Modern Ways of Communication

Email
Although email is not brand new, there are definitely new and innovative ways of accessing this tool remotely and without the usage of a computer. Many PDAs and cell phone services offer access to email, with the capability of sending and receiving messages from the devices themselves. This technology can be extremely helpful for those who must stay in constant communication with family members, co-workers or other acquaintances without being bound to larger computers or laptops.

Skype
Skype is a downloadable software that enables users to make free phone calls and send messages via the Internet. The service also offers video phone calling, allowing users to watch each other in real time while they speak. Use of Skype's free features requires a broadband Internet connection as does its paid features. Both businesses and private individuals have benefited from the convenience and immediacy of Skype's communication tools.

Instant Messaging
Instant messaging (or IMing) enables users to communicate with each other on the Internet via short written (or sometimes spoken) messages delivered almost immediately after the content is created. Instant messaging is a less cumbersome form of email as well as a faster way of facilitating complete conversations in real time. MSN, Yahoo, Facebook and America Online are a few of the services that offer messaging tools and programs for their users. The most popular IM program in Europe is ICQ. ICQ features include offline user messaging, multi-user chats, free daily-limited SMS sending, resumable file transfers, greeting cards, multiplayer games and a searchable user directory. Users can use emoticons while chatting with other users.

Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website. Facebook has over one billion active users. Users may make a personal profile, add other users as friends, and send messages. Facebook users must register before using the site. Users may join user groups. These groups can be for a workplace, school or college, or other interest. The name of the service comes from the name for the book given to students at the start of the school year by some universities in the United States. These books help students get to know each other better. Facebook allows any users who say they are at least 13 years old to become users of the website. Facebook was started by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates. The website's membership was only for Harvard students at first. Later it included other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and Stanford University. It eventually opened for students at other universities. After that, it opened to high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged 13 and over.

Twitter
Twitter is a popular social networking site created in 2008. While the concept is not unlike similar social sites such as MySpace and Facebook, Twitter is unique in that users can write (or "tweet") messages from either their computer or cell phone in short, concise updates, as often as they please. The concept of Twitter revolves around the idea that people can stay updated on the events of others' lives without spending a lot of time sifting through extraneous information or more elaborate weblogs. Another perk is the fact that Twitter is completely free and requires no special software.