Ambulance Services

Thanks to technology, ambulance services have seen a revolution in working styles.

Using technology they have been able to:

• Command and control centres
• Make the ambulance service much more responsive and efficient
• Replace bad broadcast systems with digital, secure communications
• Use satellite tracking of resources and geographical information
• Analyse where to best position ambulances and emergency serices, in order to reach people quickly and safely.

Previously ambulance services were quite basic. They may not have had large teams in the emergency services. Also When people called for help from the emergency services they would have had to note the address and find it manually. Now they can use Satellite Navigation to easily locate the emergency. They have larger teams, which is good as some can be reading the SatNav, another can be driving and some can be communicating with the victim. Also nowadays if for any reason the victim cannot tell the emergency services the address there is technology to track their address from the telephone line, therefore saving many more lives. The technology in the vehicles is also better and from the base, they can contact members who are in vehicles, which they may have not been able to do before. Evidently there are MANY ways in which evolving technology has helped the emergency services.

Teleworking

Teleworking is defined as:
"The term used for people who work from outside the office, usually from home. A teleworker is usually connected to the workplace via a computer."

Teleworking is positive because:

• It allows you to work from home
• It is easy and efficient to do
• Allowing staff to work from home is good for company productivity
• It is good for employee health as they do not have to travel all the time
• It saves money on office costs, travel costs and possibly accommodation
• It improves employees' quality of life
• It saves on recruitment costs
• People are less likely to take sick days compared to office-based workers
• Less stress and more flexibility
• It helps staff with children, ill or disabled people and people with special needs also

One negative point however is that a small number of teleworkers complain about increased working hours. Also some feel as though they are neglecting their social life as their work now coincides with their home life a lot more. It is hard for managers to keep a track of whether their employees are actually working, or if their quality of work is acceptable.

1. According to BT there are approximately 2,000 teleworkers at BT.
2. Other companies identified in the projects are COMPANIESSS
3. The different types of teleworking are TYPES
4. People who do teleworking often find that their work hours are significantly longer than those whose work is office-based.
5. The percentage of workers who travel significantly less than office staff is 80%
6. The key benefits for BT due to teleworking are that their employees work much more productively because they are less ill, so take less days of f they travel less and therefore have more dedication to their job.
7. The key benefits for the employees are that they are less ill, they are less tired, they are less stressed and have a better quality of life.
8. The key negative points are that the workers have an increased amount of working hours and that it is hard for managers to monitor their employees.

MORE updates!

There are many parts so far which i feel were not given very good marks. I have gone through each of these, taken the advice of my teachers and improved them to the best of my ability.
These are the things which i have improved:

• I have added more images and detail to the blog date 11/9/08(uses of SMS)
• Although the blog due on the 14/9/08 was completed on the 16th I have done this and also made improvements to the original
• On Acticities 14 and 15 i hav now aded more images to make this blog entry look more aesthetically pleasing.
• I have revised every blog entry to make sure they are ALL of good quality, have images and look well presented.
• Very soon I also plan on getting rid of the work that i previously scanned onto my blog, and replacing them with improved images of my work, as the scans were unclear and looked faded.

So i have now improved everything that i was told to improve and can continue to work at this level for the remainder of the course!

Social Networks

I am comparing two different social networking sites, Myspace and LinkedIn, to analyse the differences between them and why people use them:The first very large difference between LinkedIn and Myspace is their target audiences. LinkedIn is created for business professionals, therefore people who most probably have been in employment for a number of years. Myspace is targeted at almost anyone, however due to the types of advertisements, it seems to suggest it is aimed at a younger, more rebellious audience than LinkedIn. Some of these advertisements are shown below:
Another very large difference is the range of options on each of this sites, linked to the target audiences. As LinkedIn is aimed at business professionals, the site is full of information and options which would appeal only to people interested in business. However Myspace has a range of options and activities on its site to enable you to enjoy it no matter what your interests are, such as music, videos, photographs, reading, writing, socialising and more. Below is a screenshot of the Myspace toolbar.
Another difference between the two social networking sites is that Myspace is a completely free service to use, whereas LinkedIn is not. This decreases the amount of appeal it has to users, however as LinkedIn helps many of its member to get jobs or improve their businesses, members are willing to pay for this service. also profitable: since they help members find jobs or build their businesses, many users are willing to pay.

