Supermarket shopping is very different to the kind of shopping you do in a clothes store. While there are undoubtedly some people who enjoy the weekly stroll around the aisles, for many our weekly grocery shop is an unpleasantness that we endure out of necessity. For parents with small children in tow it can be an ordeal.

If you've ever stood in a crowded supermarket feeling stressed and overwhelmed, pause for a moment to think how much more stressful and overwhelming the experience can be if you have a disability or impairment such as blindness. You may not be able to access assistance when you want it or miss out on special offers.

When supermarkets began to offer online grocery shopping with home delivery it was no wonder that many people, disabled or not, clamoured to get online and be part of the digital revolution.

So why is online grocery shopping better that going to the store?

Firstly, you are spared the stress and anxiety of fighting your way through hordes of impatient shoppers to find what you need. If you have a disability that means you cannot drive, home delivery is a dream come true. You can usually specify when you would like your shopping to be delivered (how convenient is that?). If you have a condition that makes carrying heavy shopping difficult, delivery to your door is just ideal. The supermarket you use may have trained their drivers in disability awareness so they know to tell blind customers which of the tins contains baked beans and which contains dog food (a mistake no-one wants to make).

It is very easy to find the special offers online. Some supermarkets list all special offer items and ingredients for particular recipes together.

But shopping online isn't without its own special problems. You don't get to choose the produce yourself. If you're a cook with strong feelings about the ripeness of your tomatoes you may not be happy with what has been chosen for you.

There can also be a problem if an item you have requested is not in stock. You will have the option to allow the 'picker and packer' to choose a replacement item for you... which can be a bit of a lottery.

There is a small charge for home delivery which some may prefer not to pay and popular timeslots can attract a higher charge.

While many retailers have developed the design of their websites to make the shopping experience as successful as possible, especially if you have a disability, errors and misunderstandings can sometimes occur.  When ordering loose cherries, for example, mistake quantity for weight you might receive a single cherry rather than a kilo (this happened to a blind friend of mine).

But these problems are small trifles (no pun intended). While orders may occasionally contain items that were not requested (or not intentionally ordered), retailers are very good at putting things right, and the more you use a retailer, the quicker and easier the experience becomes (most sites enable you to compile a 'favourites' list so you can easily re-order the items you need regularly).

Some people find online grocery shopping so vital to their independence that once they've tried it they can't imagine life without out it. For others, a temporary change in mobility, such as an accident, may inspire them to try online shopping for the first time.

I asked my Twitter followers to tell me about their experiences of using grocery websites and got a reply from Sara Christie. Sara was forced to use crutches for a number of weeks following a fall. Unable to get to her supermarket, she decided to try the store’s online grocery service. The drivers actually took my shopping into the kitchen for me so that I had a minimum amount of hobbling around to do. It made a huge difference to how long it took me to pack away the shopping. They were always incredibly friendly and helpful and when you're stuck at home on your own friendly faces make a huge difference to your day.

Despite this very positive experience, Sara returned to in-store shopping when her foot was better.  It is frustrating when an item can't be provided and you have to re-plan dinner. There is no way that the person shopping on your behalf can know what you were going to make with the missing item. Sometimes the substitutions are completely inappropriate.

Grocery shopping is just one of the chores that the internet has made easier and more pleasant. But beware of getting carried away: the real basket on your arm is a lot heavier than the virtual basket on your computer - keep an eye on the running total to make sure you don't order more than you can afford!

Julie Howell established the world's first online community for people with MS. Since then, Julie has written the first British Standard on web accessibility and has led national campaigns to make the web more accessible to disabled people.

For the basics of online shopping, have a look at our video and article.

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A report on social networking, age and privacy for the EU Kids Online project claims that almost half of British children aged 9 to 12 use social networking sites like Facebook and Bebo.

A survey of 25,000 children from across Europe suggests that one in five children in the UK has a Facebook page, despite the site not allowing users under the age of 13 to create a profile.

