Web logs

Web logs are public text based diaries which you can publish your ideas and thoughts to. They are organised in date order and capture the exact time and date the entry was published. They are normally made use of by writers, journalists, professionals, students or enthusiasts wishing to talk about a specific subject, but they may also be used as a general diary type resource. Access can be limited to friends and family or extended to include the wider public. Blogger.com is an example of a site which provides this service.

Social networking software

No one can mention social networking in the Western world without at first thinking of Facebook. Facebook has had a huge impact on the way people spend their leisure hours or even, when their boss isn’t looking, their working hours. Indeed many firms, knowing this, have a public Facebook profile of their own. Social networking sites are multipurpose and can be used to instant message people, post daily status updates, share media files and exchange emails. They can also be used to promote events, organizations and causes.

Advantages

• They are free to use.
• They can be used to exchange information of a personal, professional, commercial or political nature.
• They are multipurpose and save you logging into a number of sites to perform a number of different activities.
• They enable people to keep in touch with friends, family and acquaintances across the globe.

Disadvantages

• Information can be misused by individuals or groups and organisations.
• They can be used in a variety of ways to invade our privacy.
• People can get addicted and waste productive time.
• They are used for advertising, which can be irritating. For some this is an ethical issue.

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Podcasts

Podcasts are recorded audio or visual files which can be streamed or downloaded from the internet. In other words, they are like mini radio or television programmes. They can be recorded at home or in a studio and uploaded to the internet for other people to watch or listen to. They are normally made as part of a series and usually follow a theme e.g. gardening or comedy. Often they are free, although sometimes you will need to pay for them. They can be entertaining or educational.

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Media players

Media playing software is readily available for free on the Internet and often comes as part of a software package when you buy a new laptop or PC. The Windows Media Player and realPlayer are two popular examples. They will normally enable you to:

• Purchase and download music and videos from the Internet
• Build up an automatic playlist of music
• Stream music or videos
• Stop, start, pause and mute sound and videos
• Listen to a range of radio channels
• Scroll through your stored photographs