Online Entertainment

Online Entertainment

Online entertainment has become something that is natural for most people. When people are bored they turn to the internet for entrainment straight away. Some people would go as far to say that they would rather be online than with actual people.

Streaming

Streaming is when you watch, listen or play something online without actually downloading the file, programme or document onto your computer and saving it to watch, listen to or play whenever you want. When watching, listening or playing something that is streamed from the internet then you watch it in ‘real time’ and you don’t save it onto your computer. When you stream programmes, files or documents you do not save them onto your hard drive you just see it at that exact moment in a stream of data. The reason why most company’s and businesses use streaming rather than downloading is because it makes it a lot harder and a lot more difficult to save and copy the content to distribute, unfortunately it is not impossible and can still happen.

Games

Online gaming has greatly increased in popularity; this is due to online gaming being so openly available to the public. There are some free internet games that can be played by anyone, some websites are dedicated to finding out this games and letting users play them for free i.e. freeonlinegames or funnygames. Some websites such as runescape do not require anything to play on them apart from signing up; there is no fee unless you want a membership package. World of war craft is an online gaming website where you have to buy a CD ROM and pay a monthly subscription to play. Another reason online gaming has become so popular is that you can now use a games console to plat online with your friends or from random people on the other side of the world. Games consoles use streaming to allow the user to play online.

Films- stream

Streaming allows you to watch films without having to wait until you have finished downloading the film. All the user needs it’s a connection to the internet and to have access to the website that the film is being streamed on. LoveFilm and Netflix are two companies that stream videos to the comfort of your own computer or laptop.

TV online

Iplayer, 4OD or 4 on demand and ITVplayer are all website that allow you to stream TV programmes that you may have missed over the last couple of days. This are websites owned by the TV services and they only stream TV programmes, Films or Audio clips that have been broadcasted one their TV channels. On BBC Iplayer and ITV Player the programmes are only available on the website for a limited about of time, the most often time period is that the programme on the website is available for 7 days after it was broadcasted on TV. 4OD or 4 on demand have recently made a more permanent database and now you can watch programmes that has been on the channel for network even if the programme you want to watch was televised years ago, obviously not every programme can be uploaded onto the website for every one to watch but the 4OD website changes on a daily bases to help keep everyone happy. 4OD has also started to rent films for a small amount of money. This means you can watch a film for a small amount of money without having to go and rent a DVD.

E-reader

An E-reader allows you to download books from the internet and save them onto your E-reader. An E-reader can hold thousands and thousands of books. E-readers allows the users to be able to read wherever they want to without having to carry a book around, that would take up a lot of space, instead they can just carry their E-reader which is thin, small and light ideal for everyday use. The most common and popular E-reader is the Kindle. E-readers have had positive and negative effects on independent book stores. For example they have lost out on sales because people will be downloading E-books instead of going to the store and this will have an effect on the book store. On the other hand the independent book store could start selling E-books on their website this would allow a wider range of the public to access their products and become customers of that store.

You Tube

You Tube is becoming a website that some people use on a daily bases. You Tube allows people to take videos of anything that interests them or of anything they want that abides by the terms and conditions of You Tube. On You Tube you can listen to new music and catch up on the latest TV or just watch your friends do silly stunts.

Facebook

On Facebook you can play games with your friends challenge them to battle you and socialise. This is a quick and easy method of entertainment that you can play with your friends. Some games allow you to get to know your friends better but others are just there for entertainment purposes and are completely made up.

Banking online

Banking online

Online banking is becoming a fast and efficient way of banking. It saves time and money, people don’t have to pay petrol fees to go to the bank or take the time to go to the bank all they need is their computer and their bank account details.

ATM

Automated Teller Machine or more commonly known as an ATM is a computerized telecommunications device that allows a customer or a client of a financial institution to perform financial transactions without the need for a cashier, human clerk or bank teller. This allows quick and easy bank payments and withdrawals to be made. Every person that belongs to a bank and who has a credit, debit or smart card is given a unique pin number that belongs to them and only them. This lets them to access their bank accounts and to manage their money to suit them.

Online statements

A bank statement tells you on each individual account what you have paid into your account i.e. your salary, cashed checks or money from another account and what you pay out doesn’t matter if it’s by checks, credit cards or ATMs. An online statement means that you get an email from your bank telling you all of your account activity once a month or you can also go online and check your bank statement whenever you want all you have to do is log onto your banks website and sign into your personal account with your own personal username and password. Other ways to get your bank statements is by post once a month.

