Thoughts Of The Day

Have started reading Mod 3 and enjoying it so far. Also had a look at the webct discussion board and must say that, the discussion on whether the net is reality or not is rather fascinating

I may not agree with everyone but respect every ones views and it makes me realise what a varied group NEt11 is. Is it real ? What do you think?

Both Amy and Claire make good points and I must admit, a lot of whats said is true. Its our perception that defines whether its reality or not.

Apart from perception, ones personality and level of emotional involvement also plays a part in what role the net playes in our lives. It is interesting to read both sides and I must admit that I have not used the net much for social networking for quite a while.

Due to my car accident & ongoing mobility issues, I am dependent on the net a lot as use it for banking,paying bills,shopping & also run a business. This makes the net a real part of my everyday life but do not see it as reality but rather as a tool or means that helps me cope with my everyday life.

Topic's such as this give me a break from regular studying an forces one to think outside the square box.

The other day, I had a quick chat with a fellow student Paul N on MSN and we discussed the chat mediums and its impact on our lives etc. He asked some questions and so did I. At the end of the chat, I concluded that Paul was a nice young man who was pretty mature for his age and extremely polite and thinking about it today, it made me realise that I have never met him but in a short space of time had analysed him and categorised him.

While checking the chat log of the conversation that Paul and I had, I also realised that "live chatting" can at times be so quick that you can also miss bits of information without even realising it. Paul told me a little bit about his family business background which I did not acknowledge in our conversation because I missed it while on "live chat".

After reading the chat log, I felt real bad. Does this happen often without one realising. How often do we go back and read what had been said during the "live chat"?

Was it because I was using 2 different chat mediums at the same time? I guess so... we had all signed off the 6pm MSN chat ready to go to ICQ for the 7pm chat when Paul came online. I asked him whether he was coming over to ICQ and his response was no, he was a MSN man thus the reason for the over-lap for approx 10 - 15 minutes.

Well I hope that Paul managed to do his group task and forgive me for appearing arrogant. Was not my intention at all.

MODULE 2 - CHAT TASK

Finally, I was able to participate in not one but two chat mediums for the purpose of completing the tasks required in Module 2.

I will start with MSN. MSN was a chat medium that I was familiar with as had used it previously. Joining me online were a few fellow Net11 students who were quite friendly and communicative.

We discussed many things and all agreed that MSN was similar to the other chat mediums. Some of the advantages we spoke about was,

• the flexibility to be able to utilise it for important things like university study


• assists users to "keep in touch" with those separated by distance


• MSN functions such as cam and audio allowed one to actually see the person on the other end


• MSN allowed private conversations


• user friendly,easy to download and use


• cheap method of communication as most people nowadays have access to a computer and the net and writing letters apart from been bothersome can be costly depending on destination.


• allowed the exchange of photo's and music


• MSN's ability to be able to block and delete those users that you do not wish to interact with.
  

Some of the disadvantages would be,

• the amount of advertising that hovers around the program


• the frustration and disappointment experienced when some of the features that are supposed to benefit the users don't actually work IE games, web cam,audio etc.


• the many windows for conversing with more than one person


• the privacy and security issues, where anyone can decide to add you

Overall I found MSN to be easy to install and use and would not hesitate to use it again. Adding contacts was also easy and everything worked from first go.

ICQ on the other hand was interesting. After trying to add contacts without success, I decided to reinstall ICQ again. This time around I manually customised it but kept the ICQ tool bar option. Bingo, it actually worked, I was able to add contacts with no problems.

I need not have worried about missing out on today's session in ICQ as my lovely Net 11 fellow students added me anyway after reading about my troubles on the webct discussion board.

Some of the disadvantages mentioned on ICQ were;

• Privacy , Security and Time.
• By the time you finished typing, another topic had started
• Too many conversations taking place at once
• Confusion created

The advantages were not discussed but we did discuss some topic's off the webct Discussion Board such as "Is The Net Reality". It was interesting reading the different opinions. We also discussed other mediums like Facebook,twitter etc.

In conclusion I would like to say that I was happy to finally experience ICQ so thanks NET11 for giving me the opportunity and overall found that MSN definitely offers more functions and tools. I liked the layout of both mediums and found them both to be similar operational wise except for the cam and audio functions.

MODULE 2 - CHAT TASK REFLECTIONS

This task looked fairly simple but in reality required a bit of team work and effort. This task was to be done after discussion with other students in the group and after a good start I quickly posted on webct, seeking those that wanted to chat on MSN.

Then the worst happened, my computers were stolen and I had no means of checking for responses to my posts or other threads on webct. This has meant that I have fallen way behind and now need to work harder to catch up.

Earlier in the week , I managed to add some fellow students to my MSN and work out a suitable time for a group chat, Saturday 11 January 2009 @ 6pm. Also was lucky enough to be invited to join the NET 11 group on ICQ @ 7pm on the same day.

