ONLINE COMMUNICATION JAZ PATERNOSTER

SOCIAL NETWORKING A social network is a website which enables communication between friends and family through a social environment on the internet. It may also be a platform to build social relations for users who share similar interests and opinions. For example, Facebook is a well-known Social Network. Benefits & Drawbacks Social Networking is very beneficial in online communications, often featuring an instant messaging service that users can access to chat to friends, family and even strangers. However, this can be dangerous as online bullying and internet predators lurk on the website. With all of your information a friendship request away, it is without a doubt dangerous and needs to be used carefully.

ONLINE COMMUNITIES An online community is a group or clique of people that share the same idea, interests or aim. This includes virtual worlds, like Second Life and WoW, forums and websites, like Gaia Online which centred mainly on anime and video games. While the concept of communities is not new, since clubs in real life can be formed over the fandom of a certain subject, transferring this to an online world is, and allows fans from all over the world to share their interest. Benefits & Drawbacks Online Community websites and games draw people together with the things they love, and allow people to make new friends over the internet based on their common interest. However, again, the internet is a dangerous place and you have to be careful who you make friends with, as not everyone can be trusted. Also, people in online communities share their own ideas within the fandom and some of this may not be agreeable or wanted.

BLOGS [+MICROBLOGS] A blog is a page where users can share their thoughts and interests on the internet on sites like tumblr and microblogs like twitter, like an online diary. They are normally regularly- updated pages, actively used by the blogger to constantly keep their followers up-to-date on their lives and/or interests. Benefits & Drawbacks Blogs are a popular way to share your thoughts and activity, and read others’. They don’t require much technical knowledge and are easy to set-up and post on, and can be interesting to read as well. However, as anyone can access your blog, putting up certain information can be dangerous to your safety. Other people’s blogs may contain inaccurate information, and cyber-bullying is common on blog sites as well. Another problem is that blogs can be time consuming – keeping up-to-date with others takes time, and regularly updating your own even more so.

WIKIS Wikis are collaborative databases or websites storing information on several different subjects within a particular topic. Wikipedia is a good example, being an online encyclopaedia of answers for multiple topics. Wikia is often used for singular topic information storage. Benefits & Drawbacks Wikis are up-to-date, easy to use, and can be edited by anyone. They allow global access to certain pages of information and allow easy learning to anyone. On the other hand, as anyone can edit wikis, they are prone to vandalism and inaccurate information may rise. Some wikis can also be quite disorganized thanks to the flexibility of wiki structure. Lastly, it requires internet connection to access, meaning that if you are unable to connect, you cannot find out the information you need.

CHATROOMS A chatroom is an instant messaging service or website that allows you to talk to others through the internet, from friends and family to complete strangers. These can be public or private on websites like Facebook, or may require an invite on sites like Chatzy or Xat. Benefits & Drawbacks Chatrooms are great for organized conversation with friends or family, singular or grouped. They can allow instant global messaging and let users talk to one another quickly and easily. The problem is, chat rooms are popular cyberbullying locations, and it is easy for people to disrespect everyone in the room.

PODCASTS A podcast is a series of audio files made available to download by the maker who talks about particular topics of their choosing. The BBC features podcasts, for programmes and highlights on-the-move. Benefits & Drawbacks Podcasts allow missed radio shows to be saved and downloaded for later listening, which can be helpful for busy people who would prefer to listen on-the-go. Some podcasts require donations to be downloaded, though not many. Also, by sharing your voice online, you’re open to ridicule and offense as not everyone will agree with you and may think bad of you for voicing your own ideas.

VLOG A vlog is much like a podcast or a blog, only with video. Many users on YouTube make vlogs, where they talk about their thoughts, opinions or focus on a particular subject throughout a series of videos. Benefits & Drawbacks Vlogs are a fun way to see what people are up to and what they have made. It’s easier to view, but harder to make, and people can be mean on the internet, especially around YouTube, disrespecting your videos, your interest and even your appearance.

VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VOIP) VoIP allows people to interact through voice and/or video messaging all over the world. Skype and Tinychat are good examples of this. Often, these services are free and can be used from anywhere with internet connection. Benefits & Drawbacks The benefits of this service include being able to contact faraway relatives, friends and colleagues for free or at a low cost. This allows families to keep in touch with long- distance relatives and friends to contact friends on the other side of the world. Businesses also use VoIP software for online conferences and meetings. This reduces travel and venue cost, and doesn’t add to any phone bills. However, the software cannot be used without internet connection, and the service cannot work if there is a power cut. There is also the risk of spamming, identity theft and the like, as on every service. One of the more unique drawbacks is voice and sound quality. Lag and slow connection is a possibility, and there may be long pauses in the conversations you have.