5 Great Uses of the Internet - Part 2

Following on from part 1 of this article* which discussed the benefits the Internet can offer as a way of keeping in touch with friends and family and as a general source of information, part 2 looks at its value in business, leisure and where your money’s concerned.

3. Shopping and Money

The internet has revolutionised the way in which we all shop. Virtually every business which sells goods and services has an online presence with most providing people with a safe online shopping option to buy directly from their website. In addition to traditional shops, a vast array of new online shops have grown up, such as Amazon, whilst sites such as eBay allow you to buy and sell in auction conditions to get the best deal. For most products, their availability is not restricted by physical location as they will usually be delivered to your door. Whatever you are looking to buy, the chances are that someone is looking to sell it on the internet, and you can buy it without leaving your house.

With the saying in mind that “time is money”, the internet is also vital in providing people with the ability to manage their finances in an instant. Although many people may have concerns over the security of making transactions online banking has revolutionised the way in which both businesses and individuals look after their money.

People can log on to view their accounts, move money and communicate with their bank wherever they are in the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For many this has brought them closer into touch with their finances and made them more proactive if managing them. In addition, both banking and for example, utility websites, offer the ability to pay bills online reducing the effort required to settle them to just a few clicks.

All of these services are invaluable for those who are maybe less than mobile, are pressed for time or perhaps cannot access traditional services due to their restrictive working hours.

For people who are more money-wise, the internet is also an ideal medium through which to make and manage investments due to the instantaneous nature of the transactions that are possible. With the world’s stock markets and financial institutions heavily computer based, investments can now be made at the click of a button.

4. Entertainment

Increasingly the internet is becoming the primary source of leisure media as millions of users access the games, music, books and films that they used to pop down to the shops for. Rather than own physical CDs, DVDs and books, websites provide these media in a digital form either to download or stream (play directly from the internet).

People can download music (with all its artwork) at the click of a button and keep it with them wherever they go on portable devices. Alternatively you can even stream some music for free (often subsidised by advertising) using services such as Spotify and SoundClound. New on the horizon is the potential to store music in the ‘cloud’ (i.e., saved to computers run by organisations such as Google or Apple rather than your own) so that you can then access it wherever you are and whichever device you are using to play it.

More and more ‘video’ gaming is moving online with the ability for players to play against each other wherever they are in the world and communicate as they do so. These services can either stream games directly from the internet or play them on individuals’ games consoles which then communicate with each other to coordinate the game play. For many this is a key social tool and provides another example of the power of the internet in building social communities.

The internet has long been a prime source of video entertainment with sites such as YouTube and Vimeo giving people the chance to share anything from home-made to big budget movie trailers, exposing them to millions of viewers across the world. However, with the greater adoption of broadband providing the chance for people to download or stream greater amounts of information, the internet is also beginning to rival traditional TV with many TV providers, such as the BBC (iPlayer), ITV (ITV Player) and Channel 4 (4OD), running their own online services where programmes are available as and when the viewer wants to watch them. Furthermore, the internet is also being used to download or stream films with many of the traditional movie rental companies offering the service alongside their DVD rentals.

5. Business

The internet is a fundamental resource for any business. Virtually all organisations now have a website, from small start ups to large multinationals. Websites give businesses a way of informing their existing and prospective clients of what they do/offer, how they can be contacted and as mentioned previously often allow customers to transact and communicate directly with them.

Wherever people go to communicate and socialise with each other business is never far behind and increasingly social media technologies are not only being used in the workplace to improve communication but also for companies to communicate directly with their customers and marketplace. They can gauge opinion about their brand or organisation and to increase the awareness or presence of their brand amongst prospective customers. In fact the involvement of advertising in many of these services business models often provides the core funding that allows them to be free of charge to the consumer.

Within the work place, the changes in communication methods that the internet has given rise to have been embraced. Email is a cornerstone of most businesses’ practices whilst many are now making the switch to VoIP for their telephony systems to reduce cost and integrate with other communication channels more effectively. The advent of cloud computing, where you can store your files online rather than your own PC, has given businesses the chance to work outside of the office - or switch from office to office more easily and for a lower cost - as their documents are available to them wherever they go.

Whether you need to access it within the workplace, for leisure or for keeping in contact with loved ones, the internet has the potential to provide you with a myriad of different services to make you life easier and more enjoyable. If you are yet to ‘log on’ or have concerns as to how you can use the internet effectively, safely and securely it is certainly worth finding more information on how to use the internet.