CHAPTER 10: COMMUNICATION

Communication with Other ICT Users Using Email:

Emails are now one of the most common ways of communicating between people. However,
there many rules we need to follow to ensure the security of the messages sent and also to
prevent people writing anything which is regarded as unacceptable.
Email laws

Acceptable language:
The language used by people when writing emails should follow an acceptable code of practice.
The following is a list of unacceptable content to be used in emails, text messages and online
forums:

 obscene images
 Language that is regarded as abusive, profane, inflammatory, coercive, defamatory or
blasphemous
 Racist, exploitative or violent messages
 Use of illegal materials or messages.
Company email policy and guidelines:

 All employees should only assume they can use a company’s email system for business
use; it is up to companies to decide if personal emails should be permitted on their
systems
 Companies may specify which company devices are allowed to be used for sending and
receiving emails
 The acceptable style and tone of emails should be made clear there needs to be a
company standard style when sending emails
 It must be made clear what email content is not permitted
 Employees should be told to only use their own accounts when sending emails.
 Staff need to be aware of the method and duration of storing emails.
 Incoming emails should only be read by the recipient; they can only be read by another
member of staff if so nominated.
Security and password protection:
Some methods of increasing the security of emails include:

 Using strong passwords when logging on to your email account (for example, the name
of your pet is a weak password; strong passwords contain a combination of letters,
numbers and other symbols: Sy12@#TT90kj=0 would be regarded as a strong password)
 Changing passwords on a regular basis
 Using spam filters to remove certain suspicious emails to a ‘junk folder’ or even to block
the email entirely
 Running anti-virus and anti-spam software at all times on your computer, to protect
against emails from unknown or malicious sources
Emails are said to be vulnerable to both passive and active attacks. Passive attacks include the
release of email material to other users without your consent. Active attacks involve the
modification of your messages or even denial of service.

Internet:
The internet is a global network of interconnected computer networks that is used to connect
people, communities and countries worldwide.
Uses of the internet:

 Sending and receiving emails

 Research
 Downloading files
 Playing interactive games
  Education and self-improvement
 Using social networking sites
 Reading electronic newspapers and magazines
 Job-hunting
 Shopping
Intranet:
An intranet is a private computer network within an organization. Access to an intranet is
usually confined to a company or organisation and, unlike the internet, is not available to the
general public.
There are a number of reasons for adopting intranets rather than using the internet:

 Intranets are safer because there is less chance of external hacking or viruses.
 Companies can ensure that the information available is specific to their internal
audience’s needs.
 It is easier to send out sensitive messages in the knowledge that they will remain within
the company.

Extranets:
An extranet is a private network similar to an intranet, but typically open to external parties,
such as business partners, suppliers, key customers, etc. The main purpose of an extranet is
to allow users to exchange data and applications, and share information.
World Wide Web (WWW):
The World Wide Web (WWW) is only a part of the internet which users can access using web
browser software. The World Wide Web consists of a massive collection of web pages, and has
been based on the hypertext transfer protocol (http).

Blogs:
Web logs (blogs) are personal internet journals where the writer (blogger) will type in their
observations on a topic (for example, a review about the latest movie release)
Features of blogs:

 updated on a regular basis by the author

 Usually organised in reverse chronological order (most recent to least recent entry)
 Normally public – anyone can read them
 Entries normally come from a single author
 Other internet users cannot change blogs – they can only read them
Microblogs
Microblogs are similar to blogs, but are most often used on social networking sites to make
short, frequent posts. The posts can be done using instant messaging, emails or use other
social networking vehicles (such as tweets). Social networking sites use microblogs to allow
members to update their personal profiles, for example. Another version is a b-blog – short
for business blog – which is used by businesses to promote themselves on the internet
Wikis
Wikis are web applications or websites that allow any user to create and edit their web
pages using any web browser. A wiki will support hyperlinks and uses a very simple syntax
(known as wiki markup) to create pages.
Features of wikis:
 anyone can edit, delete or modify the content » many authors can be involved in a
wiki
 it is possible to organise a page any way the author(s) wish(es)
 shows/keeps track of all entries – that is, stores a document history
 can be easily edited using a web browser
 allows large documents to be seen by many people – it is easier than emailing
several people
Social networking sites
Social networking sites focus on building online communities of users who share the same
interests and activities. They enable people to share photos, videos and music, hobbies,
favourite eating places, and so on. The members do this by creating public profiles and thus
form relationships with other users.

