Topic: Email Is Not Dead

Despite the introduction of newer communication technologies, email remains the most efficient and professional way of communicating technologically today. The rapid increase of new communication technologies, such as online social networks and instant messaging, may have threatened the survival of email; however email still has advantages over newer communication technologies. “Analysts predict e-mail accounts will continue to grow even as instant messaging, texting, and social networking sites gain in popularity” (Hamblen, M., 2007).

New communication technologies have provided us with many uses which have been proven productive in social contexts. Instant messaging and text messaging have increased the convenience of social interaction, whereas social networking sites have allowed for effective long-distance communication. The positive aspects of new communication technologies is evident, however it could be proposed that the familiar and known tend to disappear into the new products and systems of technology. Thus, it can be said that each communication technology that is created must be introduced to the public, which they must then learn and master before it is of any use to them. Email avoids such difficulties as it is an older form of communication which has immense prevalence, having familiar properties to the majority, and consisting of features and aspects which are still useful. All communication technologies have their pros and cons, and email will remain to assimilate with this criteria. It is a form of online communication technology that has uses and features which are uniquely suited to certain situations, and cannot be destroyed by newer forms of communication technology.

The uniqueness of email includes its ability to be shared and used among a vast amount of people; Hotmail alone has 280 million users. It can therefore be said that it truly is the only universal form of online communication, proving its efficiency for both social and professional uses. College and University students can benefit from email, as it provides an easy submission method for work and assessment, and a convenient form of communication between lecturers, tutors and other students. Relatives or friends who live interstate or overseas can easily be contacted via the use of email, and no fees or charges apply. Communication via mobile phone almost always incorporates costs, regardless of the distance between the sender and the receiver. Email has become a free alternative to long-distance phone calls, allowing users to communicate effectively in a variety of ways, such as writing letters, sending photos, and sending information to many different email accounts simultaneously. It has also been shown in research studies that email communication shows linguistics that sets it apart from written and spoken communication, allowing users to communicate with increased effectiveness and conciseness.


The effectiveness of socially communicating online via email has been challenged by social networking sites, but email is yet to be on the verge of death. Online social networks such as Facebook and MySpace have their advantages; however they are not as user-friendly as email, as not everybody can use these applications. Email is a world-wide form of online communication with other 1.2 billion users worldwide in 2007, opposing the 60 million and 110 million users on Facebook and MySpace respectively. The increasing rate of users on social networking sites can not be denied, but email still has features which social network sites fail to incorporate, such as professionalism, a high-level of familiarity amongst users, efficiency in distributing information to more than one person, and being the most largely used online application world-wide. Threats of social networking sites taking over email are ignorable, as in order to join such a network, you must have an email address. Also, social networking sites require both the sender and the recipient to be on the same social network; email is universal.

Thus, in conclusion, it is evident that despite the arrival of new communication technologies, email remains the most competent form of technological communication today, and is continuing to grow despite the advances and introduction of other forms of communication. Although online social networks, instant messaging and other new communication technologies have had dramatic growth rates since their establishment, they lack the familiarity and simplicity that email possesses, and the professionalism that it incorporates. Newer communication technologies will continue to grow, but that does not mean that email will eventually die. Email is a world-wide phenomenon that will continue to advance technologically and be used as one of the main forms of technological communication until an application is created that will incorporate the simplicity and universality that is endowed with email.


References

About.com, (2008). How Many Email Users Are There? Retrieved May 12, 2008, from http://email.about.com/od/emailtrivia/f/how_many_email.htm

Direct, (2007). Microsoft Makes Marketing-Friendly Tweak to Unsub Button. Retrieved May 12, 2008, from http://directmag.com/disciplines/email/microsoft_tweak_unsub/

Email Universe, (2004). 22 Reasons Why Email Is Not Dead. Retrieved May 12, 2008, from http://emailuniverse.com/ezine-tips/?id=1060

Facebook, (2008). Statistics. Retrieved May 12, 2008, from http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

InfoWorld, (2007). Is Email Dead? Hardly. Retrieved May 12, 2008, from http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/21/Is-e-mail-dead_1.html

Krug, G. (2004). Communication, Technology and Cultural Change. Communication – Social Aspects, 3-8.