LinkedIn allows you to view the contacts who have visited your page. On one hand this is good as you can see who is interested in what you have got to say, but on the other hand if it is not a wanted visitor it could cause problems. Myspace is different to this, as although it tells you how many profile views you have received it does not tell you who exactly it was that visited. This allows more privacy and therefore more comfort for members to visit pages.
Unlike Myspace, LinkedIn has its own search engine. Although Myspace has the ability to search for things, it is not always reliable a opposed to LinkedIn's very thorough and detailed search engine. Using this, members of LinkedIn can find out anything to do with the business genre, to help them excel with their jobs and businesses.
There are a few negative aspects to using ANY social networking service however. Firstly for any of these services you must set up an account, which involves disclosing personal details online. Like any online activity, this obviously means that your details are at risk from being stolen or used unwillingly. Also on social networking sites you create your own identity. This can cause problems as people can create false identities and put you at risk. These include perverts and paedophiles.

Hackers

A 'hacker' is defined as "a clever or expert programmer", although the word 'hacker' is now more commonly used to refer to someone who can gain unauthorized access to other computers, using their expertise.

I read the ebook 'The Hacker Crackdown', online to find out more. This online version of the original book is about hackers, their strategies, the effect they have and more.

The website which i visited allows you not only to read the ebook online, but to also download it onto your computer. Also on the page were options to order the hardback version of the book and also to donate money to the site via Pay Pal, a secure payment service. I assume this is the way in which the site makes a profit. I found that reading the ebook was a very helpful way of finding out information. It was easy to find and easy to navigate between the pages of the book and is a lot more efficient and less time consuming than visiting a store of a library to purchase or read the book.

Below are a few screen shots of 'The Hacker Crackdown' ebook:

Working styles

ICT is not only computers. You can use other devices such as phones and laptops. For most people in companies, the most useful tool is a database. These can be used for contact details of employees and business contacts, to find out about people, to keep a record of products and costs and more. They are good as they allow you to extract information quickly as you can type in a search criterion to instantly find things, as opposed to manually looking for files. Without ICT jobs would take a lot longer and would also be a lot more difficult or reliable. A lot of people find it quite stressful having all of these gadgets however. You can lose them, you have to charge them and some need specific care.
Email is used very largely and is now crucial in any organisations. They can be processed at any time and are a more efficient way of communication that letters.

EPOS- Electronic point of sale. A computerised till connected to a price look up database, and possibly to the live stock database.

EFTPOS- electronic funds transfer at point of sale. A system that allows debit cards to be used to pay for goods. The funds are transferred automatically by the machine at the till from the buyer’s bank account to the seller’s

Using the Internet, specialists can now perform surgery online, using electronic arms, and although reliable it could possibly malfunction.

Journalism can be done online, as newspapers can be edited, published and sent between journalists using the Internet. Also you can receive stories and photographs from people who send them via phones and laptops, and put them online within minutes. However computers can crash so there is a need for skilled ICT staff to fix the problems very quickly so that deadlines are met.