Transfers online

With online banking you can transfer money from one account to another without having to go down to the bank. All you need is to log onto your bank accounts website then sign into your account from there you can transfer money from your account to another account all you need to know is your account number and the other accounts details. These details include the account holders name account number and the sort code for that back account. If you are only transferring money from your own account to another account that you own then you only need to know your account numbers.

Standing order

A standing order is something that is paid automatically ever week or month i.e. gas bills or water bills. This takes the money out of your account at a set date every time it’s due. This allows you to be more relaxed about paying bills because if the moneys in your account then you don’t have to go through all the hassle to write out a check and send it via post to the company or go hand it into the bank, the account holder doesn’t have to worry about paying it by a set time period, all they have to worry about is getting the money in their account for the payment date.

Direct debit

Direct debit is very similar to a standing order except with a direct debit the amount that a company can take out of your account can change without you notifying the bank that you belong to but with a standing order you have to notify the bank to a change in the amount of payment otherwise the bank will just carry on paying the company the same amount of money.

Information

·         Locations

With online banking some banks have websites that provide a search engine to look up where the nearest branch is from you. You can do this by typing in your postcode. This saves time and gives the customers of that bank a quick, easy and efficient way of finding their local bank account.

·         Email alerts

 With online banking your bank can send you Email alerts to give you information about your account activity or just about new account types and information within the bank. You can get your bank statement emailed to you on a set date each month.

Security

Security is a major concern when it comes to online banking. Most web browsers will show a padlock icon or turn the web address bar green when the website is secure and has the right certificate to show that it is a safe website. Online Security is a major issue because the customers have to trust that that website is safe if they are going to use it to handle their money.

Key cards

Smart phones

You can now use your smart phones to send money from one account to another just by using a mobile phone this is called Barclays ‘ping it’ all you need is a smart phone and the Barclays ‘ping It’ app. This allows you to instantly change money whenever where ever. This is a major step forward in online banking. All you have to do to be able to use this service is have an account with Barleys and then download the ‘ping-it’ app.

Disadvantages

·         You can’t withdraw money from your computer, at least not yet but I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future you could in fact do that but for now you still have to go down to your local bank or ATM.

·          De- skilling is when you have no need of people with certain skills because they can be replaced due to technology. This is happening more and more to an increase in technology, companies just don’t need to pay for someone to do a job when they can buy a machine to do it.  

·         Some people think that online banking is heightening Impersonality.  This means that there is no face to face interaction. Some people like talking to a person for some of them going to the bank is a nice way of getting some social interaction.

E government

E government

E government is all about the government exchanging information and services from the government to the public, businesses or other departments of the government. E government allows the government to process look into and respond to any questions the public may have, this allows the government to improve the public understanding of information and/ or services.

Information

GOV.UK

The main website that allows people to find out information in the UK is https://www.gov.uk/ also known as directgov. This is a website that allows the public to report situations, look up information, to learn about problems or incidents, to learn about services provided by the government and legal requirements.

On the GOV.UK homepage the main links are:

·         Driving, transport and travel

·         Businesses and self employed

·         Education and learning

·         Housing and local services

·         Money and tax

·         Disabled people

·         Benefits

·         Employing people

·         Working, jobs and pensions

·         Crime, justice and the law

·         Birth, deaths, marriages and care

·         Citizenship and life in the UK

On the GOV.UK website these links are the most active:

• Job centre Plus job search
• Log in to student finance
• Passport fees
• Jobseeker's Allowance
• Council Tax bands
• Running a limited company
• Driving theory test
• Car tax rates
• Get a car tax disc
• VAT rates

I think that this website is very useful because it gives information about lots of subjects that we use in everyday life but we don’t always fully understand those subjects. This website gives us a quick and easy method of finding out information and gives us a way to report complaints about certain areas or items. It gives information that benefits all ages and not just to people above 21, for example it provides information and help for students, first time drivers and first time employment. It helps students with financial issues when going to university and also helps when students are looking to apply to university. GOV.UK gives you information about pensions which can be a great help for when you want to plan your life after employment.

