Hi! Thanks for accepting my proposal for formulating an answer.
Our very first resource actually provides a good coverage of the
requirements of your question. The stages of communications
development of the Internet according to this study are the following:
1. Asynchronous Communication Technologies (Early Days of the
Internet) ? (Email, Listservers, bulletin boards, Usenet news)
?Email, listservers, bulletin boards, Usenet News, and their web-based
cousins, are asynchronous communication technologies, which means that
communication partners do not have to be co-present in time. Messages
can be read and then responded to, hours, weeks or months later.?
2. Synchronous Communication (Next Technologies)
?Chat systems, instant messaging and texting systems are synchronous,
which means that
correspondents must be co-present online. Typically, conversations are
rapid and each individual comment is short. In busy systems messages
scroll off the screen as they are replaced by more recent ones.?
The next media channels are the present technologies and are
constantly being developed and changing uses for multimedia in online
communication.
3. Graphical Three-dimensional Environments - (Gaming Worlds)
?Online communities appeared in a variety of media, which were
gradually integrated into single environments. In the early 1990s,
highly sophisticated gaming worlds emerged, e.g., Doom, Quake, and
Everquest. In these worlds, participants represented themselves on the
screen as graphical characters known as avatars, which can move
through the world accompanied by sound, messaging, and streaming
video.?
4. Rich Media (No Specific Name Given by the Author)
?Internet telephone, streaming video, photographs, sound, voice, web
cam, blogs (i.e., web logs), and wikis (an open source collaborative
server technology that enables users to access, browse, and edit
HyperText pages in a real-time context) are all available on today?s
machines and can be used by online communities.?
5. Ubiquitous Computing ? ?As computers morph and migrate into all kinds of places
(e.g., into clothing, phones, upholstery) ? a concept known as
?ubiquitous computing?, online communities will have to contend with
smaller devices, and therefore, WebPages will have to be adaptable to
accommodate various sizes of screen displays and bandwidth.?
?History of online communities? by Jenny Preece, Diane
Maloney-Krichmar and Chadia Abras
http://www.ifsm.umbc.edu/~preece/Papers/Community_%20Encyclopedia_03.pdf
Our next links provide viewpoints of the same concepts above but not
in stages. They use categories to describe the different forms of
Internet communication tools.
1. Conversational Synchronization:
?An important distinction between these tools is the synchronization
between the composition of a message and its receipt. The Internet was
designed to support store-and-forward, or asynchronous methods of
communication. In this type of communication, any one message is
received at some interval after it has been composed, usually when it
is explicitly requested. In most such systems, particularly email and
news, this results in the receiver of a message perceiving that the
sender is more intelligent or eloquent that would otherwise be the
case.?
?Real-time, or synchronous, communication, on the other hand, does not
allow for extended delays in message composition. Applications such as
Internet Relay Chat, video conferencing and Internet telephony require
that participants respond in turn to their conversational partners'
utterances.?
2. Conversational Style:
?Email and Talk support a person-to-person style of conversation,
where both conversants are equal partners in the exchange. On the
opposite end of the scale are the web, Internet radio, and FTP, which
are broadcast media. The composer of the message sends it out to many
people, most of whom are unable to respond in the same medium, and
those that can are generally unable to directly target the original
sender.?
3. Communications Media:
?Another distinguishing feature of communications applications is the
conversational media they support. Most systems support text, the
original media of Internet communication, though some (Internet radio
and Internet phone) support only audio.?
?A Taxonomy of Internet Communication Tools? by Byron Long and Ronald Becker
http://kmdi.utoronto.ca/RMB/papers/p20.pdf
?Producers and audiences on the Internet can be grouped generally into
four categories:?
a. ?one-to-one asynchronous communication, such as E-mail?
b. ?many-to-many asynchronous communication, such as Usenet,
electronic bulletin boards, and Listservers that require the receiver
to sign up for a service or log on to a program to access messages
around a particular topic or topics?
c. ?synchronous communication that can be one-to-one, one-to-few, or
one-to-many and can be organized around a topic, the construction of
an object, or role playing, such as MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons and
their various transformations as MOOs, MUCKs and MUSHs), Internet
Relay Chat and chat rooms on commercial services;
d. ?asynchronous communication generally characterized by the
receiver's need to seek out the site in order to access information,
which may involve many-to-one, one-to-one, or one-to-many
source-receiver relationships (e.g., Web sites, gophers, and FTP
sites).?
?The Internet as Mass Medium? by Merrill Morris
http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue4/morris.html
?Asynchronous media includes e-mail, newsletters, listserves, newsgroups and
bulletin boards and are best suited for discussions where participants want to
thoroughly analyse an issue. They are not good for reaching quick decisions and
sometimes a few people can dominate a group making it seem as though
everyone feels the same way they do, a fact with which not everyone in
the group will necessarily concur (Smith & Kollock, 1999).?
