E Commerce

E Commerce

What is e commerce?

E commerce or electronic commerce is any business or commercial transaction which is done online. It connects the transfer of information or money across the internet. It covers different variety of business from retail sites, through auctions, music sites, to business exchanging trading goods. Ecommerce is currently one of the most important aspects of the internet that has emerged.  Ecommerce emerged in the late 1970’s. what’s good about ecommerce is that there are no barriers of time nor distance, ecommerce has expanded over the years and I believe that it will continue expanding.
Advantages of e commerce

Ecommerce allows the users or the buyers a faster way of selling and buying products. You can also use ecommerce sites everyday and every hour. It has no closing time and its open 24/7. It is also good for business that doesn’t have company set up or building set up, ecommerce gives small companies an equal chance to sell.  Ecommerce is also very easy to start and manage; costumers can easily select products and even compare them.
Disadvantages of e commerce
These are some reasons why ecommerce is not a big industry on the internet.

Ecommerce is not always goods, it also have its bad qualities. Many bad sites that are created can eat up money or take money without the costumer knowing, there is also no guarantee of the product’s quality. Mechanical or technical difficulties may also occur and may interact with the paying or the transaction. Also security is a big problem, there is many hackers around who are always look for opportunities and ecommerce sites like banking and auction sites are their main targets. 

Online banking

Online banking was introduced in the 1980’s. Internet banking allows customers to control their financial transactions on a website via online.  Online banking is now become much more common; you can access your account quickly and check your records.  Online banking makes everything so simple with what you do financially; you can access it anywhere if there is internet. It makes your financial life much simpler to manage.
Advantages of online banking to the customers

One of the main features of online banking is that you can pay anything online, pay your bills etc. You can also view your previous transactions; you can check your account history. This is the quickest way of checking your account and looking after it. You can also see if there is any unauthorized transaction quickly and therefore you can report about it faster and actions can be taken faster.  You can transfer money via online; it’s effective, convenient, efficient and faster.
Advantages of online banking for banks

Banks having online banking also attracts more costumers, and maybe the banks itself may gain more profit. It will make their bank more popular and boost its appearance and trust worthiness. Having online banks also mean that the bank company is expanding its business and its target audience by being used world wide.
Disadvantages of online banking to customers

Just like all of other sites, online banking has its disadvantages too. The lack of trust is one of the biggest problems. Online banking can be difficult and complicated if you’re a beginner. Security concerns are also a massive problem that needs solving. Most costumers always have a feeling that if there account is safe, they always have doubts as they know that hackers are always around.
Disadvantages of online banking for banks

For the bank itself, if the online banking is a failure then people or the customers would also think that their actual bank would be a failure or is a failure. This would give the bank a bad image and might lose some of its costumers.

Shopping Online

Online shopping is now very popular. Many people use it instead of actually going to the shop itself. They find it more convenient and easier as there is no need to travel which means saving money and time.
Advantages of shopping online to customers
You no longer have to wait in the queues as they will deliver it to your house and al you have to do is click, the online shopping is also open 24/7. You can save your favourite items and the online website can make recommendations. Online shopping also gives the costumers a wider variety of stock to choose from which one of the biggest advantage is.
Advatages for the business

Having shops online gives a shop like Tesco another feature. This makes them more flexible. This boosts their appearance and makes the shop looks good. This will also increase their popularity and will definitely up their profit.  This is also a good way of expanding their business.
Disadvantages to the customers

Shopping online is not always good. Obviously you won’t or can’t try out the goods, like feel the weight etc. Also going to the shop itself, saves some money and you won’t have to pay extra money for deliveries.  There are also no delays; you don’t have to wait for the goods to be delivered. The goods you bought is yours and can be taken immediately. One of the biggest advantages on shopping on the shop is that you pay with cash, some people doesn’t want to use their credit cards due to security concerns.
Disadvantages for the business
 They will need to pay large amount of money to create and maintain the website. Other shops also have online sites which means there are a lot of competitions around.

