Digital Basics Guide

Digital communication has become an essential part of our daily lives. Whether you’re using email, messaging apps, video calls, or social media, understanding how to communicate effectively online is crucial. This page provides an overview of digital communication tools, tips for effective communication, and best practices to ensure your privacy and security. 

Email  

As mentioned in the digital foundation section, an email account is an essential part of using the online space. As it’s name suggests, Email is electronic mail where you can send and receive messages. It is one of the best place to conduct more formal communications whether the be communicating with a company or organising a meeting with your boss. Additionally it can also be used as a great way to share files as it allows an attachment method and if you have an account with Google or Microsoft, you can send bigger files via their respective cloud storages.  

Some tips for using emails are: 

• Use a clear and relevant subject line. 
• Be concise and to the point in your messages. 
• Proofread before sending to avoid misunderstandings. 

Video Conferencing / Instant messaging Apps 

These kinds of applications are becoming more and more prevalent in different industries as it enables for quick, precise and collaborative conversations to happen with people within an organisation. In addition to this it makes it really easy to have a video call between users without needing to have extra information like phone numbers/ physical room locations. All that is required is a stable internet connection and the other users emails addresses and you can send them an invite. You can also enable webcams for that face to face experience. The primary application that you will use at University is Microsoft teams.  

Some tips for using these platforms are: 

• Test your camera and microphone before the meeting. 
• Choose a quiet, well-lit space for clear visibility. 
• Mute your microphone when not speaking to minimize background noise.  
• Understand when it’s more professional to send an email over a instant message 

Social Instant Messaging Apps 

Instant messaging apps are a great way to informally communicate between friends and share posts. Some of these platforms are connected to social media platforms enabling you to contact people who might be outside your social networks to help expand your networking. Others like WhatsApp uses phone numbers of people you know to expand basic text messaging.  
Tips for Instant messages: 

• Use emojis and GIFs to add tone but avoid overusing them. 
• Respond promptly to keep conversations flowing. 

Social Media  

Social Media makes up a massive part of the internet as it enables users to share ideas or experiences out to the world. Each platform is different and designed for different demographics. Social media can be an extremely powerful platform to develop an internet presence however it can also dangerous to users’ mental health if over used. Additionally, a lot of misinformation can be share on platform as there is very little in the way of fact checking. Because of this, it is extremely important to understand where you are posting, what types of information you are coming across and who/what content you’d like to see.  

Some examples of social media that you might use are: 

• Facebook – Connecting with friends and family  
• Instagram / BlueSky – Sharing creative ideas and practices 
• X (formally known as Twitter) – Information (true or false) sharing platform  
• LinkedIn – Professional Networking  
• TikTok – Video Sharing platform  

Tips for Effective Digital Communication 

• Be Clear and Concise: Write clearly and get to the point quickly to ensure your message is understood. 
• Use Proper Grammar and Spelling: This helps convey professionalism and ensures clarity. 
• Be Respectful and Professional: Maintain a respectful tone, especially in professional communications. 
• Listen Actively: In conversations, show engagement by asking questions and acknowledging others’ points. 
• Adjust Your Tone: Be aware of how your tone may come across in written communication; use appropriate language to match the situation. 
   

If you have an online connection, you can upload or create a document to a cloud hosting platform and share a document with users online to enable them to collaborate in real-time on a document. 

Creating documents to share with others  

Creating documents is a vital skill when moving into a lot of professions, whether that will be for sharing a newsletter with colleagues, sending a client a form or effectively tracking data points. So it’s also important to understand how to share these documents to allow effective collaboration or as a final document to send.  

Creating a new document  

If you don’t have a document created, you can create a document and share it out. For this example, the Microsoft environment will be used, however it is very similar across different platforms.  
To create a document, you can either head over to OneDrive or the document application that you wish to use and create a new document. To share a document, once the application has opened select the “File” ribbon then select share. If you are a part of an organisation, you can select other users in that organisation to access the document, alternatively you can enter an individual’s email address which will send them an email with access to the file.  

Sharing an existing document 

If you have a document saved to your personal device, first you will need to upload the file to the cloud to then share with other users. Access your OneDrive and drag the file from your saved location on your device (this might be in your documents folder unless you have saved it too somewhere else). From here you can move the document into a preferred stored folder. To share, access the share arrow located next to the name of the file, from here you can select users in your organisation or attach an email address which will share the document. You can select the permissions of the users by using the arrow drop down next to the “Add name” box. These consist off “Can Edit”, “Can View” and “Can’t download”.  You can change users’ permission at any time by returning to the document on OneDrive and selecting the sharing option and using the drop downs to change permissions.  

Alternatively, you can upload to OneDrive and then head over to Outlook, create an email and then attached an attachment, similar to the previously described method you can assign what permissions a user will have.  

Accessing a share document  

If you have created the document, returning to the location you saved it on OneDrive will enable you to continue to edit it.  
If you have received a document to edit, you can open it either from the email attachment or access the shared folder OneDrive.  
Opening the document will show the document in it’s respective app, as long as there is a internet connection the document will save automatically and any users who are accessing the document at that time will appear across the top ribbon. You will also see their cursor and where they are typing with changes being made in real time.