Online Services

The internet allows us to do many things, we can look at information from the news or the weather and we can post blogs or send emails. Technology is a part of the whole world and it is used in everyday life. I will be writing about online services.There are many online services that people can use today. There are many different online services that we can use. These are:

• Communication (e-mail, instant messaging, newsgroups, news conferencing and blogs)
• Real Time Information (timetables, news services, traffic reports, weather)
• Commerce (shopping, banking, auctions)
• Government (online tax returns, e-voting, applications for services/grants)
• Education (online learning/training)
• Business (video conferencing, collaborative working and business networks)
• Entertainment (multi-user games, radio player)
• Download Services (music, film, upgrades and software)
• Archiving (x drives)

Communication - Email

Electronic mail has improved over the years and it used by alot of people all across the world, you can send someone a letter or attach either a picture, videoclip or music file. It is part of everyday life and some people find it easier as it is formal depending on who you are sending it too. An example of where email is used is at sixth form, it allows teachers to email each other and the students to let them know of changes of lesson rooms or tells them about coursework. Email is an advantage because it allows people to communicate easily and doesnt mean the teachers wont be trying to find the student to tell them. A disadvantage to using email at sixth form is that the message might not go through and the student or the teacher wont be infomed of changes/information.

Communication - Blogs

Blogs are like an online journal, you can write anything in a blog but it tends to have a purpose. You can let people know what you are doing, thoughts you may have or a comment about something. There are certain rules with using blogs - depending on the website where you write on the blog you may get kicked off the website and it will delete your account. Examples of websites where you can write blogs are:

www.bebo.com
www.myspace.com
www.blogger.com

When a blog has been written people can add comments to the blog that you have made. This allows you to see what people think about what you have written. Both you and the person have control if they want to keep their comment on the blog that you have posted. You can edit the blog and you can delete it if you dont want it anymore. This is an advantage because if you have written how you are feeling on the blog and then your mood changes you can edit what you have written or you can delete it. A disadvanatage is that if you delete the blog and people have commented on it you will loose the comments that people have posted.

Real Time Information - news reports

You can look at what is happening on the news through websites such as:

www.bbc.co.uk
www.itv.com

These allow you to see what is happening on the news if you have either missed the news on the television or you dont have time to watch tv. This allows people who are working to update themselves with what has happened on the news.