Online communication
How do people communicate online?
Communication has changed in recent years with the creation of the E-mail and instant messaging services dispersing from the traditional mobile phones. Although we still use the mobile phone we are finding new ways of communicating and since email and instant messaging are free it is becoming more and more appealing.
Examples of communication include:
Email
Instant Messaging
Message boards
Online conferencing
Blogs
Newsgroups
E-communities
Email
The History of the email
The first email system was called MAILBOX; it was used at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1965, so email can be considered as a very early program. Another early program was SNDMSG which could be interpreted as send message.
However there was an early problem with the email you could only send messages to users of the same computer which meant that unless the person you are sending the email to had the same type of computer like your own the message you are trying to send cannot be sent.
However the modern email was created by Ray Tomlinson who worked for a company called ARPANET, he developed the email system in 1972, an interesting fact is he used the @ key to simple state the name of the computer user. Now 600 Million people internationally use the email so it is still up to this day as an important application to communicate between individuals.
Where can you use email?
Email addresses can be acquired from many different websites such as Virgin Media, AOL, yahoo and hotmail ,however it is strongly recommended that you don’t use hotmail because it has in recent years been a source of spam mail.
Advantages of email
1) Email is very fast; although it is not instant any message you send or receive will most likely be received within minutes. Because it is a fast application it becomes a very efficient system particularly if you are wishing to send work related information to individuals.
2) Email allows you to send a message to more than one person at a time for example below is a picture of the standard email window, where the to line is you can send a message at the same time to more than one person, immediately this is a very efficient application as you don’t have to continue typing the same information continuously.
3) Email can store multiple addresses meaning if you type the address of the person you wish to send an email to your email system providing you click the ‘check names’ button will store that address in the address book, so you don’t have to type in the address of that person again.
4) Within the email application create message screen you have the ability to save an e-mail’s structure, so in theory you don’t have to continuously type in information you wish to share with people so if your email is just a draft you can apply the information from that draft into the email you wish to send in full.
5) Email is global so you aren’t just restricted to sending an email just in the UK for example. You have the ability to send an email to anyone in the world no matter where they are providing they first have an email address and have internet access. Because of this email is highly efficient in my opinion if you are working abroad on a research task for example you can send an email to someone back in the UK for example telling them about your findings.
Disadvantages of email
1) One of emails major problems is the application isn’t instant, in an age where face book/ social networking is dominating the communications industry emails non instant messaging system in comparison to social networking is falling behind, so email is going to have to be adapted to suit modern day messaging. I think that instant messaging but in email form will have to be created in order to retake its reputation in the messaging industry.
2) Another problem I find with email is the unwanted email you receive for example spam, the problem is that no such filter has been created in order to stop the receiving of unwanted information. I think that because of spam and virus sending people are turning their attention to social networking sites like face book in order to relieve themselves of this issue. It is in my personal opinion that if email was adapted to having filtered out unwanted information that users of email may actually start to use it. Don’t misunderstand me I like email it’s highly efficient but the problem is the unwanted information we are faced with.
3) My other dislike about email is the exposure of personal information through wi-fi,recently a news investigation team studied wi- fi applications and learnt about hacking skills when trying to hack people’s email accounts through wi-fi, the hackers could send personal information for example asking customers of banks to log in to their accounts to transfer money to accounts, the letter’s were very professional and precise, because this information was made public I believe people are now turning their attentions elsewhere to applications like face book and twitter where you at the current time be hacked as far as we know!
My opinion of email is a balanced one, yes there are advantages and disadvantages to email but for me it’s efficient, and is a way of sending work related information safely and securely such as school work.
Biography of websites used: http://www.nethistory.info/History%20of%20the%20Internet/email.html
Instant Messaging
History of instant messaging
What is instant messaging? Well it can be described as holding a real time conversation through an internet application that allows 2 or more users to communicate.
The earliest form of instant messaging was the PLATO system which was developed in the early 1970s so we can establish that it has been around quite recently. However the first real instant messaging system was by a company called Mirabilis in 1996 called ICQ (“I seek you”).