Auction online
Advantages of auction online to customers

Selling and buying online is a big hit now a day. Few online selling sites are now created and functioning very well.  EBay is one of the success stories of selling products online. Ecommerce gives small business a chance to expand especially when they actually don’t have a shop and just purely internet controlled. EBay was founded in the mid 1990 and still going on from now. For this kind of business, trust plays a massive role. Setting up an auction of your own is very simple; you have the control of everything. The whole auction, buying and selling builds and open mutual trust to both seller and buyer. Also big asset for online auctioning is that it’s global. It opens the door for international markets and helps them to expand.  Auction sites also help new businesses that offer new products.
Disadvantages of auction online to customers

Auctions online is full of scammers. Some people sells fake products and just take money. Also if your account or site is not very trustworthy, no one would be attracted to use or even go on it. You have to have a big and good reputation enable to sell. There are also chargers for selling or even setting an account in some auction online site like EBay. The right of testing the product is also out of the costumers’ hands; they can only see the items and cannot test it or touch it. Some people may also take time to respond to emails and some may take time to pay out for goods.

Real Time Information

Real Time Information

Travel time, RSS feeds, weather, chat, sat nav, theatre and concert booking, travel booking, webcams, parcel tracking, plane tracking

Real time information is data updated instantaneously at once. It’s the fastest way to receive information.  They occur immediately and instantly, additionally real time information is data that are displayed instantly after it has been collected. Real time information can also means that a specific event simulated by a computer at the same speed or time that they would occur in real life. This makes it easier for everyone to be informed about travel time (bus or train), rss feeds, weather, chat, webcams and theatre and concert booking.  

Travel time- this can be broken down into many subjects like bus times, train times and more. This is very helpful to the public as they can now check online when or where they can get the bus/train from instead of waiting for the bus/train for a long time.  Because of real time information you can also track bus location exactly and you can tell whether the bus is running late, early or on time.

It also gives the operator the chance to make changes to the bus whilst on route. You can book your ticket online 5 days before or couple hours before getting the bus or train, this is faster and comfortable way of buying tickets. You can also get discount if you book your train ticket online which is a bonus as you don’t get discount when buying it in the train station itself. Thanks to real time information we have the freedom to do this.
Advantages- real time data gives you information that is happening at that particular moment, therefore there are no delays. It can also be useful for tracking plane, bus and train times.
Disadvantages- Sometimes the information you will find is not updated therefore can be misleading and this could be a huge problem.  Also people who do not have internet won’t be able to access it so that lowers down their target. Some information can be reliable and some information given is not always useful.

I have checked and booked a train ticket online myself, it’s faster and very accessible. You no longer have to wait in the queue. Checking the arrival and departure times is also simple, I will know when exactly I need to leave my house and be on time for the train.

RSS feeds- also known as Rich Site Summary. It is used in many news related websites. It gives you update about websites, it gives you news about it. It’s like newspaper, but faster. RSS feeds are a wonderful resource; it has many interesting applications like news headlines, music, receives instant notifications, movie releases and more. RSS feeds benefit both readers and web publisher since the site owners can get their updated content to subscribers faster.

 An important aspect to RSS feeds is that it is in chronological order, which means that new items appear to the top of the list and older items at the bottom.  Users also have free choice on which websites to subscribe in and they can change at any time they want. It also saves time, as it provides a summary of the related article. One of the best features of it is its spam free, unlike email or others.  It doesn't ask for your email to send updates thus your privacy is kept safe. It can also be used for advertising but its new and upcoming technology which means that many sites still doesn't support RSS feeds.
Advantages- it's easy to read on your computer screen. RSS feed also saves time as you wont need to go on the website to check for updates.

Disadvantages- Some users still prefers receiving email updates over an RSS feed. Photos do not appear in all RSS feeds which are a big minus.  RSS feeds do not display the actually URL which can be confusing on what feed a user is actually reading. They cannot also determine how many users are subscribes to their feed and how many times they visit therefore they would not know the reasons why some users unsubscribe.

I do not use RSS feeds myself as I have never actually encountered it before. I still get my updates via email which I find easier. I’m sure RSS feed can be very helpful but maybe they need to advertise it better so that other users will notice it therefore it’ll improve their subscribers rate.