So today, I decided to download ICQ and join up in preparation for Sunday. The download and sign up was fairly simple but when I tried to log in, the following message came up:

I then spent the next half hour or so trying to solve the issue. Apparently ICQ was trying to access port 5190 which was by default blocked on my router's firewall. I had to open the port 5190 on my router's via "Port Triggering Setup", so ICQ could access its access / authentication server "login.icq.com". Now ICQ is fully operational.

Once this was done, the second part involved adding fellow students as contacts, ready for Sunday's chat but this was not to be my lucky day. I went to the webct discussion board to gather ICQ id numbers which I then attempted to enter into my ICQ account 466912921. The message that I kept receiving was;

So spending several hours re attempting and reading other threads on webct, I discovered a link that took me directly to the NET 11 group in ICQ that met on Sunday 4th of January 2009 and will now be meeting up each Sunday for the duration of our studies. I added myself there but for some reason my photo or name did not transfer across, instead I exist as a number only.

Tomorrow I will re attempt to add contacts into my ICQ account directly so guys all "fingers crossed" as Ashna really needs it.

I also spent some time reading topic's of interest on the webct discussion board and also added my 2 cents worth into the topic about"Second World". The discussion centred on whether the net was "reality". I found the different opinions interesting but my stance on this matter is that I see the net as a tool or means to carry out many important tasks and functions and a link to my real life but do not consider the "net" a real world. To me its still virtual .

I have decided to keep moving with my modules as I may not have regular access to a computer for the next few weeks and will post the chat tasks as soon as accomplished.

Ash

MODULE 2 TASKS- EMAIL LISTS

What are the pros and cons of email lists versus discussion boards?

Email Lists
I am a member of a Marriage Celebrancy Association which uses an email list for sharing information between its members. The interaction between those on the list helps develop a working relationship between groups of people who share the same interests.

The Cons would be –

• We have to have a Yahoo account to be able to add or comment on treads
• An email account is required.
• If the server is down, then no immediate access to incoming emails
• At times “information overload”, with too emails generated for the same topic
• Members forgetting to delete previous threads or responses thus have to read through repetitive information

The Pros would be –

• Information comes to you automatically once joined.
• Most of us check our emails on at least once a day if not more often
• Less time consuming to access
• Information is always available at the same place(Inbox)
• New threads and messages are updated and sent to all on the list regularly so the line of communication is always open and new information delivered.
• Members can take their time to research and add to a thread.
  

Discussion Boards
Curtin’s webct discussion board comes to mind instantly. I will attempt to base my cons and pros on the experience of using webct so far.

The Pros would be –

• Email account is not a requirement.
• “You” decide which thread to read or follow
• No need to delete what is not of interest to you
• Past messages or topics of interest can be searched and accessed easily
• No missed messages due to server issues
• Less chance of acquiring a virus from an attachment as is the case with email lists
• No need to learn “how to unsubscribe” as no subscription to thread is required as in email lists.
• Allows interaction with other users by exchanging tips, ideas and opinions

The Cons would be –

• Need to go and seek information or topic of interest
• Can forget to check regularly
• Available views can be varied and not formalised.
• May take longer to access
• Make go off the topic

Are there certain kinds of communication or purposes more suited to one than the other?
Members of groups with similar interests and needs will benefit more from “Email Lists” as the information on offer will be of equal interest to everyone. Also there are no concerns with identifying the source/s of the threads or information. Those that wish to seek information while remaining anonymous will find the Discussion board more their style as a need for identification does not exist.
On a personal level, I find both mediums helpful as I belong to an association that is a provider of services and information for my marriage celebrancy business.
The association has me on an email list so I receive daily digests containing both new and continuing threads. The email lists contains members that share valuable experience and views with me daily and are happy to address my issues if required.
Discussion Boards are a great source of information that are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Discussion boards are useful when I need immediate information as I find that a lot of the information can be searched and sourced regardless of age.

To conclude, I would say that the major decider between choosing the method of communication would be based on the individual and the information required. If the information sought is such that it is been continuously updated or changed then an email list would be a more convenient method of keeping on top of the changes as the information will come to you automatically. If the information is purely opinion/view based then discussion boards are the definite choice as you can visit the ones that interest you or share similar topics of interest.

NET 11 - ASH IS BACK

This past week was filled with pure madness. Christmas shopping took priority over everything else including Net 11... my apologies Peter & Cynthia. If I had missed a single person in my large list of family and friends, I would not have been allowed to forgive myself.

To top it all off, my partner ended up with pneumonia so had to spend several long hours in the Emergency Dept" and still attempting to put up with a fully grown up child that thinks the world is over cos "he is sick".

A good thing I have learnt in this past week or so is that when doing my "tasks", write directly on to the blog as this way a copy can be kept as a draft until ready to post. I did part of my Module 2 tasks and saved it as a document on my computer but with the madness surrounding me, never got the chance to post my work into my blog.