?Synchronous media refer to online communications which are immediate
such as instant messages, broadcast events, chat rooms and Multiple
User Domains/Dungeons (MUDs). Synchronous media are good for reaching
consensus and for those who can not attend, a transcript is often
available. Conversely, the challenges facing live facilitators are
often greater than those faced by asynchronous facilitators. Timing is
difficult, especially when participants are dispersed across time
zones and spontaneity, rather than considered responses, are dominant
(Duggan, 2000).?
?As people have access to faster Internet connections, broadcasting is
gaining popularity. Internet broadcasting, like TV, allows one
presenter to communicate with many which enables hosts to disseminate
information, sponsor question and answer periods with guest
presenters, conduct polls and implement training (Boettcher, Duggan &
White, 1999).?
?Online Communities: A Brief Overview? by Terry Baker
http://www.sedi.org/dataregv2-unified/capnet-summarypapers/online%20communities%20paper.pdf
-------------------------
Our next articles shows a more practical viewpoint of the developments
of these types of communication. The articles show how the use of the
Internet in communication including the gathering of information has
changed in past years.
?America?s Online Pursuits? by Mary Madden and Edited by Lee Rainie (2002 report)
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Online_Pursuits_Final.PDF
?The Internet and Daily Life? (2004 report)
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Internet_and_Daily_Life.pdf
------------------------
Since you are more concerned with ?rich media?, I included here two
articles providing analysis of this communications tool.
?Media richness has been developed by Daft and Lengel (1984, 1986) and
is based on the theory of organizational information processing
according to which uncertainty and equivocality reduction is the main
goal of communication. Daft and Lengel proposed four factors
determining media richness: speed of feedback, channel mode (visual,
audio or mixed), personal focus and language use.?
?Video-mediated communication (VMC) or videoconferencing is a
synchronous (real-time) communication system simultaneously
transmitting both video and audio. By the advent of information and
communication technologies, this transmission is transacted between
computers and through computer networks. Because of the computer
involvement, sometimes VMC is referred to as ?desktop
videoconferencing? or ?computer-mediated visual communication.? In
fact, thanks to the emergence of the new digital technologies, video,
sound, text, graphics, animation and other multimedia can be
computationally manipulated and transmitted across high bandwidth
computer networks. Even at viable network bandwidth, improved
compression algorithms, more efficient network protocol standards and
faster computers are soon expected to provide affordable VMC systems
of acceptable quality.?
?A collaborative virtual environment (CVE) is an artificial space
where several people interact and work together through networked
computers and virtual reality systems (Benford, Bowers, Fahlén,
Mariani and Rodden, 1994a). In this sense, CVEs constitute shared
virtual worlds, i.e., computer-generated spaces whose occupants are
represented to one another in three-dimensional graphical form. The
cooperative applications supported by CVEs range from training,
visualization, simulation and design to telework, telemedicine,
distance learning and entertainment.?
?SOCIAL IMPACTS OF RICH MEDIA: FROM VIDEO-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION TO
COLLABORATIVE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS? by Moses A. Boudourides
http://hyperion.math.upatras.gr/richmedia/proj/sirm.html
?Information richness theory (IRT) predicts that the uncertainty and
ambiguity of information communicated will vary with the richness of
the media. Media richness theory is defined for this context as the
rate (understanding/time) with which the media can resolve uncertainty
and ambiguity. (Daft & Lengel, 1986) Rich media convey rich
information that can be expected to resolve ambiguity at a high rate.
Face-to-face communication is considered a rich media and is predicted
the best choice to resolve ambiguity. Less rich media, such as
asynchronous computer-mediated communication is predicted the best
choice to resolve uncertainty.?
??Information richness theory predicts that when the discussion
concerns ambiguous information that rich media would resolve the
ambiguity faster than less rich media. Conversely, to communicate
with increased certainty, the theory suggests using a less rich medium
such as text only asynchronous email.?
?Computer-mediated Communications: State of the Art? by David Spencer
://www.google.as/search?q=cache:C0lRxyfcQr8J:web.njit.edu/~hiltz/CMC_SOTA_David.doc+internet+communications+history+synchronous+%22rich+media%22&hl=en
--------------------
I was able to find some articles about the interactive TV market in
the UK. Complete reports however need to be purchased separately.
There are some free reports and commentaries but they are rather
dated. However they still help us analyze the development of
interactive television in the UK.
?The initial services made available to Sky Digital customers included
on-line betting, email services and directory information services.
Within a few months, the list grew dramatically as the Sky Interactive
WML Microbrowser Developer Programme - the official initiative run by
Sky to support those actively developing iTV content - gained momentum
with over 300 different companies now developing iTV applications.?
?A Sky Digital subscriber can, now obtain a wide range of information,
play games, send and receive email and SMS (Short Messaging Service)
messages, access the UK telephone directory or place a bet - all
through their Sky digibox. A menu detailing the interactive services
enables the customer to open up a range of specific screens, such as
football, horse racing, cricket or motor racing - outlined in groups
for gaming, betting, email, SMS and general information. Tariffs for
the individual services vary according to the type of interaction
involved.?
