E-Government

E-government, or electric government, is ‘digital interactions between a government and its citizens.’ The type of digital interaction I am going to be looking at is that of Information and Communication Technology – and Directgov.co.uk in particular.

Directgov.co.uk

Directgov is the website of the UK government which acts as a navigation point to public information and services, for people in the United Kingdom. Directgov provides information on a wide variety of topics ranging from employment, to motoring, to living abroad.  Launched in 2004, Directgov.co.uk acts as an information resource for millions of users. Directgov is the most prominent form of e-government in the UK.

The objectives of Directgov.co.uk

To give the citizen

• “Easy and effective digital access to all the public services and information they need, when and where they need it”
• “Trusted delivery of tailored services to give citizens a simple and convenient interaction with the government”
• “New ways of communicating, utilising strategic partnerships, community groups and social media to provide better interaction with Government”

Good things about Directgov.co.uk

• There is a search bar, you can browse by subject or you can browse by people – so you can search for whatever information you are looking for fast
• The directgov sign in the top left corner is a direct link back to the home page – so people can navigate round the site easily
• There is a newsroom where articles of the latest news are displayed
• On the home page there is a ‘favourites’ section, so people can see what other people have been interested in, and what they may be interested in, in an instant
• You can get directgov.co.uk on your mobile
• Users can adjust the size of the font – so those with eyesight difficulties, e.g. the elderly, can still use the site
• Links citizens to information they want, preventing them from having to do any of the linking themselves

Problems with Directgov.co.uk

• There’s quite a lot happening on the homepage – a lot of links and sections – which can be a bit confusing
• There are so many sections, subsections and sub-subsections it can be a bit difficult to find the specific information you are actually looking for
• The website is expensive to run
• Information from Directgov available on mobiles is limited
• Not all public services are included
• Search engine at top can sometimes go wrong and can bring up outdated information

Crime and Justice

On the ‘Crime and Justice’ part on the Directgov site, there are many subsections, and these are; Types of crime; Reporting crime and anti-social behaviour; The police; Jury service; Victims and Witnesses; Being stopped or arrested by the police; Going to court if you’re charged with a crime; Sentencing, prison and probation; Crime and justice (young people section); Crime statistics; Crime preventions and Counter terrorism. These subsections each have further subdivisions, and collectively cover every problem/query involving crime and justice that people may have. There are also links to topics involving crime that are in other sections.

The benefits of the Crime and Justice section on Directgov

• People can receive information on things they may not necessarily know about e.g. jury service. This may help them if they are ever called to do jury duty
• The crime statistics information allows people to discover information about local crime – so if someone is thinking about living in an area they can look up the crimes committed around the location and judge the ‘safety’ of the area and whether or not they would feel comfortable living there
• Offers help, advice and support to people who have experienced crime such as domestic violence. It also provides links to useful websites and help lines

The detriments of Crime and Justice on Directgov

• The local crime information section can make people paranoid about other people in their area and may get concerned that crime is a bigger issue than it really is
• There is so much information given at once, it can get confusing

Finding the crime statistics in my area

1. Go to crime and justice
2. Click on Find local crime information subsection under the Crime statistics section
3. Type the name of your village or town, or your postcode, in the search bar – then a separate webpage opens showing a map with different numbers of crimes in various spots. The crimes shown are split into the categories; Burglary, Anti-Social behaviour, Robbery, Vehicle crime, Violent crime and Other crime.
4. You can zoom in and out depending on where exactly you want to see

It was easy to find the crime statistics in my local area - with few steps and precise instructions. I did find it a bit annoying that, for privacy reasons, they couldn't give exact locations or crimes committed - simply because I felt a bit as though it made me more worried not to know exactly. But maybe that's just me being nosy.

Motoring

The motoring section covers a range of topics – Driving licenses; Driving for a living; Buying and selling a vehicle; Personalised reg and number plates; Driver safety; Learners and new drivers and riders; Owning a vehicle; Do it online and Vehicle crime.

