Online Communication services

Introduction

The internet has allowed us to communicate in new and different ways. Examples include blogs, e-mails, social networking sites and forums. However, there are also problems such as cyber-bullying. According to the Independent (www.independent.co.uk), "Cyber-bullying is as hurtful as face-to face bullying, and it needs to be taken seriously'.

Internet Pages

An internet page is a page on the worldwide web. It can be created by any person or business for anything they want. Businesses use them to advertise their products and services. People can use them to share information. 

An advantage of internet pages is that they can contain very useful information for school projects, homework etc. People use the internet to shop, work and for playing games. I like to use www.wikipedia.org, www.coolmath-games.com and www.youtube.com.

A disadvantage of internet pages is that some of them can contain malware such as viruses, worms and trojans.

Blogs

A blog is a website such as www.blogger.com which can be used to keep a diary such as blogspot. You can also add photos and links to websites that you find interesting.

Blogs use a data management system to make it easy for people to put information into their site. web pages are written in HTML (Hyper-Text Mark-Up Language) but you don't need to understand this because the management system constructs the blogs from what you add. It also manages website links and archives old information.

An advantage of blogs is that they can be easily shared with your friends and family. Celebrities can share them with their fans. Fans can also set up blogs about celebrities. This project is the first time that I have created a blog.

A disadvantage of blogs is that people can set up blogs to write unpleasant things.

Social Networking Sites

Another popular internet activity is creating an account on a social networking site, such as www.facebook.com. The user registers and creates a personal page called a 'profile' on the site. They can post pictures, personal information, blogs, videos, music and anything they like. My sister has a facebook account and she uses it to chat with her friends. She also uses it to contact our cousins who live on the Isle of Man and shares photos with them.

On these sites, you can search for friends' profiles and for people who have similar interests to you. Once you have found them, you can request them to be 'friends' with you. If they accept, a link is created which allows you to chat, leave messages and visit their pages. Facebook can also be used by companies such as HMV and to start campaigns such as the campaign that got "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine to Christmas number 1.

However, you have to be careful with personal information. You should set your account to private so that only people you have agreed to make links with can view your profile. You have to be careful with who your choose to make links with because there are some fake accounts which can be used by predators. Social networking sites have resulted in attacks over the years. You have to make sure that what you have posted is appropriate because once it has been posted, it stays there forever.

Social networking sites would be better if strangers didn't set up fake accounts.

E-Mails

E-mails allow you to send messages and attachments directly to another person or group of people. They were invented in 1971 and the use of them has increased as technology has developed.

An e-mail is a message sent online to an individual post box on a mail server where it is stored until a client picks it up. An e-mail client is a program such as Outlook Express on a computer connected to the internet which sends and receives e-mails. E-mails can also be sent on mobile phones which are connected to the internet. Websites such as www.hotmail.com can be used to check e-mails.

Messages are usually sent using an SMTP server (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) and received using a POP server (Post Office Protocol).

The advantages of e-mails are that:

• They are quick and easy to use;
• The messages are stored so they provide a permanent record of communications;
• They are capable of being formal as well as informal so they can be used at work or school;
• Almost any type of message can be delivered as attachments to recipients that are connected to the internet.

However, there are disadvantages of e-mails. E-mails from people that you don't know can contain malicious software such as viruses, worms and trojans. Too many messages stored in the inbox can slow down the computer. Also, there are people that send rude messages. Spam can block up inboxes and the internet itself. E-mails would be better if you could block those sent by people you don't know.

SMS

A popular way of sending short messages is SMS (Short Message Service) or text messaging. It allows you to send messages quickly, easily and cheaply from your phone, to the phones of people you know. People use abbreviations such as LOL to keep messages short. Unfortunately, some people use this to send nasty messages and bully.

Forums

An internet forum is a discussion area on a website. An example of a forum forums.macrumors.com which is related to Apple products. Website members can post discussions and respond to other members. Formus allow all members to post new topics and messages to be read by others. Separate topics are called threads and are usually monitored by administrators or moderators to make sure that the posts are appropriate.

Newsgroups

A newsgroup is a discussion area dedicated to a particular topic of interest. They are organised in the form of major subjects, separated into subcategories. To access newsgroups, you need a newsreader and to register. They can be useful because they can contain interesting material.

Conferences

A conference is a meeting which often lasts for a few days organised on a particular subject. Web conferencing allows people to view and submit questions on their computer instead of having to attend in person. Businesses will use this because it is cheaper, easier and more efficient than having to attend in person.

Conclusion

The internet has allowed people to communicate quickly and easily without actually meeting each other. It also allows information to be found more easily because information is stored on websites. People can use the information and discuss it with others which makes life easier for people and businesses. It would be better if unwanted information such as those from strangers could be blocked to prevent malware and cyber-bullying.