Magazine

A Rose by Any Other Name , by Peter J. Murray

Forms or types of CMC

As technologies change, the forms of CMC grow; in some ways there is divergence, eg the newer audio-visual possibilities to add to the text-based, while in others there is convergence, as in the amalgamation of many forms within a single Web-browser environment. Some are purely synchronous, some purely asynchronous, while others (eg NetMeeting, CoolTalk) are now allowing the two to occur in the same environment. Among the many forms are:

Text-based: Email Listserv-type discussions Computer-conferencing, with either text-based or graphical interfaces Ejournals Searchable databases Usenet newsgroups Internet Relay Chat and similar forms Audio-visual: Real Audio type applications CUSeeMe type applications Mixed: NetMeeting, CoolTalk etc - allow simultaneous use of e-mail, voice communications, whiteboard and other communication modes

catalogs Internet tools used for CMC