外文文献和中文翻译 Internetbased Communications.docVIP

Internet-based Communications If you use the Internet, then you probably use Internet-based communications to contact family, friends or co-workers. From sending an instant message to a friend, to e-mailing co-workers, to placing phone calls, to conducting video conferences, the Internet offers a number of ways to communicate. The advantages of Internet-based communications are many. Since youre already paying for an Internet account (or your employer is), you can save money on phone calls by sending someone an instant message or by using VoIP instead of standard local telephone services. Of course, no technology is without a downside and Internet-based communications has plenty, such as viruses, privacy issues and spam. Like all technologies (and especially technology tied to the Internet), the way we can communicate online is constantly evolving . In this weeks Did You Know...? article well take a look at some of the most popular forms of Internet-based communications. Instant Messaging One of the fastest-growing forms of Internet communications is instant messaging, or IM. Think of IM as a text-based computer conference between two or more people. An IM communications service enables you to create a kind of private chat room with another individual in order to communicate in real-time over the Internet. Typically, the IM system alerts you whenever somebody on your buddy or contact list is online. You can then initiate a chat session with that particular individual. One reason that IM has become so popular is its real-time nature. Unlike e-mail, where you will wait for the recipient to check his or her e-mail and send a reply, if a person you want to reach is online and available in your IM contact list, your message appears instantly in a window on their screen. While IM is used by millions of Internet users to contact family and friends, its also growing in popularity in the business world. Employees of a company can have instant access to managers and co-w