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Synchronous Online Communication
Online communication that happens in (near) real time, with two or more people online at the same time
Examples: IM, chat, VOIP
IM (Instant Messaging)
A real-time text-based communication over the Internet
Primarily between two users, though more can be added
Conversations not persistent (i.e. not saved by the IM service)
Chat (IRC – Internet Relay Chat)
Primarily for real-time group communication over the internet
Chat rooms are text-based and persistent, and users come and go, often without knowing each other
Chat rooms geared towards common interests (travel, cooking, class, tech support, etc.)
May be moderated (though most are not)
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 as well
Need fast bandwidth (especially for video)
No need to ever pay expensive long distance fees again (especially for internal calls)
Examples: Zoom, Teams, Skype, Google Voice
Asynchronous Online Communication
Online communication that does not require all users to be online at the same time
Examples: Email, SMS/MMS, mailing lists (listserv), newsgroup (discussion boards, forums)
First Internet service
Uses store-and-forward technology (an email server holds your messages until you request them)
Two ways to access
Email client (MS-Outlook)
Downloads messages from an email server
Can read messages in client even when offline
By default, messages are removed from email server when downloaded
Webmail interface (using a web browser)
Can access from anywhere (with internet access)
Must be online to read messages
Messages not removed from email server when read
Can configure email client
Try and filter out spam mail (spam filters)
Create folders to sort messages
Archive old messages in case you need to retrieve them
Deleted messages to a trash folder and can be un-deleted (until you empty the trash_
Can have multiple email accounts (one for work, one for school, etc.)
ISPs provide at least one email account (usually more)
Plenty of free email services
gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc
Not tied to your ISP, work, or school]
Email is not secure
A message can be intercepted as it travels through different networks before reaching its destination
Email provider may scan messages
Employer (or school) network administrators can read messages (and it’s legal)
Analogy: an email is like a postcard, not a letter in a sealed envelope
Parts of an Email Message
Address (To, Cc, Bcc)
Subject line (can be read in most email clients without opening the message)
Body (contains the message itself)
Technically can only contain text
HTML email messages the norm these days; most email clients can read, but those that cannot (or configured not to) will only be able to see the text
Signature (a block of text that is automatically put at the end of messages)
Can also attach file(s)
Responding to an Email Message
Reply
Reply All
Forward
SMS (Short Messaging Services)
Also known as text messaging
Used to send brief electronic messages to mobile devices
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Services)
Used to send electronic messages that include text, graphics, video animation, and/or sound content to mobile devices
Example: Snapchat (messages viewable for brief amount of time and then defeated)
Mailing Lists (listserv)
Allows communications with (potentially large) groups of people using email
On the Internet, there are thousands of listserv mailing lists for different topics that users can sign up for… when user sends an email to the lost, it is automatically sent to all signed-up users
Private mailing lists also commonly used in businesses and schools
Newsgroups / Discussion Boards / Forums
One of the first forms of social media… Usenet Newsgroups developed in 1979
Thousands of different newsgroups on different topics, so people with common interests can ask questions, discuss, etc.
Similar to chat rooms, but not real time
An original message, and all the responses, is called a thread
Private discussions boards / forums common
Companies use for questions and answers about their products
Schools can use for different classes
Web 2.0
Email and newsgroups have been around since the 1970’s
The web developed in early 1990’s, and in the first several years, most users were only consumers of information
However, today much of the content on the web is user-generated
Web 2.0
Technologies used to communicate and collaborate on the web that enable a user to be a creator, not just a consumer, of content
More of a marketing term.. a new World Wide web service was created
Social Media
Websites that use Web 2.0 technologies that allow a user to create user-generated content, connect, network, and share
Meme – A funny image or catchphrase that is spread by Internet users across social media
Second Screen – Using a computer or mobile device while watching television to interact with other viewers or view enhanced content
Social Networking Sites
An online community where people with common interests can communicate and share content with each other
Combines many of the features of other online tools
Facebook: The largest social networking site (by far) with over a billion active users
Linkedin: Most popular professional social networking site
For job / business opportunities
No games, etc.