The benefits of the Motoring section on Directgov

• Helps people with little or no knowledge on things such as selling or buying a car
• Can teach people about the rules of the road
• Will help older people keep up to date with changing motor information
• From the motoring section, you can apply for your driver’s license, or renew your existing one – so people can do it quickly and easily online. You can also apply for your theory test and driving test online through this section of the Directgov site

The detriments of the Motoring section on Directgov

• It isn’t clear exactly what the ‘Do it online’ section is for
• There is a lot of information all in one place
• It can be somewhat to find exactly what you’re looking for – do you go to Driver licensing or learners and new drivers and riders if you want to apply for a first time driver’s license? – some groups seem to overlap

Booking your theory driving test through the Motoring section on Directgov

1. Go to Motoring
2. Click on ‘Theory test’ under subheading of Learners and new drivers and riders
3. Click on How to book and manage your driving theory test appointment
4. Click on Find your nearest driving test centre – this then opens a separate page with the DSA  (Driving standards Agency) where you can find your nearest centre by typing in your postcode

The process of finding a theory test centre via Directgov was fairly straightforward – however, there were quite a few steps so it seemed like an unnecessarily long process. Also, when I got to the DSA page I couldn’t work out how to actually book a test at the centres found.

Health and Wellbeing

 The Health and Wellbeing section of Directgov.co.uk is basically just a link to NHS sites as the NHS is the UK health care system.

The benefits of the Health and Wellbeing section on Directgov

• The link to the Health A-Z on NHS Choices allows people to attempt to self-diagnose and establish whether or not there problem/illness is serious or can simply be home-cured
• There is a link to comment section of the NHS site where people can comment on a hospital or GP and let others know what their opinions and experiences were – so they can learn from them

The detriments of the Health and Wellbeing section on Directgov

• The layout is different from most of the other sections, and so could be a bit confusing for people
• For the main part of this section, it is only for people living in England (which isn’t immediately clear) and those who live outside of England e.g. in Wales have to scroll to the bottom of the page to find any information relevant to them
• It is basically just a section full of links to NHS sites – so doesn’t really contain any information right there and just acts as a middle passage – users may as well go straight to the NHS page

Environment and greener Living

The subsections in this section are; Recycling and reducing waste; Energy saving and generation; Greener travel and leisure; Greater community and work; Climate change and protecting the environment; Greener home and garden; Smallholders: keeping farm animal and bees and Greener life events and celebrations. Basically, the Environment and greener living section contains all sorts of information that anyone who is environmentally concerned may need – and what with the environment becoming more and more of an issue, a lot of people are looking for ways to live a ‘greener’ life.

The benefits of the Environment and greener living section on Directgov

• A place where people can find information on how to live more ‘green’ is useful for those trying to make a more environmentally-friendly life change but don’t know how to go about it
• The advice given can be adapted to suite different aspects of your life – some for home life, some for work, some for travel – so people have a choice what part of their life they want to change depending on what works best for them
• It also gives information on how to look after animals such as chickens and pigs so those who are trying to ‘grow their own food’ can receive the information they may need

The detriments of the Environment and greener living section on Directgov

• Some of the pages, e.g. the Recycling at home page, are a bit long and involve a lot of scrolling which can be annoying
• The climate change section online provides one point of view as the correct one – and has a section called ‘Myths about climate change’ to address the opposing and denying of climate change – which is bias
• Some of the language used when describing some of the scientific aspects e.g. pollution could be confusing for some people

If I want information on how to look after a micro pig

1. Go to Environment and greener living
2. Select Keeping pigs: a beginners guide under the Smallholders: keeping farm animals and bees
3. Scroll down to the Feeding and Watering pigs part
4. Click on the Micro pigs guide – this opens a guidance page from the RSPCA

I found this very useful as it took me straight to a well-known and trusted source. I do however feel that I wouldn't have known where to look had I not found whilst browsing. 

Britons living abroad

The Britons living abroad section is a preparation section for all those planning to move from the UK. The subsections in the Britons living abroad section are; Before you go; Money abroad; Education and jobs while abroad and Health abroad.

