Chapter 17. Email, Messaging, and News

Chapter 17. Email, Messaging, and News The Internet makes worldwide communication possible. Three of the most popular forms of communication are: Email: One of the first applications on the Internet, predating even the WWW. I expect that all of you have experience with email, perhaps using Outlook or Outlook Express on Windows. Email is modeled after the postal service, sending messages to addresses, putting the messages into mailboxes. However, it's much faster. An email message gets to the recipient often in seconds. Recipients don't need to be on-line to receive email; they can read and answer messages at their own convenience. Instant messaging: While email is modeled on postal service, instant messaging is modeled on telephone service. Instant messaging sessions resemble conversations, where the participants need to be online simultaneously. Text messages are sent and responses received instantly. A window on the participants' screens displays the instant messages in the order they are sent, showing the ongoing conversation. Instant messaging is free and available for all computer users who are connected to the Internet. Newsgroups: Usenet newsgroups are also an early application (1978) on the Internet, bringing people with similar interests together. Each newsgroup is like a public bulletin board devoted to a specific subject. Anyone can post a message and read existing messages. The cumulative expertise available in a newsgroup is extensive. Most questions on a subject are answered immediately. Tens of thousands of newsgroups are available, covering every imaginable subject. This chapter provides instruction for communicating using all three methods.