Another website that is similar to this is the government gateway. I don’t think this is as good as GOV.UK because you have to sign up to government gateway to use it but you don’t have to sign up to GOV.Uk. When you sign up to the government gateway you can choose to sign up as an individual, organisation or agent, this helps the user to get the most out of that website and it helps them to get the best suited information for them.

LAW

In E government Law has a big impact. Lots of people want to find out about what they should do in certain circumstances and the government make sure that they can get information about the law. E government gives information about: court, prisons and probations, reporting crimes and getting compensation, young people and the law and your rights and the law. This helps people who have been a victim to a crime tell the government so action can taken to prevent it from happening again. It gives information on what the public’s rights are and what people should do if the find themselves dealing with illegal circumstances.

Law in E government is a really important thing. The metropolitan police service has its own website this allows the public to report crimes quickly and easily. This website allows the public to find out what is happening in the local areas. The website gives you safety precautions and walkthrough in the event that a crime takes place and it helps you to learn what to do. This website also gives in depth information about current crimes and how they are trying to prevent them.

Participation

Online tax

 E government has allowed the public to pay taxes online. This is very helpful because this is a 24 hour service and you don’t have to wait for an office to open or book an appointment or anything all you need is a computer and the right website and you can pay your taxes online. Taxpayers are given the opportunity to pay online in a quick and easy way just by using the internet.

Vehicle licensing

The government now have the opportunity to provide help when it comes to driving now that they can use the internet. The government is now providing help for people who want to learn how to drive, who want to take their driving test or who want to renew their car tax/ tax disc. Everyone must show that they own a tax disc which allows them to drive the vehicle. If you want to renew your tax disc then you have to be the registered owner of the car and you are registered with the DVLA. To be able to renew your tax disc your car insurance has to be valid and also vehicle has to pass an MOT check. This is to make sure that the vehicle in question is safe for the driver or any passengers and most of all the public.

E-petitions

E-petitions can be created easily and without any hard work. They allow you to give your opinion to the world and if more than 100,000 people sign you E-petition then it will be considered for debate in the House of Commons. This gives the public an easy way to have their own say about what goes on in their government and makes the government here what the public have to say. You can make an e-petition at any time you like and about anything that you think will help improve the life of the public.

NHS direct

The NHS stands for The National Health Service is another important part of E government. The NHS is there to make sure that the public are healthy and safe. The NHS have their own website which allows the public to look up symptoms, services, help lines and health checkers. This is very helpful for the public because if they can find out what might be wrong with them before they see a doctor they can save a great deal of time. The website also shows you were your local doctors or general hospital is and when they are open and when visitors are allowed to visit. This is a really helpful website because it can be accessed 24 hours a day 7 days a week and is able to provide the public with information that will help them in their everyday life.

Local government

Greg Clark- Tunbridge Wells Local MP

Greg Clark was born in 1967 in Middlesbrough. He studied Economics at Cambridge University. Greg Clark was Director of Policy for the Conservative Party in March 2001. This was before being elected to Parliament for Tunbridge Wells in 2005. In May 2010, Greg was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government. In September 2012, Greg was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

He has been elected for the following:

·         MP for Tunbridge Wells, May 2005 onwards.

·         Member of Public Accounts Committee, 2005-2006

·         Shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering, 2006-2008

·         Shadow Minister for Teesside, 2006-2010

·         Shadow Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, 2008-2010

·         Minister of State, Communities and Local Government, 2010-2012

·         Minister for Cities, 2011

·         Financial Secretary to the Treasury, 2012

You can now follow your local MP on twitter and receive updates about what is going on in your local government on a daily basis. Your local MP will also ‘tweet’ useful information whenever there is important information that the public needs to know.

Reporting problems to your local council online

There are a lot of different website that the government have created so that the public can have the option to complain about problems that have occurred in your local area. This gives you the option to contact your local government or if you don’t want to do that then it gives you the advice on how to handle the problem. Such as calling the police, email someone in your local government, booking an appointment or going to see a specialist about that particular problem. You can leave comments on certain websites that give a direct line to your local government.

Advantages of E-Government

 I think that the main advantage of E government is that it can quickly and easily give information to the public.

Also the government doesn’t have to employ so many people so the government can save money and spend it on more important areas to help the public.

Disadvantages of E-Government

With so many departments of the government using online services a fault could bring down the whole organisation.

This could lead to a higher rate of unemployment because the government will not have to employ as many people to manage the ongoing businesses and departments of the governments.