BBC iPlayer, Xbox online, Mozy, LinkedIn and Loopt

IPlayer can be used to watch shows from the BBC, including Cbeebies, BBC 1 and 2. These shows will be available to watch online for a certain amount of time, after they have been shown on television. As well as this you can also listen to radio channels from the BBC using iPlayer. You can watch all sorts of categories such as comedy, news and drama. Xbox live. This is an online site for the Xbox console. On this site you can find out about good games from the Xbox, accessories available for your Xbox and contact people online who you can also play against via your Xbox. 97% of US teens are playing video games. They help connect people via a social network. ¾ of teens play games with other people in the US. Games can now be played using Phones, portable gaming devices, online, on consoles and more. Negatives: some people can meet each other, online, believe they are compatible and realise they are nothing alike in real life. People have been known to get married in real life, from meeting online through games. Your identity can also be stolen and you are at risk from paedophiles and more using games in which you are in contact with others. Mozy is an online backup service. It is helpful in case there is an incident with your computer, in which case all of the data would be saved online using Mozy and available to download back onto your computer for free. This service runs automatically. No need for backup CDs. If it is on a site your details can be taken, as can the files you have backed up. It can take a very long time to put your files online and download them from Mozy. For $4.95 you can download ALL files on your computer and use the unlimited service. For free you can have 2GB of files uploaded on Mozy. Encryption is available on the site to ensure a high level on security on the site to prevent fraud and theft. LinkedIn is a social networking service for professionals. For example you can look for people you have previously worked for, your images will be those of a higher class (not you getting drunk at the pub with mates!) You can also get information off of this site, maybe if you are looking to move u in your career. Loopt is another social networking service used on your mobile phone. This sends a map to your friends to let them know where you are at that time. You can be followed unwillingly if you accidentally forgot to change you status, a lack of privacy ad a feeling of violation. Of someone is missing it can be very helpful.

Tucows and Microsoft

Tucows allows you to download software. Different types of Software are available through this site such as:
Freeware=FREE
Shareware=free to try (trial) you must buy afterwards.
Spyware=improves security of your computer
Here is a screenshot of Tucows:
Using Microsoft Windows update, you can download the latest patches-a file which updates part of the operating system to make it better in some way. These usually make it more secure and more reliable. Once you have the windows software these patches are free and in fact inform you of when there are available updates for your computer.
Here is a screenshot of Microsoft updates:

eMusic

eMusic is another music download site, similarly to iTunes. However it has got no digital rights management. This means people can freely send their downloads to others whereas on iTunes the music is your property only. It only has music and audiobooks as opposed to iTunes which offers films etc. Audio books read to you and start wherever you last left off. They can be helpful if you are blind, for younger people, elderly people who may not be able to see, visually impaired people, people who have different techniques of learning, people who are doing something else (e.g. driving).

iTunes

Apple is the biggest music retailer in the US. iTunes is an application introduced by Apple inc.
Using iTunes you can do many things. You can either rent a film or buy it, buy music, listen to podcasts and more. If you rent a film using iTunes you have 30 days to watch it but once you begin to watch it you must complete this within 24 hours. If you buy the film using iTunes, it is then yours to keep, until you choose to delete it. Renting and buying films using iTunes is a lot cheaper than physically buying them from a shop. You can click on tabs on iTunes to take you to more options such as more comedy films, more cheap films, etc. Also on this site are recommendations of films you may like.

To be able to purchase off of iTunes, you have to be a member and have an account set up with your card number. Also, in most shops you can buy iTunes vouchers which you can use towards purchases. From the albums on iTunes, you can choose to buy one song rather than a whole album. Reviews from other buyers about the product are shown on the pages.
You can upload a compilation of songs you like and people can choose to buy them together. (Like a mixed tape) The creator does not get the profit, apple receive this.

On iTunes you can see which new podcasts are available, you can keep a record of the podcasts you have already watched and also delete podcasts from these records. Also using iTunes you can listen to radio recordings and also stream live radio to your computer for free.

Using the search bar you can look for certain things in particular. Also the search bar can give you suggestions of what you may be looking or when you begin to type in it.

Using Podcasts

A podcast is defined as:

"A digital media file or collection of files that is distributed over the Internet. The files can then be played back on a computer or personal player (eg, an Ipod). The method by which podcasts are distributed is often called podcasting."

Postcasts can be made and listened to by basically anyone with access to a computer and ca be downloaded using software such as iTunes.

I am watching a podcast to evaluate what they can achieve. The podcast which i chose to watch was for a show called Ahead of the Curve, about accessorising your laptop/Notebook.

From this podcast i found out that the notebook that they are talking about has about 18hrs of battery life, and comes with a cordless mouse. Unlike other notebooks, this mouse can be attached to it for ease of transportation. The notebook also comes with an illuminating keyboard, which is very thin can be helpful if you are in a location with poor lighting. There are lots of new products also advertised for the laptop during this podcast, all of which are said to be 'lots of fun'. There is also a webcam available to accessorise your notebook with good focus and the ability to use its 'photo booth' and participate in iChats using your camera online.

