Chapter 8: Communicating and Sharing in the Social Web

Synchronous Online Communication

Online communication that happens in (near) real time, with two or more people online at the same time.

Examples of Synchronous Communication

IM, chat, VoIP.

IM (Instant Messaging)

A real-time text-based communication over the Internet, primarily between two users, though more can be added.

Chat (IRC - Internet Relay Chat)

Primarily for real-time group communication over the Internet, with text-based and persistent chat rooms.

Characteristics of Chat Rooms

Users come and go, often without knowing each other, and are geared towards common interests.

VoIP (Voice over IP)

Originally allowed phone calls to be transmitted over the Internet instead of traditional phone lines, later expanded to include video calls.

Requirements for VoIP

Need fast bandwidth (especially for video) and no need to pay expensive long distance fees.

Examples of VoIP Services

Zoom, Teams, Skype, Google Voice.

Asynchronous Online Communication

Online communication that does not require all users to be online at the same time.

Examples of Asynchronous Communication

Email, SMS/MMS, mailing lists (listserv), newsgroups (discussion boards, forums).

Email

First Internet service that uses store-and-forward technology.

Email Client

Downloads messages from an email server and allows reading messages offline.

Webmail Interface

Accessed from anywhere with Internet access, must be online to read messages.

Email Configuration Options

Can filter out spam mail, create folders to sort messages, and archive old messages.

Deleted Messages in Email

Saved to a trash folder and can be un-deleted until the trash is emptied.

Multiple Email Accounts

Can have multiple accounts (one for work, one for school, etc.), with ISPs providing at least one account.

Free Email Services

Examples include gmail (Google), yahoo, hotmail, etc.

Email

A method of exchanging digital messages over the Internet.

Email Security

Email is not secure; messages can be intercepted, scanned by providers, or read by network administrators.

Analogy of Email

An email is like a postcard, not a letter in a sealed envelope.

Parts of an Email Message

Includes Address (To, Cc, Bcc), Subject line, Body, Signature, and attachments.

Body of an Email

Contains the message itself; technically can only contain text, but HTML emails are common.

Signature

A block of text automatically added at the end of email messages.

Reply

Responding to an email message directly.

Reply All

Responding to an email message that goes to all recipients.

Forward

Sending an email message to a new recipient.

SMS

Short Messaging Service; used to send brief electronic messages to mobile devices.

MMS

Multimedia Messaging Service; used to send messages that include text, graphics, video, animation, and/or sound.

Mailing Lists (listserv)

Allows communications with large groups via email; roughly 46,000 listservs exist on various topics.

Newsgroups

One of the first forms of social media; developed in 1979 with roughly 20,000 active groups.

Thread

An original message and all responses in a newsgroup or discussion board.

Web 2.0

Technologies that enable users to create content and communicate on the web, marking a shift from consumer to creator.

Social Media

Websites that use Web 2.0 technologies to allow user-generated content and networking.

Meme

A funny image or catchphrase spread by Internet users across social media.

Second Screen

Using a computer or mobile device while watching television to interact with other viewers.

Social Networking Sites

Online communities where people with common interests can communicate and share content.

Facebook

The largest social networking site with over a billion active users.

LinkedIn

The most popular professional social networking site, used for job and business opportunities.

MMORPG

An online game in which players interact with people in real time in a virtual world using an avatar.

Avatar

A virtual body used to interact with others online in virtual worlds and games.

YouTube

The largest online video-hosting site in the world.

Viral video

A video that becomes extremely popular because of recommendations and social sharing.

Flickr

One of the largest image-sharing sites in the world.

Spotify / Pandora

Recommend music to you based on what you and your friends listen to.

Blog

An online journal that anyone can set up using simple blog tools to write about whatever they like.

Blogosphere

All the blogs on the web and the connections between them.

Microblogging

A form of blogging in which posts are limited to a small number of characters.

X (Twitter)

The most popular form of microblogging.

Tweet

Posts on X (Twitter) that are limited to 280 characters (used to be 140).

Hashtag

A word or phrase preceded by a # symbol that is used to organize and make tweets searchable.

Podcast

A prerecorded radio- or TV-like show that you can download and listen to or watch any time.

Podcast client

A program used to locate, subscribe to, and play podcasts.

Digital Footprint

All the information that someone could find out about you by searching the web, including social networking sites.

Crowdfunding

Project funding from multiple small investors rather than a few large investors.

Crowdsourcing

Trusting the collective opinion of a crowd of people rather than the individual opinion of an expert.

Social Review Sites

A website where users review restaurants, hotels, movies, games, books, and other products and services.

Wiki

A website that allows users to edit content, even if it was written by someone else.

Wikipedia

The most popular wiki site in the world.

Social Bookmarking Site

A site that allows you to save and share your bookmarks or favorites online.

Social News Site

An online news site that allows community members to submit content they discover on the web.

E-Commerce

Doing business on the web.

B2C

Business-to-consumer; the most common form of E-Commerce.

C2C

Consumer-to-consumer; includes auction sites like eBay and Craigslist.

B2B

Business-to-business; one business provides services to other businesses.

SEO

Methods used to make a website easier to find by people and web crawlers and to increase the webpage ranking in search engine results.

Digital Communication Tools

Online Collaboration Technologies that make it easy for team members to share documents and access them from almost any device.

Web conferencing

Platforms like Zoom, GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams that allow users to share screens and use chat.