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| Sunday, 5 September 2004 |
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CyberRealm With Ranga Kamaladasa e-Groups : Another way to reach out Internet Groups or e-Groups as you may call them have integrated a great deal into our day-to-day internet experience, and have actually bridged a gap in the information field which was earlier held together by conventional means of communication, which were always somewhat rusty and had a huge price tag on their backs. Internet groups were probably the major breakthrough that got the information field running (subsequently after email). It combines the attributes of e-mail, chat rooms and newsletters so that the clients get a whole new experience in communication. Though the uses of e-groups in Sri Lanka are not as high as it should be, e-groups are important in academic, commercial, industrial and even leisure activities. What are e-groups? Frankly saying, they are an extended version of e-mail, which when sent does not go to one specific user at a time but a group or community enlisted by means of the internet. Any user in the group can post their own messages, and every other member of the group will get the message via e-mail. True, this does not sound groundbreaking at first, but it jumps over many mishaps in communication which turns to misunderstandings when dealing with larger numbers of people such as in an institute. So groups are a basically a social gathering of people (on the net) who have the same interests or have something to express concerning a common subject. History The advent of groups in the internet was probably initiated by the usenet newsgroup itself. Usenet was first assembled by academics in U.S.A (Jim Ellis and Tom Truscott) in1979 to aid their research. When it came to communications they were not satisfied with telephone conversations or electronic mail. And they couldn't just hold conferences every weekend due to the probable fact that it took mere months to actually plan such a thing. So they came up with the simple yet efficient idea of an electronic newsletter, where anyone can publish anything, anytime, concerning anything, which was available to others at the time they wish to view it. Most Usenet traffic now travels over the Internet. Usenet has no central management, but people who wish to establish new groups and people who post articles to Usenet groups are expected to observe certain procedures, and the content of some groups is filtered by a moderator, a person who checks messages. Usenet newsgroups are arranged in a hierarchical structure-that is, they are named in a system of categories and subcategories, from least to most specific. For example, the newsgroup sci.physics.fusion is devoted to the discussion of nuclear fusion, but there are many other groups with the heading sci. and several other groups with the heading sci.physics. Some of the most common general headings are comp., for groups devoted to discussions of computer hardware, software, and other aspects of computer science; sci., for the discussion of topics in science; soc., for groups dealing with social and cultural issues; talk., for debate and discussion of issues; and rec., for the discussion of recreational topics like music, sports, games, and hobbies. The Group culture But usenet is not the only network that gives the facilitation of e-groups. Sites like MSN, Yahoo, Icq, and Google have also numerous varieties of groups which concern almost every aspect of human passion. Education, research, health, sociology, physiology, philosophy, computer games and even cookery, name any subject you want to talk with your neighbor, and you'll be sure to find an e-group concerning that topic. And the fact that unlike usenet these groups are can be accessed without having to pay anything has also been a positive factor in their uprising. Many children and students now prefer groups rather than having a couple of penpals to write to. The ability to find people around the world who have similar views in a group is much higher than finding the perfect penpal. And also the fact that you're not just talking to one person but a community which values the idea's that are expressed, is in a way more sociable and more rewarding than the prior situation. Not only children, but an increasing number of adults in other countries have moved on to this level of communication. May be it goes with the fact that it saves time? You don't need to go with the conventional greetings or partings that have to be done cordially but not over-anxiously. You don't need to spend time on asking about the weather and all that. Just straightforward communication, by a click of a button. The extent that e-groups have gone into the social lives of people around the globe is fascinating. From ring recipes to seeking medical advice (though it's not recommended to seek advice other than of legal practitioners of medicine) and to dumping your whole emotional stress to other members who are willing to listen are some of the day-to-day activities going on behind these groups. Pros & cons As in most cases this area also contains a heap of unwanted issues that also need to be considered before you go forward. The most unnerving thing is the use of pornography. Usually without the consent of the moderators someone may post a link to a graphically explicit page which may lead to unwanted results. And also some one might post a link if opened will lead to saving that page as your homepage. The worst case scenario is that if ever someone gets a hold on your IP address, he or she might send an explicit e-mail claiming that it's from you. This is not very common, as I've experienced it only once and shortly afterwards the group got to know that it was the work of a hacker. Of course, these kinds of things can be controlled when enlisting to a group. Usually sites like Yahoo and Google lets you read the most recent articles which were posted by the group, and of course it lets you decided whether to join or not. Google and icq.com have both activity meters regarding how much activity there is going on inside a group, so you can choose a group which is not idle. And if you're not happy with the existing groups you can gather around some friends and make a group of your own, which can be made private or public. So, all in all, groups are an effective way of communication. Whether its education, leisure or work, they supply us with an enormous scope of expression and understanding. And the only thing you need is an email address! Comments: [email protected] |
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