These are a few screenshots taken from the podcast, to illustrate just how informative this podcast was:

From the podcast which i watched i have learnt many things, as you can see from the information i have written above. I managed to obtain all of this information in the 5 minute podcast ,therefore i believe podcasts achieve their purpose of educating and also entertaining viewers effectively.

How Can the Government Help Online?

There are many ways in which the government help us, the public, using online services, for example:

• Pay parking fines and congestion charges
• Planning permission
• Medical help-NHS direct
• Find out about local jobs
• Apply for schools or education
• Order prescriptions
• Get driving licenses, register your vehicles and buy car tax.

There are many advantages to using the Internet services from the government to make our lives easier:

• People can pay more efficiently/easily
• Government (and us) pay less money for postage and administrative costs
• Faster than writing a letter due to time spent sending and receiving and sending back, etc.
• It helps the government do their job more effectively.

I have used the site Direct Gov, to evaluate the services that are offered by the government.

Below is a page the government have posted for citizens about dumping of rubbish in their LOCAL area. It gives them advice on what they should do about the litter and also contact details, in case they wish to report this issue back to the government. Also on this page you can get statistics about your neighbourhood, find about community safety in your area, find your nearest volunteer centre and much more.

The site is bright and aesthetically pleasing, and is clearly laid out and therefore easy to understand and navigate around.Below is a screenshot of a government page to let people know about school term times. On the page are links to find out about schools in your local area specifically and also the best and safest routes to get your children to school. By putting this relevant information onto a site, people can easily find out what they wish to know about term times, rather than calling the government and flooding their phone lines. There are also contact details in the unlikely event that the information you need to know is not written on the site. This would save the government a lot of time and also the public who want to know answers in detail and as quickly as possible.

Below is a screen shot on employment. On this page are a multitude of links to areas that relate to employment and different scenarios that may occur to do with employment, such as discrimination in the workplace, trying to get a new job and redundancy & leaving your job. There are also job related contacts on the page and also ways in which the site enables you to 'do it online'. Using these, you can find yourself a job and more, giving you more independence, quicker results and the government with more time.

Online Education Sites

I am evaluating different types of online education on the internet, to decide which is the best for learning from and also to explain the good and bad qualities of these education websites. The 5 different online education sites I have chosen to evaluate are:

• BBC Bitesize
• ThinkQuest
• Teach-ICT
• Wikipedia
• Sound learning
  

On BBC Bitesize (above)I found that it was bright, colourfully coordinated and eye-catching, which is good as it draws people in. It was also written in a slightly informal way and had images of young people enjoying their learning, perfect for the target audience. On the main page there were hyperlinks to different subjects of education and interesting games to test people on their lessons. There is also search box so that people can easily find exactly what they are looking for. The information on BBC websites is known for being very reliable so you know that the information on this site can be trusted.One negative is that there is a lot on the front page, meaning that it could be quite confusing to some people. The front page also has links to other learning sites which could be helpful or of interest to readers. The ways you can learn on this site are very differed, from games, to simply reading, to doing activities and practice papers, so i believe that this is a very good online learning site.
The site above is called Sound Learning. It had a variety of different subject lessons to choose from for pre-school and primary school students. The page had an eyecatching block of colour to draw you to the important part of the page and had an introduction to the site and its purpose. However the page looked quite boring and it seemed as though the online education on this site was not free as it had several links to 'shop here' and visit the 'web-shop', which is a negative as many people would not wish to pay for online education. I would not classify this as one of my higher ranking online education sites unfortunately.
Above is a screenshot of Teach-ICT, an online education site created to teach people all factors of using ICT, whether at a basic level or higher. The site was brightly coloured and had a neat layout, which is helpful for navigation and drawing people in. Also there were quizzes, ICT news and more advertised on the front page, all things which could be of interest to help people improve their knowledge of ICT. The page does feel slightly overwhelming to look at as there are a variety of bright colours, whcih do not necessarily coordinate, however there are a variety of different ways to learn on this site so i would say that it is quite a successful site.
Thinkquest is a site used in schools. Each person has a membership and can log into their own personal account. On this account they can contact teachers and other students, can receive and send pieces of work and can view groups with information on lessons or relevant information to help them learn. I find that this website is colourful, without being too overwhelming and also that it is very neat. You can easily navigate around this site which is positive. I feel that this is a very good education site and appeals to its younger target audience, although for some it can seem slightly childish and 'past its time'.
Above is wikipeda, an online encyclopedia, used to boost peoples' knowledge of certain subjects. People type what they are looking for into the search box and wikipedia defines what the topic is. The site looks quite bland and boring but does usually show a lot of information on the topic you are searching for. However one big downside is that the information on wikipedia can be altered by any members of the site. This means that the information on this site is not always reliable and can therefore not be trusted. I would therefore not put this as one of my higher ranking online education sites.