Examples of instant messaging include:
1) Face book
2) Twitter
3) MSN
4) Yahoo Messenger
Advantages of instant messaging
1) First and foremost the best advent age of instant messaging it’s a set up in the efficiency from email, why is this? Simply because as the title suggest its instant and any message you receive with be processed to your personal account as soon as the senders presses the send key.
2) Instant messaging allows the ability to converse with more than one person at a particular time, so this is quite time efficient in the fact that you don’t need to repeat information to another person if they decide to participate in a conversion you have created.
3) Instant messaging is free to this current date, so in today’s economic climate where phone bills seem to stack up to mountainous heights instant messaging provides a cost effect way to communicate with others ,so it’s efficiency In that fact is very good.
4) It can be used as an alternative to VLE’s for example a teacher could send work missed by a student for them to access in their spare time, by that going directly by link to the work that was set.
Biography of websites used: http://communication.howstuffworks.com/instant-messaging1.htm
Disadvantages of instant messaging
1) Instant messaging can be a way of sending vulgar/inappropriate images through means of a chat system on the instant messaging application, continuing on from that people can hyperlink files that contain viruses to damage other people’s computers.
2) Instant messaging systems like face book for example, sometimes have updates by which people’s personal information is put on ‘top news’, there is no filter to block information that you do not wish to receive so that in it self is a disadvantage to users, Yes you can remove posts posted by others but doing this continuously in my opinion is quite tedious and there should really be an option for this.
3) Instant messaging can be a way of cyber bullying, yes it is a more controlled environment compared to chat room s but the point still applies, for example if you go to a page where any person can comment, others can be aggressive towards you and use the application to stur up support and bully others.
What do I use instant messaging for?
I personally use instant messaging to communicate events with my friends, for example when all my friends can me up, it is an efficient way for me to get an instant answer from everyone so I can plan the day. Also as now I’m in sixth form some of my friends have left the school so instant messaging is a great way to catch-up with my friends to see how they doing in college for example.
Message Boards
History of message boards
The first bulletin board system was called the Computerized Bulletin Board System (CBBS), and was created in February, 1978. A Bulletin board system is one dedicated to the exchange/sharing of messages and or software through a network. The BBS did become the main internet communications device through the mid 1980s and the early 1990s. However where the internet access in parts of the world is minor the BBS continues to be a big part of communications in these parts.
Advantages of BBS
1) When a message is posted there is no danger that the message is lost through the extranet which is very efficient for someone posting highly important information.
2) Anyone can comment unless restrictions are put in place, as anyone can comment on a subject it can result in a very fast response, so if someone wanted a question answers a direct response can be given quickly.
3) BBS’s are very easy to use; navigation from page to page is as simple as pressing a key on the keyboard so it is very user friendly and doesn’t require much thought process for an individual to use the system
4) The BBS is an organised form of communication, users of the BBS tend to have a better quality of written communication, so the grammar and spelling or the users is very precise and it appeals to users that don’t understand in the informal texting language of the modern generation of young people, so it immediately has an advantage over social networking.
Disadvantages of BBS
1) The main problem with a BBS system is that because it uses a Telnet system to communicate through users may be charged for long distance communication, pretty much the same as the telephone does, I think that because users can be charged for long distance communicate, the BBS is slowly dying out because of applications such as face book and twitter that use a instant messaging system to communicate with others around the world. Because these applications are free people are tending now to use these applications instead of the BBS systems. It is because of this that I feel that the BBS system is dated and really should be used for people that don’t have internet access which is now generally no one. If a BBS system was internet applicable I feel that people would use it as it would be free and would possibly provide competition for the social networking sites.
2) Another major problem with the BBS is the download speed of shared software is very slow and they have been notorious for this, when you download something from a BBS the further you are away from the creator of hat software in terms of connection the slower the download speed is, in my opinion the BBS system is very inefficient for when the download speed of broadband now is developing to the point where it is very high, downloading using broadband takes seconds compared to the BBS system which takes longer to download a piece of software, I do believe that it will come to the point where the BBS system will no longer exist and this is the point where instant messaging takes over the communications industry.
3) And lastly inappropriate and vulgar information has been known to be placed on BBS resulting in them being shut down, so like many applications the BBS is also guilty of allowing this content to be displayed, I think a software should be developed that prevents inappropriate comments/content to be displayed because it creates a problem for the user and gives the impression to some people that these applications are inappropriate and turns them away from being interesting in them.
