How To Use The Internet to Communicate Effectively

We might assume most students use the internet regularly these days. For work as well as social activities it’s a tool that we rely on a lot. But how to use the internet to communicate effectively? Let’s look at the different tools we can use and especially how they can be used to communicate in an educational setting, and what are their advantages and disadvantages?

In the past we had few options if we wanted to communicate with people over a long distance. We had telephones and we had letters, that was basically it. Right, I’m forgetting about telegrams and faxes, but let’s focus on widely spread, mainstream tools everybody has access to. The phone was the way to communicate directly to a person and sending a letter was the indirect way.

Nowadays phone calls are still made, and the mobile phone allows us to talk with each other whenever we want. Letters are still sent too, though way less often. And if we look at how we use computers to communicate we can roughly make the same distinction between direct en indirect communication:

Direct Communication

• Chat/IM
  Using an instant messenger can be very handy, especially when you want to ask a quick question. Another advantage of IM over using a phone is the possibility to send and receive documents while chatting. And clickable links, which may also come in handy for instance when you’re discussing online research material. The disadvantage though is that it takes more time then directly talking to the other person, as you have to type, and then wait for a reply from the other side. A chat history provides you with a good record of everything that’s been said.
• VOIP
  VOIP (Voice Over IP) software like Skype allows us to make phone calls over the internet as well as send messages. You have the advantages of a phone call and the advantages of an instant messenger, although you won’t have such a nice record of the conversation, unless you make a an audio recording. Yet there’s no software that analyzes what’s been said so you can print a transcript. As far as I know.
  Software like Skype also allows you to show video, so if you have a web cam you can see each other. And being able to see facial expression might make communication easier.

Indirect Communication

• Email
  We don’t send paper letters anymore, we send email. It seems similar, a digital letter you can send to anyone as long as you have an address. To use email effectively though, there are certain rules you have to be aware of (especially when you’re emailing your teachers), like: always use a descriptive subject line; keep your messages to the point; be polite; if you’re part of a group mailing list, don’t use it for discussion; and more: this might be a good subject for a future article on Streamlined Mind.
• Social networks
  Social networks can be found everywhere on the net. They can be related to a subject, like Last.FM and MySpace (music), Flickr (photography), or just be a social network where you can make friends and share information with them, like Facebook. You could use them to communicate to a whole group of people at the same time, and for building a network.
• Forums
  You can use forums to talk with other people about a subject that interests you, which can be very helpful while doing research. You could also set up your own forum if you’re working in a project group. It enables you to share information and discus research results with the group members without having to overload a mailing list. A forum also gives a much better record of what’s being said than a series of email messages.
• Blogs
  Writing on a blog is communicating with an audience, but don’t forget you, as a reader, can often contribute to an article or discussion too, by leaving comments. When you find someone who’s been blogging about a subject that interests you, write him or her some comments. They will be read, appreciated and often replied on!

As a student can also use the internet to communicate with potential future clients, partners or colleagues. Having a portfolio website you can help you promote yourself and your work before entering the professional field. Also read this post about the advantage of having a portfolio website. In that case you’re not directly communicating to a person, but you’re getting your vision and ideas out there for others to discover.

Compared to ‘the old days’ before the internet, it’s much easier now to approach new people and far away people, and I think it changed the way we communicate a lot. It much easier to reach a teacher outside of the classroom if you have his or her email address. And it takes less courage to send an email than to pick up the phone and call. The personal touch of a handwritten letter is gone though, and because it’s so easy to send out messages to the world it’s important to think before you hit the send button and to use these tools effectively, especially in a professional setting.

Did you miss anything in this article? Is there another way you use the internet to communicate? Please leave a comment and let me know!

Photo by macinate