?Interactive TV comes of age? (2001)
http://www.thus.net/pdf/casestudy_sky.pdf
?There are three principal forms of TV-related interactivity: via TV
remote control (i.e ?red button? interactivity), via phone and via the
web. Each form has a distinctive set of advantages and disadvantages
but the consensus amongst broadcasters is that a multi-channel
interactive proposition is the most effective approach. This allows
for multiple formats, multiple applications and multiple target
audiences.?
?Future Opportunities for Telephony and Interactive Services Provision
to UK Broadcasters? (Sample Version ) (Requires MS WORD)
http://www.e-consultancy.com/publications/download/84662/tv_interactivity/tv_interactivity_sample.doc
http://www.e-consultancy.com/publications/tv_interactivity/ (Link to
purchasing full version of the document)
?Only two years ago when digital TV was just beginning in the UK,
commercial broadcasters believed that the wining formula for iTV would
be to offer a suite of services contained within a 'walled-garden'.
Yet according to a recent report by Forrester Research, 30 per cent of
companies featured in digital TV walled gardens in the UK want to pull
out. The report reveals that for a combined investment of
approximately ?245m, they have only realised ?81m in iTV revenues.?
?Despite this, the networks have not given up on the idea of commerce
through iTV; they have just realised that a TV audience is not willing
to go to a separate channel to shop. The new plan is take the shops to
the viewers. TV viewers will be given the chance to make purchases
related to the programme that they are watching.?
?Interactive TV: Failing to fulfil? (2002 Report)
http://www.broadbandmag.co.uk/features/april_02/interactive.htm
?Each of the four major systems for providing interactive television
services has its technological benefits and limitations. However, as
has been seen so far, their success will also be largely dependent on
the separate content they can offer and the effective marketing of
their services.?
?Currently, the UK?s interactive landscape contains cable TV,
satellite digital, terrestrial digital, and ADSL, of which cable and
satellite are expected to be the dominant platforms. Cable platforms
are thought to offer the most effective way of offering digital
services.?
?Despite emerging cynicism surrounding the future of interactive TV,
research suggest that there?s much to be optimistic about. Usage
figures show that 90% of NTL digital households use interactive
services every month, with 59% using them at least once a week, and
21% every day. Add to that the fact that the average session per
household
is 50 minutes a week, and the reality is that users are demanding more
from their TVs. It?s up to the operators and broadcasters to continue
to evolve and enhance the viewing experience.?
??Though the technology is still in its infancy, new applications are
constantly being developed and adopted at astonishingly fast rates.
Unsurprisingly, those applications aligned with the established
benefits of television perform best: those that entertain and inform
rank highest, and performance is exponentially strong where
interactivity is linked directly to the broadcast stream.?
?Games applications still come top of the iTV league. Recent
BARB-audited figures show 75% of Sky gamers staying and playing on its
Gamestar portal for more than ten minutes per session, with 10% of
NTL?s digital subscriber base having paid to play.?
?Next most popular are news, weather and sport, whilst classified,
travel and betting come third.?
?Sector Report interactive TV? (2002)
http://www.broadbandbananas.com/itvreportfinal.pdf
?Over half the U.K. population now has digital television ? essential
for ITV ? and 30% of those homes have the highest levels of possible
interactivity. About 70% of those with interactive services have used
them.?
?About 80% of those who have used ITV say it enhanced their viewing
experience, said Colling, who is chair of the U.K. DMA's ITV council.?
?U.K. Consumers Tuning In to Interactive TV? BY BETH NEGUS VIVEIROS (2003 Article)
http://www.directmag.com/ar/marketing_uk_consumers_tuning/
?Where the UK has excelled in interactive television is in squeezing
the very best out of first generation interactive television software
and the cost-effective, small memory footprint, set-top boxes
currently deployed in 5.9 million Sky digital households. In fact,
during the recent ?Big Brother? series, just over five million viewers
voted for contestant eliminations directly by using their TV remote
control.?
?On a regular basis, 50 percent of viewers who watch soccer coverage
on Sky digital choose to watch the game in the interactive mode
originally developed by NDS. This service gives the viewer the choice
of watching the game from different camera angles around the field,
the ability to watch edited highlights while simultaneously watching
the live game, and to call up a range of live statistics.?
?The Future of Interactive TV: A View from the Front Lines in the UK?
by Robert Henderson
http://www.nds.com/worldvision/wv11/ndswv11_itvfuture.pdf
If you really want to dig-in on more detailed analysis about
interactive television in the UK, you may want to purchase the
following reports.
?2004 Digital and Interactive TV Industry Market report?
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?report_id=70406&t=d&cat_id=20
?Interactive TV: The Opportunities for Sport? (2004)
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c3162/
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040726005423&newsLang=en
(Press Release)
?The future of UK DTT: Developing digital beyond the pay-TV market? (2002 Report)
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?report_id=809&t=d&cat_id=15
Search terms used:
Historical evolution internet online asynchronous synchronous media
channels virtual communities email chat IM ?rich media?
UK interactive TV report development
I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
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Regards,
Easterangel-ga
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