What do I use BBS systems for? I like to use BBS systems to display my thoughts to the community and see how many people see my side of the point, for example I like to host debates on the BBS system because I feel it is good for the community to share their thoughts on world event issues, although there are many disadvantages to the system I feel that for someone who doesn’t have internet access It is a good to communicate a substitute for social networking if you like.
Biography of the websites I have used to discuss this topic: http://www.stlflops.com/techemporium/bltnbrdsys/
Newsgroups
History of the Newsgroups
Newsgroups were created in 1979 when a few graduates from Duke University connect up a few computers to exchange information with the UNIX community.
During that time period a university student from the University of Carolina actually was developing software designed to distribute news. The network was called Usenet, and slowly started to being used as an electronic discussion group like a BBS, as it is an academic programme Usenet continues to distribute news to people freely unlike some newsgroups which apply a charge to use the service provided.
Newsgroups are text written and are not verbal such as some modern day application like Skype a video communications application.
Advantages of newsgroups
1) Users can easily leave a discussion very quickly is needed, which is efficient as sometimes discussions can get personal between groups instead of actually highlighting the topic discussion. Or if need be a person gets into a discussion which they didn’t intend to enter the user can simple leave the discussion with ease.
2) New posts can be read in an organised fashion, so for example the information is not disorganised by that I mean the information can be read in continuous prose, unlike an instant messaging system where people can write information without any clarity.
3) Newsgroups usually have a moderator that prevents a group from unrest and keeps them on track according to the topic discussion on offer.
Disadvantages of newsgroups
1) The main problem with newsgroups is they aren’t as quick as email or instant messaging and it can take up to two days to get a response. This is generally a bad factor as when there is social networking about aka instant messaging which seems to dominate the communications industry newsgroups are slightly falling behind, a person on a instant messaging site can simply create a page talking about the news and any responses are instant, so really newsgroups aren’t good if you want an instant answer or an answer relatively quickly, so it’s quite time consuming to wait for an answer and as a result I personally think that lowers its effectiveness rating. If the answers could be instant then I would see newsgroups having a future but since instant messaging doesn’t apply to this type of communication it will slowly degrade as being a form of communications as instant messaging develops.
2) The problem with newsgroups is anyone can write on them, information people may give may not necessarily be factual so a smart user will use institution to see if the information people give is factual. Also I feel that newsgroups because of this should not be in existence I personally would rather have complex information from a book that invalid information which was completely fake, if information is falsely misleading some people will see the questions they are asking as a means to create a joke and will seek information elsewhere, so whether the moderator actually enforces correct information being given remains to be seen. If you want factual information I wouldn’t go here unless you know for certain the source of information.
What do I use newsgroups for?
To be completely honest I don’t use newsgroups because of the fact that sometimes the groups are not controlled so cyber bullying can occur, anyone with children and are concerned for their child’s welfare will understand these aren’t the places to go and considering information may not be factual
A few Websites I used when writing this guide: http://groups.google.com/ /http://www.giganews.com/
History of online conferencing
Online conferencing allows an individual to log in to a piece of software that holds a conferencing venue, an individual can access the software at anytime whether in work hours, before working hours and working hours. Online conferencing allows a closed discussion meaning only certain individuals can be in that online conference.
Advantages of online conferencing
Cheaper-normally in conferencing requires an individual to travel and stay in that one place for a certain time which is very expensive. Why is it inexpensive well this is because you save travel costs through this piece of software, and secondly you don’t have to invest money into accommodation costs. So in my opinion that has to be economically efficient if you as an individual are saving money.
Convenient- this is because you can access the software at anytime and in any place providing you have an internet connection.
High level of participation-more people will take an active role in an online conference than in a face to face conference, and the standard of the discussions is often higher because of this. If you have a more active discussion, you as a team are more likely to gain better benefit than that of a normal conference.
Conferences can be Asynchronous and synchronous, meaning in an Asynchronous conference it takes the form of a forum where individuals can continually post messages which others can comment on as soon as they log on, this is an advantage as the conversation can be stored. In addition to that it is good for continuing the conversation for a long period of time, unlike a normal conference where you have a set time to complete the conference. A synchronous conference means live chat is implied which can be classed as good as unlike text motions can be expressed which can be good as an individual can press another person on how to accomplish a task.
