15 Figures of Speech to Color Your Characters

15 Figures of Speech to Color Your Characters 15 Figures of Speech to Color Your Characters 15 Figures of Speech to Color Your Characters By Mark Nichol Figures of speech can create vivid images in readers’ minds when they read about characters in your works of fiction. By â€Å"figures of speech,† however, I don’t mean simply the contemporary techniques of metaphor or hyperbole. I refer, instead, to the classical figures of etymology, orthography, syntax, and rhetoric, which often have applications in both everyday and elegant language. I shared a list of rhetorical terms some time ago, but here I present specific devices (including some of those I listed before) for suggesting character traits or implying dialect by altering the spelling or form of words or the construction of sentences. These techniques help convey a character’s voice and/or personality whether they’re highbrow or lowbrow, pretentious or unaffected, eloquent or inarticulate: 1. Apheresis: elision at the head of a word, such as in ’gainst, (against), often to alter poetic meter. 2. Apocope, or apocopation: elision at the tail of a word, such as ad (advertisement), for colloquial convenience, or th’ (the), to indicate dialect. 3. Archaisms: old-fashioned phrasing for nostalgic or literary effect, such as â€Å"ye old antique shoppe†-type constructions, or obsolete words such as dight (adorn) or yclept (named). 4. Dissimulation: mispronunciation of a word that involves suppressing one of two instances of the r sound, as in the erroneous Febuary (February). 5. Ellipsis: omission of implied words, whether mundane, as in â€Å"He was the only person (who) I saw,† or poetic, as in â€Å"Wrongs are engraved on marble; benefits (are engraved) on sand.† 6. Enallage: substitution for poetic effect of a correct form of a word with an incorrect form, as in â€Å"Sure some disaster has befell.† 7. Epenthesis: insertion of a consonant (called excrescence) or vowel (known as anaptyxis) into the middle of a world, as in drawring (drawing), often to illustrate a speaker’s substandard dialect. 8. Hyperbaton: transposition of words, as in â€Å"Happy is he who is simple.† 9. Mimesis: malapropisms and mispronunciations for humorous effect, as â€Å"very close veins† instead of â€Å"varicose veins.† 10. Paragoge: attachment of a superfluous suffix to a root word to indicate dialect, as in withouten (without), or to emphasize a stereotypical foreign accent, as in an Italian person’s supposed inclination to end all English words with a vowel sound in a sentence like â€Å"He’s a very-a rich-a man.† 11. Pleonasm: redundancy for literary effect, as in â€Å"He that has ears to hear, let him hear.† 12. Prosthesis: attachment of a superfluous prefix to a root word, as in â€Å"She were aborn before your time.† 13. Syneresis: folding of two syllables into one, as in everyday contraction like I’ll (â€Å"I will†) or archaic forms like â€Å"Seest thou?† (â€Å"Do you see?†). 14. Syncope: elision of letters within a word, as in e’en (even), to affect meter in poetry or otherwise allude to a classical frame of mind. 15. Timesis: insertion of a word between the elements of an open or closed compound, whether in contemporary slang (abso-frickin’-lutely) or classical usage (â€Å"So new a fashioned robe.†) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Royal Order of Adjectives A While vs Awhile30 Words for Small Amounts

Tips How to Write an Interview Essay (Free Example)

