Communication Applications
Flyers,posters,brochures and newsletters
Websites
Multimedia presentations
Music scores
Cartoons
Mobile phones
Internet telephony
Advantages
Disadvantages
Buttons to navigate/move around the website leading to more information
Websites can be hacked into and modified or viruses introduced
Hit counters to see how many people have visited the website
Use of hotspots
Can be seen by a global audience
Links to other websites/hyperlinks can be used
Can't be defaced or thrown away
Sound/video/animation can be added
It is much easier to update the website (and there is no need to do a reprint and then distribute the new version)
Risk of potential pharming
It is necessary for the potential customers to have a computer and internet connection
It isn't as portable as a paper-based system (although with modern smartphones and tablets this is fast becoming untrue
Possible for customers to go to undesirable websites (either by accident or as a result of the pharming attack) - this can lead to distrust from customers
There is a need for the company to maintain the website once it is up - this can be expensive
Because it is a global system, it is more difficult to target the correct audience using website advertising
Advantages
Disadvantages
Use of sound and animation/video effects are most likely to grab the attention of the audience, and can also make the presentation easier to understand
It is possible to have interactive/hyperlinks built into the presentation; this means the presentation could access a company's website or even the files stored on the cloud (such as video footage, images, spreadsheets and so on)
Use of transition effects allow presentation to display facts in a key or chronological order
The presentations can be interactive
They are more flexible; because of the links to websites and other external systems(e.g. the cloud), the presentation can be tailored to suit a particular audience
Wherever the presentation is given there may need to be internet access
There is a danger when using multimedia in presentations that the focus is on the medium (i.e. the multimedia presentation) rather than message/facts
Equipment failure can be a disaster when giving multimedia presentations
It is very easy to make a bad presentation with too many animation effects and too much text or images
There is a need to have special equipment which can be expensive
The music score can be generated from the music itself using software
Software can automatically correct music notes in a score
Electronic organs can mimic any other instrument
Synthesizers combine simple wave forms to produce complex music creations
There is no real need to understand music notation to write a music score
Electronic instruments (like guitars and organs) can play back through electronic effects machines
Music notes are automatically printed out in the correct format
Music samplers and mixers allow the original tracks that were recorded in the studio to be modified in a way that the producer wants
It is easier to keep in a contact with co-workers at the office no matter where you are
This is quicker and less expensive than making phone calls
It is possible to conduct business or personal phone calls on the move
Also text messages can be sent st any time of the day even if the recipient's phone is switched off
There is no need to look for an operational public telephone in an emergency
They employ predictive texting where the system completes a word from the first few letters keyed in e.g. key in 'preci' and the phone completes the word as 'precious'; predictive texting also allows the system to remember frequently used words - together they increase typing speed
Business cards and letterheads
Legal reasons (it helps if there are any legal actions taken - legitimate documents using the company letterhead is regarded as a proof of actual communication)
Advertising (letterhead can contain many useful pieces of information to advertise the company)
Brand/company awareness (advertises the company by using the same designs on all the products)
Helps to make the company stand out (will tend to have more impact than white sheets of paper with a typed company heading)
Professionalism (gives a degree of credibility to the company)
Can make the company appear larger than it is (this could give a degree of confidence to potential customers)
Add humor to any form of communication
Very efficient and effective way to get a message across
Voice over internet Protocol (VoIP)
A webcam can also be attached so that it becomes a type of video chat, although the video quality is not very good, but this can be improved by using a more expensive webcam
A method to talk to people using the internet
Usually free
Posters are eye-catching and usually very difficult to miss, but it also need to be placed in a strategic positions, to target a certain group of people in the area
Newsletters contain local information which is read by company employees or club members
Brochures and flyers can be sent out to every household in the area; this will ensure that a certain target of group receives a company's advertising