Disadvantages
The main disadvantage is the fact that some computers cannot run the software, so if someone has bought a cheap computer (not a well known brand) with a bad specification meaning the memory is not large enough to use the software. However most computers now have been made to run all types of possible software, I would encourage anyone that hasn’t updated their computer to do so before using this type of online service because you simply depending on your specification will not be able to run the program. But having said that the website responsible for the software should have the minimum requirements to run the software ion your computer so I strongly recommend you read your computers specifications before you use the software in order to ensure you can run the software on your computer/laptop/macbook.
What would I use online conferencing for?
If I did use online conferencing which I probably would consider its low costs it would be to communicate with work colleagues about a work related topic so it is a very efficient system to use, so for anyone in business I would recommend this mainly because of the costing involved within it, averagely people spend about £800 for normal conferencing an monthly using online conferencing an individual would expect to pay around £30 a month for the service, overall when you look at that advantage you are saving qhttp://www.megameeting.co.uk/uite a high amount of money.
Some websites I used: http://www.megameeting.co.uk/, http://www.online-conference.net/
History of blogs
The word blogging derived from diary which started in 1994 shortly after the creation of the World Wide Web. Blog is a term for web log which is a regularly updated system of comments, images and links about a certain topic.
In January 1994 Justin Hall creates the first blog. But in 1999 Peter Merholz shortens weblog to blog, also in that period blogger launches its first blog creation software. More recently in October 2005 Calacanis sells his blogs to AOL for $25 Millions dollars.
Advantages of blogs
You have the option of freedom of speech, you are the blogger can write whatever you like when you like although it has been known for blog that have foul and abusive language to be removed so if you are doing a blog you should be considerate of the facts that the whole of the web has the ability to look at your blogs, so you have a reputation to protect. However if you have a topic you wish to discuss you can do that knowing your blog will be seen and you most likely will get a response from someone viewing your blog.
Making friends online, so you may find that you find people that have similar interests as you and from that you can have a conversation about whatever you like, although this is an advantage to some you should consider the implications within, remember these people are strangers, you don’t know what they are capable of and unless you know them you should remain ever vigilant of them.
Can be used as a diary so we are preached on why we should be more sustainable in our day to say activities as this is a computer application so paper required and the only resource used is your computer’s memory and your brain to translate your thoughts on to the page of your blog. Just remember that your blog can be seen by anyone in the world so it is recommend that you don’t post information you do not wish others to see just for your emotional troubles for example.
Blogs are relatively easy to set up, they don’t require too much thought process and only require you to design the blog using a range of tools the software company has provided for you. As it is easy it is convenient for you because you don’t have to individually design the blog, so you aren’t designing the software so it is efficient enough for you as the blogger to get started.
Disadvantages of blogs
The main problem you are faced when blogging is you have to constantly update the system or you are potentially going to lose interest from readers o your blog, so the time dedication is crucial here, if you don’t have the time to update the blog don’t blog at all is the simple message I would use to you. However because leisure time has increased in recent years because of part time work/shift or even technological advances such as the washing machine to clean our cutlery so leisure opportunities are better than they were so you should really have sufficient enough time to update your blog.
It is quite hard to maintain the blog, by that I mean the consistency of your writing can vary from person to person, unless you are very fluent in your written communication blogging will become apparently more difficult as you start to gain more readers, so if you are blogging you need to make sure your writing is very clear and concise so others can easily convey what you are trying to get across.
What do I use blogs for?
Well as you may currently know I am using the blog system to communicate with the world how IT has change the society we live in, as I come to the end of this particular topic I reflect on how quite difficult it is to maintain the blog and how consistent you have to be when writing this blog. But if I wasn’t using the blog system to do this me probably would be using this application as a means of communication or a substitute to face book where I can continuously write to trigger a general discussion between the populations.
Some websites I used in the production of this page: https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?service=blogger&passive=1209600&continue=http://www.blogger.com/home&followup=http://www.blogger.com/home<mpl=start#s01 and http://www.guardian.co.uk/tone/blog
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