Last updated: 13 January 2010
MAKING SENSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Communication Tools

There are two ways of communicating with people

1. Synchronously, that is in real-time
2. Asynchronously, that is not in real-time

In this section we will look at both these types of communication and the different type of tools that can be used.

1 - Asynchronous communication

Communication tools include letters, email, messaging systems and discussions.

EMAIL

Email has become the standard way of communicating with others online, whether it be friends, family, colleagues, teachers or fellow students. Many people use a desktop email client like Outlook, but web-mail, like gMail has now become very popular.  Email is also a useful way to distribute learning content and to initiate a discussion amongst learners, for example

Examples About.U - Courses by email DailyLit - Choose the book you want to read.  It will show you the number of instalments to read it.  Then read it via email or RSS Management Tip of the Day - daily email from Harvard Business Publishing Spanish Word of the Day - A daily email with new vocabulary Word of the Day - Every day you will receive an e-mail with the Word of the Day, its definition and example sentences from literary works, newspapers, magazines and other published sources. Walking - A daily email with a walking assignment, walking lesson, nutrition tip, healthy recipe and motivational tip.

Directory listing: Email, SMS, Voice & Video Messaging tools

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2 - Synchronous communication

Communication tools include face-to-face meetings, telephone, instant messaging, chat, live meetings and live broadcasting.

INSTANT MESSAGING

Instant messaging (IM) has become a very important way for people to communicate with one another immediately;  rather than waiting for an email reply you can get an instant answer to a question, if your contact is online at the same time as you.

Basic IM tools let you:

• create a list of contacts
• see who is online at the same time as you
• select a contact and start a text conversation with that person 
• add in other contacts to create a small online conference

More sophisticated systems let you

• control your status (online, hidden, etc)
• exchange files with a contact
• set up a webcam and have a 1-1 video conversation
• use VoIP (voice over IP) to make a voice call to another person

IM for formal learning

Instant messaging is very useful for ad-hoc conversations between students, and between students and teachers.  It could be used for 1-1 support sessions, e.g. online office hours or even group coaching/training.  This journal article is useful reading

• Instant Messaging in On-Site and Online Classes in Higher Education by Wooseob Jeong, Educause Quarterly, Vol 30 No 1. It is a study of student IM usage that reveals many advantages and some obstacles to using IM as a classroom communication tool

IM for informal learning and working

Instant messaging has often been blamed for wasting employees' times, but a recent survey shows that is useful in reducing workplace interruptions. In fact, the research showed that instant messaging was often used as a substitute for other, more disruptive forms of communication such as the telephone, e-mail, and face-to-face conversations.

IM tools

The default instant messaging tool that comes with Windows is known as MSN or Windows Messenger and on the Mac it is iChat.  Skype is a very popular cross-platform IM tool, that also lets you make free calls over the Internet (known as Voice over IP or VoIP) as well as low-cost (even free calls) to landlines - and is explained in a further page

Examples of use of Skype for learning CALES (Centre for Arabic Language and Eastern Studies) - teaches the Arabic language online through skype Skype an Author Network - provide K-12 teachers and librarians a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits. SoZiety - Language exchange via Skype

IM tools list

• Instant messaging, voice and video call tools