ICT: Communication Devices

What are the advantages of IM?

- Allows you to chat in 'real time' to other people who also have an IM client - Useful for customer support contact instead of having to phone a support line.

What are the disadvantages of IM?

- As it is immediate, you have no time to reflect on the message you are sending, unlike an email where you can review the draft before sending. - In order to provide a free service, the IM providers send adverts and popup windows to each person. If you want to avoid this, you need to pay for a 'premium' service. - Unless you set up your IM client carefully, anyone can send you a message - not always a good thing.

What are the disadvantages of Email?

- Email attachments can contain viruses - Spam is a big problem, up to two-thirds of mails sent are spam - If you don't know the email address of the other person then you can't send them a message - Both you and the person receiving the email must have an email address and access to a computer or device that can access the Internet

What are the advantages of Email?

- Emails are free to send - Emails are usually received fairly quickly - Files and images can be attached to an email - Messages can be encrypted making it possible to send confidential information - Multiple copies of a message can be sent to a group of people

What are the advantages of Fax?

- Faxes are a fairly inexpensive method of sending a message - just the cost of a telephone call along with paper and ink for receiving faxes - They are simple to use and require very little training - As long as the fax machine is switched on, messages can be received at any time day or night.

What are the disadvantages of video/ teleconferencing?

- If the hardware breaks down for any of the participants, they cannot 'attend' the meeting - Business-level conferencing facilities can be expensive and everyone who is going to attend the meeting needs access to suitable hardware and software. Although domestic conferencing is virtually free as long as you have a computer and a fast internet connection. - Even with a fast connection, there might be a slight delay between responses. Especially from one side of the planet to the other.

What are the disadvantages of Fax?

- There is no immediate response or feedback from the recipient like there is with a telephone conversation - Using the same number can prevent calls from being made - If the receiving machine is busy, your Fax will not be delivered, although you can set it to re-try a few times - It can take a long time to transmit if you have many sheets of paper - Often poor quality

What are the advantages of video/ teleconferencing?

- There is no need to spend time and money travelling to meetings - You can see people as well as hear them. This means you can see their body language which you can't do with a telephone call. - Ideas and knowledge can be communicated between all those at the meeting very quickly and responses gathered. Video conferencing is good for 'brainstorming'. - Video conferencing is an excellent way of keeping in touch with friends and family, even if they are in a different country.

What are the advantages of SMS?

- can be sent at any time - quick and easy to send - people receiving message(s) do not have to have their mobile phones switched on - easy for friends and family to keep in touch

What are the advantages of telephones?

- instantaneous response - very private unless, someone else is listening to your conversation - call someone from anywhere on the planet - calls can be made at anytime - internet calls and internal calls in a business can be free - messages can be left

What are the disadvantages of telephones?

- person must be available to take your call - you have to pay for the minutes you use the phone for and if it is an international or mobile call it can be expensive - non-verbal communication is lost - with standard phones you cannot send files - signal may be poor, so quality may be poor

What are the disadvantages of SMS?

- small keypad so message mistakes can be easy be made, and you need small nimble fingers - not an appropriate form of communication for formal messages

What do recent phones/ smart phones allow you to do that older phones could npo?

-allow you to web browse -download extra applications -allow you to access your email

What forms do telephones come in?

-land line: a conventional telecommunications connection by cable laid across land. -mobile phone: a telephone with access to a cellular radio system so it can be used over a wide area, without a physical connection to a network. -satellite phone: connect directly to orbiting satellite, not cheap -internet phone: a telephone with access to a cellular radio system so it can be used over a wide area, without a physical connection to a network.

What do you need in order to use Email?

1. An email address/account 2. An internet connection

What are chatrooms?

An area on the Internet or other computer network where users can communicate, typically one dedicated to a particular topic.

What does email stand for?

Electronic mail

What is a fax (facsimile)?

Fax transmits a copy of written and graphical information via the fax machine telephone network. It works in a similar way to a photocopier, except the copy is transmitted to a distant machine via the telephone network.

What is SMS?

SMS stands for Short Messaging Service. SMS on the mobile phone allows you to send short (up to 160 character) text messages to someone else's mobile phone.

What is video/ teleconferencing?

Teleconferencing allows people in different locations to talk to each other as a group. Video conferencing is similar to teleconferencing except that people in the meeting can now see one another because video cameras are used to send live images over telephone lines.

What is the most popular communication method?

Telephones are the most widely used communication device, specifically mobile phones.

What is instant messaging?

This is mostly a text based service, where one person types a message and the other person immediately sees it pop up in their IM (Instant Message) window.

What are is VoIP?

You speak into a microphone connected to your computer and the VoIP software you have installed converts it into a format that can be sent over the internet. The person receiving the call must also have VoIP application running in order to listen. Best known one is Skype.