Online Communication

Communication

The way that online communication has improved and developed has massively changed way that we are able to connect with our friends and family’s. The change in technology within online communication has enabled us to contact other Internet users with much easier and faster. Before the Internet was around communication was very basic, and consisted of letters and physical contact. Now if you need to contact somebody there are various ways in which you can do so:
• Instant Messaging
• Email
• Blogs
• Sms
• Social Networking
These different types of online communication give us a choice of how to communicate. Some offer different things. For example instant messaging allows you to chat to multiple friends and send and receive messages instantly, this allows fast chat simulating a real conversation. Instant messaging also can allow you to use webcams and microphones to make the conversation with people more real. However there are other types, because not all communication has to be instant and fast. For more messages to be sent, email is a good variable. Email can be used to send a large message simulating a letter to another users email address. Emails can be useful to send to multiple people for an event or work related issue. Emails can also have attachments put onto them, so that if you need to send somebody a piece of work with an attached file, this is possible. A very popular communication method of late is social networking. Social networking sites such as www.facebook.com and www.bebo.com allow users to create their own home page profile about themselves. It also allows people to upload their own video, images and blog’s. From doing this, users can add their friends and family’s accounts, this enables them to view each other’s videos and images and comment on them. Social networking is a great way for friends to stay in touch with each other and keep up to date with what is going o in each other’s lives.

Instant messaging

Instant messaging began in the mid 1960’s appearing in multi-user operating systems. It later developed into user-to-user software in the 1990’s. This allowed people to go online and speak to other people online. This started as just messaging to each other, however Recently, many instant messaging services have begun to offer video conferencing features, Voice Over IP and web conferencing services. Web conferencing services integrate both video conferencing and instant messaging capabilities. Some newer instant messaging companies are offering desktop sharing, IP radio, and IPTV to the voice and video features. The video and voice over ip services allow users to use webcam’s to view each other. Voice over Ip allows each user to talk to each other over the Internet. Together this forms web conferencing. This is a virtual meeting in which multiple user can join in a group together using cameras and microphones to simulate a virtual meeting. Instant messaging has also moved out into mobile phones. This allows people to have instant messaging conversations with their other users on the move on their mobile devices. All of these elements have proven useful within the business lifestyle. Having an instant messaging application on the move within a business environment makes it possible for people to quickly message work colleges with any important information. This can prove useful if you work in a very busy company were information is needed to be passed round often.

Windows Live Messenger

Windows Live Messenger, formerly named MSN Messenger is an instant messaging programmes created by Microsoft. It runs on most Windows software from Windows Xp onwards, even on Windows mobile. Windows Live Messenger, also known as MSN was first released as MSN messenger on July 22, 1999 and Windows Live Messenger in 2005. This programme attracts over 330 million active users each month, an outstanding figure of proof to its popularity. Msn is hugely popular for a few reasons. Firstly it is free and is available to download quickly over the Internet. As MSN software was upgraded and developed, the feel and user interface of the programme became much nicer to the eye and easier to use. MSN is available in over 50 languages, making it hugely accepted around the globe. MSN has a huge amount of gadgets and functions, which make it easy and fun to use. These include;
• Folder sharing
• Webcam video viewing
• Web chat
• PC-to-phone calls
• Interoperability (allows connection to Yahoo! Chat)
• Offline messaging
• Games and applications
• Mobile phone accessibility
• Xbox integration
All of these things come for free over the Internet. This is a clearly brilliant programme, and its outstanding applications prove its worth. MSN is also linked through hotmail, and you can check your hotmail emails through the MSN messenger page.

Disadvantages

• Unsafe for younger users - anybody can add anybody
• MSN user accounts are easy to hack
• No true way of knowing who you are talking to
• Takes up desktop space
• Can change important internet browser settings
• Often crashes
• Sign in problems

Yahoo! Instant Messenger

Yahoo! Messenger is an advertisement supported instant messaging client provided by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Messenger was originally launched under the name Yahoo! Pager, 1998. Yahoo! Messenger is a brilliant online instant messaging service that offers multiple languages and runs on Windows, Mac OS X, iPhone and WUI operating systems. To start up a Yahoo! Messenger account all you need is a free Yahoo! Account. Once you have registered and downloaded the free application you can begin talking to you friends online. The main interface is the ‘buddy list’ from which you can contact your friends and family. Once on the messaging system, Yahoo! Messenger allows you to change your status, so that other friends on your list can see whether you are available to talk or not. The user interface also allows you to change your online profile details, add an image for a profile picture.

