Communication

How do people communicate online?

Online communication is widely used by everyone, whether it’s an E-Mail, using an instant messaging service or being part of an e-community.  Other examples of these are:

·        Windows Live Messenger  - Instant Messenger

·        Skype  - Voice and video chat

·        Blogger – Blogging website

·        Facebook – Social networking site

·        Twitter – Social networking site

·        Hotmail – An Email website

Email

E-Mail is much older than the internet.  It was never invented it just evolved from very simple beginnings.  Early E-Mail was as simple as sending a message to someone else’s directory for them to read when they logged In.  One of the first email systems was called MAILBOX. It was used at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1965.

The first email was sent by Ray Tomlinson in 1971. He sent the message between two computers sitting side-by-side and claims that the contents were "entirely forgettable” and had forgotten what it said.

People today use email to talk to people for social, family or business reasons.  People can just send letters to people or they can attach other things.

Advantages

• ·       Sent and received messages and attachments can be stored safely and easily.
• ·        Email is extremely easy to use. Once you have set up your email, sending and receiving messages is simple.
• ·        It is easy to see from the subject of emails whether it is worth reading or just deleting strait away.
• ·        Email is one of the fastest forms of written communication.
• ·        If you have an email like Hotmail then you can access your messages anywhere in the world.
• ·        Email is also good because it saves paper and other things that are involved in sending a letter in the post.

 Disadvantages

• ·        Emails from people who don’t take the time to read what they write before clicking send have to clear up a mess with the person that has read the wrong message.
• ·        Spam is extremely annoying and takes over your inbox with adverts and pointless emails.
• ·          A virus could seriously affect your computer if you receive it from an email.  It could take over your whole computer and ruin everything on it.

My Opinion

I think Email is very useful and reliable and use it regularly to send work to myself at home.  I think people are using it mostly for important messages and sending documents or pictures because more people are using instant messaging and social networking sites to talk to each other.

Social Networking Sites

Social networking sites are websites on the internet that people use to talk to their friends and relatives by adding people as friends on their account.  Websites like this include Twitter and Facebook.  Facebook was launched in February 2004 and has more than 750 million active users.

Advantages

·        Social networking sites are easy to sign up to and easy to use.

·        You can find anyone you know if they also have an account on the website, just by searching their name.

·        You can leave messages for people to see when they log on or talk to them in an instant messaging chat box.

·        Websites like this also have high security so no body can see who you are unless you let them by accepting them as a friend.

Disadvantages

·        If someone gets hold of your password they can talk to anyone you know and change your account.

·        The security settings on Facebook are quite complicated and if you do not set them then anyone can find you.

My Opinion

In my opinion, sites such as Facebook are really good.  This is because you can talk to your friends, see what people are doing and share photos with friends.  I find sites like this quite easy to use but their downfall is the security.  There is either not enough or it is too complicated to set up.