Tips How to Write an Interview Essay (Free Example) Helpful Advice When You Need To Write an Interview Essay CONTENTS: How to Write an Interview Essay: Suggestions for Beginners Craft a Winning Interview Essay: 8 Helpful Tips Four Common Interview Paper Example Types Leave Your Troubles Behind and Entrust!Planning to write an interview essay? These kinds of essays can really benefit you no matter what field of work you plan to pursue after graduation. For instance, if you are hoping to become a journalist or a TV personality, you need to be able to ask thought-provoking, penetrating questions that help you gain insight. Furthermore, if your goal is to work in human resources, an interview essay is a great way to practice asking questions that you will one day ask job candidates. After all, you will need to be able to figure out which prospective employees best fit into the company culture and have the proper mindset to carry out their responsibilities. Asking appropriate questions is key to this. There are several angles that you can take, and this article will cover several of them. If you are seeking some helpful tips to write an interview essay, you have come to the right place. How to Write an Interview Essay: Suggestions for Beginners When you are a student, your professor will sometimes assign you an interview essay. As already mentioned, knowledge on how to write an interview essay will come in really handy in a variety of professions. When your professor assigns an interview essay, sometimes they will provide you with a topic, but often they will permit you to choose the topic as long as it is relevant to the class. As soon as you have decided upon your topic, do some research and seek out an expert who will allow greater insight into the topic under discussion. For instance, if you want some greater insight on a topic related to biology, you are likely to find a biology professor at your college who would be eager to answer your questions. Of course, it is essential that you give your questions a lot of thought. This means doing some homework and gaining a general understanding about the subject matter and then asking the interviewee to elaborate. After all, if you keep things too general or basic, or clearly demonstrate that you did not take the time to find some background information about the topic or even the individual being interviewed, they will likely see the interview as a waste of their time. With that in mind, here are some general decisions that you need to make: Decide who you want to interview Develop a list of questions Choose the interview essay format (narrative, career, questions-answers, etc.) Agree upon the location and date of the interview Craft a Winning Interview Essay: 8 Helpful Tips Note that writing an interview essay requires a different structure as compared to a conventional academic essay such as an expository, argumentative, etc. Four Common Interview Paper Example Types Narrative Format In this type of interview paper, you are not simply listing your questions and the interviewees answers; instead, you will write a descriptive story about your experiences of interviewing the subject and provide the reader with some personal insights as you went about the process. Thus, you might describe how you were feeling going into the interview, the mannerisms and reactions from the interviewee as they answered your questions, and what you ultimately learned based on the experience of interviewing that individual. As with typical essays you will want to include an introduction that catches the readers attention, a well-structured body consisting of between 3 and 5 paragraphs, and a conclusion that leaves the reader with a lasting impression. Leadership Essay If you have been assigned a leadership essay, your best bet is to look for somebody in the community who has proven track record. For instance, you could contact your Congressperson or a local business leader and ask if they have some time to sit down for an interview. Keep in mind that they often have a very tight schedule, so if they agree to be interviewed, be ready for them to cancel or postpone. You might also consider having a backup plan if they ultimately do not find time. While face-to-face is probably the most effective way to interview, be willing to chat on Skype or by phone. We do not recommend chatting through instant messenger as the tone could be misunderstood and it could lack nuance. Here are three possible topics that you can focus on as you conduct the interview: Ask them to define what leadership means to them Compare and contrast Social leadership vs. Business leadership Tests created to identify the level of personal leadership Career Interview Essay A career interview essay is a good way to gain insights into how successful people get hired. You could go about this from two different angles. You could interview somebody and ask them how they managed to land a particular job. In particular, you could ask what aspects of their life and career left the best impression. You could also interview a human resource manager to determine what qualities and characteristics they are looking for when they interview candidates. They might also share some of the dos and donts when interviewing for a job. Personal Interview The personal interview essay is the one for which the question-and-answer format is most appropriate. Rather than telling a story that incorporates your own insights, you are getting to the meat of the matter by asking the interviewee to discuss important events in their lives that shaped them. Childhood background information Insights on their formative teenage years College period Career experience Marriage and Family Life after retirement (if you are interviewing an older individual) You would still want to provide a bit of background about the individual before discussing the content of the interview. For instance, you should discuss why they are noteworthy and why they were chosen to be the subject of your interview. If you need a helping hand with your interview essay assignment, you can trust the professional experts at. For a reasonable price, we can put you in touch with an expert interviewer who can ask the thoughtful, penetrating questions that lead to a productive interview paper. You can read this excellent interview essay as example: Leave Your Troubles Behind and Entrust! Qualified writing experts. We have professional writers who are experts in virtually every field and know how to develop perfect interview questions. Unique academic papers. Your papers will be written based on your exact instructions and will never be plagiarized. Complete confidentiality.Your secret will always be safe with us. Neither your professor nor your university will ever know that you ordered custom papers using our services. Money back guarantee. You have nothing to lose. If your paper fails to follow your directions, you will not pay a dime.