Advantages

• Contact list
• Stock checks
• Calendar
• Address book
• News and weather
• No advertisements
• ‘Super web-cam mode’ high speed, good quality video
• Nice user interface
• PC to PC calls
• User friendly
• Compatible with Microsoft Messenger
Disadvantages

• Some ports blocked automatically by firewalls
• Easy to accidently open a videoconference that is open to the public
• Impossible to know who you are truly talking to without going on webcam
• No convenient button to launch video
• Not as popular as MSN so less likely to find your friends only
• Receive lots of spam
• Website is aimed more at US users
• Often sound and login errors
• Often can’t get into rooms because they’re to full

Overall
Overall both instant messengers provide a good service, but they both have their downsides. Yahoo! Messenger has a brilliant and easy to use interface, however doesn’t have such a wide amount of users, making it hard to talk to all of your friends sometimes, because some of them will not be on Yahoo! Messenger. However with MSN Messenger, it provides a much more popular service, and although it often has login and server troubles, it is much more popular, and it is likely that your friends are always going to be on it. A problem with both, and all instant messenger applications is just the fact that it is near impossible to know exactly who you are talking to, and with the internet being more accessible by younger users, this can be a dangerous thing if random adults form the internet are adding them. Both systems have potential and real problems, but I think that from personally experience, MSN Messenger is a much nice user interface and widely popular, allowing me to add pretty much all of my friends.

Email
Email is a method of exchanging digital messages, as a virtual replacement for letters. This absolutely revolutionary system allows people to send items from simple letters up to letters with large attachments and files on them. Emailing has proved hugely successful around the globe, for personal use, or within a business. If businesses have a business network, an email system within their network is a fantastic was for employees to pass around notices for any meetings or important information, or if they need to send files to other sections of the company. Email is also brilliant for home and personal use. Between friends and family email is a safe and nice way to keep in touch with people, enabling you to share pictures, videos and pretty much any zipped files to your family and friends. An obvious upturn of Email replacing letters reduces the amount of paper used, although paper use and waste will never really go down. Email is just the beginning to the ways we will continue to contact each other over the Internet


Windows Live Mail
Designed to replace Outlook Express, Windows Live Desktop Mail beta is a preview edition of Microsoft’s new, free desktop e-mail application, which lets you edit images and read message from Gmail and Yahoo accounts. The first version of Windows Live Mail was released on November 6, 2007.
Windows Live Mail has all of the features of Windows Mail. It also adds the following new features:
▪ Support for Web-based e-mail accounts including Windows Live Hotmail, Google Mail, and Yahoo! Mail Plus.
▪ A different user interface which matches the other Windows Live "Wave 2" applications
▪ Syncs with Windows Live Hotmail
▪ Support for RSS feeds
▪ Multi-line message lists, as in Outlook
▪ Emoticons can be used in e-mails and other functions
▪ In-line spell checking
▪ Separate inbox folders for different POP accounts
▪ Improved support for sending picture files in e-mails through the Photo email feature, which uploads pictures to a web-based service and sends the URL and thumbnails in the mail.
▪ Basic photo correction/editing

The beta version of Windows Live Mail was released in September 2008. It features a new user interface which, in common with the other Windows Live Wave 3 beta applications released at the same time, has no icons on the toolbar buttons. It also features a new calendaring function. Calendar events automatically synchronise between Windows Live Mail and the Web-based Windows Live Calendar. A ‘Beta Refreshed’ version of Windows Live Mail was released on December 15, 2008, and this version was officially released as the final version in January 2009. There are a few key differences of Windows Live Mail to Outlook Express :
▪ Ability to view and edit HTML email by source has been removed.
▪ Scripted stationery is not supported.
▪ In version 14, toolbar icons are absent.
▪ Locally installed help documentation is not available.
▪ The Identities feature is not available.
▪ Supports using different mailboxes with separate folders (inbox, junk and so on).
▪ Supports Delta Sync, a proprietary protocol for access to Windows Live Hotmail e-mail accounts.
▪ Supports the WebDAV HTTP-based protocol (web-based e-mail accounts). Outlook Express supported WebDAV but Windows Mail did not.
Supports full-text index-based search if Windows Search is installed.

