Week 2 Homework- Asynchronous Messaging

To investigate the collaborative process further I Chose to research and write about category F, which was Asynchronous Messaging such as; Email, Forums, Fax and Blogs and how these assist the collaboration of work. The purpose of these tools many not only be for commercial reasons but also used socially and for marketing reasons and to simply inform others or appeal to a particular audience. All of these tools are available online and can be used in the collaborative process. It is obvious that the use of the internet is the most efficient, easy and productive way to share information. Therefore Email, blogs and faxes are very useful to assist in communication which is essential when collaborating.
These tools are also really helpful if people are to collaborate across large distances such as working between countries, particularly with people who are in circumstances where it is difficult to contact them via phone.
Email, blogs and faxes also have one thing in common. They are visual tools, therefore information such as images, sketches and for example plans, that are shared within an Architectural practice, can be attached to emails, blogs or directly faxed to the recipient. This is such a direct process where a person can receive the information needed in a very short period of time speeding up the collaborative process.
I think most people would use faxing for business reasons, that are short and require an immediate response to a matter, or simply just to communicate something quickly and simply.

‘The purpose of using a fax machine is to transmit critical information
when time is of the essence. The use of the fax machine should not be considered
a substitute for sending hard copies or making phone calls. The fax
machine is most useful for transmitting information that is time sensitive
and that is of limited length.’ (The Workplace Article,2001)

Figure 1: Fax Interface


Also using a fax machine means that those who are computer illiterate can easily use these tools without needing to know how a computer runs. Emails are largely used within the commercial field to communicate to other employees or contractors. This maybe something as simple as arranging meeting times or forwarding work to a group of people.

‘Email...gives you complete control over your communications at a fraction of the cost of printed materials. You can reach your audience within minutes with... messages that generate immediate response... is a highly effective tool... and establishing an ongoing relationship.’ (Hilary, Soltz Short, 2005)

Figure 2: Email Interface


Blogs I would say are more so used for personal use, such as socialising but recently it seems there may be a push towards using these commercially to advertise products for marketing purposes.

‘A business blog is an informal, easily maintained way to regularly communicate with your customers and employees. Unlike traditional media that require lead time for publishing, blogs are frequently updated, often daily, online journals of opinions, information and links to interesting content online.’ (Susan M, Heathfield,2008)

Figure 3: My Blog Interface


The advantage of using blogs commercially would be that a greater number of people can be exposed to this than an email sent to a group of people. Also anyone can access a blog account and view other people so this assists the collaborative process by transmitting information. Emails are also used for social reasons such as keeping in contact with friends and sharing files such as photos. For example the popular hotmail email accounts which now are used as addresses for a Face book account.

There have been many developments to the traditional manual faxing. Many offices still fax manually that is a fax machine is connected and employees make transfer documents by ‘scanning’ the information required and typing the contact number of the recipient.

Though there are new ways of faxing mainly for commercial use, such as online faxes. These include applications such as; MyFax, eFax, Send2Fax and TrustFax. These can be used to send faxes without the need for a fax machine. Instead these services rely on the workplace email system to receive and send faxes. (bizware magic website, 2006-08)

I feel that all of these tools are important for the collaborative process and that there are many more online facilities that exist now or in the future, that will assist in collaboration.

References: Websites: Hilary, Soltz Short (2005) Email Transmit Centre Website. Retrieved on 31 of March 2008 at: URL: http://infocenter.emailtransmit.com/article.php?id=6
Susan M, Heathfield (2008) Use Blogs for Information and Communication. Why Blogging Matters to Business Article Retrieved on 31 of March 2008 at: URL: http://humanresources.about.com/od/businessblogs/a/business_blogs.htm

Alabama Cooperative Extension System (2001) The Workplace. Alabama Cooperative Extension System WebsiteRetrieved on 31 of March 2008 at: URL: http://humanresources.about.com/od/businessblogs/a/business_blogs.htm

Bizwaremagic (2006-08) What is an Email Fax? Bizwaremagic WebsiteRetrieved on 31 of March 2008 at: URL: http://www.bizwaremagic.com/service_internet_fax/email_fax.htm

Images:
Figure 1: Online Fax Machine Interace. Retrieved on 31 March 2008 at: URL:http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Just_the_FAX__Are_you_still_faxing_manually.html
Figure 2: My Email Interface. Rachel MacKenzie, 2008
Figures 3: My Blog Account Interface. Rachel MacKenzie, 2008.