A Self-Service Enviroment

Self service is becoming very popular within businesses now days. Ten years ago online shopping was not very common. Most people preferred to go to actual stores to shop. Now, shopping online has become the preferred method of buying things. We find it easier and more convenient to shop in the comfort of our own homes. This means that e commerce has become a big business and is good because:

• It allows people to shop from home,
• The business does not have to employ staff to assist with purchases,
•  Purchases can be made much quicker,
• Items can be bought even when the physical shop is closed,
• It allows customers to take more time,
• And finally banking can be speeded up by the use of self service websites.

Due to the growth of e commerce , it is becoming more expensive to maintain. This is why it has become very important for self-service to be an integral part of online shopping. In today's world, shoppers want personalized services even when shopping online. When you shop on your smart phone or tablet you can easily compare prices and even involve your friends in helping you decide what to purchase. There are applications you can download to help you with all your shopping needs.

E-commerce is becoming an international trend. Many companies that sell items online in the U.S. are starting to expand into other countries. This means you can easily purchase items from other countries, enhancing your online shopping experience.

Due to the soaring popularity of e-commerce, many online retailers have taken to creating product videos. These videos are meant to take the place of being able to actually see an item before you buy it, as you would if you were buying the item in a bricks-and-mortar shop. Fashion retailers have realized how valuable these videos are in showing you the new styles and will present you with a fashion show to help you feel confident about purchasing their merchandise online.

Stereotypically, older people have not embraced the world of technology like the younger generation has. However, studies have found that even older generations are becoming interested in e-commerce. This trend is expected to grow in the future as e-commerce becomes more widely used throughout the world. Some people prefer online shopping where as others don't. Is this growth in e-commerce to much of a change? What do you think?

Mobile Technologies

Mobile computing can improve the service you offer your customers. For example, when meeting with customers you could access your customer relationship management system - over the internet - allowing you to update customer details whilst away from the office. Alternatively, you can enable customers to pay for services or goods without having to go to the till. For example, by using a wireless payment terminal diners can pay for their meal without leaving their table. More powerful solutions can link you directly into the office network while working off site, for instance to access your database or accounting systems. For example, you could:

• set up a new customer's account
• check prices and stock availability
• place an order online

This leads to great flexibility in working - for example, enabling home working, or working while travelling. Increasingly, networking 'hot spots' are being provided in public areas that allow connection back to the office network or the internet. The growth of cloud computing has also impacted positively on the use of mobile devices, supporting more flexible working practices by providing services over the internet.

Smartphones have made it possible for executives to slip the office into their pockets. So, during intermission at a school play, an employee can give that proposal a final review and send it off. For many, such convenience comes with the challenge of making sure this virtual lifeline to the job doesn't turn into an electronic leash. Many are finding that mobile technology has the power not only to demolish barriers, but to create them as well. In this recession, employees fear losing their jobs and are more apt to slip into 24/7 answer mode in the absence of policies. A sampling of local companies shows that few policies address things like when to check for messages or when smartphones must be turned off. The size of hand-held devices and the fact that employees may be required to carry them at all times probably increases the chances of lost smartphones. Laptops containing valuable data -- like Social Security numbers -- have been lost. As technology becomes more mobile, it can chain employees to the office 24/7 and blur the boundaries between work and home life. Some people find smartphones help them get more work done, but others are beginning to resent losing control over the ability to keep their two worlds separate. Employers are finding they need policies to let workers know what's expected, but many businesses still offer no clue, causing anxiety and frustration for workers.
 

I think that there should be a bigger gap between work and home, they shouldn't interfere and the work regulations should be more strict with solely work phones. Do you agree? What do you think?

Virtual Communities

A virtual community is a network of people who interact online. 

The most popular way of online interaction now is through social networks. It's all is very popular at the moment as it allows you to communicate with new people and individuals that live in different countries. Instant messaging services are becoming less popular due to the ability to talk on Facebook and Twitter, making communication over those sites a very quick experience. On there huge communities build up by people getting to know others because of things such as similar interests and mutual friends. For example, every Facebook user is asked what interests them. If they share this information and someone else sees it they may friend them. Friending someone on Facebook or following someone on Twitter is so easy and become such a common thing to do.

