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 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.