Passion Computing, (2006). Using Email Effectively. Retrieved May 12, 2008, from http://www.passioncomputing.com.au/Copywriting/Using-email.aspx

Pemberton, Lyn. (2000). Words on the Web: Computer Mediated Communication. Portland: Intellect.

Promotion World, (2003). Advantages of Email. Retrieved May 12, 2008, from www.promotionworld.com/e-mail/articles/advantages.html

This Is Going To Be BIG, (2007, November 15). Think Email Is Dead? Retrieved May 12, 2008, from http://www.thisisgoingtobebig.com/2007/11/think-e-mail-is.html

Web Strategy by Jeremiah, (2008). Social Network Stats: Facebook, MySpace, Reunion. Retrieved May 12, 2008, from http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2008/01/09/social-network-stats-facebook-myspace-reunion-jan-2008/

3D Worlds & Socialising on the Internet

Today's task was to investigate the qualitative differences between 3D chatroom environments and instant messaging programs. From exploring the 3D chatroom sites, it is evident that chatrooms allow users to have the opportunity to communicate with others on a different level to msn. In 3D chatrooms, users can create an image which they believe represents themselves, giving others a better idea of who they are talking to, they're style, hair colour, and other general appearance aspects. However, in 3D chatrooms it is also possible to create an avatar which does not represent themselves at all, faking their identity and fooling other users to believe their appearance differs from what they really look like. In instant messaging programs, it is possible only to type to other online users via words, and no images. 3D chatrooms allow users to chat in a 3D world, allowing for other activities to be undertaken between two users, i.e. dancing, walking, flirting, etc. The opportunities for interaction and communication are extended in a 3D chatroom environment.

Using Microsoft Word

Several exercises were required to be performed in Microsoft Word for this week's tutorial. In relation to the completion of these exercises, i found that each was fairly simple to perform and did not take much time at all. There were no problems regarding the completion of the exercises, however it may be due to the fact that I have been forced to learn the basics of the program during my time at school. It wasn't too simple, but it was fairly easy to complete the tasks in a short amount of time. I can see how this program may be useful in a variety of different ways, for example assignments, resumes, cover letters, and letters. Microsoft Word can be used with ease as it has simple and easy guidelines and produces professional documents.

Essay Draft

Essay Topic: Email is not dead.

Introduction

• Topic: Email remains most efficient and professional way of communicating technologically
• Acknowledgment of rapid increase of new communication technologies
• However, email has advantages over newer communication technologies
• Quote, “Analysts predict e-mail accounts will continue to grow even as instant messaging, texting, and social networking sites gain in popularity” (Infoworld article)
  

Paragraph 1

• Topic: New Communication Technologies vs. Old Communication Technologies
• Positive aspects of New Communication Technologies
• Propose that familiar and known disappear into the new products and systems of technology
• However – older forms of communication have other uses which are still useful
• Older forms of communications are uniquely suited for certain situations
  

References:

• Ebook Library – Communication, Technology & Cultural Change (p 2)
  

Paragraph 2

• Topic: Everyone has email.
• Hotmail alone has 280 million users
• It’s the only truly universal form of online communication
• Efficiency of email for college/university students – easy submission for written work
• IM, text messaging, not professional/efficient way of communicating to professors, students etc

References:

• http://www.thisisgoingtobebig.com/2007/11/think-e-mail-is.html
• http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/21/Is-e-mail-dead_1.html
• 22 Reasons Why Email Is Not Dead - http://emailuniverse.com/ezine-tips/?id=1060
• www.promotionworld.com/e-mail/articles/advantages.html
• http://directmag.com/disciplines/email/microsoft_tweak_unsub/
  

Paragraph 3

• Topic: Email vs. Social Networking Sites
• Facebook & MySpace – not as user-friendly, not applicable to everybody as they are newer
• Facebook – 70 million users, 106 million accounts in 2006 – 1.2 billion email users (2007)
• Email can distribute information quickly to many people for the time it takes to email one person.
• Social networking sites require both sender and recipient to both be on same social network
  

References:

• www.passioncomputing.com.au/Copywriting/Using-email.aspx
• http://www.thisisgoingtobebig.com/2007/11/think-e-mail-is.html
• http://email.about.com/od/emailtrivia/f/how_many_email.htm

Wikipedia

Today's task was to investigate Wikipedia, by finding two articles on unrelated topics and analysing them. I chose to analyse articles on my favourite artist, "Ashanti", and my favourite movie, "Blades of Glory".