After reviewing these 5 sites, i have come to a conclusion. These are the ranks that i have awarded these sites:

1. ThinkQuest
2. BBC Bitesize
3. Teach ICT
4. Wikipedia
5. Sound Learning.

I awarded ThinkQuest the highest ranking as it met all of the needs i beleived were needed to be the best site- it was appealing to look at, had relevant information, had activities to participate in and more. Sound Learning received my lowest ranking because it looked boring and effortless, and also because it charged a price for its services, which is a negative as people would not wish to pay and could easily research a new eduacation site on which they would not have to pay to learn.

Registering for an online event

Above is the final page of my event registration. I have registered for an online event through Adobe. In this event I would receive a tutorial about how to use Acrobat Connect Pro. I found that the process of registration was quite lengthy and also a little bit confusing which could put novice users off of the idea. Nevertheless I am now registered with Adobe and free to join any online events that i wish to!

Video Tutorials

Above are images i have printscreened of video tutorials.

I have reviewed a few sites, (Lynda.com and teach-ict.Com) to find out about video tutorials. I found these very useful in the sense that firstly a physical person was not needed to explain things to you, and also because of the fact that the explanations that were used were extremely clear and simple to understand and only included relevant information to make it better to comprehend. Also because they are videos, if you do not understand a point the first time it is explained, you can review what you just watched and have it explained to you again. The video tutorials are usually quite attracting and many have the use of speech to make explanations more understandable. There is usually both visual and text instruction. Using video tutorials is also very useful because you can work at your own pace. There are also some quizzes and interesting activities to test your knowledge of what you have been learning from the videos.

There is a disadvantage however. To view the videos on your computer, you must have some sort of video playing software, which some people may no have installed, and therefore these people cannot watch the videos.

Video turorials differ from human interraction, because obviusly there isnt't any. This means when you have problems which need to be explained in depth it can be harder to get answers as all you have are video sources. Also the learning techniques which are used in the video tutorials may not be the types of learning techniques you are used to, so it may actually be harder to use video tutorials that human interraction for some people.

Virtual Classrooms

What is a Virtual Classroom?
The definition of virtual classroom is “This is a classroom where the physical room does not actually exist. Students are connected to the Internet and communicate through email and conferencing. The lecturer is responsible for presenting learning material online and coordinating classroom activities.” Virtual classrooms include seminars, or ‘webinars’". Advantages
Faster to type lessons than to write lessons by hand
People do not have to leave the comfort of their homes to learn
Time saving as opposed to physical lessons
People can work at their own pace

Disadvantages
Can be harder to get help as there is no one physically there
Invigilators of exams will also have to be trained in IT to be able to mark the work
A high level of organisation is required
Hardware and software must be monitored carefully to make sure that it is all in working order, so mistakes are not made with peoples’ work.

