This document defines and describes several digital communication methods including email, instant messaging, SMS, bulletin boards, discussion forums, blogs, newsgroups, internet telephony, and conferencing. Email allows sending and receiving text and files via the internet or mobile networks using an address. Instant messaging provides instant text contact between users. SMS sends short text messages between mobile phones via mobile networks. Bulletin boards and discussion forums allow users to post and discuss information online. Blogs let individuals share ideas and information online. Newsgroups discuss news topics and internet telephony transmits voice via the internet. Conferencing facilitates real-time video or audio meetings between clients online.

1. DCM’s
Digital Communications
S

2. Email
S E-mail (or Electronic Mail) is the sending, receiving and
storage of mail over the internet, and also mobile
networks in recent years. Originally made to send just
text, E-mail has developed into forwarding other medium
such as images, music, links, videos, and pretty much
any file you have on your computer. For E-mails to
work, the sender and receiver need only a connection to
an e-mail service, and an ‘address’ for the service (before
the @).

3. IM
S I.M, or Instant Messaging, is exactly what it is; a way to
contact someone instantly. Usually just text, IM is the
‘push’ of text between two people who have each other
as ‘clients’ on their chosen Instant Messaging device. For
example on a computer, the original MSN or AOL
messenger services were the first to be
recognized, along with the more modern BlackBerry
Messenger (or BBM), a form of IM between BlackBerry
users

4. SMS
S SMS, or Short Message Service, is a service that
provides the sending and receiving of text between
mainly mobile phones. SMS is for text messages
only, sent over mobile networks.
S SMS messages can be up to 160 characters long, giving
it the name SHORT message service.

5. Bulletin Boards
S Originally a manual, paper and pin based medium for
sharing things between a community. More modernly and
widely used on the internet as ‘forum boards’, giving the
users of these the freedom to post their views, opinions,.
Information and almost anything on their given Forum
site.
S Can give information on events, reviews on media texts
etc.

6. Discussion Forums
S Discussion Forums are internet sites that feature a topic
bought up by a user, maybe a view or a fact, which would
then have other users posting text-based conversations
about the posted topics. Individual Conversations about a
given topic are called ‘threads’.
S The difference between chat rooms and discussion
forums are that in forums, sometimes an invigilator or
moderator has to approve any input on a thread, and
messages are also archived.

7. Weblogs (blogs)
S Blogs are internet publications, usually made by an
individual who wants to share different things to others on
the internet. The user/author usually creates an account
on a blogging service (such as Blogger or Tumblr), and
would share ideas, findings etc, depending on the type of
blog page they’re creating.

8. NewsGroups
S ‘Usenet’ Newsgroups are Internet Discussion groups that
discuss just about any type of news topic they can.

9. Internet Telephony
S Internet telephony, also known as VoIP, is the
transmission of voice and audio information over Internet
Protocol (IP). Used for things such as voice conferences
and other multimedia services.

10. Conferencing
S This can refer to either video and/or audio conferences.
This means a meeting, or real time conversation between
two or more clients, usually over Internet Protocol.