What is the distinction between IM and e-mail?

[rocky12]

1. What does distinction means?

2. What is the distinction between e-mail and IM?

[Dv8ted2]

Distinction means difference.

Email is not always instantaneous. Instant messaging can be instantaneous.

[guns1inger]

IM is usually like a conversation. It usually happens in real-time, and is a two-way thing. I send a message to you, you see it immediately, and you respond, and so on. If you are not on-line, there is no conversation.

Email is a one-way thing. I send you a message, and it sits and waits until you check it. You respond by sending me a message which in turn waits until I read it and respond. It doesn't matter if I am offline when you send it.

[gadgetguy]

Email is never instantaneous, unless you have your "send and check" set for an incredibly short period, and even then the party you are exchanging messages with would have to do the same, and both of your carrier's email servers would have to cooperate.
Instant messaging uses a different protocol and a common server, that's why you can't use YahooIM to talk to someone on AIM.

[Supreme2k]

Is this a serious post???

If it is, I have to say that it is well below newbie for someone who can use a computer.

Google, yahoo or dictionary.com could have told you the answer. They would all be like IM, whereas this board is like email.

[Noahtuck]

Is this a serious post???

If it is, I have to say that it is well below newbie for someone who can use a computer.

Google, yahoo or dictionary.com could have told you the answer. They would all be like IM, whereas this board is like email.

I was wondering that also when he first posted but i decided to leave it alone

Dictionary's are a wonderful thing.....

When you were in grade school!!!!!

[drjtech]

When you were in grade school!!!!!

The way the question was worded I just assumed it was part of a homework assignment.

-drjtech

[Supreme2k]

Dictionary's are a wonderful thing.....

When you were in grade school!!!!!

Well then, it's time you went back, because , grammatically, that's all kinds of fucked up

Dictionary's = possessive ("The dictionary's page was ripped.")
Dictionaries = plural of dictionary (just in case, plural means more than one)

Also, unmatched tense: are a wonderful != were in grade

"Dictionaries are a wonderful thing...when you are in grade school!"
"Dictionaries were a wonderful thing...when you were in grade school!"


:P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P
:P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P

[Nelson37]

I would quibble with the definition of "distinction". Not necessarily a difference, but a way of describing two seperate items.

For instance, a politician and a crook. The classic "distinction without a difference."