ways2work > How to do it > Re-thinking business travel > Using ICT to reduce business travel > Communication tools > Text-based tools
Text-based tools
Instant messaging and email
Instant messaging allows where two or more people to communicate via computer at the same time by exchanging short text messages in real time. The discussion appears like a play script on participants' computer screens.
Email allows people to exchange individual messages by computer. Messages can be sent and received at any time.
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In terms of being alternatives to travel, email and instant messaging do not so much replace events that one might travel for (as a video, audio or web conference would), but to allow information to be exchanged. As such they can support alternatives to face to face meetings.
Discussion forums
Discussion forums are like a group version of email. They allow a number of people take part in anytime, anyplace, written discussions. They differ from email because discussions are indexed by topic as well as chronologically. Also because the forum is accessed by the user from a server, rather than messages being sent to their email inbox. They are also known as message or bulletin boards.
Discussion forums can reduce or replace travel. They allow a group of people to interact, share, discuss and deliberate in slow time.
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Rather than holding a departmental meeting on how to respond to new legislation, that matter can be discussed and debated in a forum. Then a decision can be reached in an audio or web conference
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Instead of travelling to attend a training course, you could receive training materials through email or in a web conference. Then you could discuss those materials with other learners and take part in group exercises using a discussion forum
A 2009 survey of 400 UK executives in >$10M companies found 12 % actually using discussion forums to communicate in a virtual team. A 2008 survey of SMEs found the same number of companies using online collaboration sites which would include discussion forums.