Weather- weather update is very important now a day.  Having an online weather update makes it even better and quicker. Online weather updates is very access able online, you can find it any news site or radio site there is, one of the exactly is the yahoo UK website which has a direct link to the weather in the UK. Checking the weather update online will not only be easier but you can also get 5 days or even monthly forecast, this means what you can plan ahead to whatever you want to do. By having a 5 days or monthly forecast you’ll be warned on how bad or good the weather will be like therefore you’ll be more prepared.

Advantages- On an everyday basis, people use weather forecast to determine what to wear on a given day. Forecast can also be used to plan activities, and plan ahead. 
Disadvantages-  not all forecast are accurate; there is a chance that the forecast will be incorrect sometimes. Some online weather update website can be unreliable.

I have checked the weather forecast online many times before, it’s very useful and it gives me an 
idea of what would the weather be like for the whole day. It’ll also give you an idea on what clothes to wear, for example if it’s going to cold then you’ll be warned instantly and therefore will put on an extra layer of clothing. I also wanted to go to thorpe park one day but found out it will be raining, and because of online weather update i knew that it'll rain and therefore did not go.

Traffic update- traffic update is vital for people who travel a lot, this give me idea on what is going on around the area where they will be travelling. Traffic update is very popular and clever. By using or listening to traffic updates you will know what road or motorway to missed out and find another route. The updates are all up to date, which mean that it’s live and happening right now. You can also find out if there are any accidents or road work.

Sometimes traffic update is hard to receive using radio, it’s sometimes lagging, slow and very hard to listen into. Sometimes it also freezes so you’ll miss out a bit of the update.

I have listened to a traffic update before, it’s very useful and if you have good connection to the radio station it’s very easy to listen into. The update will give you details about which area are traffic and if there is any delayed. I think that traffic update is very useful but need a big of improvement.

Chat- live chat is now vital in all social networks, its one feature that should not be missing. Users now find it easier to “chat” because the users get an instant replies and its more realistic but with no emotion. You can now also have a “group chat” which you enable you to chat with more than one person at the same time. Real time chat also allows you to send news or any message to people quickly. Business now uses chat to talk to their employees and update them. This saves them a lot of money and this can also advertise their business. You’ll meet a lot of people who have the same interest as you in chat; this could be good if you are doing some kind of work or research.

Sometimes chat can be slow and some messages you’ve send doesn’t goes through. You can also come across to some strangers if you are on a “free chat”. You cannot also use chat without being online therefore you will need internet for it and you can’t have a connection when you are out on public.

I do use chat to talk to my friends, it doesn’t cost anything therefore its very popular to public. I personally think that chat is easy to use and very accessible if you have internet or wifi connection.

Travel booking- booking travel or holidays online is very effortless if you have done it before. It’s very quick as online travel agencies help you find the best accommodations and place to stay. It also saves some money as the travel agencies will give you variety of choices to choose from. It saves a lot of time doing it online on our own time. You can also check if the date you want is available and if it’s not then you can just easily find another date you want.

Most online agencies are not very reliable and sometimes it becomes impossible to find a good agency, they are always problem arising when you are about to leave.  Booking online reduces the existence of traditional travel agents who could provide better views and opinion.

I have never booked online before but I know that my parents have. In my opinion it is cheaper and quicker although sometimes it can be misleading as the pictures can be different from the actual thing. Booking online is now getting popular.

Theatre and concert booking- booking online is the most convenient way of getting tickets as it cost much less hassle and they can also give you several benefits. There are also varieties of sites you can get tickets from which sometimes you can find cheaper prices.  You will also receive the ticket immediately and therefore will no longer have to wait for the queue. They can also give you information about the seating.
Advantages- easy and convenient to book. You can get discounts and see what tickets are available. 
Disadvantages- Sometimes some website is not 100% reliable therefore you can get the ticket for higher price. Also the tickets might get mixed up and you won’t get the ticket you asked for.

I have booked ticket online before, all you need is a credit card and it easy from there. The tickets also arrive immediately and there was no problem with it. 

