Topic two

NewsGroups/ Email lists:

I joined a newsgroup on yahoo and managed to find a list that I wanted to join. Unfortunately many posts on the group were spam which is probably due to it being a public group. Here is my reply and the original post from one of the other users:
--- In Rainbowfish@yahoogroups.com, (name and address removed)@...> wrote:

I recently finished establishing the plants in my 100g Rainbowfish-to-
be tank. Are there any resources pertaining to where I could find
rainbowfish to stock my tank? Local selection is lacking.

Hi, whereabouts in the world are you? I know theres some breeders in Australia that will send the fish worldwide. Try http://www.ausyfish.com/.
Michael
Then to complete the experience I joined a email list by the name of ‘old punks’ (genre industrial/rock/punk) for music lovers. I figure I’ll stick around this list a while and see what sorts of interesting information come my way.

Chat:
MSN/Skype.
These programs play an integral part in my life. In face Skype is pretty much a requirement for me to communicate with my girlfriend overseas at the moment. One comment I do have about these programs after using them extensively is that it is very easy to be misunderstood. This is because text doesn’t carry the same meaning as the non verbal communications we give off in one-to-one communication. Even when using emoticons to add the lost meaning can often lead to miscommunication especially between cultures. A common example of this is ‘:D’. In msn (and skype) this means a open mouthed smile. However Chinese people interpret the skype ‘big grin’ to be a laughing face due to the animation and possibly translation of the emoticon name.


I also ventured into IMVU with one of the lovely ladies from our class. We visited several different locations like a dance floor and even paragliding! I can see people getting caught up in designing their avatar and customizing it. Many actions are possible such as body language, hugs, flirting etc. Communication is quite simple: simply type and hit enter. Right clicking on the avatar brings up the other options such as body language. A key thing with these avatars is people can create them to look any way they want. Often the avatars bear little or no resemblance to the owner. I think due to the anonymity people also tend to be less shy on IMVU. It’s a fantasy play world where people can be who they want to be without many of the fears associated with a physical encounter. I must say IMVU held no real interest for me though as it was just a virtual reality to replace real life.