The benefits of the Britons living abroad section on Directgov

• Gives people immediate information they will need – which will save them having to search loads of sites, which is probably the last thing they want to do when moving country
• Allows people to feel prepared and informed when moving countries

The detriments of the Britons living abroad section on Directgov

• The layout is boring and plain and repetitive
• Most pages involve a lot of scrolling
• The information provided is not specific to wherever you are moving and is just general information

My Uses of E-Government and Directgov.co.uk

Before last week I had been unaware that there was such a thing as e-government and had never really been interested in it. I had also never been on directgov.co.uk. But now that I have, I can definitely see the logic behind an online navigation site for all sort of public information and think it is very useful to have so much information in one place. I feel that, especially as I get older, the site will be quite useful as I find many of the subjects it covers such as taxes confusing but will obviously need to know about it at some point – and Directgov.co.uk seems a fairly straightforward and fast way to find out. I’m not sure if I’d use it as my only information resource though, because it seems a little bit overcrowded with information and the format can make it seem a bit boring. Also, I think when it comes to important things such as money and government – you should always looks at more than one information supply. 

Education

VLE – Frog

VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) is a web based tool used by schools that provides two-way interaction between teachers and students. Although Virtual Learning Environments were originally created to enhance distance learning, they are nowadays used more as a popular supplement to a traditional physical learning environment.

At my school, the VLE we use is ‘Frog’. It can be accessed from school or from home and includes features such as the school calendar, notices from the school, homework set by teachers and links to the school network and the school email. Uploaded lessons, subject information and resources can also be found on Frog.

The benefits of VLEs – Frog

• Frog is easy to use and has a friendly format
• Sources are more easily available to students so they can explore a variety of information from different places and various opinions and ideas
• Uploaded lessons can help students if they wish to re-cap, in order to retain more information than they may have done during the actual lesson. These can also help if a student is absent and they need to catch up with the work that they have missed
• In regards to homework, teachers can see which students have opened homework – not just when it is completed and sent back – so they know when a student deliberately hasn’t done it
• Homework can be set at any time of the day, and every day – even if School/ a lesson is cancelled due to bad weather or some other reason
• Frog provides students with new learning opportunities that could help them do better should they choose to use them e.g. the resources and uploaded lessons
• Parents can access their students work and information and keep an eye on how they child is doing and whether or not they are completing set tasks
• Frog saves paper as homework is set and completed and notices are sent over the VLE rather than on paper

The disadvantages of VLEs – Frog

• There is a worry that students become less concerned about missing school if all the work and lessons are available online anyway
• A huge drawback of VLEs such as Frog is the cost as it prevents many school from becoming part of the Virtual Environment and means they cannot utilise the available resources and help
• Not all students have computers at home so the VLE would be of little use to them and they would benefit more from homework and other information being provided in the traditional way
• Teaching and learning via a VLE means the ‘personal touch’ from the lesson is missing as the teacher cannot add their own ‘flare’ to them. Also practical lessons e.g. a chemical experiment, cannot be imitated by students at home. The lessons provided on Frog are mainly done in written format and miss the occasional excitement that certain topics could potentially provide, if taught well
• If someone is doing homework or a lesson on Frog they cannot seek immediate help if they don’t understand something or need help

My Uses of VLE – Frog

As my school has only had Frog for around a year now, I don’t think I am familiar enough with it to have realised its full potential or to get as much out of it as I could yet. Furthermore, very few of my teachers set homework on Frog so I rarely feel I need to check it. I feel that although VLE’s work fairly well alongside regular school, I don’t think I benefit very much from Frog. I much prefer lessons in classrooms as I find the social interaction between my fellow students and teachers more useful and enjoyable. I do however think that on days when school is cancelled e.g. when it there has been heavy snow, Frog is useful for accessing work that has been missed. I can definitely see the major advantages of Virtual Learning Environments however at times I feel that, in my school at least, Frog is a little under-appreciated and so unnecessary. I would certainly use Frog as extra support for my learning, but it wouldn’t be my sole resource as I prefer books and having the work directly in front of me rather than on a computer screen.

