#onlinehabits

[randomishz]

The Moment You've Been Waiting For: Unveiling the Quiz Results!

Last Wednesday, I shared a Google Form survey with you all to explore student's online communication habits. Curious to see how you and your peers responded? Here are the results!

Social media apps dominate informal communication, with 59% of students using platforms like Facebook and Instagram to stay connected with friends and classmates.

Figure 1. Primary Online Platforms Used for Communication with Friends or Classmates

When it comes to academic tasks, though, the shift is clear—97.4% prefer group chats on messaging apps like Messenger and Whatsapp for coordinating school projects. This preference extends beyond group projects, with over 56% relying on these chats for clarifying assignments from teachers.

Figure 2. Preferred Methods for Group Communication During School Projects

Figure 3. Most Effective Tools for Clarifying Assignments from Teachers

Interestingly, students place a high value on visual aids during online classes, with 46.2% highlighting screen sharing as the most helpful feature for learning.

Figure 4. Top Features Students Find Helpful in Online Classes

Meanwhile, direct messages on social media become the go-to for expressing oneself more personally, chosen by 53.8% of respondents, indicating a blend of public and private digital spaces in their communication habits.

Figure 5. Platforms Preferred for Personal Expression Online.

What about staying updated?

For important school announcements, 46.2% still look to social media posts from the school, underscoring how established these platforms are in both their personal and academic lives.

Figure 6. Preferred Ways to Receive Important School Announcements

Yet, group projects present unique challenges—46.2% cite delays in responses as a major frustration, which might explain why 48.7% don't hesitate to ask for clarification in group chats when things get confusing.

Figure 7. Biggest Challenges Faced During Online Group Projects

Figure 8. Responses to Confusing Messages in Online Group Chats

Furthermore, when it comes to showing support online, 61.5% believe in sending a private, supportive message—suggesting that despite the widespread use of public social media, there's still a preference for intimate, one-on-one encouragement.

Figure 9. Best Methods for Showing Support to Friends Online

Lastly, balancing personal and school conversations seems easy for most, with 53.8% simply using the same app but keeping separate group chats.

Figure 10. How Students Balance School Communication and Personal Conversations

While students are adaptable, utilizing both public and private digital spaces, there's a distinct pattern towards efficiency, connection, and clarity in how they navigate their online interactions.

Therefore, the way students communicate online is a fascinating reflection of how digital tools have reshaped our interactions, especially in educational settings.

By Mary Frene Jan R. Timblor | September 13, 2024

[gcastillion]

Culturelle Clubhouse Online Habits

Which social media personalities do you follow online? #CulturelleClubhouse #OnlineHabits 

Online, I follow social media personalities that inspire me. Strong and successful people that are a positive influence in my eyes. Also, I enjoy following and connecting with everyday people that I can relate to and some of my favorite brands. Like, moms, dads, bloggers, etc. Some of the people that I follow are; Adrienne Bailon Houghton, Jennifer Lopez, Kandee Johnson, 30 Seconds, Moms Meet, Jeannie Mai, Culturelle Clubhouse, Culturelle, Smiley 360, etc. #CulturelleClubhouse #ProudParent 

[akshatrathi]

Thumb rule for using hyperlinks

In an excellent article Robert Cottrell makes a smart point about online writing:

It helps, too, that when you’re writing online, there’s no need to introduce and source every person, place and fact you mention, and no need to fill in the backstory for those new to the subject. You can link out to the source document or the related story – or just assume your reader knows how to use Google and Wikipedia.

It is very annoying to read articles that have too many hyperlinks. I think a thumb rule for hyperlinks should be: use no more than 1 hyperlink per 200 words.

PS: In case you can't read the linked FT article, try this.

[randomishz]

Students around the world, how do you connect online?

Take this quiz to reflect on your digital communication habits—from messaging friends to tackling group projects. Let’s dive into how students really use the internet to stay connected!

By Mary Frene Jan R. Timblor | September 10, 2024

[akshatrathi]

Do not track me. Do get it.

I'm a Google Chrome user and there are some add-ons on the browser that should really become part of it. The first one is AdBlock Plus and the other is DoNotTrackMe.

Yes there are people who survive on online adverts. I'm a journalist, I know. But AdBlock Plus allows for non-intrusive ads. This is the future of online advertising and the add-on is only accelerating us getting there.

And DoNotTrackMe essentially does what its name suggests: it stops tracking codes from gathering information about you. There are tens of trackers that want to know various bits of information about you to "customise your online experience". Those trackers do no good and perhaps just slow down loading pages.

DoNotTrackMe also has an added advantage: it hides all the social button figures (the buttons remain in case you want to use them). How many times do you judge an article based on how many people have liked it or tweeted it and not on your judgement? It has become a sort of unspoken currency for writers. I think that's terrible. Apart from deciding for myself what I want to and not want to read, I read what my friends recommend. If I don't like it then I stop taking that particular friend's advice. I've been using DoNotTrackMe for over three months now, and find it really helpful.