Disadvantages
• Not easy to navigate
• Complicated mix of email accounts
• Bad message organization
• Slow content delivery

Overall Windows Live Mail does the job. It is initially easy to use and of course, free. I think that problems will only be noticed over time when you start to find that things are taking a bit longer and being harder to organize. These are things that will not bother you to begin with, but could start to agitate you over time. Windows Live Messenger does have a very entourage of applications though, and it also allows you to combine email accounts. If you want to combine web email services (hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo mail) with your current email providers, then Windows Live Mail is a highly effective service.


Hotmail
Windows Hotmail, commonly referred simply as Hotmail, is a free web-based email service operated by Microsoft as part of its Windows Live group. Hotmail was founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith. It was one of the first web-based email services and was launched in 1996 as Hotmail. It was also one of the first free email providers. Originally, Hotmail was funded by the Venture Capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson. It was later bought by Microsoft in 1997 for an estimated $400 million and shortly after it was rebranded ‘MSN Hotmail’. The current version ‘Windows Live Hotmail’ was officially announced in 2005 and released in 2007. Windows Live Hotmail features 5gb of storage that expands as necessary, patented security measures, Ajax technology, and integration with Windows Live Messenger, Spaces, Calendar and Contacts. It has over 270 million users worldwide as of 2008 and is available in over 36 different languages. Hotmail is a brilliantly popular email service around the world. Generally people love hotmail because it is free, easy and nice to use. Also, all that is needed to access Hotmail is an Internet connection
Advantages

• Expandable 5gb of storage space
• Free
• Integrates with all other Windows Live programmes
• Nice design
• 36 different languages
• Free optional extras
• Fast sending and receiving
Disadvantages:
• Lots of junk mail
• 10mb attachment limitation
• Some navigation issues
• Advertisements


Overall I think that Hotmail is easily a very acceptable email application. If offers a free, quick service that is full of different services. It links with other Windows Live applications, making it easy to organize your things if you use other Windows Live applications. However I think that people are finding common issues with Hotmail. The main issue that tends to pop up is spam. Users seem to receive spam and junk email non-stop and many users cannot stop this. Whether it comes through the website or the users are just’ unfortunate’ we do not know. But this issue can and does put many people off using hotmail, were some people would rather use their computers default emailing system. Hotmail does the job for a common email user who doesn’t really rely on their emails, but for more extensive users, perhaps within a business, I would consider using a more advanced emailing system to prevent junk mail that would not be needed in a work environment.

Email Review

So from all of this we have discovered a few things. Firstly, that Internet browsing email system often create a lot of junk mail, which can and does completely put people off. However this service is free, and easy to use, so complaints should be thought about more before people start to moan about something that is so freely available to them. If Windows were to put more money into Hotmail, they may have to start charging people for it, but it would be a much better service. But how would this effect the mass amount of users, that is something important for people to think about! I would say that for the more extensive and constant user, a paid for or installed email service would be the better choice, this would lower a massive amount of junk mail that you receive and it would be likely to be a better service. However if you are looking for a quick easy and free service that you may only use once a month, an Internet based email service such as Hotmail is the right choice for you.

Social Networking

Social Networking is something that started quite early on in the technology age with online communities such as The WELL in 1985 and Theglobe in 1994. Social networking is basically a giant online room were people are able to create their own home pages and accounts. From this they are able to upload their own pictures, videos and pretty much any media for their friends to view and comment on. Once people are added to your friends list, this usually allows them to view all your media, but social networking sites often has limitations settings if you do not want some people to view certain things. Social networking is a brilliant way for groups of friends to stay connected, even when they are not together. Posting news on social networking sites keeps groups of friends up to date with what is happening. Social networking has become extremely popular in the past few years with huge websites such as www.Myspace.com , www.Bebo.com and www.Facebook.com . These websites have become massively popular in the past few years as people have found it almost like a virtual environment in which all their friends and family that they have accepted are available to talk to. I will review Myspace and Facebook in this section, to show which one is best for certain things.

