The InternetIllustrated Introductory, Fourth Edition

1
The InternetIllustrated Introductory, Fourth
Edition

• Unit F
• Communicating on the Web

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U n i t O b j e c t i v e s

• Define mailing lists
• Locate a mailing list
• Subscribe to a mailing list
• Monitor a mailing list
• Unsubscribe from a mailing list

3
U n i t O b j e c t i v e s

• Find a newsgroup
• Understand chat
• Participate in a chat session
• Use instant messaging
• Learn about virtual communities

4
Define Mailing Lists

• There are two ways to subscribe to, or join, a
  mailing list
• send an e-mail message to the administrative
  address with
• a command, usually subscribe
• the name of the mailing list
• your e-mail address
• fill out a form on a Web page
• provide your e-mail address
• sometimes you must provide your name, birth date,
  and postal address
• To stop receiving messages from a mailing list,
  unsubscribe (or drop) from the list

5
Define Mailing Lists

• Moderated mailing lists
• the list moderator reads posted messages before
  they are sent to members of the list
• the list moderator discards any messages that are
  inappropriate for or irrelevant to the lists
  members
• Unmoderated mailing list
• all members automatically receive all messages,
  regardless of content

6
Define Mailing Lists

• Open list
• a mailing list that accepts all potential members
• Closed list
• membership is not automatic
• the list administrator rejects or accepts your
  request to become a list member
• the list administrator might reject your
  membership request if
• the list has too many members
• if you are not part of the groups specified
  community

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Locate a Mailing List

• Use a search engine to search for mailing lists
• use a search expression such as topic e-mail
  list
• topic is the topic you are interested in
• Go to a Web site that indexes mailing lists
• Send the list command to a list server to
  retrieve a list of mailing lists on that server

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Locate a Mailing List
Common mailing list commands
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Subscribe to a Mailing List

• To subscribe to a mailing list
• send the subscribe command in an e-mail message
  to a list servers administrative address
• visit the mailing list sponsors Web site and use
  a form to enter your name and e-mail address

File the welcome message in an e-mail folder
for future reference
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Clues to Use

• Some mailing lists require you to confirm your
  subscription.
• Youll receive an e-mail message telling you that
  your subscription request was received.
• You are requested to confirm your subscription.
• To confirm the subscription, you might need to
• reply to the message
• click a link to open a new Web page
• or follow similar instructions.
• Usually, you will receive the welcome message
  after you have confirmed your subscription.
• These mailing lists will usually ask you to
  confirm an unsubscription request as well.

11
Monitor a Mailing List

• Lurking allows you
• to become familiar with the lists culture
• time to research basic questions in the lists
  FAQ
• to avoid asking questions that you might be able
  to answer yourself
• To review past messages from the list
• send the index command to the list server to get
  a list of the lists archives
• send the get command to the list server to get a
  specific file from the archives
• go the Web site associated with the list

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Clues to Use

• If you have subscribed to a list and find many
  posts about objectionable topics, you can
• avoid reading the objectionable messages, or
• unsubscribe from the list.
• If you are unhappy with one list, unsubscribe
  from it and try another one.

13
Unsubscribe from a List

• To unsubscribe from a mailing list
• send the unsubscribe command in an e-mail message
  to the list servers administrative address
• visit the mailing list sponsors Web site and use
  a form

Refer to the welcome message for instructions on
how to unsubscribe from a list
14
Find a Newsgroup

• Newsgroups
• are part of the Usenet database
• require a newsreader or a special Web site to
  access the messages
• Most mail client software have a built-in
  newsreader

Usenet was one of the first large, distributed
information databases in the world
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Clues to Use

• Mailing lists refer to discussions or information
  transmitted via e-mail
• Newsgroups refer to Usenet groups that require a
  newsreader to read
• A forum refers to a mailing list that is stored
  and read on a Web site

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Understand Chat

• Chat
• communication that occurs in real-time on the
  Internet or on the Web
• can be continuous or planned to occur at a
  specific time and to last for a specific duration
• Chat topics
• some chats are open to discussion of any topic
• some chats are focused on a specific topic or
  category of participants

