Synchronous conferencing is the formal term used in
science, in particular in
computer-mediated communication,
collaboration and
learning, to describe
online chat technologies. It has arisen at a time when the term
chat had a negative connotation. Today it is occasionally also extended to mean
audio/video conferencing or
instant messaging systems, given they provide a
text-based multi-user chat function. The word
synchronous in this case is not to be considered a technical term, but rather describing how it is perceived by humans—chat happens in
real time before your eyes.
Synchronous conferencing protocols include:
- IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
- PSYC (Protocol for Synchronous Conferencing)
- SILC (Secure Internet Live Conferencing protocol)
- XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol)
See also
- MUDs (Multi User Dungeons)
