BTEC 2012

Unit 1 The Online World

Name: Dannielle McLeod

Lesson 3 - Online Communication

(Student Book A Pg 10 - 13)

Starter What is an online community?

A virtual community which exists only online. It may be open to anyone (e.g. a bulletin board
or restricted by interest (e.g. various scientific communities).
1. Match the following information exchanges to their correct descriptions.
Web logs
(blogs)

Micro
blogging
sites

Wikis

Chatrooms

These are sites which allow users to create and

exchange really short text entries. A popular example
of this type of site is Twitter.
These are websites that provide information that
visitors to the site can extend and edit. They allow
users to share information and are useful for research.
The best-known example of a wiki is Wikipedia, the
online encyclopedia that can be updated by
contributors.
These are frequently updated online journals with
diary-like entries which allow people to express their
thoughts and feelings and give details of their daily
activities. Typically, a blog includes text, photos and
sometimes video.
Online communication within communities is
sometimes referred to as chat. Some of the large
interactive communities where people take part in the
same conversation or type of chat at the same time
are known as chatrooms.

2. Research and write a short description for each of the following key terms:

Electronic mail (e-mail)

Send a message to another person or persons online.

Instant messaging (chat)

Send short messages to another person for real time chat.

Newsgroup
A site where groups of people can read and write information of common interest

Social networking
Social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and
MySpace, allow members of the online community all over the world to interact and
communicate by setting up a profile.

A.Silver

BTEC 2012
Unit 1 The Online World

Name: Dannielle McLeod

Conferencing
Groups of people in different areas/countries meeting together online to discuss matters
(e.g. business conference, Google hangout)

Blogs
These are frequently updated online journals with diary-like entries which allow people to
express their thoughts and feelings and give details of their daily activities. Typically, a
blog includes text, photos and sometimes video.
Vlogs / Podcast
Podcasts are a series of audio or video files that can be downloaded from the internet.
If video is published in episodes like a blog, then this process is known as a vlog (video
Blogging). YouTube is an example of a video-sharing website where individuals can
Share vlogs.

3. From discovering various online communications that are used online,

what do you use? The types of online communication I use online is Facebook
and Google mainly.
4. What are the implications of online communication? Think about the positive
and negative aspects.
Positive:
-Messages are sent in real time and responses can be received instantaneously.
Negative:
-Emotions are better expressed in person and can sometimes be miscommunicated within an instant
message that sent quickly.
-Viruses can be spread by instant messaging.
5. What does VoIP stand for?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol
6. What does VoIP do?
VoIP allows people to interact in real time using voice and/or video messaging, and is
available between any two points in the world.
7. What are the limitations of VoIP?

Reliability; VoIP service is dependant on the quality and reliability of your

broadband service and may not work if there is a power cut
Voice Quality; voices can sometimes be distorted or there may be long pauses
between questions and answers.
Security; As with all internet technologies, identity theft, viruses, spamming and
phishing are all potential threats.

A.Silver

BTEC 2012
Unit 1 The Online World

Name: Dannielle McLeod

8. What are the benefits of VoIP?

Being able to contact relatives and business colleagues on the other

side of the world at relatively low cost is the biggest benefit.

Plenary
1. Give 3 example of social media used online?
- Social Networking
- Instant Messaging
- VoIP
2. What does netiquette mean?
Short for internet etiquette or network etiquette. It is a set of conventions covering the use of
networks used to interact with other people. The conventions are designed to prevent people
causing annoyance or offence to others.

A.Silver