Using NetFrog to Dissect a Frog

I have been researching ways in which our society and the things that we do are made easier and more modern by society.
I visited NetFrog, to see how effectively it performed as an online simulation site. After reviewing its many pages I have come to the conclusion that it definitely achieves its purpose. I feel as though readers can learn to dissect a frog simply by watching this online simulation and using the guidance on the site. They would not even have to use a real frog. Of course after watching this if they were to dissect a real frog it would be clear and easy for them to do, as the guiding on this site is extremely thorough and detailed. The site shows images of each step on the dissection to make the instructions even more clear. By using NetFrog, it has taught me that online simulations can definitely be a strong asset in assisting education. One negative is that the page is not too aesthetically pleasing so it is more difficult to be drawn in or attracted to it, but it is without a doubt very helpful for those who wish to dissect a frog, whether online or physically.

I also visited the Science Museum's 'Making The Modern World' modules site. This is used to talk about how the world has gradually become more and more modern and technology orientated. The site showed me how the world used to be historically and how it has evolved over time. The site used bright colours and animation to seem more interesting and engaging. I found that the site was written in clear, easy-to-understand language and that it really helped me to understand about the world's technology. Therefore i definitely feel as though this site achieves its purpose.

Changes I Have Made

I have made some updates and changes to some pieces of my work, which i beleived were not of avery good quality. Firstly I have changed the pieces of work that are 'advantages and disadvantages' by adding more points to the tables and then resubmitting these into my blog. I have also improved my annotated pieces of work by adding more annotations, and have also put these onto my blog and removed the original ones. I have been updating my blog every single day with new pieces of work which i have completed, and also by improving the appearance and layout features of my blog. I now feel as though the work complete on my blog is of a very good quality.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is defined as
"A type of deception designed to steal your valuable personal data, such as credit card numbers, passwords, account data, or other information. Phishing is typically carried out using e-mail (where the communication appears to come from a trusted website) or an instant message, although phone contact has been used as well" (usadata.com/marketing-glossary-eMarketing.html#P)

From what i have read about it, Phishing is not a positive thing in society. It is a scam that results in stolen personal details and therefore many unhappy customers. However it is increasing. There are now phishing scams which trick people into using a different browser bar to steal your details. Because of phishing, people are suspicious of emails sent from unknown senders, are more wary about using the internet and do not want to participate in internet activities such as online banking, as their details could be stolen. This is negative for banks, websites and other aspects of the internet, in which they would be more successful with customers also using the internet to access them.

SMS banking

This is the definition of SMS banking according to wikipedia:
"SMS banking is a technology-enabled service offering from banks to its customers, permitting them to operate selected banking services over their mobile phones using SMS messaging".

SMS banking services are operated using push and pull messages. Push messages messegas which the banks choose to send out to customers' mobile phones, without the customer requesting it. An example of a push message would be if the bank notified you by SMS that a large amount of money had been taken from your bank account.
Pull messages are those that are sent to the bank by the customer, using a mobile phone, to make transactions in your account or to obtain imformation about your account. An example of a pull message would be to get an updated balance enquiry from the bank.

Adavantages:
It is faster than visiting the bank to make these enquiries, to simply send a text message
It is an alternative way to contact the bank if you cannot get through by telephone, or if you are not able to access the internet, a telephone or actually vidit a bank.

Disadvantages:
customers may receive a lot of unwanted€ or irrelevant text messages from the bank
If you do not have good signal or a problem with your phone, messages may not be sen or received as desired

Online Banking

Advantages:
It is faster and more efficient that leaving your home to go to a bank, when you can do everything you need to at the computer
You can keep track of you account and other banking details online whenever you like, rather than waiting for invoices in the mail.

Disadvantages:
You have limited help, and may need someone to help you more if you do not understand something
Your bank details can be hacked into online, so it may not necessarily be safe.


What is the purpose of online banking?
The main purpose of online banking is to make the process of checking bank accounts and making transactions faster and easier than physically visiting a bank to do this.

What audience is online banking aimed at?
I believe the main audience for online banking are middle aged people. This is because I do not think many older people would use this, as the technology could possibly be quite difficult for them to grasp. Also younger generations may not use this as they may not yet have enough money for a bank account to be necessary or serious. Generally, middle aged people have an income, which would be transferred to an account on a schedule and then used for many of life’s necessities. So they would need to keep a track of how much money they have and how much is available for them to spend, usually for the benefit of their families.

