Instant Messaging, Blogs and Wikis – An Introduction

G.Grinnell 4/05

IM (Instant Messaging) - An instant messenger is a client which hooks up to an instant messaging service. Instant messaging differs from e-mail in that conversations happen in realtime. Also, most services offer a "presence awareness" feature, indicating whether people on one's list of contacts are currently online and available to chat. Generally, both parties in the conversation see each line of text right after it is typed (line-by-line), thus making it more like a telephone conversation than exchanging letters. Instant messaging applications may also include the ability to post an away message, the equivalent of the message on a telephone answering machine. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Blog - A weblog, web log or simply a blog, is a web application which contains periodic time-stamped posts on a common webpage. These posts are often but not necessarily in reverse chronological order. Such a website would typically be accessible to any Internet user. "Weblog" is a portmanteau of "web" and "log". The term "blog" came into common use as a way of avoiding confusion with the term server log. Blogs run from individual diaries to arms of political campaigns, media programs and corporations, and from one occasional author to having large communities of writers. Many weblogs enable visitors to leave public comments, which can lead to a community of readers centered around the blog; others are non-interactive. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Mrs. Greenwald’s First Grade Blog Mrs. Greenwald has housed this blog on a paid site, but she could have done it for free.

Technology Review Blogs A grown-up blog site for techies.

Wiki - A Wiki or wiki (pronounced [wɪki], [wiki] or [viki]; see Pronunciation below) is a website that allows users to add content, as on an Internet forum, but also allows anyone to edit the content. "Wiki" also refers to the collaborative software used to create such a website (see Wiki software).The name was based on the Hawaiian term wiki wiki, meaning "quick" or "super-fast". At Honolulu Airport, the inter-terminal coaches are called the Wiki Wiki Bus for this reason. Sometimes wikiwiki or WikiWiki are used instead of wiki. (Taken from Wikipedia)

WikiBooks This is a project designed to let people write “books” together. Check out the WikiBooks Junior section, and try adding a bit of information.