Virtual Worlds
MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game)
An online game in which players interact with people in realm time in a virtual world using an avatar
Avatar – a virtual body used to interact with others online in virtual worlds and games
Started with MUD, World of warcraft, most popular today
Youtube
The largest online video-hosting site in the world
Users can subscribe to other users channels, send messages, and recommend videos
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
Can post up to 1,000 pictures or videos
Can adjust the copyright of an image to allow others to use it legally
Can tag an image with keywords so it can be found in searches
Spotify / Pandora
Recommended music to you based on what you and your friends listen to
Can follow friends to see what they like
Digital Footprint
All the information that someone could find about you by searching the web, including social networking sites
May include not only content you post, but content posted by others
A disgruntled employee, unhappy customer, or former partner can post negative, untrue, or unflattering information about you
Once something has been posted on the Web, it is almost impossible to completely get rid of it (for example, you can delete a tweet, but it has been retweeted)
When using social networking sites, make sure you understand the privacy settings (which can be complex and sometimes are changed)
Some people use aliases for personal social networking accounts
Blog (Webblog)
An online journal that anyone can set up using simple blog tools to write about whatever they like
Can post as frequently (or infrequently) as you like
Readers can post comments about your blog posts
Blogosphere – all the blogs on the web and the connections between them
WordPress and Blogger are popular blog sites that allow users to create accounts and blog for free
Microblogging / X (Twitter)
A form of blogging in which posts are limited to a small number of characters
X (Twitter) is the most popular form of microblogging
Posts are called tweets and are limited to 280 characters (used to be 140)
Users have followers
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a # 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
Distributed over the web and played on a computer or a portable media player
Podcast client – a program used to locate, subscribe to, and play podcasts
Example: iTunes
Crowdfunding
Project funding from multiple small investors rather than a few large investors
Most popular sites: gofundme.com, kickstarter.com
Example: Veronica Mars movie funded in 2013 by kickstarter campaign
Crowdsourcing
Trusting the collective opinion of a crowd of people rather than the individual opinion of an expert
Social Review Sites: Yelp, TripAdvisor
Almost all e-commerce sites show ratings and comments for products
Waze–a mapping app that uses only user-generated content for real-time traffic and route information
Social Review Sites
A website where users review restaurants, hotels, movies, games, books, and other products and services
Reviews are from regular people, not experts
Yelp, TripAdvisor most popular
Wikis / Wikipedia
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
A massive free encyclopedia where articles written and edited by users
If an article contains incorrect information, it can be updated by a user who knows more
Generally frowned upon for use as a primary source in academic research (though not as much as in the past)
Social Bookmarking Site
A site that allows you to save and share your bookmarks or favorites online
Most popular: Pinterest
Social News Site
An online news site that allows community members to submit content they discover on the web and puts it in one place for everyone to see and discuss
Content that is submitted more frequently or gets the most votes is a promoted to the front page
Most popular: reddit, Digg, and Slashdot
Social Media Marketing (SMM)
The practice of using social media sites to self products and services
E-Commerce
Doing business on the web
B2B (business-to-business)
One business provides services to other businesses (website hosting, Paypal)
B2C (business-to-consumer)
Most common form of E-commerce
Businesses such as Amazon sell goods and services online
C2C (consumer-to-consumer)
Auction sites, such as eBay and Craigslist
Airbnb, ride-sharing services (Uber, Lyft)
Shopping services (Instacart)
Is E-Commerce Safe?
Fraud can never be completely eliminated
Before entering personal or credit card information on a page, make sure the URL is using the https protocol
The https protocol tells the web browser and web server to encrypt all data sent using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), recently re-named TLS (Transport Layer Security)
Spending money to others can be done securely using services such as PayPal, Venmo, Google Wallet, Zelle, etc.
Online Tools for Business
Facebook Pages – Linked to a business or organization instead of a person
X (Twitter) – Only one type of account, but can be created for a business instead of a person
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Methods used to make a website easier to find by people and web crawlers and to increase the webpage ranking in search engine results
Some SEO methods are highly discourage by Google and others can lead them to remove your site entirely
Digital Communication Tools
Online Collaboration Technologies, such as Microsoft Sharepoint, make it easy for team members to share documents and access them from almost any device
Slack – combines chat and IM – can create channels (similar to chat rooms) for group communication or talk to users individually like (IM)
Web conferencing – Zoom, GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, Slack, etc.
Can allow users to share screens use chat