Online Revision

Online revision sites allow students to study various subjects, modules and topics for exams or just in general, via their computer at home. Obviously, with revision being extremely boring and demanding for the majority of students – the main objective of any useful revision method is to be as captivating as possible whilst also providing the necessary information – for this reason online revision sites use various methods such as animations and videos to enhance the enjoyment-factor. The two online revision sites I will be analysing are BBC Bitesize and Sam Learning – both of which I have used and have experience of.

BBC Bitesize

The benefits of BBC Bitesize
Revision available for KS1 up to GCSE
Because the target audience covers such a range of ages – from around 5 up to about 17, BBC Bitesize is easy to use
Each topic/ module has broken down revision then a mini-test to measure how much you remember – but you can choose whether to do the revision first or not, and how many times you do the revision exercises
Using interactive activities and videos, BBC Bitesize makes revision ‘fun’
Anyone can use it as it’s free, and can be used anytime
Concise and up to date study material is provided
There is a ‘Survival Kit’ that provides advice on how to manage exams and the stress that they may cause
BBC Bitesize offers games that test knowledge – so the students end up learning without even really realising it
The site includes many Teacher and Examiner tips which may be helpful

The detriments of BBC Bitesize
Not all subjects are included on the site e.g. GCSE Latin
Sometimes the information provided is not detailed enough so it may not equip people with the necessities for A* success
It is an open system – so doesn’t remember any of your previous work each time you go on so it is difficult for students to feel as though their progress and work is being tracked and remembered

My Uses of BBC Bitesize

Having sat my GCSE exams within the last 6 months, I have had quite a lot of experience of online revision sites and I did use BBC Bitesize a couple of times. I found it fairly informative, and the various methods of teaching used kept the learning experience interesting and relatively exciting – as far as revision goes. I did however find it lacked specific points about each subjects and seemed to only cover the very basics. My main issue with BBC Bitesize was the lack of personal touches as it wouldn’t save any of my previous work and scores so unless I had been keeping track, I couldn’t immediately see if any progress had been made since the last time I revised that topic. I didn’t use BBC Bitesize as often as I could have, because I found other revision sites more useful e.g. Sam Learning

Sam Learning

The benefits of Sam Learning

• Sam Learning includes a point-reward system. Students gain points depending on how well they have done in the revision questions/ mini-exams. Once a certain amount of points has been collected, the location of their ‘Avatar’ is changed e.g. from London to Paris, and the number of locations they have visited is logged. Also, time spent on Sam Learning activities accumulates and once a certain amount of time has been spent – you are rewarded a virtual ‘medal’. A student can pick ten of their friends whom which they can compete with to try and get the most points. These basic, and somewhat childish, rewards act as in incentive to do well and to revise as much and as well as possible
• Similar to BBC Bitesize, Sam Learning covers work from both Primary school and secondary school, including A-levels
• Can be used anytime
• Sam Learning uses various puzzles and interactive techniques such as drag and drop questions and step by step videos to keep the person interested and paying attention whilst they are revising
• As Sam Learning is ran through the persons school, their teachers can monitor the amount of revision they have been doing and the quality of that revision
• Exam style questions are extremely useful as not only as they replicas of what the student is likely to experience, but because after you have finished it shows you the correct points you should have made – so even if you got it wrong that time you can learn for the next time

The detriments of Sam Learning

• A lot of people have difficulty with the drag and drop questions as if you do not drop it in the exact place, the answer isn’t accepted
• The activities used for each subject are all basically the same, so can get a bit repetitive and boring after a while
• Some exercises are too long, this increases the chance of tedium
• The layout of Sam Learning could be described as cluttered and messy
• There is a daily point limit and once you reach it, although you may continue to do activities and questions, you do not gain any points from it – so the incentive is lost, and this may cause students to stop as soon as this happens
• The biggest problem with Sam Learning is that it is not free, and not available to everyone. In order to receive a centre login, personal login and password your school/learning centre needs to sign up and pay

My Uses of Sam Learning

In the weeks leading up to my GCSE exams, I used Sam Learning pretty much every day and I found it extremely useful. My friends and I would always jokingly compare who has the most points and discuss which locations we had unlocked. As for the actual activities, I found them very useful as I like to learn in a structured way. Comparable to BBC Bitesize, Sam Learning also didn’t seem to cater very much for those aiming for A* grades though. I found Sam Learning made revision somewhat bearable for me when I used it alongside traditional revision from books.

