ICQ Chat

I managed to have a chat with Mary using ICQ, pictured above is a little bit of the conversation we had about instant messenger programs. I found ICQ really easy to use when chatting to Mary, I did not encounter too many problems with it!

Module 2 - ICQ

I downloaded the software from www.web.icq.com and added all of the available contacts to my list.
I then searched for the nickname advanced netstudies and added it to my contacts list.

1. The ICQ number for advanced netstudies is 257 853 416
2. It is not authorised automatically
3. The comment in the about section says "This is the ICQ identity I use just for my 'advanced internet use' students."

I found ICQ easy to use and have tried to chat with fellow students online, although I did not receive an answer...maybe next time!!!

Module 2 - Email Lists v's Newsgroups

Pictured above is my contribution to a newsgroup regarding problems with windows XP, boring I know but it was one I could get onto.

What are the Pros and Cons of email lists v's discussion boards?

Email Lists
As per the study notes supplied, a list automatically allows the distribution of email to groups of people that have consented to receiveing those messages and have the right to send mail to others. The aim is to be able to share information that interests members on the list.
Mail is sent to a lists address and from there the mail is sent out to the people who have subscribed to the list

Newsgroups or Discussion Boards
Newsgroups are places on the Internet where people can contribute to a discussion by leaving a message of interest.
Newsgroups exist on thousands of topics and are useful for building online communities and bringing people together with similar interests. They are like an electronic notice board. There are thousands of newsgroups that cover many different topics

Lists - Pros

• Information of interest is emailed directly to you


• Members of the lists actually want to be on the lists, this creates better communication between the members


• Can unsubscribe from a list


• Lists are monitored

Lists - Cons

• Lists have rules regarding certain types of information


• Can receive a lot of spam when subscribing to a list


• Have a responsibility when subscribing to a list


• The information that you post can be read by many different people even if you only want to direct to certain groups.


• Can fill up your inbox quite quickly
  

Newsgroups - Pros

• Newsreaders provide search functions, this allows you to sort through a list of groups and find the one that best suits your needs


• Newsgroups can either be moderated or open depending on the requirements of the newsgroup


• An Internet browser is often the only program required to participate in an online discussion


• Newsgroups bring people together who share common interests


• Gauge public opinion or strength of feeling about certain topics or interest
  

Newsgroups - Cons

• Can contain innappropriate content for some readers


• Can contain sexually related images that are inappropriate for some readers


• It is easy for children to download images and participate in sometimes inappropriate discussions


• Can be the victim of 'flaming'
  

Are there certain kinds of communication or purposes more suited to one than the other?

In my limited experience, discussion boards are better suited to people who want to log in and participate in a discussion when they feel like it. When you are a member of an email list, you automatically recieve information in your inbox that you then have to wade through to see if there is anything of any interest to you. The thread in discussion boards seems much easier to follow and you do not have to respond if the subject if it is of no interest to you or you have limited time.

Lists seem better suited to people who like to share their thoughts on a particular interest or subject. When you subscribe to an email list it can quickly fill up your inbox and this can create problems when trying to identify what is of interest to you and what is not.

Because of the time factor and the fact that the threads are easier to follow, I much prefer to use discussion boards like the one that we have set up in this course.

Module 2 - Email Tasks

I found the Email tutorial helpful to understand the basic email functions. I am familiar with many of the basic functions as I use email everyday to communicate at work and also on a private level. However, it is handy to know the tutorial is there to clear up anything that I might not have known.

The answers to the Module 2 questions are as follows.

1. What information about a user's email, the origin of a message, and the path it took, can you glean from an email message?

The information that you can obtain from an email message includes the username of the person sending the email, the domain name and the time that the message was sent. You can also see if the message was sent to anyone else using the cc function.

2. In what cases would you find it useful to use the 'cc', 'bcc' and 'reply all' functions of email?

• You would use the 'cc' function if you wanted to send a copy of an email to someone as well as the recipient
• You would use the 'bcc' function if you wanted to send a blind copy of the email to someone without the recipient knowing
• You would use the reply to all function if you wanted your reply to be sent to all of the recipients from the original message.

3. In what ways can you ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver?

• You must ensure that the recipient has the software they need to open the file eg if you are sending a file that was originally created in MS Word, then you must ensure that the recipient has a compatible program in order to open the document.
• Send text files as plain text (ASCII). This is useful of you don't know what type of programs the recipient has access to. (A file that is sent as plain text will lose any formatted text eg, bold)
• Include in your email the name of the program used to create the attachment.
• It is a good idea to compress large files to reduce the amount of time needed to open the file, you could use programs such as Winzip to unzip the file when you have received it. I have found this useful when sending MYOB attachments.

4. What sorts of filters or rules do you have set up, and for what purpose?

I have a spam filter in place for my email account so that I do not receive as much junk email as I would if this was not in place. I only receive email in my inbox from people listed in my address book. I still receive junk email, but it is automatically placed in another folder so I can access it if I want to, but it does not go directly into my inbox.

5. How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why?

I have based this answer on my email account at work, I sort all of my emails into separate folders depending on who they are from, for example I have different folders set up for clients, the ATO, friends and uni, just to name a few. I have done this so that if and when I need to refer back to an email, it makes it quicker and easier to do this without having to go through every email that is in my inbox.

Module 1 - Traceroute & Ping

Traceroute

I used http://centralops.net/co/ to access a router. There are 19 hops and the average time in milliseconds is 246ms.
The IP number for curtin.edu.au was 134.7.179.10 although in the self check questions the correct answer was 134.7.134.101, I am not sure why this is, however I think most students received the same answer as I did.

Ping

I downloaded the A-Tool bar from http://www.tucows.com/preview/323577.html and pinged the webct.curtin.edu.au address. There were 5 hops with 219ms. As you can see there were far less hops and it took less time.

Module 1 - FTP

I used the recommended site http://www.ftpplanet.com/download.htm to complete this task, I downloaded the 30 day trial version and connected to recall.curtin.edu.au. I logged in as anonymous and pulled up the README file. The correct answer for this task is CAPITALIZATION matters. I am sure the tasks are going to get more complex as we go along, but for a novice like myself, I found this one to be OK.

Module 1 - Telnet

I found this task to be reasonably easy, I typed telnet://library.deakin.edu.au into my internet explorer browser and the telnet screen came straight up. I followed the links to the page where you search for an author, typed in Bennahum and 2 entries appeared. The correct answer for this task is Managed Care: financial, legal and ethical issues.