UNIT 6

CHAT & CONFERENCING

Task 1 Discuss these questions.

1. What is your favourite way to chat on the Internet?

2. How much time do you spent chatting?
3. Do you give out personal details in chat rooms? Why should you be careful
about this?

Task 2 Read the text and match the headings (or subtitles) with each
paragraph.

1. Cheap calls over the Internet

2. Virtual words and online communities
3. Chat rooms on the Web: join the crowd!
4. Real-time video conferencing
5. Private chats with IM services

VIRTUAL MEETINGS

………………………………………
Imagine,~ you want to assemble
·.
a group of people from around the world for a
brainstorming session. Conferencing programs such as NetMeeting or CUSeeMe allow
virtual workgroups to communicate via the Internet. To videoconference, you’ll need a
webcam. Participants sentence each other’s faces in small windows on their monitors
and hear each other’s voices on the computer speaker. You can use just audio, video
and audio simultaneously, or the screen-sharing capability to collaborate on documents
without audio or video.
……………………………………..
Internet telephony, also known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), almost
eliminates long-distance phone charges, allowing you to call nearly anywhere in the
word for the price of a local call. If you have flat-rate internet access, you can’t beat the
price – it’s practically free.
With internet telephony, you can make a voice call from your computer to another
person’s computer, landline, or mobile phone. You can download telephony software
such as Skype or Net2Phone from the Net, and it’s even free!
……………………………………..
People also use more traditional chat conferencing or bulletin board systems
(BBSs) to communicate online. Note that during chat sessions, participants type
messages to each other rather than communicate by voice. Chat software can be
used on the Web with your browser to conduct online chat sessions with other
users and can accommodate between 50 and 1,000 users simultaneously. Some
companies even use chat conferencing on their websites to facilitate communication
with customers
…………………………………………..
Chat rooms can be good venues to meet people and discuss topics of mutual
interest. But what if you want to chat privately with a friend, family member or business
colleague? Then Instant Messaging, or IM, is the way to go. Many IM services now
offer audio and video capabilities, so if you have a microphone and a webcam, you can
chat and sentence who you’re talking to. The four most popular IM services are ICQ
and AIM (from AOL), Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger. They all work
similarly. First, you enroll in the service by creating a username - which is also your
screen name - and a password. Next, you build what is known as a buddy list - a list of
people that you want to communicate with. When any of the contacts on your list is
online, you can start a private chat with that person.
How do you know who’s online? When you launch your IM software, it connects
with the service’s IM server and logs you on. The server checks your buddy list to
sentence if any of your contacts are also logged on. Your list updates to show who is
currently online. By clicking on a name you can send text-based messages to that
person. After you type your note and click on the Send button, the message travels to
the IM server, then immediately forwards to your buddy’s computer. This all happens in
real time-instantly.
…………………………
You can also chat in incredible 3-D worlds that are built by other users, for
example Second Life. In these virtual reality environments you can play 3-D games
and interact with other users via avatar identities Avatars are 3-D graphical
representations of the participants.

Task 3 Read the text again and answer these questions.

1. Why is video conferencing so useful for virtual workgroups?

2. What special hardware and software do you need to video conferencing?
3. Which technology enables people to make phone calls over the Internet?
4. What is the difference between web chat rooms and Instant Messaging?
5. How do you log on to an IM server?

Task 4 Find terms in the text with the following meanings.

1. at a fixed price
2. a central system that provides information about whether, users are online
and passes instant messages between them
3. a friend list or contact list
4. happening immediately and without delay
5. artificial reality; a 3-D space generated by the computer
6. characters used when interacting with people on line
Task 5 Do this netiquette quiz.

1. Netiquette, or net etiquette, is a general code of behaviour for communicating

online.
O True
O False
2. TYPING IN CAPITAL LETTERS looks like:
O the message is very important.
O you’re shouting.
3. What should you avoid doing in chat rooms?
O Being respectful
O Giving out personal or financial information
4. Spamming means
O posting stupid comments in chat rooms.
O posting unsolicited advertising messages.
5. Before asking questions in a chat room or posting messages to forums, you
should always
O read the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions).
O introduce yourself and post a test message.
6. Avoid flame wars. Flames are
O angry responses or offensive comments.
O people who break the rules of netiquette.
7. Keep messages short and to the point, and check spelling and grammar.
O True
O False

Task 6 Netiquette
1/ Rewrite this IM chat, using full forms instead of abbreviations.

Abby: BTW, where r u going for ur holiday?

By the way, where are you going for your holiday?
Sue: Girona. Have u been?
Abby: Yes. I went 2 Girona last summer.
Sue: Did u have a good time?
Abby: It’s great, IMO. How r u going 2 travel?
Sue: We’re flying.
Abby: Where r u staying?
Sue: In a youth hostel.
Abby: IC. IOW, the cheapest place possible!
Sue: LO! Yes. BTW, any recommendations?
Abby: Let me think. I’ll send u a msg ASAP.
Sue: TIA!
 Abby: Got 2 go. BFN!
2/ Rewrite this IM chat, using abbreviations.

Paulo: By the way, are you free on Saturday?

Emma: Sure - it would be good to meet face to face. Shall we go for a
coffee?
Paulo: Good plan. Cafe Moka makes the best coffee, in my opinion.
Emma: It’s the closest to your house in other words!
Paulo: Laughing out loud! Yes, you’re right! But the coffee really is good.
Emma: See you at 4?
Paulo: Great. Bye for now.

Task 7 Discuss these questions. Give reasons for your answers.

1. Which program do you use to chat with friends?

2. Do you use abbreviations when you chat online or when you send text
messages?
3. Do you use voice or video while chatting? How?
4. Have you ever used the Internet to make cheap calls?
5. Does Instant Messaging distract you from your work?
6. Do you use your real name or a nickname in chat rooms?
7. Do you talk to strangers during web chats? Why shouldn’t you?
8. Would you ever go on a date with somebody you’d met on the Net?
9. Have you ever gone to cybercafé?
10. What services would you expect a cybercafé to offer?

Task 8 Analyze these sentences (Kinds of sentences & clauses & phrases).

1. Participants
,~ sentence each·.
other’s faces in small windows on their monitors
and hear each other’s voices on the computer speaker.
2. Internet telephony, also known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), almost
eliminates long-distance phone charges, allowing you to call nearly anywhere
in the word for the price of a local call.
3. You can download telephony software such as Skype or Net2Phone from the
Net, and it’s even free!
4. Many IM services now offer audio and video capabilities, so if you have a
microphone and a webcam, you can chat and sentence who you’re talking
to.
5. By clicking on a name you can send text-based messages to that person.
6. After you type your note and click on the Send button, the message travels to
the IM server, then immediately forwards to your buddy’s computer.
 7. You can use just audio, video and audio simultaneously, or the screen-sharing
capability to collaborate on documents without audio or video.
8. First, you enroll in the service by creating a username - which is also your
screen name - and a password.
9. When any of the contacts on your list is online, you can start a private chat
with that person.

Task 9 Think about the advantages of video conference then read the
brief text below to check your opinion.

Video conferencing is a simple and cost-effective way to keep in touch with your staff,
customers and partners. You can have meetings with people in two or more locations through
a video link while saving a considerable amount of money in travel and accommodation
expenses. In addition to traditional meetings, a high-quality video link can be used for
internal and external communications, consultation, remote training, help desking and other
support operations as well as sales meetings.

Task 10 Make a checklist to arrange an efficient and smooth video

conference from the start to the end. Listen to the recording of
how to have a successful video conference and confirm how
many points you have mentioned to get the result: happy
participants and time and money saved all round.