Learning Aim A

 Websites are used for a very wide range of purposes.

 There are millions of websites on the internet.  They are used for almost every conceivable purpose including business, personal and entertainment purposes.  Some of the more common purposes of websites are described in the following sections.

 Websites are commonly used both for presenting information, such as news, and for product advertising. Most companies have their own website. Some of the best known news websites are those of BBC News ( and AI Jazeera (

 Websites can be used to archive information.  The 'cloud' concept is a relatively recent development in information storage.  It involves using the internet to store information rather than using local storage (such as your computer's disk drive or a USB memory stick).

 The internet search engine Google TM has become such a part of our lives that the verb 'to Google ™' has been included in the Oxford English Dictionary.  If you ask someone a question, you may get the response, 'Just Google it'.  The internet has also become a useful source of real-time information.  For example, if you are meeting someone at the railway station or airport, the quickest way to check real-time updated information is via the internet.

 has revolutionised personal and business communication, enabling people to share information and send documents to each other quickly and so improving productivity.  Facilities such as video conferencing allow people to have 'virtual‘ meetings, enabling them to work collaboratively without having to spend time travelling.

 Many websites provide information which helps individuals and businesses to make decisions. Price comparison websites like Compare the Market™ (www. comparethemarket. com) and Money Supermarket TM ( help people to decide on the most suitable insurance policy, loan or other financial service.

 Social networking sites, such as Facebook, have become very popular as they allow people to communicate with their friends.  They can let all their friends know what they are doing with status updates and they are able to chat with friends though an instant messenger type interface.  Many other instant messenger services, such as Yahoo ™ Chat™, are popular and some include video chatting as well as text chat.

 Another area that the internet has revolutionised is how we listen to music or live radio, and how we watch films.  Sites such as Apple ™ iTunes ™ allow consumers to purchase and download music, while sites such as You Tube let people view and share videos on a wide range of subjects.  Radio stations now broadcast digitally and so you can listen to them over the internet.  Some radio stations are only broadcast digitally such as BBC Radio 6 Music.

 There has also been a huge increase in the number of goods being bought online, both from online-only retailers like Amazon and high street chains, such as Tesco and John Lewis.  A large proportion of trade business is now conducted online.

 The internet contains a vast resource of information on just about every subject imaginable.  You can find information on encyclopaedia websites or specialist websites.  Some of these, such as which provides lots of information about PC hardware, give details on training courses and contains video instructions on how to do all sorts of practical things.

 Many websites provide digital content for you to down load.  iTunes TM is one of the best known websites from which you can buy and download music.  Many software vendors allow you to download their software products directly from their website.