Chat Task 1:  I downloaded and joined ICQ, a chat program I had used a couple of years ago. Within a short amount of time my wife was complaining that this (colorful words) program was a pain and had slowed our computer up to a crawl. After trawling through the forum posts I  decided to download and install Pidgen and see how it worked. 

With accounts at Google talk, Yahoo Messages and ICQ this program was exactly what I was looking for, adding buddies to my lists was a cinch and having everything in one area helped keep my wife happy. No more slow downs and I was able to chat successfully with fellow students.

My preferred communication program on the Net is Skype Pro, I use it frequently to call and chat with people on a personal and business level. I have also used Paltalk, but as I don’t have a webcam, talk and text chat is all I really need at this time. I do understand though that the real power of the Internet  is in the ability to utilise a whole range of mediums to optimise the effectiveness of virtual communication. No doubt in the future I will embrace further these opportunities.

This task was relatively simple, the ICQ site easy to navigate and signing up was simple. Pidgen also was easy to download and install. While Pidgen is a great little program it does not have the same features as ICQ which may be a issue for some users, but for me that makes it better and less a hassle.

With several students connected up as buddies and with accounts at Yahoo, ICQ and Google I kept track of who was online and available. When communicating with fellow students we went from study to personal and general conversation. I found the text chat helped me to feel a part of a group and established a space for me online where I could ramble on and get feedback and support.

It was interesting that outside of this course I have been using skype as an overall communication tool, had briefly used Paltalk and also ICQ. While they all have common type features some concentrate more on one medium than the other. The opportunity to contribute on a number of levels and in a number of different discussions, both one to one and in group chat was useful.

In reflection there a number of communication tools out there which are relatively easy to use, inexpensive and rapidly evolving. The freedom of expression is alive and well and the opportunity to forge a new global space network has been taken up by a large and diverse part of the online community. A new way has been forged which transends distance and time, while the tools are sometimes tempremental and dependant on Internet connectivety any one can speak out across the cyberwaves whether by text, voice or video.

The opportunities for Education, Relationship, Friendship, Business, Political, Religion and any other issue to be discussed and absorbed is multiplied through informational space. The dawn of the age of true global communication is well upon us.

Email still sits as the basis for online communication but with age comes change and this is now being used as only one part of a suite of communications tools which the discerning Internet user has in his toolbox.

For me, I still prefer Skype where I can keep a majority of my communication needs together. While I will utilise others this will remain my favourite.