I am going to the cinema I always book ahead, it allows you to get the seats you want, and avoiding the embarrassing situation when you are told there are no seats to see the film you want!!!

Rail Information (London Transport)

Another great option that real time information can offer us is information on train times etc. Sites such as National Rail Enquires (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/) allows the customer to enter where they are, their destination and the site will automatically produce a list of trains and times; the site also tells the customer if the train in delayed or if there are any problems.

Advantages

An advantage of this service is knowing whether your train is being delayed or not; this allows people who are commuting on the train to know of any delays before they even leave the house. With sites like this now having ‘apps’ people can book tickets, check times and delays on the go.

Disadvantages

There are no disadvantages with this site or any others offering real time information on train times.

Personal Experience:

Whenever I am travelling on the train, before I even leave the house I always check the train times, cheapest fares and whether or not there are any delays I need to avoid.