The real problem is that many get talking to people they don't know. It's to easy to create a fake account and pretend to be someone else. When you become friends with someone online it may not even be the person you expect. This can lead to exchanging bank details and finding out others address's. In worse cases, things like kidnapping can occur.

Another way virtual communities talk online is by commenting on blogs. One person will post about a subject and leave any other web user with the ability to feedback. Interesting discussions arise and provides information for either those participating or anyone who finds the blog. The problem with commenting on anything online is that it commonly leads to disputes, people choose to be more offensive being as no physical harm will come to them.

Groups of online gamers may talk over specific gamer I.M services such as Xbox Live. This is popular because of the common interest all participants have.

For me the biggest issue with virtual communities is that people may pretend to be someone they're not. It's a big problem for all internet users but particularly for children. Also people like the IRA, the Mafia and Al-Qaeda can talk with each other which may lead to events of mass death and destruction. But there are benefits of virtual communities as it leads to interesting discussions and a more exiting way of exchanging information. Are these communities negative overall? What do you think?

Increased Business Opportunities

Business opportunities are increased online through search engine optimization, web advertising, web design, customer feedback and branding. Communication in business is also a quicker process.

Google Search Bar

Search engine optimization is a method of writing which uses appropriate keywords to make your website rank more highly in search engine results. It requires knowledge about commonly searched keywords and how to use them without detracting from the quality of the content. Using search engine optimization will attract more visitors and increase your business. There are even companies that will help you with keywords.

Another way to attract visitors to your website is to advertise online. Many businesses now use the Internet as an advertising buffet. Advertise in one place; and billions of people will see it. No longer will the pricey print-and-press technique deliver economically sound advertisements. Google and many other websites offer pay per click ads, which means you only have to pay the host when people actually click on your ad. This can be a great way to save money when advertising since you'll only be charged when there is enough interest for a potential customer to click through to your website. Even if someone doesn't click your ad, they may have taken notice of it, meaning that you'll be spreading awareness of your website and product for free.

Internet marketing services are most effective when your website captures the attention of the viewer. There's no point drawing lots of people to your site if they immediately lose interest upon viewing it. The best way to keep viewers' attention is to have a website which is clean and easily navigated, yet contains fun elements to draw interest without being obnoxious or annoying. If you are selling products, you'll want to present them in an attractive way with descriptions and prices. Many talented web designers can create websites which are perfect for this purpose. You can get ideas by visiting websites that you like and making notes of what elements attract you.

By automatically downloading and storing data on a computer, businesses may now retrieve truthful, quick responses and point of views through online questionnaires or polls. This data tells the company what they should spend there money on. As soon as a customer receives a product they can share a review on it with millions by putting that review on the same webpage as the product description. 

Branding.

Part of creating a memorable product and website is branding. Branding gives customers a name and symbol to remember you by, which helps spread word of mouth and bring you more business. Investing in a logo can help you gain business recognition to increase your customer base.

Communication is essential in business but doing that is now incredibly easy. the postal service is becoming the road less travelled since postage now only becomes more expensive and we have many automated mailing features via the Internet such as Email, I.M and Video conferencing.

The internet is great as we become involved with catchy media sources that ultimately give us personal attention and enables us to participate with companies, artists and other sources we may not have otherwise had access. But there are some negative effects, I.e they postal service not being used as much. How beneficial is the internet in business? What do you think?

Greater Interaction with Others and Organisations

There are many ways that people can interact with others and organisations online via social networks (Facebook, Twitter), web camera/instant messenger apps (Skype, FaceTime, MSN) or dating websites (Match, Uniform Dating). Email was more popular a few years ago but still is commonly used particularly in business. 

Social Networking is something that most people do. There are over 1 Billion Facebook members and Twitter has a similar number. They are popular because of how easy it is to share information. When signing up to any social network you will be prompt to input personal data about yourself such as a birth date, gender, where you live and your age. This is so that the sites can choose what adverts you see, companies will pay lots of money to advertise on popular sites. For example, Facebook will only show adverts about a new girls perfume for the members who say they are female. In a similar way, Facebook will show you other people that have the same interests as you. This is seen as a easy way to meet new people. 

