Online Communication

There are varieties of methods to communicate today. The development of ICT means more and better technologies are created which has different use for each one. One of the most popular ways to communicate is mobile phones, there a re now variety of phones with different application and new added features. Emailing has been going on since 1971 and still people these days use it.  Some people also use blog to interact with other users online, others uses social networks like facebook and instant messaging site like msn and Skype. Some might use online conferencing and message boards.

Mobile phones: there are now vast amount of brands of phones with different features. Blackberry is one of the most popular phones at the moment. It has a feature called “Blackberry Messenger” which enables the user to leave a message to other blackberry messenger user. This is quick and easy way to communicate. Other phones like IPhone can now access internet which allows user to go on their emails. 

Although you can access internet on your phone, when you are not connected on wifi and only uses 3g it’ll have low internet signal which makes it slower to run the internet, this can be very frustrating. I sometimes use my Ipad to access the internet, Ipad is smaller than a laptop or a computer but still has the same connection with the internet which is quick and you can still access every website you want to.

Email: Email replaced writing letters. Emailing is one of the most popular and easy way to communicate. Users of email usually use a computer to receive, read and respond to messages.  This is a quick way to send a message although it might take time of the receiver to reply. Using email is also free, you can send as much messages as you want and it will not cost you anything. Despite Email being popular it has of the biggest problems. Anyone can send you a message if they have the right email address, this could be just a random person you don’t know.  Another problem is that many viruses are sent through email, and the email will be full of spam messages. The developers of email do try to development a system that detects virus. It is also very easy to lose track of the messages you have received. I use my school email to send my homework or unfinished work to my home mail, this is quicker way instead of printing my work then copying all again. Also when I receives my work from my school email, I then saves this to my laptop which allows me to access this work at home any time.

Blog: is more likely to be use as a journal or diary.  There are different type of blogs, interactive blogs and topic specific blogs. Interactive blogs allows other users to comment or put their opinion across whilst topic specific blogs just talks or write about one specific topic and putting your opinions about it and other users just reads it. Blog is an excellent way to share your knowledge to everyone and to get positive or constructive feedbacks.  Although it’s a good way to communicate, blogs are very hard to keep an eye on. You have to constantly update it to gain or to keep your followers. Writing a blog is time consuming. You cannot really communicate using blog as it takes times for you or other people to reply or respond.  Personally I don’t use blog but I have read some blogs. Some of it I find interesting but others rather boring.  I don’t think blog is the way forward in case of communicating.

Social Networks: Social Networks are invented recently but blew up very quickly. Online social networking is a big hit for everyone, it is now use personally and even use for businesses to communicate. Social Networks doesn’t usually cost you anything. Businesses find it easier to find new target audiences by using social network, they can also find what people like or dislikes. By using social network you can be find your long lost friends and get connected with them again. Social network also allows you to leave a message to your social network friends and chat with them in real time and get replies much quicker, also the fact that you can communicate with other users when you’re at home and they are in different place makes it so much better. The fact that it’s use worldwide and use by limitless people means that it can be very time consuming. You’d probably spend so much time on social network but you don’t realize. You’ll also most likely to get some harassment or cyber bullying because if your profile is save as public, all people can access it and leave you messages.  You will also need to put important personal details on this social network like your address, etc. Everyone can then see all of these details and can be use against you. I use facebook myself. It’s one of the most popular social networking at the moment. Teenagers and adults use it to communicate and to catch up with their friends. You can also talk or chat with other people who are online. This is more like a normal face to face conversation which is one of the biggest advantages.

 Instant Messaging: Instant Messaging has transformed the way we talk to each other. They are free way to communicate or chat to people around the world; MSN and Skype are the main ones that are use today. It’s very easy to set up. People who know your exact email address are the only one who can add you so it’s very safe and you won’t get random add. You can spend hours chatting to your friends and it will be much quicker than email. Messages are also send it real time and responses are immediate. A long and proper conversation can also take place without having to pay anything although emotions cannot be expressed as well. You can also talk to more than one person at the same time. It’s not just having a conversation, instant messaging also allows you to send a file or pictures but you can also get viruses through. Another one that has become very popular recently is Skype. Skype allows you to actually talk to people by using a webcam. You can hear and see the person you are talking to. I used to use MSN, it’s very easy to use and you can talk to your friends when they are online. You can ask them to send you files like music etc and receives it instantly. I think that instant messaging is a quick way to communicate and with Skype being new and becoming popular straightaway I think in the next few years more instant messaging will be created and be popular.


 Online Conferencing: Using online conferencing enables you to access the conference from anywhere in the world and can do this anytime  instead of travelling which is very time consuming and expensive. High level of participation can be expected when using online conferencing. More people actively participate in an online conferencing than face to face conference.  You can also share presentations or documents with fellow online conference participants. But because online conferencing is new, an old computer might not be able to access it therefore you will need to buy a new or a latest computer. Security is also a big factor; it can be hack easily if protections are not high. You cannot control over people who may overhear the conference. Technical difficulties might also interrupt the conference, unexpected power cut or malfunctioning Internet connections can cause catastrophe. I have never experience using online conferencing so i don’t have much opinion on it, but from the stuff i have read it looks like online conferencing is good for business and even schools but like other type of communication it does have disadvantages that need to be sorted.

Message Board: Message board or forums enables the users to interact with one another by exchanging opinions and discussing topics related to a theme. Forum is more of a discussion environment, anyone can put their points across and everything that is posted can be read and read again.The discussions aren’t in real time which means it can be left for few days, months or years before someone replies. Forums allow you to create communities online, allow you to get educational input or information furthermore new ideas are always welcome which makes it even more exciting but sometimes the comments can be off topic and gets complicated from the original theme and then it become tedious. I have not use or created a message board before but i have read some. Some topics can be really interesting and some can be boring. It depends on what you are interested on. I think that message board is good for students when you are trying to get help or trying to get information. I think message board are people who have lots of spare time and patience enough to get responses.