Online Learning Objects and Simulations

The aim of any Online Learning object or simulation is to provide information in an enriching and motivating way. Online learning objects can occur in many forms; from pages of text, to PowerPoint presentations and videos. Over the internet you can find learning objects for pretty much every subject.

The benefits of Online Learning Objects and Simulations

• Not just available to students, Online Learning Objects are open for the use of everyone who is interested
• Most websites require no personal information in order for you to view and participate
• The majority of sites are free – so there are no restrictions for people of any background
• Accessibility is further increased by the fact that Online learning objects and simulations are available at any time
• Online objects and simulations allows people to learn/ view things that they may not have access to within their everyday learning e.g. Frog dissection
• As previously mentioned, there is a huge choice range available – so students/users are able to be specific about exactly what they would like to learn

The detriments of Online Learning Objects and Simulations

• One of the biggest issues with learning objects and simulations found online is that the information is not accurate and could be completely wrong
• Another problem is that some work is biased and for some subject e.g. R.E it might be important to not only learn one side of opinions but to consider both of them
• Objects and simulations for old curriculums, holding information that is no longer necessary may not be removed from the internet so people may end up learning things that won’t come of much use to them in their exams
• Another major disadvantage of online objects is the temptation of plagiarism – some students will end up simply copying information and claiming it as their own, which is illegal

My Uses of Online Learning Objects and Simulations

My main use of Online Object is when I am trying to find extra information for homework and background information. I think it is great that a whole library of information is available online and think, used sensibly and correctly, it can be of great help to every student. After doing a bit of browsing online, I have found that you see videos or step-by-step shows of things that you cannot do yourself – the one I found that was particularly interesting was the dissection of a Frog. The idea that a limit to the resources of your home/school/other learning environment doesn’t have to hold back your learning is one that I find really exciting and a testament to the evolution of online learning.

School League Tables

School league tables allow the public and in particular, parents, to compare the recent exam results and ofsted reports in the hope of selecting a school that would suite their child/children. They also show other information such as attendance records, in order to give unbiased and factual information. They are supposed to act as a guide to how well a school is doing.

The benefits of School League Tables

• Other information instead of just exam results are shown in attempt to give people a well-rounded idea of what a school is like – the Ofsted reports are a particularly important part of this as they comment on many aspects of school life from care and support of pupils to their well-being and development
• The tables are generated by unbiased ‘third parties’ who have no interest/ investments in any of the schools so the parents get impartial opinions
• Parents can find out about lots of different schools very quickly, without having to browse through many brochures or separate websites
• School league tables can be seen by anyone and don’t require any personal information

The detriments of School League Tables

• Parents may be given the impression that good grades make a good school – which may be misleading
• Adds somewhat of a pressure to students to perform well in order to make their school rank highly
• It can be unfair to smaller schools
• The ‘top’ schools become extremely popular and can result in overcrowding
• Ranking the schools may cause tension between schools within a local area and may cause students to be embarrassed if they go to a school which repeatedly ranks lowly

My Uses of School League Tables

I have never really gone into a lot of thought over School League tables – probably because I am not a parent – but I do not see any problems with them. I do think it can be a little biased to rank schools based on their academic achievements but think that it is useful for parents to have a ‘comparison site’ because I imagine it must be a bit of a daunting task to decide which school is the ‘right one’ for your child as they have to consider both their happiness and the hope that they will do well.

Buying School Books Online

Thanks to the increased availability of buying books online through sites such as Amazon, the popularities of libraries and book stores has fallen, but the accessibility to school books has increased.

