E-communications

1. E-communications Module 2.3

2. E-communications Module 2.3

3. Content • Use of e-communications • Examples and uses of digital communications • E-mail • Social networking sites • Blogs/vlogs • RSS feeds • Podcasts • Wikis • The use of GPS technology in digital communications • Using the Web efficiently • New trends and technologies • Test and improve your knowledge

4. Use of e-communications

5. E-communication or digital communication • The use of technologies to transfer digital data using computers, smartphones, tablets and networks like the Internet. • video conferencing • e-mail • VoIP • RSS feeds • blogs • instant messaging social networking sites podcasts micro blogs

6. Strengths and advantages of digital communications • Easy to use. • You can connect and communicate with many people easily and efficiently. • Can be used wherever you are and on multiple devices. • Fasterthan conventional methods. • Can save you money on travel and communication costs (e.g. video conferencing).

7. Strengths and advantages of digital communications • Allow you to distribute content to vast audiences. • Allow multiple media types in a communication session (e.g. you can talk, share video or pictures). • Text‑based communications (e.g. e-mail and instant messaging) can be sent and responded to when the other person becomes available. • They give you a ‘record’ of your communications, as opposed to a telephone conversation which does not.

8. Weaknesses, disadvantages and limitations of digital communications • Depend on Internet coverage. • Efficiency depends on Internet speed. • Require other people to be connected digitally. • Require expensive equipment.

9. Weaknesses, disadvantages and limitations of digital communications • Many different standards and both the sender and the receiver need to be using the same applications. • Hardware and software compatibility problems may occur as some software will only work on certain hardware. • Effective use depends on the skill and confidence of the user.

10. Good practices when using digital communications

11. Examples and uses of digital communications

12. E-mail • The composing, sending and receiving of messages electronically over a network including the Internet. • Sending and receiving of e‑mail messages • Gmail and Outlook have a calendar, contacts list, tasks lists and archive features to help you to be organised.

13. E-mail • Calendar • reminders about events, birthdays or appointments • sync these with your mobile phone • The calendars can be shared amongst groups and reminders can be sent to all people attending an event or a meeting.

14. E-mail • Tasks • add tasks to a ‘to-do’ list to remind of things one has to do. • order according to importance and can be emailed or printed. • assign a due date.

15. E-mail • Contact list • address book or contacts list. • choose an address from your contacts list or address book or you can type it in manually when preparing an e-mail message. • Contacts can be organised into groups

16. E-mail • Archive • Tidy up your inbox by moving messages from your inbox to an archive folder Written module activity Written module activity C

17. Activity 1 ExploreEmail

18. Written module activity • Read pages 103 – 105 • Page 113: • Complete questions 1 – 10

19. Social networking sites • People, institutions and companies use social networks to • stay in touch and communicate • advertise and market products or services • network with people with similar interests • communicate news about an organisation or club

20. Creating a profile on Facebook • Go to the Facebook website (www.facebook.com) and follow the easy instructions to sign up. • Supply an e-mail address. • Once you have signed in, you can start adding your profile information. • Now you are ready to add ‘friends’.

21. Managing your Facebook account • Account Settings– change your username and password and the way you receive notifications, etc. • Privacy Settings– limit who can view your information, including photos and posts and set who can post to your wall. C

22. Blogs/vlogs • Weblogs or blogsare websites that are updated often with news and events in chronological or sequential order. • A video blog (vlog) is a form of blog which uses video as the medium.

23. Blogs are used for:

24. Publishing a blog through Word • There are different blog providers or hosts available. • These are websites that allow you to create an account, set up your blog and host your blog. • Options include SharePoint Blog, WordPress, Blogger and TypePad.

25. Create an account / sign up for a blog on the website of ablog provider . • Select a URL (your blog’s domain or ‘address on the host’s website). • If you have created an account with a blog provider that supports Word, you can create your blog post by sending a Word document to the blogging site. Remember your user name and password.

26. In Word: File, Save and Send, Publish as Blog Post. • The first time you post to your blog, you will be required to register the blog account linking Word to the blog provider. Insert URL of the blog, your user name, and password.

27. When you are linked, the ribbon displays new icons & the document is displayed differently. Insert the title of the blog posting on the Word document in the Title control box. • Select Publish. The document will be posted on the blog. • Manage Accounts in the Blog Post tab in the Blog group - add / remove accounts with different blog providers. C

28. RSS feeds • RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a web or news feed that automatically provides users with updated content or notifications of new content. • RSS feeds can alert you to • new blog entries on blogs you subscribe to • whenever a new blog or article is written that matches the search criteria you have set • new video clips on YouTube channels • new music on iTunes • whenever your name or your company’s name pops up in web searches • items that you are interested in on online auction sites such as eBay. C

29. Podcasts • Audio file (often in an MP3 format) - available to download for free /purchased – Internet. • Can be downloaded individually / subscription – each new episode is automatically downloaded to your computer. • Can be produced by professionals or amateurs. • Video podcast (vodcast) includes video clips or photos.

30. Podcasts (and in some cases vodcasts) can be used • to download radio shows • for educational purposes • for tourists and visitors in places of interest such as museums • to listen to the reading of a book – for users who are visually impaired C

31. Wikis • allows for the collaborative editing and creating of the content of web pages • take the form of a web page and access to them is usually free.

32. Wikis can be used for the following • creating company intranets • creating community websites • making checklists and lists of things to do in large projects with a number of people working on them • creating reference sites (like an encyclopaedia, e.g. the well-known Wikipedia) • creating educational resources such as glossaries for subjects, study notes and FAQs C

33. The use of GPS technology in digital communications • Smartphones, cameras and other devices have GPS facilities. • Foursquare is a social networking website and application where users ‘check-in’ at places such as their favourite coffee shop.

34. Users can choose to have their check-ins posted on Twitter and Facebook. • Mobile marketing based on your GPS location has enormous possibilities for businesses. C

35. Written module activity • Read pages 106 – 109 (GPS) • Page 114: • Complete questions 11 – 18

36. Using the Web efficiently

37. Web browser • An application that allows you to view and explore web pages on the Internet. • Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.

38. Home page settings • In all web browsers, you can set a default web page, known as the home page that opens when you load the web browser.

39. Home page settings - IE

40. Home page settings- Google Chrome

41. Home page settings – Mozilla Firefox

42. Bookmarks or favourites • The Favorites or Bookmarks option allows a user to store shortcuts to the web pages they frequently visit.

43. Bookmarks or favourites

44. Bookmarks or favourites

45. Bookmarks or favourites

46. History • The History option allows you to find the web pages you have previously visited. When you click the History option, it shows a list of sites you have visited. You can configure the length of time that you would like to keep the history for.

47. History

48. History

49. History

50. Pop-up blocker • A pop-up is a small web browser window that appears on top of the website you are viewing. They are usually created by advertisers and often open as soon as you visit a website. • Pop-up blockers are features of most web browsers. They allow you to limit or block most pop-ups.