Facebook

Facebook was founded in the USA in 2004. Facebook has recently become THE social networking site to be on. With over 300 million active users online, the company is booming. In 2008 Facebook’s revenue was 300 million USD. To keep this entire website running they have employed over 900 employee’s to keep the website up and running. Facebook became such a success with its unbeatable user interface and easy to look at ‘wall’. Each user, after adding their friends can go to the Facebook homepage which features a wall. This wall has on it anybody who is in your friends list’s posts. This is a fantastic way to keep up to date with everything that is happening in all of your friends lives. You can also go onto your friends pages. From this page you can view all of that persons posts, or posts that were put onto their wall. From here you can also navigate to this persons media, whether it be photos, video, blog’s, anything goes! And with pretty much every language there is, (including pirate!) Facebook is available from pretty much anywhere in the world. Facebook’s latest fad is games. People are becoming hooked on games such as Farmville. These games are not particularly good, however they are terribly addictive and are built to suit times when people generally will have time to go onto Facebook. Another fantastic feature of Facebook are networks. Networks are created for things like schools or company’s, this makes it much easier to find your friends on it. If you joined the Warlingham School network, the system would come up with suggestions of friends you might want to add.

Advantages

• Over 300 million users
• All languages (including pirate!)
• Easy to find your friends and family
• Networks (schools, businesses)
• Brilliant user interface
• Easy to use
• Safe
• Allows blocking and deletion of people you do not know
• If you do not wish for people to view certain things such as pictures, you can block individuals from seeing certain pictures albums etc
• Keeps you connected with your friends and family always
• Allows you to keep in touch with people who might live far away and you do not see normally.
Disadvantages

• Often crashes
• Facebook chat is very slow and crashes a lot
• Directly linked with internet connection – if you have a slow internet connection, it could take a long time to view posts that were posted a long time ago.
• Addictive games can be a mass waste of time
• Massive distraction from work
Overall Facebook is brilliant! It allows constant connection with all of your friends and family. It also gives you a place to show off your pictures and media, instead of it just staying on your computer at home! Facebook is an excellent way of getting news about quickly. Making groups has lately become popular, making people connect with people who have similar views to them. Facebook also allows you to create a group with all your friends exclusively in it. This is brilliant if you are trying to organise an outing with a small group of friends. Facebook has few downsides really. Apart from its massive addictiveness, the only real downsides are when it crashes a lot. Another downside is that the chat feature never seems to work, this can be annoying if you need to talk to somebody quickly and privately. From this you might have to tell the person on the ‘wall’ and it will be less private. Despite this, there are ways around most of Facebook’s problems, and it is an outstanding way to keep in touch with you friends.




Myspace

Myspace is a similar social networking site. Myspace was founded in 2003 but became most popular in the US in 2006. Myspace employs over 1000 employees and their 100 millionth account was created on August 9th in 2006. Myspace was much more popular in the past, has recently seemed to have been taken over by Facebook, along with many other social networking websites. Myspace for me though, has always been about music. Any serious band has a Myspace. Myspace in general is shown as a stereotypical social networking website. However, it is much more than this! Myspace is renown for its music pages. Near enough every serious band has a Myspace, and most people’s first move to listening to a band would be to find their Myspace. Myspace music is extremely popular, with Myspace having over 100 million accounts, many of them are bands promoting themselves. This is very successful, and from personal experience I can tell that Myspace is a good way to get your bands name about. This is because when everybody started to move onto Facebook, people still interested in their music kept Myspace, so really it is just filled with people who are more likely to look at your bands page, suiting everyone!

Advantages

• Easy to navigate
• Good to search for music
• Good instant messaging system
• Great customisable profiles
• On page music player
• Good to hear about new music
• Competitions


Disadvantages

• Nowhere near as popular as Facebook
• Lost many hits to Facebook
• Customising your page can be very long and often becomes a contest with all your friends
• Not as easy to share photos as Facebook