Online Communication

There are varieties of methods to communicate today. The development of ICT means more and better technologies are created which has different use for each one. One of the most popular ways to communicate is mobile phones, there a re now variety of phones with different application and new added features. Emailing has been going on since 1971 and still people these days use it.  Some people also use blog to interact with other users online, others uses social networks like facebook and instant messaging site like msn and Skype. Some might use online conferencing and message boards.

Mobile phones: there are now vast amount of brands of phones with different features. Blackberry is one of the most popular phones at the moment. It has a feature called “Blackberry Messenger” which enables the user to leave a message to other blackberry messenger user. This is quick and easy way to communicate. Other phones like IPhone can now access internet which allows user to go on their emails. 

Although you can access internet on your phone, when you are not connected on wifi and only uses 3g it’ll have low internet signal which makes it slower to run the internet, this can be very frustrating. I sometimes use my Ipad to access the internet, Ipad is smaller than a laptop or a computer but still has the same connection with the internet which is quick and you can still access every website you want to.

Email: Email replaced writing letters. Emailing is one of the most popular and easy way to communicate. Users of email usually use a computer to receive, read and respond to messages.  This is a quick way to send a message although it might take time of the receiver to reply. Using email is also free, you can send as much messages as you want and it will not cost you anything. Despite Email being popular it has of the biggest problems. Anyone can send you a message if they have the right email address, this could be just a random person you don’t know.  Another problem is that many viruses are sent through email, and the email will be full of spam messages. The developers of email do try to development a system that detects virus. It is also very easy to lose track of the messages you have received. I use my school email to send my homework or unfinished work to my home mail, this is quicker way instead of printing my work then copying all again. Also when I receives my work from my school email, I then saves this to my laptop which allows me to access this work at home any time.

Blog: is more likely to be use as a journal or diary.  There are different type of blogs, interactive blogs and topic specific blogs. Interactive blogs allows other users to comment or put their opinion across whilst topic specific blogs just talks or write about one specific topic and putting your opinions about it and other users just reads it. Blog is an excellent way to share your knowledge to everyone and to get positive or constructive feedbacks.  Although it’s a good way to communicate, blogs are very hard to keep an eye on. You have to constantly update it to gain or to keep your followers. Writing a blog is time consuming. You cannot really communicate using blog as it takes times for you or other people to reply or respond.  Personally I don’t use blog but I have read some blogs. Some of it I find interesting but others rather boring.  I don’t think blog is the way forward in case of communicating.

Social Networks: Social Networks are invented recently but blew up very quickly. Online social networking is a big hit for everyone, it is now use personally and even use for businesses to communicate. Social Networks doesn’t usually cost you anything. Businesses find it easier to find new target audiences by using social network, they can also find what people like or dislikes. By using social network you can be find your long lost friends and get connected with them again. Social network also allows you to leave a message to your social network friends and chat with them in real time and get replies much quicker, also the fact that you can communicate with other users when you’re at home and they are in different place makes it so much better. The fact that it’s use worldwide and use by limitless people means that it can be very time consuming. You’d probably spend so much time on social network but you don’t realize. You’ll also most likely to get some harassment or cyber bullying because if your profile is save as public, all people can access it and leave you messages.  You will also need to put important personal details on this social network like your address, etc. Everyone can then see all of these details and can be use against you. I use facebook myself. It’s one of the most popular social networking at the moment. Teenagers and adults use it to communicate and to catch up with their friends. You can also talk or chat with other people who are online. This is more like a normal face to face conversation which is one of the biggest advantages.

 Instant Messaging: Instant Messaging has transformed the way we talk to each other. They are free way to communicate or chat to people around the world; MSN and Skype are the main ones that are use today. It’s very easy to set up. People who know your exact email address are the only one who can add you so it’s very safe and you won’t get random add. You can spend hours chatting to your friends and it will be much quicker than email. Messages are also send it real time and responses are immediate. A long and proper conversation can also take place without having to pay anything although emotions cannot be expressed as well. You can also talk to more than one person at the same time. It’s not just having a conversation, instant messaging also allows you to send a file or pictures but you can also get viruses through. Another one that has become very popular recently is Skype. Skype allows you to actually talk to people by using a webcam. You can hear and see the person you are talking to. I used to use MSN, it’s very easy to use and you can talk to your friends when they are online. You can ask them to send you files like music etc and receives it instantly. I think that instant messaging is a quick way to communicate and with Skype being new and becoming popular straightaway I think in the next few years more instant messaging will be created and be popular.


