November 22, 2008
Internet Communication
Todays blog-entry is about the virtual session “Internet Communication”.
Internet communication can be done via e-mail, message board, live chat, etc. Its advantages feature: Temporal and spacial flexibility, saved messages, interaction. On the other hand, there are also disadvantages such as: No face-to-face communication, internet connection needed and information overflow. The online communication is generally subdivided into synchronous communication and asynchronous communication. Synchronous communication involves activities with no time delay, meaning instant activities such as chat, MUD (which I´ve never heard before 
) and videoconferences whereas asynchronous communications cannot be done without time delay, i. e. e-mails, forums or newsgroups. These types of communicating with one another can also be methodologically used in school when the teacher gives an e-mail assignment (asynchronous) to his students or if he gives an creative assignment (synchronous) – both during a computer lab lesson.
I particularly liked the quote
internet users also influence the specific rules and the language used
since it shows how our electronic age is defined by numerous people who have to agree in some point in a certain way to write online (see netiquette=rules of online communication) which is mostly done in English because almost everyone understands it. Thus, abbreviations like omg=oh my god, btw=by the way, cu=see you, aka=also known as, sts=so to speak, etc. are quite common among internet users. However, abbreviations such as hompr=hang on, mobile phone´s ringing or fotcl=falling off the chair laughing are new to me and I question if they are useful. All in all, abbreviations are there to save time and to create a new “youth language”, but with abbreviations being almost as long as an original word, I highly doubt that this makes sense.
I also thought the explanation to be useful when I read the following quote about emoticons:
the goal is to avoid misunderstandings due to the lack of contextual information.
Emoticons, hence, show feelings, so that the other person you´re communicating with knows that is a joke/ironic when you´re typing 
at the end of your sentence. Internet communication tries to be as close as possible to real-life communication and manages this goal very well (see Skype), but in my opinion, there is nothing better in the world to learn a new language by standing next to a native-speaking person in real! life and talking to each other. Communication problems can be solved a lot quicker this way.
Lina said,
November 25, 2008 at 9:45 am
Hey Max,
I really like your post, especially the funny comics
I think it’s true when you say that there is an unnecessary overflow of abbreviations. We don’t know what most of them mean but the younger generation does. So for us it’s important to deal with the new way of communication. We just have to learn how to handle it and how to teach it apropriatly!
Sophie said,
November 28, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Hi Maximilian,
I’m sorry my comment is a little late, I nearly forgot to write it at all (there’s always so little time in class, I hardly manage to write one comment…).
Well, anyway, I really enjoyed reading your entry, especially the two comics. I totally agree with what you are saying about emoticons and abbreviations. They might make Internet communication more fun and more authentic, but – as we saw in our chat last session – “real” conversations have clear advantages over Internet communication