Microsoft Outlook: An E-Mail Client

Microsoft Outlook is a great e-mail client to use. It is not just like your regular e-mail address; you can get e-mails, news updates, and other things all sent to one inbox. Aside from the regular e-mail functions, you can save a very detailed contact list, make a calendar of all the important dates and events in your life, and even be updated on RSS works. The RSS works are essentially when you use Outlook to subscribe to things such as blog entries, news headlines, and small audio and video clips. Some RSS works are updated by the minute, so having Outlook including all your RSS interests at once is very helpful so you do not have to go and check every webpage for any updates. Applying this to the Herring article on Language, Outlook can be an example of every kind computer mediated discourse. It is very text-based in the e-mails, calendar, etc. Most of the applications of the tool are messages. There are some capabilities of audio and video files however, seeing as some of the links in your inbox, on your RSS feed, or linked on your calendar may be a visual or audio file. All this shows is that Outlook is capable of pretty much any type of computer mediated discourse.

Outlook is one of the most useful programs out there. According to the Mobility article by Campbell and Park, more and more people are using mobile technology. People are capable of doing just about anything on their iPhones, Blackberries, and other smart phones. Outlook is an example of that. The program can be put onto their phones, and then the users can basically have any of the content they're interested in at their finger tips no matter where they are. They will not have to track down a computer to find out information. Campbell noted that mobile technologies "have a remarkable reach" and the changes in available technology have rapidly-increasing usage. They can get e-mail, RSS feeds, and just about everything else from Outlook, on just a mobile phone.

An article by Kaplan and Haenlein notes the opportunities of social media; how just about everything can be accessed through social media. Not only is Outlook a great tool to access, but is an example in itself. You can get almost anything throughout Microsoft Outlook. There are virtual conversations in the e-mails and messaging system, virtual worlds in the calendar you create, and can be accessed by all. Everyone has a chance to use the great program.

Conversation Exchange

Conversation Exchange is a website aimed at those who want to learn another language but also make new friends. It's mostly a networking site because once you have signed up you can search the websites database for people who live in your town and speak the language you want to learn. Conversation Exchange offers three ways of meeting people and learning languages. The first is a face to face meeting. The website uses an example of two men getting together. One wants to learn english the other wants to learn spanish. At their meeting they decide to speak in english for a half an hour and then spanish for another half an hour. The benefits of a face to face meeting is you really get to hear how the language is spoken, you can observe the other persons dialect. You also have the opportunity to learn slang which is something that is rarely ever taught in textbooks.

The second tool they use to help users learn a new language is they allow you to become pen pals with someone else. This allows the user to focus more on perfecting their writing and reading skills of the language. Plus it gives an alternative to those who are not comfortable meeting up with strangers in person. Using the pen pal option also doesn't haven't the limitation of only socializing with those that live in the same city as you. You can connect with anyone around the world.

The third option they give users is to use multiple CMC tools to get in contact with other users. On the website it lists that users can use skype, windows live messenger, google talk and others. The benefits mirror some of the benefits of having a pen pal. It allows the user to hear and learn the language without having to meet a stranger in public.

There is also a resource page that anyone can access and learn from. It provides tips on what to write with a pen pal,survival phrases in spanish,french and italian in case you just need to know a few things for a personal or business trip to another country.

This website was very appealing because as a user it allows you to learn a new language which is nothing but a benefit in today's world,network and make connections with someone in another country,state or your own city and use CMC tools such as skype or different types of instant messaging.