Web Pages * World Wide Web users post content on websites for others to view. The content may be simple text, but it might also contain multimedia files including images, sounds, videos or streaming content. Unlike many other forms of electronic communication, most Web content is pulled from the Web by users who are seeking information, rather than pushed to subscribers. While not as permanent as traditional media like paper, Web pages can archive information for extended periods.
Email
* Email is a method originally intended to imitate physical mail. Messages are delivered from one specific address to one or more specific addresses. Users are alerted to the presence of new messages in their inboxes by email clients that display the content and offer an opportunity to reply. Messages are primarily text but may include file attachments of various types including images and short movies. Unlike instant messages, emails are generally not expected to be read immediately upon receipt. Most email readers keep track of conversations that include multiple people through the use of threads. Thus email is ideally suited for long, involved conversations between two people or among small groups of people.
Forums
* Conversations that go on indefinitely, involve large numbers of people or need to be archived are not well suited to email. Forums, often hosted on the Web, provide an alternative that combines many of the aspects of email and Web pages. They involve discussions around a single, limited topic but can take place over months or years and involve dozens or even hundreds of participants. Most use a treelike structure that allows participants to jump in at whatever level their comments are most appropriate.
Text and Instant Messaging * Text messaging uses cellular airwaves and protocols to deliver textual messages from one cellular phone to another or