The benefits of Buying School Books Online

• You are bound to find the book you are after as over the web thousands of books can be transferred – even those that you may not be able to find in your local library
• Often you can find the book you need for a discount price when you buy it online
• If you cannot afford the book brand new, many people sell their used version rather than throw it away
• Also, you do not have to leave your home – so it saves you a trip to town, and saves you time which you can put towards homework
• Online book shops are open twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week
• Before you buy a book, you can usually find reviews about it so you know whether or not it is really what you need – for example, if you are buying a book that you thought might be good for background research

The detriments of Buying School Books Online

• Once you have ordered a book you have to wait, sometimes days, for it to be delivered so if you need it straightaway there is no point ordering it online
• Hoax sites may pretend to sell books – then you end up wasting money and gaining nothing
• Returning online-bought books isn’t as easy as returning them to a shop
• Whilst buying online you cannot really check that it is the right book that you need, unless you know the ISBN of the book you are looking for, and you cannot check the condition it is in

My Uses of Buying School Books Online

Most of the school books I own have been bought online. From revision guides to text books – I have found everything I need, mainly on Amazon. I think it is great as I have saved up to 20% by buying online, and has allowed me to have my own copies of the books we are studying – in which I can make notes and highlight certain text, depending on my needs. I have never had a problem with buying books online, but friends of mine have on occasion bought novel which they are studying online only to find they contain scribbles and drawings in.

At school, my biology text book has now been put online – this allows us to access it via the school website so we don’t need to buy a personal copy, neither does the school need to lend their copies out. I feel like this is probably the future for school books as it saves paper and money. I, however, bought a personal copy of the biology book in addition because I like to make my own notes and I also find it difficult to read the online-version. 

Online Banking

In the UK, the first online banking system was set up by the Bank of Scotland in 1983 – but the recipients included gas, electricity and telephone companies and other banks; and not their customers. Only in October 1994 were online banking services offered to members of the public, first by Standford Federal Credit Union.

Nowadays, there are hundreds of Online Banks – some acting as another resource for standard brick and mortal branched banks, others based purely online.

Banks now operating Online in the UK

Abbey National Building Society	Darlington Building Society
Ahli United Bank	DirectLine
Alliance & Leicester	Dudley Building Society
Anglo IrishBank	Dunfermline Building Society
Amber Homeloans	The Ecology Building Society
Bank of Ireland	Earl Shilton Building Society
Bank of England	Egg
Bank of Scotland (HBOS)	First DirectBank
Bank of Wales	Ipswich Building Society
Barnsley Building Society	ING Direct
Barclays Bank	Kensington Mortgages
Bern Savings Bank	Kent Reliance
Birmingham Midshires (HBOS)	Legal & General Bank
Bradford & Bingley Building Society	Lloyds TSB Bank plc.
Britannia Building Society	LombardDirect
Bristol & West plc	The Leeds and Holbeck Building Society
The Bath Building Society	National Westminster Bank (Natwest)
The Beverley Building Society	National Counties Building Society
The Buckinghamshire Building Society	Newbury Building Society
The Cambridge Building Society	Newcastle Building Society
The Cheshire Building Society	Northern Bank
C Hoare &Co	Nationwide Building Society
Cahoot	Nottingham Building Society
CapitalOne bank	Standard Chartered Bank
Catholic Building Society	Standard Life Bank
Cheltenham & Gloucester	Sun Bank
Chelsea Building Society	The Stroud and Swindon
Chesham Building Society	The Swansea Building Society
Chorley & District Building Society	Tesco
Citibank	Tipton and Coseley
CIS	TSB Bank
Close Brothers	Ulster Bank
Clydesdale Bank plc	Vernon Building Society
Co-operative Bank	Virgin Direct
Coutts	Woolwich plc
Coventry Building Society	West Bromwich Building Society
Cumberland Building Society	Yorkshire Bank

As mentioned in ‘E-Commerce’, these are a few of the benefits, detriments and my uses of Online Banking

For the User

The benefits of Online Banking – for the user

• They can transfer money far quicker and at any time of the day
• No queuing – so it is convenient and less time consuming and tedious
• There is the convenience of not having to leave the home so it makes dealing with money that little bit less stressful
• Instant information from the bank – so no need to wait and waste any more time than necessary
• No need to fill in cards as all details are stored
• Charges are often lower than for ordinary accounts and accounts may offer higher interest rates

