Module 2: Chat

Throughout my years of using the internet and being able to access it at home i have come across many differing versions of online communication. I have before accesed various online communication sources such as ICQ and yahoo chat however in the last year my main online communication preference is definately windows msn messenger and www.myspace.com. I know now that there are numerous communication sources out there with far better features however i find these two the easiest for me to use and far more accesible. Being a Bodyboarder alot of people i surf with around the world all use the same chat facilties so naturally i stick to these which happen to be myspace and msn. I much prefer these forms of online communication due to the amount of my peers who also use the same ones. I find this type of chat communication most useful when i am out of mobile phone credit or i am overseas and need to quickly contact family or friends. It is the easiest way for me to stay in touch and communicate with people. MSN is quite different from the other chat sources out there such as ICQ and AIM as i believe it is the most basic, there is a toolbar showing just how many people you have online and it is usually made up of people you already know. With msn you are not chatting to people you dont know. Other forms of communication you will be chatting to people that you dont know and are not familiar with. MSN can be far more personal. For this activity i organised a time and date to chat to Ebi - kun another student in my Net 11 course about these types of online communication his email was ruby.otomo@hotmail.com

the conversation that followed -

Ebi-kun says:
what chat programs are you using/have you tried?
Dear Adam says:
ohhh i see where your going. Yes well i have only just started using msn messenger about 1 year ago. Im pretty much hooked though because i have a lot of friends overseas and can easily keep in contact with them
Dear Adam says:
how about you?
Ebi-kun says:
i've been using msn for a few years now, as i spend a lot of the time on the computer. i think it's a really great innovation, especially the newer versions of msn as they allow you to utilise webcam/microphone features and interactive pictochat.
Ebi-kun says:
have you tried any of the other programs? for instance aim, yahoochat, gmail chat, icq?
Dear Adam says:
i have tried yahoo chat but i do prefer msn because you are chatting at a more personal level, plus the fact you usually know who your chatting too.
Ebi-kun says:
also another great program that incorporates all the major chat programs through one window - pidgin - is very handy as it means you have less programs open. the downside that it nulls the features that make the other chat programs so great, like webcam etc.
Dear Adam says:
ohh wow i didnt know that, ive never heard of it.
Ebi-kun says:
do you think there are any downsides to msn in relation to yahoo chat?
Ebi-kun says:
pidgin is free to download if you google it. i'd recommend it if you have lots of friends on different chat programs and you'd rather be able to talk to them through one program. also if you don't mind plain text (and emoticons) chat as opposed to the more interactive skype/msn style.
Dear Adam says:
ohh ok yer that does sound alot easier, however most of my friends do just use msn.
Ebi-kun says:
in which case you may find msn to be more effective
Dear Adam says:
Anyway Ebi-kun thanks for all your help and the interesting information regarding other chat sources.. i will let you get back to what ever it is you were doing. Thankyou. - Adam Quinn
Ebi-kun says:
no problem you might want to write something about the differences between synchronous and asynchronous chat as well.