But social networks have there problems. It's easy for people to make an account and pretend to be someone else. This could allow them to steal bank details or find out where people live as a lot of the time users put important information online without thinking about who will see it. 

Instant messaging is similar to email but is generally easier. Popular I.M sites and apps include MSN, Skype, Facetime, Kik and AIM. Most allow you to use a web cam  to make a more visual and interesting conversation. These are becoming less popular recently as the popular social networks have their own instant messengers on them. Facebook has even produced the app Facebook Messenger for Facebook users to communicate with their Facebook friends with even more ease. People still may prefer to use I.M sites mostly because of the webcam function. The problem with this ease to see each other online has it's drawbacks. People may choose just to do this instead of seeing people. However, it does mean that people can communicate all over the world in an almost real experience. Someone doing a gap year in Australia can talk with their family back home daily.

Dating websites seem to be being used more and more. Many people regard them as a great way of meeting a partner. Big companies such as Match and Uniform Dating invest a lot of money and time into producing sites that make online dating a simple, quick and effective way of meeting others. There is often a cost for signing up to them and that is how they make their money. The main problem with the sites is that users feel insecure about sharing personal information and about arranging a meeting with someone they have never actually seen. There have been incidents where people who found each other online have actually met up. The websites don't have to be dangerous as long as users take there time in thinking about what information they're sharing, I.e they're address, phone number.

With any online communication (especially social networking) people can priorities it in their lives. This is a problem as they may put it before meeting up with others physically, they become unsociable and unused to being around others. So how much should people interact with others online? What do you think?

Sharing Information Quickly

With new technology constantly being introduced more and more devices are able to share information quickly to the internet. This allows you to for example take a photo, and immediately share it to a social media site via 3G, 4G or WiFi. 

There are smartphones, laptops, PC's, Mac's and now cameras that can connect to the internet almost instantly and at anytime where you have 3G. This enables you to do social networking, internet surfing or online shopping. It could be a positive thing as people can share what they see instantly on websites like Facebook or Instagram, so the content they're posting is in real time and you can get reactions in the moment. You can contact people easily and e-mails with attachments don't have to be a slow process. You are updated on other peoples lives instantly, and can see what they may be doing and comment/like/re tweet/favourite it. Images that you might want on someone else's device when uploaded can be downloaded onto your computer, so you can have the copy of the file. You can SMS or iMessage people images and videos as well as uploading them publicly. 


The problem is that people become obsessed with social media, and posting the latest picture or tweet distracts them from what they're doing or where they are. Sometimes images are uploaded that shouldn't be, and the problem is that it takes only a matter of seconds for someone to either save it or print screen it. Anything you upload to the internet stays there somewhere forever, so silly things won't go away. For example, if an employee was interviewing you for a job and decided to look on your Facebook profile, he could quite easily find an embarrassing photo that a friend had took years ago when you were drunk.

Overall, I think the internet is incredible and 3G networks are great if you want to share information online instantly. Although there are negative points, I think that if people are careful and pre-cautious, it's a really helpful resource that we can access. Do you agree? What do you think?

Presenting Information in Different Ways

Each webpage on the internet is full of data, images and hyper links, therefore you only need to help on a search engine such as Bing or Google to find your information. Websites are often designed in order to provide information, for example, a healthy eating company will create a site and on it put information about healthy eating. There are sites which have been build for internet uses to share information. The most used one of these being the online encyclopaedia  Wikipedia. On there anyone can put up information on any subject such as a musical instrument or nuclear physics.

Similarly, there are millions of online blogs and forums where people will discuss a topic. Most websites have media on them, particularly images and videos in order to present information more interestingly. Google has an image search engine for you to find any picture that has been uploaded onto the internet. YouTube has millions of videos on all different things, there are many informative videos on there.

I think the web has become the number one place for people to find information. This is because of the easiness to find information thanks to the search engines. It has replaced paper books and people will often choose using it over asking someone else physically. Is this really a good thing? What do you think?