The detriments of Online Banking – for the user

• Computer illiterate people may find this difficult and complicated
• Online banking is open to fraud and scams and people can lose money (although, whether or not it is more open to fraud than normal banking is debatable)
• Money cannot be obtained from the computer – you still obviously have to go and withdraw from a bank
• In an attempt to keep personal details secure banks have users enter a pin or some other sort of pass code that allows them, and only them, access to their information – this can be annoying to the customer because although it is there for their privacy and protection, it is one more thing they need to remember
• When the site becomes updates or upgraded, you may have to re-enter your account information

For the Company Owner

The benefits of Online Banking – for the company owner

• Online banking allows the banks to reach out to more customers than previously possible through traditional banking branches
• Can reach out to a broader variety of customers – not just those within distance of their location branches
• Saves money as it is cheaper than opening a new branch in a new location – this allows them to offer their customers reduced transfer fees and other savings so they become more price competitive against other banks
• Also cheaper for banks as there is less paper and postage involved

The detriments of Online Banking – for the company owner

• Online banking requires lots of personal information and some customers will find it difficult to give this away over the internet with confidence
• Many people feel uncomfortable with new things and aren’t willing to work out through the learning curve when it comes to their money
• Even though the reduction in the use of paper is good for the environment, many customers prefer to have a paper trail for when they pay their bills
• No interaction with their customers so there is less trust and commitment from them – so they won’t feel as bad switching to another bank is there is no relationship
• Online banks cannot accept cheques or cash

My uses of Online Banking

As I do not have a bank account at all, I have never personally trialed online banking. But even if I did I am not sure whether or not I have enough trust in online banking just yet. I am well aware that there are some people with hacking skills and knowledge that the idea of having my personal and financial details online is a bit scary for me. A family friend was almost scammed once until the bank actually got involved and had to sort out the problem – so this hasn’t improved my confidence in Online Banking. I would much prefer taking the trip to my local bank if it means I have personal interaction with the person who is handling my account and my money.

Security

Online Banking basically has two different main methods of security – the PIN/TAN system, and signature based banking

• PIN/TAN – the PIN represents a password used for the login, and the TANs represent one-time only passwords. TANs can be dispersed in many ways such as; postal letters, security tokens or by SMS.
• Signature based – all transactions are authorized and encrypted digitally.

Internet only Banks

A few examples of Online-Only Banks include ‘egg’, ‘First Direct’, and ‘Smile’. Internet-based banking has formulated out of the success brought about by Banks offering online services to customers. By offering better interest rates and better features, online banks distinguish themselves from their forerunners.

The benefits of Online Only Banks

• Convenience – because it’s all online
• You wouldn’t have to change banks if you move house
• Free services e.g. free checking
• May give more information than a traditional bank site, as it is technologically adept
• Savings from being based only online and not having to support branches, are passed on to customer

The detriments of Online Only Banks

• You are stuck with any ATM fees the company gives you as they obviously don’t have any physical branches near your home
• You have to mail in your deposits
• If a payment is due on a specific day, you have to put in a check request days in advance

Ways in which Online Banks and Online Only Banks Entice Customers

Online Bank Example - NatWest

• At the top of the home page there is a company quote, giving positive feedback on the bank

• At the bottom of the home page there are various links to customer services that hope to make their experience on the site as comfortable as possible

• The layout of the site attempts to be simplistic but formal and friendly in order to appeal to as many customers as possible as helpful but professional.
• There is a search panel at the top to help customers navigate and find exactly what they are looking for

Online Only Bank Example - Smile

• The animated advert at the top centre shows the latest offers - this captures customers' attention

• Animated pictures showing more offers also draws customers attention to them

• Smile's layout is a bit less formal than that of NatWest, but is consistent and the site is as user friendly as possible with tools such as site map and important information at the bottom

Both sites seem just as eager to promote it's latest deals on offer, and seem to share the aim of wanting a simplistic layout that will appeal to customers who want an easy, preferably inexpensive, banking experience.