Task 1

Email is a 'store and forward method of composing, sending, storing and receiving messages over electronic communication systems' (www.livinginternet.com/e/ei.htm). They allow mass communication to a wide audience. An email can be of any length and can be sent anywhere in the world for free. This means it is a quick, easy and simple way of relaying information over a wide area. It doesnt even matter about time delays as the recipient can open the email whenever they are next available to do so. From the click of a button you can also send the same email to many different people. This saves time in the workplace when, for example, memos are being distributed, therefore leaving more time for more important tasks. Although I dont use email regularly, i do use it when communicating with lecturers as it is a very simple way of asking questions without having to actually go and find the lecturer in question. Therefore, for this reason I find them very useful.

Usenet and Bulletin board systems work in a similar way to emails in the way that they are able to be viewed by many people but then sender only has one original copy on the bulletin board. The problem with this is that people will have to make an effort to look at this bulletin board to get vital information. Whereas with an email, it pops up in your inbox and is therefore much more difficult to ignore. But bulletin boards do allow many people to see information which may only take seconds to put up. Although I have no personal experience with bulletin boards i can see how they have there uses as they are not very time consuming and can reach a very large audience.

Chat rooms and messenger services are very easy to use and can send messages instantly and you know the receiver will receive the message straight away. But this does therefore mean the recipient has to be present, therefore times may need to be arranged beforehand in order to relay the information. It is also very difficult to relay the same information to more than one person without relaying the whole conversation again which can be very time consuming. Chat rooms can also be dangerous as you dont neccesarily need to know the person you are speaking to. Whereas with msn you need to add the person onto your address list meaning you are most likly to know the person. This is the way of communicating which i use the most. It is quick and easy and information can be relayed whenever you feel is necessary. Although i do get frustrated when having the same conversation with several people as it means retyping alot of stuff which you have already said.

MUDs and MOOs are 'multi-user text based virtual realities accessible via the internet' (www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ltg/projects/jtap/reports/teaching/moo.html). These are used alot within the 'gaming world' with the example being Dungeons and Dragons and have to admit that i hadnt really heard of them and do not know much about them even after researching them. I would be grateful for any help with this.

Websites are incredibly popular within today's society and there are millions of them available providing much detail on anything you want to know. They can be very helpful because they are quick and simple to use and much information can be gathered from the click of a button. It has to be said though that not all information may be accurate and it can lead to some information getting into the wrong hands, for example, bomb makers, suicide attempts, etc. I use the internet on daily basis whether it is to go on social netoworking sites or to check the lates celebrity news or to do something connected with work. They are very helpful and i probably could live without them!