If I was only required to access my blog, I could have done the"posting" from any computer and would not have had to wait till now.....this also got me thinking about "potential computer problems" and the sickening thought of losing my files..... a total nightmare.

So part of my "housing keeping" rules in relation to NET 11 would be, "use the blog" as in the long run, I may save myself from suffering a painful "experience".

So guys, its time to refocus on the "Journey" but I will definitely remember the happiness and joy on the faces of my loved ones as each opened their presents with great appreciation. Gee Christmas is the best time of the year as it all owes one to actually stop and reconnect with all that is nearest and dearest......... Hope That U All Have A Wonderful & Safe 2009.

CHIT CHAT

Over the past few days, have learnt that Chat and Instant Messaging are 2 different methods of communication. I was introduced to chats in approx 2002 and was a frequent visitor in the yahoo rooms. As I got into it, started using MSN and Yahoo Messenger for private chats and its ability to keep a contacts list.

In my mind the 2 methods were one but with 2 available options of usage. Module 2 and
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/newsgroup1.htm have made me realise my misunderstanding.

I have not used the chat medium for couple of years now, preferring to keep in touch using email or sms so it was time to get reacquainted.

Hope that the addiction does not start all over again as I am an extremely curious creature who tends to want to know "everything" and the compassionate side of my nature wants to listen to everyone .....

The tasks in Module 2 has consumed more time than originally expected. I am now wondering whether I can move forward or not as I have yet to find some others to chat to and then also focus on the Group Task.

On the webct discussion board, I have asked for some suggestions as to how we will do the Group Task... and on what day and date.

Module 2 appears to be all about exploration and it is up to me how involved I wish to get. It seems that one should try each method then see what works for them. On the discussion board in webct, a few interesting topics grabbed my attention.

One was "is it ok to use work internet access for social use" . At the end I decided that the answer to this is dependable on personal views,circumstances and individual traits...after all we were all born unique and liaison with life is based on unique "happenings".

Good Night

Ash

MODULE 2 - TASKS

This section while interesting felt familiar. The reasons, I attribute to this feeling is the fact that I have been emailing for many moons. Most of my correspondence is done via email and I cannot imagine a world without it.

Inspite of this, most of the reading contained information that were helpful and reminded me of the phrase"back to basic's". It has also encouraged me to reconsider the use of filters.

Now to the questions listed as Tasks in module 2.


1. What information about a user's email, the origin of a message, and the path it took, can you glean from an email message?


Using the above email received in my Microsoft Outlook, the followings details are visible straight away;


· Name of the sender
· The Domain that the sender is using
· Sent date & time
· Name of the intended recipient
· Subject
· The message
· Attachments

To get further into the header, I clicked the “options” button where I located the following;





This showed me the internet header and the path it had taken to arrive in my inbox. This type of technical information is not used by everyone

2. In what cases would you find it useful to use the 'cc', 'bcc' and 'reply all functions of email?


Carbon Copy (CC) - when I want to forward the message to those that may find the information helpful or needs to be kept informed about something. This info may be totally irrelevant but informative for the person/s. I don’t expect a reply or response.

Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) – Your identity is protected as your details will not appear on the email sent and other recipients will not be aware that you also received the same info. The person will also not know whether he/she was the only person to be BCC’d. A good example of when I would use the BCC would be if I received certain information from a staff member about another staff member and I wanted the informer to receive an update but not compromise his position, I would use BCC. Another time would be, for record keeping purposes, I BCC myself.

Reply All – This function is extremely useful and I use it when mailing appointment or meeting times. This way any updates or suggestions prior to the day are available to all to see and note. The down side is that at times this function is used to distribute material that is not relevant to all on the list and the privacy of some on the list can be compromised also.

3. In what ways can you ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver?

Make sure that the person receiving the attachment has relevant software available to open and read it; otherwise send the information as RTF or ASCII format as this can be read by a lot of the applications that are available on most computers today.
Zipping large attachment files is also the norm nowadays as it reduces the transfer and down loading times. Zipping compresses the file/s.
The above measures will ensure that the receiver can easily open the attachment and reduce the chances of further emails back and forth.

4. What sorts of filters or rules do you have set up, and for what purpose?

I now know that I can set up the following rules and filters in my Outlook. Prior to today, I was aware that such filters existed but had not got around to setting any up. Looking at the following filters I can now see the usefulness.....




Also found another good reading source on Rules and Filters at the following link;


http://it-help.bathspa.ac.uk/emailfaq/email_rules.html



5. How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why?

Apart from the normal folders like Inbox, Sent Items, Junk Email & Deleted Items , have also set up new folders for storing emails from my associations, solicitor, confidential, work, studies, bills and individual ones for the special people in my life. Emails are moved into this folders manually

The reason that I have done this is to enable easy location of emails that are important enough to retain.


Also did not want anyone lurking near my computer to be able to read emails that are “confidential” in nature easily, so to protect my privacy, a separate folder was created to hold these rather sensitive natured emails.