One advantage of the Internet is the ease with which people can communicate online. The popularity of online communication has created an explosion of users who regularily access the internet to connect with others. While the benefits of online communication are many, users must be aware of who you communicate with and what information that you provide.
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Email is the most common method of communicating online. Everyone who connects to the Internet receives at least one free email account from their Internet Service Provider (ISP). Even if you are not connected to the Internet at your home location, you can get a free email account from a number of providers. The most common providers of web-based email are Yahoo and Hotmail . Once you have an account, you can check your email from any computer that is connected to the net. Email is very simple to use and takes little time to learn.
Once you have an email address, you can send virtually any type of data to others who have email addresses. The only limitation is the size of file that you can send as free email accounts are limited in the space available to store messages and files. For example: if you are sending photos to people, you may need to make adjustments to the size of the photo before sending it.
Messengers and chats are online tools that allow people to communicate in real time with each other. You can communicate with one person or many at once. The most common messengers are Yahoo and MSN. When you sign up for an email account you have the option of receiving these communication tools. You will first need to download the tool from the providers website by following the instructions that are given. Once connected you can add friends to your contacts list and when they are online their name will automatically appear and you can chat with them.
Chats are available everywhere online and most times you can join them if you choose. The one thing that you will notice when you are using chats is the style of writing that is used. Abbreviations are often used to make the message shorter and faster. (connect to the abbrev list)
While it is great to be able to connect with friends and others online, there are people who use this communication tool to connect with people for dishonourable purposes. A user needs to be aware of who they allow on their contact lists and watch out for people who are trying to lure you to become involved in undesirable activities.
You can attach a cam or video camera to your computer and send live pictures to others who have video receiving capabilities.
A relatively new feature on the net has been the introduction of blogs. A blog is similar to a journal where a person posts information, opinions, ideas, and articles about a topic. For many it is an opportunity to publish their work and ideas on the net. Others can read and follow your blog each day. Many bloggers invite comments from their readers by email or by replying to the entries that they make on the blog. Blogs may also be called "weblogs" There are now Audioblogs, where people people actually talk instead of presenting in a written form.
To learn more about blogs and to start your own blog try E-Bloggers. On this site you will find information about what blogs are and be able to create your own blog.
Discussion forums are also places where a person can post information, ideas and other communications on the the net. Once posted others can read what has been written, and can reply to the person. Some people use discussion forms to share ideas with a group of people with similar interests or to ask questions that others may answer. Many online classes make use of this form of communication to hold discussions between students.
The cell phone is one of the fastest growing communication tools and it seems like everyone is getting one. Besides using the cell as a phone, it is now possible to get other online services such as text messages and Internet. Many companies offer cell phone deals to get people connected. In most cases you will be given a cell phone for a small fee and be asked to sign a contract for a period of time. If you sign a contract, make sure you know what you are signing and what you are committing yourself to. READ ALL THE ITEMS in the contract and ask to have anything you don't understand explained. It is the seller's duty to answer all your questions honestly and not mislead you. If they don't answer to treat you with respect, buy your contract from someone else.
Cell phones can also be expensive to use. Many people have been caught with high phone bills, not realizing how fast their allotted minutes can be used up. Once you use up minutes that come with your phone, you are charged a fairly high fee for each minute you talk on the cell.
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Page Last Updated:
May 16, 2006 2:31 PM