Features of social networking sites:

 Each member is provided with free web space.

 Each member can build their own private and public profiles.
 It is possible to upload content such as text messages, photos and videos.
 Members are given free instant messaging and video chatting.
 It is possible to email other members within the community.
 Members can create pages where they can post photos, articles, and so on.
 It is possible to invite people to become friends.
 Members have control over who can access their private or personal data.

Functionality of the internet:

Internet service providers (ISP):
An internet service provider (ISP) is a company that provides users with access to the
internet. It is normal to pay a monthly fee for this service. When a user registers with an
ISP, an account is set up and they are given login details that include a user ID and
password.
Web addresses, URLs, hyperlinks and web browsers:
A web browser is software that allows a user to display a web page on their computer
screen.
Most web browsers share the following features:
  They have a home page
 They have the ability to store a user’s favourite websites/pages (known as
bookmarks)
 They keep a history of the websites visited by the use (known as user history).
 They allow users to navigate backwards and forwards through websites.
 They have hyperlinks that allow users to navigate between web pages; these
hyperlinks are shown as blue_underlined_text or use a small picture.
Web browsers use uniform resource locators (URLs) to access websites, retrieve files, and so
on. URLs are text addresses used to access websites. A URL is typed into a browser address bar
using the following format:

protocol://website address/path/filename

where:
Protocol is usually either http or https.
Website address:
 domain host (www)
 domain name (name of website)
 domain type (.com, .org, .co, .net, .gov)
 sometimes a country code (.uk, .us, .de, .in)
Path, which is a web page (if omitted then it is the root directory of website)
Filename is the item on the web page.
For example:
https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/IGCSE/ICT

Search Engines:
Search engines are useful if you do not know the URL of the website, or if you want to find
some information but do not know where to look. Many search engines exist, and they search
for websites using a variety of methods, but they all have one common underlying feature: they
look up the words entered in the search box in their database of web pages to find out which of
them match the search string or criteria.
Advantages of using the internet to find information:
 Searching for information using a search engine is fast and easy.
  Search engines provide a deeper knowledge that helps people with all the information
they need.
 Accurate results.
 Various filtering options.
 Information on the internet is essentially free of charge.
 Pages on the internet can have multimedia elements (for example, videos, animations,
cartoons and music/voiceovers) that make learning more interesting and often makes it
easier to understand the topics.
Disadvantages of using the internet to find information:
 There is always the risk of accessing inappropriate websites when using search engines.
 It is too easy to be distracted when searching on the internet – users can find computer
games or enter social networking sites instead of doing their work.

Internet protocols:
Protocols are sets of rules agreed by the ‘sender’ and ‘recipient’ when data is being
transferred between devices.
1. Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP):
Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) is a set of rules that must be obeyed when
transferring website data across the internet. When a web page is being
accessed, entering http:// at the front of an address tells the web browser that
‘http rules’ for communication are to be obeyed.
2. File transfer protocol (FTP)
File transfer protocol (FTP) is a network protocol used when transferring files
from one computer to another computer over the internet
3. Secure sockets layer (SSL):
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol that allows data to be sent and received
securely over the internet.
SSL is designed to work with communication protocols like HTTP and FTP. When
used with HTTP, a user logs onto a website as normal, but SSL encrypts the data
– only the user’s computer and the web server are able to make sense of what is
being transmitted. As mentioned earlier, a user will know if SSL is being applied
when they see HTTPS, or the small padlock in the status bar at the top of the
screen