Media And Modes Of Communication.

Introduction.

• The English word ‘Communication’ is derived from the Latin term ‘Communis’ .

• When a message is sent out it becomes communication only when it is understood , acknowledged , reacted to or replied to by the receiving party .

Modes Of Communication

1) Mail.2) Files.3) Telex.4) Telegraph.5) Telephones.6) Computer.

Mail

• The mail or post is a system for physically transporting documents and other small packages.

• Today most countries in the world have a highly advanced postal service .

• A basic Postal system has three parts :a) Collecting Letters .b) Sorting them according to destination.c) Delivery .

Types Of Mail .

• There are two types of Mail .a) Inward Mail :• No unauthorised person is allowed to handle

the mail.• Letters , parcels , covers , etc should be opened

in the presence of an official .• If any letter is unanswered after the lapse of 48

hours , such letters are entered into Pending Letter Register .

b) Outward Mail .• All correspondence should be type written

and carbon copies are kept .• The mail supplied by the business house to

other establishment is called an outward mail.

Files.

Even though most companies carry on their correspondence with the help of computers , it is very essential to keep a hard copy.A good filing system system enables you to lay your hands on important letters and information quickly .

Advantages.1. Traditional Filing has an security advantage over the

electronic filing .2. It is less complex than electronic system , which

makes it easier for an untrained person to access data .

3. It is cheaper than electronic filing .

Disadvantages.

1. It is hard to keep the back up of huge pile of data.

2. It takes time to access data even when arranged in order .

3. Editing data is difficult .4. It can be out of order if someone puts a

wrong file in between.5. It requires a lot of space .

Telex.

• It is a communication system consisting of teletypewriter connected to a telephonic network to send and receive signals .

• The telex network is a switched network of teleprinters similar to a telephone network, for the purposes of sending text-based messages .

Advantages

1. Written communication can be sent from one subscriber to another by direct dailling .

2. If the receiver is unavailable , the message is saved in the teleprinter machine and he can reply to it later.

3. It is quicker means of communication than the telegram and cheaper than the trunk call service .

Disadvantages.

1. The message maybe distorted .2. Lines are frequently out of order .3. Connection is not always available .

Telegraph

• A telegraph is a communications system in which information is transmitted over a wire through a series of electrical current pulses, usually in the form of Morse code . The basic components include a source of direct current, a length of wire or cable, and a current-indicating device such as a relay, buzzer, or light bulb. The term comes from the Greek words "tele" meaning "at a distance" and "graphien" meaning "to write”.

Advantages.

1. The transfer of message is very fast .2. The transfer of message between the sender

and the receiver is direct.3. There is no distortion of message .

Disadvantages.

1. Skilled people are needed for the preparation of message transmission and reception .

2. A relatively large equipment investment and inventory is required to achieve teletypewriter communication.

Telephones.

• The telephone is one of the most marvellous inventions of the communications era.

• Physical distance is conquered instantly and any telephone in the world can be reached through a vast communication network that spans oceans and continents.

• The first successful telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell on March 7 , 1876.

Evolution.

Advantages.

1. Fastest mode of communication .2. Anyone can use it , its cheap and very handy . 3. Can communicate with more than 1 person

at a time.4. No distance and time barrier .5. Immediate feedback .6. Call can be done anyday/anytime .

Disadvantages.

1. It is not very secure.2. Signal might not be available everywhere .3. There might be noise or poor quality of voice 4. There is no permanent record for legal purpose.5. Helps terrorism .6. These days marketing calls are being a head

ache and causes disturbance .7. Misused for making anonymous calls.

Computers.

• Computers are machines that perform tasks or calculations according to a set of instructions or programs .

• it is an apparatus to store , classify , arrange , generate change or retrieve information.

• The first computer was invented by Charles Babbage in year 1822 .

Evolution Of Computer .

1) First Generation (1940-1956) – Vacuum tubes.

• The 1st generation computers relied on machine language.

• Input was based on punched cards and paper tape . Output was displayed on printout .

• The UNIVAC and ENAIC are the example of 1st generation computer.

2) Second Generation (1956-1963)- Transistors.• The transistor helped computer to become

smaller , faster , cheaper , energy efficient and more reliable than 1st gen computers.

• The second gen computers was based on symbolic or assembly language , which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words.

• IBM 7000 , NCR 304 , ATLAS and Mark 3 are the examples of 2nd gen computers.

3) Third Generation (1964-1971)- Integrated circuits.• Transistors were miniaturized and placed

on silicon chips called semiconductor which drastically increased the speed and efficiency of computers.

• Keyboard was used as input device and monitor as output device .

• It was based on OS which allowed device to run many different application at one time .

• Examples :- PDP-8 , ICL 2900 , IBM 370 .

4) Fourth Generation (1971-present)- Microprocessors.• Thousands of integrated circuits were built

onto a single silicon chip.• Many high-level languages were developed in

the fourth generation such as COBOL , FORTRAN, BASIC , PASCAL and C language .

• Networking between the systems was developed.

• The 1st Chip intel 4004 was developed in 1971.• Examples:- IBM 4341 , Apple 2 , Star 1000.

5) Fifth Generation (present and beyond ) Artificial Intelligence .• These computers are based on artificial

intelligence and still on development .• The use of parallel processing and

superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality .

• More than one CPU for greater processing speed .• The goal of fifth-generation computing is to

develop devices that respond to Natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organization.

Conclusion.

We have discussed the different modes of communication and about its advantage and disadvantages , now which mode should we use ?The answer is ALL . Every mode of communication has it own advantage and disadvantage we cannot rely on just one mode of communication .