Communications and Networks Standard Grade Computing Studies

Electronic Communication èElectronic Communication is the process of sending and receiving electronic messages. èElectronic messages include electronic mail, text messaging and file transfer.

Text Messaging èThe technical name for Text Messaging is SMS (Short Message Service) èText messages are short messages up to 160 characters long which can be sent from one mobile phone to another through a messaging centre èAs well as mobile phones, Text messages can also be received on devices such as pagers and some palmtop computers.

Sending a Text Message èTo send a text message you need: è Mobile Phone è An account with a service provider è To be in an area of sufficient signal strength to communicate with the service provider. èOne key on a mobile phone has many functions. èA typical text message might include abbreviations which require fewer key presses.

Sending a Text Message èSome examples of abbreviations could be: è 2To/too è bcnuBe seeing you è plsPlease èPredictive Text tries to anticipate what the user will type. èOnce the message has been composed, sending the message is just a matter of selecting the recipient mobile telephone number from the stored list on the mobile phone and selecting send.

èElectronic-Mail is a way of sending and receiving text-based messages over a network. Both the sender and the recipient have an address which identify them on the network. èElectronic mail is used mostly for sending letters, but anything which can be saved to disk can be sent by , such as graphics.

What is required for èA computer system èSoftware - an client program or an Internet browser èAn electronic mail address or mailbox èAccess to the Internet if the is going outwith the local area network.

What is required for èSoftware - an client program or an Internet browser. è client programs can be used to send and receive . These allow you to: èsee a list of all messages in your mailbox by displaying the subject, time and date èselect a message and read the ècreate new messages and send them èset up folders to manage your èkeep an address book èadd attachments to messages you send

What is required for èWebmail è It is much more convenient to access from any computer that has an Internet connection. è Webmail allows you to access using an Internet browser program like Internet Explorer. è Hotmail is an example of Webmail

Advantages of è is much faster than sending a letter by post (snail mail) è is very accessible, since you can check electronic mail from anywhere in the world èThere is no need to worry whether the person you are mailing is there to read the message because it will be stored by the system. è is cheaper than sending a letter by post. èYou can send the same to lots of different people at once. èLess paper is involved, not all s need to be printed.

Disadvantages of èYou must check your mailbox regularly for the system to work è can be impersonal because there is much less interaction between the callers. è is not as secure as the postal system. èJunk is a huge problem. Junk or spam is from strangers or companies whom you have not asked to send you anything.

Netiquette èNetiquette is short for network etiquette. èEtiquette is used to describe a certain way to behave. èNetiquette is concerned with the way messages are written and how others might interpret them.

Netiquette èA number of rules have been set up. è Keep your messages short and to the point. è Be careful about the language you use in a message. è Use smilies (emoticons) to your messages to show your emotions. è:-):-( è Avoid using capital letters as this is classed as SHOUTING.

Attachments è If you want to send somebody a file, you can ‘attach’ it to an è This means that the file is sent along with your è When your is received, the attachment can be saved by the recipient è Beware of opening attachments from people you don’t know. They may contain viruses. It is always a good idea to use a virus scanner on any attachments.