BTT10+-+Communication

= Activity #1: Communication Technology = Use your internet research skills to complete the following exercises and answer the following questions:

1. The world of business has been using the FAX machine for many years, although many have phased this technology out due to the advent of email, sending a fax is still considered a prominent form of business communication in certain situations. Find a suitable definition for faxing, and add to a new file named communication technology.

2. Another significant source of information are Newsgroups (also known as discussion groups). After adding a definition to your communication technology file use [|Google Groups] to find a newsgroup that interests you. Make a note of its name, e.g., for sale computers, where people sell used computer equipment. Now check out [|Fliboard] and locate a newsgroup that interests you. Add its name to your communication technology file.

3.Another way to communicate is called a BLOG. Just what is a blog? Go to [|blogsearch.google.ca], find an example of a website that is a blog and note the main topic.

4.A technology is known as VOIP. What do the letters represent and how does the technology work? Which big companies should be worried? Which company is now making fortunes off the technology?

5. Why are social networking sites such as Facebook, [|Instagram] and Twitter so popular? Which do you prefer? What makes your choice better? Add your answers to your communication technology file and we'll discuss in class.

6. Time to get Futristic. What does the future have in store for us in term s of communication technologies. Research some of the new ways people communicate. (e.g. [|Microsoft Hololens]) Add your answers to your communication technology file. media type="youtube" key="Ic_M6WoRZ7k" width="560" height="315"

= Activity #2: Electronic Mail =

For this activity we will focus on e-mail. It's the most popular application on the Internet. Read the [|Harness E-mail] article and answer the following questions. Save as E-mail.

Questions: 1. What is e-mail? What devices can be used to send e-mails? List some different file types that can be attached to e-mails. 2. Describe the path an e-mail follows from when it is sent to when it is received. 3. What two things do you need to send an e-mail? What two protocols (software) are also required to make it happen? 4. What allows you to send more than a few words of text? 5. What is the difference between CC, BCC, and To. Give an example of when you would use each.

Not only can you send info in the body of the e-mail, but you can also attach files and create a signature line, which is text or graphics that appear automatically on every e-mail sent by you. Business people might include their company name, telephone number and address in their signature line.

Check out [|10 interesting facts about e-mail].

= Activity #3: Spam =

media type="youtube" key="XZ6N5m8FpVg" width="560" height="315"

Alas, there is a dark side to e-mail. And it's called spam. Plainly it's defined as unsolicited e-mail. That means someone's gotten hold of your e-mail address and is trying to sell you a product, service or idea. It can be incredibly annoying!

Read [|Why is Spam Bad] and briefly summarize. Save as spam.

Read [|10 Tips to Stop Spam] and add a summary of the methods to your spam file. If the headings make sense to you, use them only.

Now for some humour. Want a degree in Spam? Visit [|Spam University]!

= Activity #4: Web-based E-Mail =

This is a short one. Your ISP, Internet Service Provider, can provide you with an e-mail address. For example Bell Canada Enterprises runs //Bell Sympatico//. You may have seen email addresses such as //myname@sympatico.ca//. Similarly Cogeo and Rogers provide internet access and e-mail services. Alternatively, you can use a web-based e-mail service. This requires an internet connection and using the online service to store your e-mails. For a long time //Hotmail// was very popular but ultimately became the target for most of the spam. Gaining in popularity where hotmail failed, Google's //Gmail// took hold and is now the leading email server. Do some research and answer the following questions on a new page in your E-mail file:
 * 1) What are the features that made Hotmail so popular, especially around younger users?
 * 2) What are Gmail's main advantages?
 * 3) Why might someone prefer their ISP's e-mail service to a web-based one?

Save your responses in your E-mail file. You will not submit this file until after completing Activity #5 as well.

= Activity #5: E-mail Etiquette =

E-mail is similar to letters. The way you communicate your business speaks volumes about how your company will operate.
 * Read the following article on the [|9 Email Marketing Mistakes that should be avoided]. Summarize the main points. Add them to your E-mail file


 * Read [|E-mail Etiquette] and summarize the main points. Add them to your E-mail file on a new page under a suitable heading.


 * Summarize your findings by writing a sentence or two on how a business e-mail might differ from an e-mail you send to one of your friends.

Save the E-mail file and submit this to Edmodo.

= Activity #6: Send an E-mail! =

Your task is to go to the [|Free E-mail Site] and choose a source for your e-mail address. If you already have one that you use regularly, you can use it. Do the following:

1. Create a new message. 2. Edit the signature line so it says "BTT is Cool". 3. Send the new message to another student in the class with the subject line "BTT E-mail". 4. Add as an attachment your E-mail file; Make sure the file has been completed. and it's not currently open in Open Office. 5. Make sure the spelling is correct. You are sending it to a colleague so make sure it is in an acceptable and professional format. 6. When you receive the email from someone in this class, reply to it in a professional manner. (i.e. provide a comment on their email) However, please add a [|smiley or abbreviation] into your reply. 6. Save your replied to email as Replied Email and submit the email and the attached file to Edmodo (two documents). Please provide the name of the student that commented on your email.

= Activity #7: Texting! =

Something tells me that you will know something about this topic. Besides just social networking, texting has become an important tool in business. Go to this [|site] to read how businesses can use texting in ten different ways. Now, we all know that everyone has a cell phone. You are a technology company (i.e. Research in Motion, Bell Mobility, Fido etc.). Do the following:

1. Find a partner, get their phone number and separate from each other. 2. Each of you are to recreate each of the ten situations described in the article. Alternate being the sender and receiver for each point.

Write a paragraph about what you learned about texting in business that you didn`t know before. Be sure to include how it can be different from social networking.