Although the report’s authors believe that removing age restrictions would allow better monitoring of online behaviour, children’s charity Kidscape warns that it could lead to an increase in cyber bullying - where children can be victims of taunting and threats through emails, mobile phones and messages on social networking sites.

The risk children face when using social media has been at the heart of discussions about online safety and news stories highlight some of the problems parents face when monitoring their children's web access.

But with computers forming a central part of a child's education, it's important that parents encourage responsible internet use while helping maintain their child's online safety and privacy.

Installing parental control software is one way of protecting a child from online content as it enables a parent to decide the sort of websites they don't want their child to access.

To learn more about social networking safety, read How do I keep my child safe on social networks? on BBC WebWise.

If you're new to social media, why not take our WebWise Social Media Basics course? Click here to take the course.

Read the full BBC News article here.

Hajar is part of the WebWise production team and has also made award-winning programmes for BBC Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.

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You might have noticed that in order to comment on our blog (or any other BBC blog, in fact) you need to register for something called a "BBC iD".  In case you haven't tried to comment before, I'm referring to the little blue button saying "sign in".

If you've clicked on it, you'll know that it takes you to a page asking for your sign-in details - or, if you haven't got any, you can click another button which says "Register now".  From there on, the sign-up process is pretty simple - much easier than signing up for online shopping or online banking, for example, although it can look a little bit intimidating at first. 

And here's where people become slightly reticent - is it really worth it?  Good question.  I think so.  I'll go through what information the BBC wants from you in a moment, but in case you want it selling to you, here are three of the things you can do on the BBC website with a BBC iD account.

• Message boards: view and take part in discussions about news, programmes and more on some very active message boards.
• Comments: have your say on BBC News stories and blog entries across the BBC website (like this one)
• iPlayer: save a list of your favourite TV or radio shows to watch later, and get recommendations on what to watch next

So, if you're convinced (and I hope you are), here's a quick breakdown of the information the BBC iD service requires and what it's needed for:

Username

This will be your name across the BBC website.  Think of it as being like a nickname - except it has to be entirely unique.  The form will go red if someone else using BBC iD has the username you want, so experiment.  Just make sure your username is something fairly short, which you can remember easily. Our Internet Basics course has more information on this.

Password

This is very important - it's so nobody else can use your username or access your details.  To be safe, use a mixture of letters and numbers - and don't write it down anywhere, or you might find a cheeky friend/relative has been writing rude comments on the BBC website without your knowledge! (I speak from experience...) Again, we have a tool you can use to check your password.

Date of Birth

Some people worry about this, but the reason the BBC needs this information is actually to protect children.  Sites like CBBC and BBC Schools have special message boards just for kids, and getting your date of birth means that adults and children are kept socially apart - so adults can't use children's message boards and children can't use message boards meant for adults.

Display name

This is there in case you don't want your username to appear - so you can put your real name here.  For example, when I leave a comment on this blog my name is displayed as "Helen Purves" - but my username is something else.  Having this feature meant that when I started commenting on this blog, I could change how my name appeared to something more work-friendly!

Email address

You need to put in your email address so that the BBC can confirm that you're a real person, and not a spammer.  This is the very last step - after this, you're done.  Now, at the top of the page (next to the BBC blocks) you'll be able to see your username - click on this and you can either edit your settings, or sign out (very important if you share your computer or log in on someone else's).

So that's it!  Just five easy pieces of information (which the BBC promises to keep safe and secure) and you're free to talk to other people on the BBC website - and, of course, comment on our blog posts.  If you want more information, there's an FAQ page on the BBC iD mini-site.

If you have a question about computers or the internet that you think we can answer, get in touch through our contact form (letting us know if it's okay for us to use your first name and location) or, of course, use the comments section of this blog!

As well as working on the WebWise production team, Helen has an interest in short-form video, social media and online marketing.

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