Lloyds TSB
I visited Lloyds TSB’s online banking website. I found that it was quite good as you could easily sign into your account and it was clear to understand and navigate through. It is also possible for you to sign into an account for your actual business, to check up on the success of your business finances.

Improvements
In the future there are several ways in which online banking could be improved. Firstly I think there should be even more security measures than there are already, as many people do not use online banking due to the fact that their personal details can be hacked into and possibly stolen. Codes from the bank and personal banking key rings are currently being issued to prevent phishing scams, which is a start in improving the quality of online banking. I think there should be a more efficient way of getting help with your problems when using online banking, as at the moment it is not very instant.

An Introducion to Ebay

Ebay is an online shopping site, used to tade unwanted items and goods between members of the ebay society for profit. Users can bid against others for goods in auctions, can sell their own items or use the 'buy it now' option to instantly buy your desired goods. Ebay can be used all around the world.

Ebay is targeted at basically everyone, as there are items which would appeal to each and every person for sale. However you must be 18 to have an ebay account and therefore be able to use ebay, although it is known that many break these rules.

Positives:
People can purchase items quickly and easily with the click of a mouse.
You can find things which you may not have been able to find otherwise.
You can contact buyers or sellers to find out details about the items you desire or are selling.

Negatives:
You can buy stolen or bad goods from sellers without knowing, or get involved with 'dodgy' sellers and con artists.
You can be scammed out of your money and not receive the item that you fairly won
It can be difficult to get in contact with uncooperative sellers or buyers for refunds.

Monitoring The Weather

For the next five days i will be monitoring the weather to see if it actually matches the predictions made by the BBC weather website. After these five days i will then evaluate whether i would have gotten more accurate results if i had been prepared to pay for it, using for example the Met Office's weather service. The BBC website looks clear and simple to understand, and aesthetically pleasing with its bright colours and images. The information looks valid and relevant.

Tuesday: The prediction for today was that the minimum temperature would be 14c and that the maximum would be 17c. Today it was 15c, so i would say that the prediction was very accurate today. It also said that there would be clouds and mild sunshine, which was also correct.

Wednesday: The prediction for today was that the minimum temperature would be 15c and the maximum 17c, and also that again it would be cloudy with a hint of sunshine. It was a cloudy day and i did see some signs of sunshine so this was again accurate. Today the temperature was in fact 16c, so was again very accurate. If BBC weather is correct it will be a sunny day tomorrow-fingers crossed!

Thursday: The weather today is supposed to be sunny with a maximum of 16c and a minimum of 15c. The weather is in fact the maximum of 16c, however it is yet again another cloudy day, with just a pinch of sunshine, so BBC has let me down a little bit i must admit.

Friday: Today the temperature is 17c and it has een a very sunny day. The actual temperature therefore agreed with the prediction, and the actual weather, which was lvely and sunny exceeded the prediction weather of cloud with a little bit of sunshine! What a lovely day-Tomorrow should be even more sunny if BBC weather is correct!

Saturday: Today has been a very sunny day indeed! There have been temperatures between 15c and 16c so again BBC weather has been very reliable!

After 5 days evaluating the weather,i believe that i can honestly trust BBC weather to tell me a correct weather forecast. I feel as though even if i had used a weather forecast which i paid for, the results would have been pretty much the same, if not just a very tiny bit more precise.

Planning a Journey to Tottenham Court Road

Above: The cost of the train journey to Tottenham Court Road
Above: Travelling to Tottenham Court Road via Train.

Above: Travelling to Tottenham Court Road By Car

To work out my journey by car, I used the Google Maps site. I found that it was very helpful and told me all of the details which I needed to know about the journey, in a clear and simple way. To work out the journey I would have to make by train, I used National Rail Enquiries site. Again i found that this source was very successful at finding me real-time information on my desired journey, and was clear to understand.

Advantages and Disadvantages to using Google Groups

Using Google Groups

Above is a brief guide to using Google Groups. Hope this helps!