Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
is not suited to transmission of sensitive information, SMS solutions are
gaining widespread acceptance among emergency responders, following
the success of their use in New York at the time of the terrorist attack on
the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.
Twitter
Similar to the SMS short message, Twitter is a particular technological
solution that embodies development of immediate-post communication
streams. Rather than directing a message to a particular recipient or list,
Twitter users can send short text-based messages (called “Tweets”) to their
own Twitter site. Individuals who subscribe to the sender's Twitter feed
are notified of the new message, in essence creating a “bulletin board”
type of notification system, with advertisement capability alerting of new
content. Underscoring the mass appeal of these systems, individuals have
managed to expand their social network to over a million subscribers for
a single Twitter feed.
Web Log (Blog)
The Web log, similar to a diary or journal, has become a popular form of
social and professional interaction. Web logs, also known simply as blogs,
are constructed by the author entering information segments of textual,
graphical, or other content that is displayed with the most recent post
first. As new content is added, older items are displayed later or archived
in order to limit storage consumption (see Figure 6.7).
Blogs are accessed using Internet Web browsers and do not rely on spe-
cialized client software applications. This utility provides a ready mecha-
nism for quick notations and other rapid communications to an open or
secured forum. Many blogs are publicly viewable, while other may be
secured in part or whole so that only registered members or specifically
approved members can access Web log content. On social networks, blogs
may contain deeply personal information that is often publically shared
to any visitor with knowledge of the proper blog URL for access. Other
Web logs provide an insight into the actions taken regarding a project or
technology solution, creating a Web-accessible repository for testing and
development actions.