After reading the Wikipedia article titled Ashanti (singer), I can say that this article was very accurate in relation to what I already knew about the singer. It covered all the basic topics which were required in order for the reader to acquire a decent understanding of Ashanti. It followed the Wikipedia guidelines by achieving the following: splitting the long article into several sections, it informed readers of a notable topic, it prevented ambiguity by stating the word "singer" in the title, it used and cited sources, it didn't have any bias or show any disrespect towards the topic, it didn't show any obscene or offensive images, and is an updated article including recent and up-to-date information on Ashanti. Overall, the article was fair and balanced and was not biased in any way of the chosen topic. Readers were given accurate information and no personal opinions were included.

The second article, titled "Blades of Glory (film) was also found to be an accurate article. It covered all basic topics of the topic, such as plot, cast, production, reception and box office. It also included some other topics to provide the reader with extensive information of the topic, including triva, real skaters on set, figure skating elements in the film, etc. The article also followed the Wikipedia guidelines, in the same way as the previously discussed article on Ashanti did. Overall, this article was also fair and balanced, lacking biases and personal opinions.

To conclude, I would not change anything about these articles, because they both consisted of extensive research and information that I am unaware of. Everything I knew about the topics were incorporated and extended on in the articles and were accurate. Everything was correctly referenced and cited, and no biases were conveyed in the articles. It is thus evident that although Wikipedia states that admittedly some articles are 'rubbish', there are articles which are completely accurate and useful. I believe the two articles that I researched are examples of these.

"Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" and Contemporary Digital Media

Walter Benjamin believed in the existence of an 'aura' which represented authenticity. He perceived photography and similar practices to be replicating original art forms, thus lacking authentic value. These ideas are still applicable when analysing contemporary digital media. Common forms of art in today's society that Walter Benjamin may consider reproductions of art, thus lacking an 'aura', include film, television and music. Music, recorded in a studio, could be portrayed as less authentic than if it was played live, according to the ideas proposed by Walter Benjamin. For purposes of further applying Benjamin's ideas to contemporary digital media, let's appreciate human beings and communication as forms of art. Benjamin would consider people to have an 'aura'. In the situation of a conversation between two people communicating via the internet using web-cams, this could be considered a violation of authenticity and a replication or reproduction of art, as according to Benjamin, digital things do not have an 'aura'. They are not genuine forms of art.

There was a time when "Art" was made by artists who were skilled professionals. Today, it is possible for practically anybody to digitally produce a variety of things and present them as art forms. It can therefore be said that there are two types of "Art": Authentic and non-authentic; original and reproduced; real and fake. From the ideas taken from Benjamin's article, digital technology should be the barrier which distinguishes an authentic piece of art from a non-authentic piece of art. Thus literally any form of photography, film, recorded sound, or digital editing (e.g. photoshop) should be considered as non-authentic art. To deny the existence of art in it's non-authentic form would be impossible, as society's progression and revolution of digital media and technology is ever increasing and it's products being named as works of "Art". To extend on Benjamin's ideas, it is therefore imperative to distinguish between the two types of art.

Searching On The Internet

There are so many different ways to find information on the internet, the most popular being search engines. But how do these search engines rank the information they find on the Internet? An explanation of this would be that they rank websites according to the location and frequency of the keywords in the website, particulary focusing on whether the keywords appear at the top of the webpage, e.g. the headline. Webpages with the keywords appearing more so, near the top of the page and in greater proportion to other words will be assumed by the search engine as more relevant than webpages with the keywords appearing less frequently. These webpages will therefore be placed at the top of the search.

There are a great amount of search engines on the Internet, however only a few are well-known and frequently used. Google is the only search engine I use, simply because I was introduced to it at such a young age and have never had any problems with it. Also, because it is used by so many other people, I feel that I can trust the information it provides. Google is also a very simple search engine, requiring not much energy or thought to use, whereas I believe other search engines have information and advertisements cluttering their pages, making the site less user-friendly.