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Communication

Relationship

Commercial

References

Email

Email consists of simple text files sent from one person
to another. The basis are the same regardless whether the email
is sent between offices or across the internet- messages are stored
in electronic mail boxes and can be opened from anywhere in the
world. They are rapid and cheap. Certain etiquette are observed by
users i.e. length, use of capital letters, emoticons and smileys.
Longer messages are sent in the form of attachments.

An ISP is a company which provides access to the Internet. There
are many different ISP’s which provide a broad variety of services at
a broad variety of prices.

Communication

T he Internet has become a valuable tool in education, commerce, entertainment and society. There are a tremendous number of useful resources available on line. Unfortunately some of the resources require greater technological capabilities to access than are available to many Internet users.

The 2002 Irish Census on Internet use revealed that the number of homes with Internet connection increased seven-fold to 458,ooo this year, compared with 1998.

Around 340,000 people in

Ireland

use the Internet each day at work or home. Virtually all businesses in

Ireland

use a computer and have access to email and the Internet.

Personal relationships

Friends

hat Rooms are a popular way of forming relationships on the Net. Many romances and even weddings have also occurred.
Support is available for all sorts of human and animal groups. Pen pals, old school friends, family clan and even your favorite fan club can also be found. However, some sites are used
for exploitation and traffic of children and adults by pedophiles.

Personal and Professional Training

U niversities, Colleges and Schools use the Internet to advertise courses and Professional development. A wide range of sites are available. Some course instruction can be purchased. Professional related sites i.e. An Board Altrainais for nursing, The National Federation of Teachers, Microsoft have Progidy.ie for study material and exam papers for their MOS course. Most sites are free and information can be downloaded for use.

Research

R esearch can be undertaken on any subject using the Internet. The main problem is there is just so much information but finding what is relevant can be difficult unless you can navigate the sites quickly and effectively.

There is a certain skill in this aspect such as the use of keywords and how particular Search Engines work. However, it is through frequent use that these skills are acquired.

Commercial, Public Relations and Marketing

The Internet is a wonderful way of shopping whether you are buying your weekly groceries, car or travel ticket. Great savings and gains are made on whatever you purchase or sell.

Marketting on the Internet is big business and as soon as you connect you are bombarded with pop-ups selling product. As yet Internet use in Ireland and the E.U. is fairly low and e-commerce even lower.

In 2002 the total software sales in the U>K> equated to £290 million. Total software exports valued £1 billion.

Cash Camel