 Online Conferencing: Using online conferencing enables you to access the conference from anywhere in the world and can do this anytime  instead of travelling which is very time consuming and expensive. High level of participation can be expected when using online conferencing. More people actively participate in an online conferencing than face to face conference.  You can also share presentations or documents with fellow online conference participants. But because online conferencing is new, an old computer might not be able to access it therefore you will need to buy a new or a latest computer. Security is also a big factor; it can be hack easily if protections are not high. You cannot control over people who may overhear the conference. Technical difficulties might also interrupt the conference, unexpected power cut or malfunctioning Internet connections can cause catastrophe. I have never experience using online conferencing so i don’t have much opinion on it, but from the stuff i have read it looks like online conferencing is good for business and even schools but like other type of communication it does have disadvantages that need to be sorted.

Message Board: Message board or forums enables the users to interact with one another by exchanging opinions and discussing topics related to a theme. Forum is more of a discussion environment, anyone can put their points across and everything that is posted can be read and read again.The discussions aren’t in real time which means it can be left for few days, months or years before someone replies. Forums allow you to create communities online, allow you to get educational input or information furthermore new ideas are always welcome which makes it even more exciting but sometimes the comments can be off topic and gets complicated from the original theme and then it become tedious. I have not use or created a message board before but i have read some. Some topics can be really interesting and some can be boring. It depends on what you are interested on. I think that message board is good for students when you are trying to get help or trying to get information. I think message board are people who have lots of spare time and patience enough to get responses. 

Introduction

The use of ICT has dramatically changed over the years.  ICT have changed people’s life drastically.  By using ICT systems we are more productive. We can complete large amount of work in a short period of time, get vast amount of information quickly and easily. ICT changed the world for better.
Most teenagers and adults these days use ICT.  Computers or laptop are now used in the business. ICT is now our way to communicate instantly with their friends, family and everyone else. ICT now plays a huge part in education, entertainment and getting information.

       Business-   Computers or laptop are now used in the business world, they use it to advertise their own companies or business, store important information and contact details.  People can now easily phone up their business partners immediately to catch up with work and tell them information or news. Video calls are now also use the many businesses.

     Communication- There is now variety of ways to communicate. ICT has improved its technology in able for it to be flexible. Email is mostly used when you are at work or at school or sending important news. With email the user you send it to might take time to receive or reply to the email not because it hasn’t gone through, it’s because the user might have not been on their email account for a long time therefore they might have not check it. On the other hand instant messaging or phone calls are use casually by everyone; this enables them to catch up with people instantly. Message or call is sent or goes through immediately which is good in case of emergency. Social Networks like Face book can also be known as a type of communication at this time. People use it to catch up with their friends and find their long lost friends.

     Education- ICT now plays a huge role in education. Teachers and students can now communicate via email. School websites are now also created to inform parents and students and to deliver news. Some students also now use the internet for revision and to catch up with some lessons. You can now also use the internet to get information or details that help you with your works or even homework.

    Entertainment- Many people now enjoy using ICT for their own entertainment.  Numerous amount of gaming websites are now created, you have different choices to choose from. Additionally, you can watch films/videos and listen to music for free (YouTube). This obviously saves people some money which they can then use for something else. Mobile phones can now take pictures, videos and can store music, furthermore you can now access internet by just using your mobile phones.

     Real Time Information- Information is all over the internet. There are different websites you can use to find different information.  Variety of news shows or TV shows has their own websites to advertise or authorize people to catch up with the programmes and the latest ongoing.  Train timetable information also has their own websites which makes it easier for everyone to find details about times rather than looking at the train stations personally which could be time consuming , furthermore you can now check the daily weather by just using your computer instead of waiting for it to come on the TV.