Methods of Communication
Social Networking
Social Networking is using online sites to connect with other people whether for social purposes, learning purposes or business purposes or all of the above. Social Networking has become quite popular in this day and age. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. have made it easy to stay in touch with friends, family and other aquantences from anywhere in the world at any given time. Social networking connects people from all over the world through online communities making it possible to teach, learn, communicate, and interact together from anywhere. Studies have shown that about 72% of all Americans use social networking sites which is about a 44% rise since 2008. Social networking is useful because it allows us to send and receive information quickly but also paves the way for false information to quickly spread.
Email stands for electronic mail. It is used to send messages from one person to another person or group of people. Email is widely used by most people on the internet. For most websites you need an email and password to create accounts. Emails are sent through mail servers that are predefined through the email provider whether it be Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, etc.. Normally when you set up and email the provider configures the servers for you but some platforms require you to set these up for each account. You will need to input the incoming and outgoing mail servers and enter the port numbers.
Wikis and Blogs
Wikis are sites designated for informational purposes and allow the users to view, edit, and create pages of information. These pages are always a work in progress because they are subject to change at any given time by the public. This is why wiki pages are not usually accepted as references for papers because the information can be edited by anyone and could harbor false information.
Blogs are posts created by one person for a specific purpose whether it just be to tell a story, give information, or just written as a journal of a persons thoughts or ideas.
Podcasts and Webcasts
Podcasts are audio broadcasts they can tell stories, give information, etc. They are much like blogs but told in audio form rather than written form.
a Webcasts is like a podcasts except it is audio and video. Webcasts like blogs and podcasts can be informative, can be for entertainment, or simply just for socializing.
Streaming Media
Streaming media is any media like music, videos, podcasts, webcasts etc. that is then played back on a number of devices in real time. Tv shows on Netflix, Hulu etc., listening to music on your phone or watching videos on YouTube, listening to podcasts on platforms like I heart Radio etc. these are all forms of streaming media. This has become a major pass time for a majority of the worlds population.