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Understand Chat

• Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
• a communications program developed in 1988
• popular with businesses for use for virtual
  meetings
• IRC client software connects to an IRC server
• Web chat sites offer the same capabilities as
  text-based IRC chat networks
• a Web chat site doesnt require users to install
  special software

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Understand Chat

• Chat participants often
• omit capitalization
• do not worry about proper spelling and grammar
• frequently use emoticons
• frequently use acronyms as shortcuts for common
  expressions

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Understand Chat
Common chat acronyms
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Understand Chat

• Private chat occurs between
• individuals who know each other
• individuals who are invited to participate in the
  chat
• Public chat occurs
• in a chat room
• between anyone who is registered with the chat
  service and who enters the chat room

21
Understand Chat

• Difference between instant messaging and
  Web-based chat
• IM is usually between two people
• some IM programs allow you to chat with several
  people at once
• Web-based chat is between multiple people
• some users lurk
• some users have multiple conversations going at
  the same time

22
Participate in a Chat Session

• Chat groups exist at many Web sites
• Usually, you need to register to participate in a
  Web chat site
• carefully consider whether to provide detailed
  personal information when you register
• most current laws do not require a Web site
  administrator to maintain confidentiality of your
  information

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Use Instant Messaging

• In order for two people to exchange instant
  messages
• both people must be using the same instant
  messaging software
• or at least one of them must be using IM software
  that allows people with different instant
  messaging software to talk to each other
• both must be online at the same time

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Use Instant Messaging

• ICQ
• (pronounced I seek you)
• one of the most popular instant messaging
  software programs available
• over 220 million worldwide users
• AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
• created a few years after the introduction of ICQ
• available to anyone (even people without AOL
  accounts)
• Windows Messenger
• developed by Microsoft
• installed with Windows

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Learn about Virtual Communities

• Virtual communities (online social groups)
• make new friends
• establish acquaintances before moving to a new
  location
• discuss politics
• obtain advice
• make any number of other types of connections
• Usually these communities provide a directory
  that lists members locations, interests, and
  qualities

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Learn about Virtual Communities

• Some types of virtual communities are
• general communities
• targeted communities
• business communities
• political communities

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Clues to Use

• Blogs are often started by people with strong
  opinions about
• candidates
• campaign issues
• current events
• Remember
• the information presented in blogs are the
  bloggers personal opinions
• check any information presented as a fact in
  another source

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Communicating on the Web Includes

• Defining mailing lists
• Locating a mailing list
• Subscribing to a mailing list
• Clues to use Subscribing to a list
• Monitoring a mailing list
• Clues to use Objectionable posts
• Unsubscribing from a list

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Communicating on the Web Includes (cont.)

• Finding a newsgroup
• Clues to use Mailing lists, newsgroups, and
  forums
• Understanding chat
• Participating in a chat session
• Using instant messaging
• Learning about virtual communities
• Clues to use Blogs and politics

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Terms to Use

• Mailing list (e-mail list)
• a list of names and e-mail addresses for people
  who share a common interest in a subject or topic
• Announcement list
• a mailing list that sends messages to
  subscribers, but does not allow subscribers to
  post to the list

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Terms to Use

• List server
• a server that runs mailing list software
• Mailing list software
• software that runs on the list server and
• maintains a database containing e-mail addresses
  for all members
• manages each users request to join or leave a
  mailing list
• receives e-mail messages posted to the list
• sends mailing list messages to list members

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Terms to Use

• List address (list name)
• the e-mail address to which members post messages
• Administrative address
• the e-mail address to which you send commands
• Command
• a request to the list server to take a prescribed
  action
• commands are not forwarded to other list members

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Terms to Use

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• document on a Web site that contains the answers
  to common questions that users ask

34
Terms to Use

• Message digest
• several postings to a mailing list grouped into a
  single e-mail message
• Welcome message
• informs you that you have been subscribed to a
  list
• often tells you how to
• unsubscribe from the list
• request a list of commands from the list server
• temporarily suspend your subscription
• access older messages

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Terms to Use

• Lurk
• to observe messages without posting any
• Archive
• the file in which a list server stores past
  messages

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Terms to Use

• News server
• a server that stores a Usenet newsgroup
• Distributed database
• a database stored in multiple physical locations

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Terms to Use

• Chat room
• a public area
• usually on a Web site
• anyone who is registered with the chat service
  can come and go