Service Improvement Initiative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Service Improvement Initiative - Essay Example The observation and information gathering process was focused on information such as various quantities in various containers and coming up with the short-notes on the guide. In addition, a period of four months was taken for the project trial using prototype short-notes which were followed by regular nurses meetings to discuss and monitor its progress. Resources Used Past and present fluid balance charts are essential in carrying out an audit to assess the effectiveness and in aiding better documentation. There was also the use of a measuring scale to determine the correct quantities in the containers. In addition, there was the utilization of excel application to generate the table used to enter the data for ease of comparison and analysis. Finally, there was the utilization of colour printer and laminating machines to print and prepare robust short notes. Who Was Involved The people who were involved include nurses and the entire team of healthcare professional assistants as well as other members from multi-professional field like the registrars, dieticians, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Outcome/ Evaluation The fluid balance charts illustrate a better documentation of the fluid information. ... Finally, I intend to broadcast this idea for all healthcare workers. Introduction Haematology entails studying the blood, blood diseases, and the organs which form blood. Haematology also entails the study of diagnosis, prognosis, etiology, prevention, and treatment, and prognosis of blood diseases which affect the making of blood and its elements, for example, blood proteins, haemoglobin, blood cells, and the mechanism of coagulation (Nathan, Orkin, Ginsburg & Look 2003, p. 12). Health expert’s daily responsibility largely entails the treatment and care of patients suffering from haematological diseases (Department of Health 2007, p. 31). Fluid care is essential for people suffering from haematological diseases. Fluid management helps in the reinstatement of circulating volume and adequate management of blood element replacement. Also, haematopathologists and haematologists usually work together to develop a diagnosis and provide the most adequate therapy if required. This pa per will look at a service improvement initiative within the haematology ward (Chin 2008, p. 54). The paper will examine a service improvement initiative that I hope will be helpful for patients in the haematology ward. This point of view was initially highlighted when talking about my pledge with my mentor. My pledge is to always keep my patients hydrated. In addition, the conversation assisted me to develop a strategy utilizing the NOLAN technique, PDSA (Plan Do Study Act) so as to facilitate the service improvement. The paper will go on to evaluate a number of theoretical aspects including change Management, accountability and responsibility,

The Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson Essay

The Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson - Essay Example Arising from the uncompromised opinions and struggle for power, between the politicians, the impeachment of the president turned out to be a most significant incident in American history. This essay examines the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson and the political conflicts that contributed to it. Andrew Johnson was the 17th president of United States. Andrew Johnson was born to a poor family in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1808. (â€Å"Andrew Johnson†). After his father’s death, he was apprenticed to a local tailor, at the age of fourteen. He learnt the trade for several years and then fled away, moving west to Greeneville, Tennessee, where he set up a tailoring shop and married Eliza McCardle. (â€Å"Andrew Johnson†). Born to illiterate parents, he had not mastered the basis of reading and grammar, until he met his wife. Even though he was holding very little formal education, he was gifted with great oration skills, which helped him in his political life. He was yet another example in the US history, after Lincoln, emerging from a poor family with no formal education, into becoming the President of a country. Whereas, Lincoln is esteemed for his contributions as a president, Johnson, his successor, turned out to be the most regretful example because of his impeachment. In the aftermath of American Civil War, the country was struggling with reunification of its Southern states through a plan of reconstruction. The formulated plan of reconstruction by the president Abraham Lincoln was intended to be carried out by Andrew Johnson, who became the president after the assassination of Lincoln. It was stated that the policy was lenient towards the defeated south, granting amnesty to the South, excluding the ex-Confederates. (Davidson).

Film Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Film Evaluation - Essay Example This paper will evaluate this film with a final aim of convincing people who have not yet watched this masterpiece to watch it. If Only is, in reality, a rather energetic small gem. It circulates around the lives to its two main actors: musician Samantha (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and a business man Ian Wyndham (Paul Nicholls) (IMDb 1). The two really love each other, but Samantha always complains that Ian is too much into his career and does not want to spend time with her (IMDb 1). There was this day when they woke up but Samantha was feeling overly dejected, but manage to recover her mood; it was because Ian had forgotten that it was her day of graduation, which she had been repeating to him for over one month now (IMDb 1). The two ended up arguing and having an awful day which pushes them to the verge of a split when Samantha gets involved in a terrible accident and eventually dies. Also, in spite of all the rush and efforts from Ian to save her, Samantha still dies. However, in the end of it all, he wakes up to find that all those events were nothing more than a bad dream and that Samantha was dead asleep b esides him. Ian, realizing how much his girlfriend means to him, decided to cancel all the day’s events to stay at home with his girlfriend, which made Samantha curious as to why the certain change of attitude (IMDb 1). She kept asking him what was wrong but Ian was afraid to answer. What made him more scared was the fact that some of events that had happened in last night’s dream were started to happen today and he was scared that Samantha might end up dead. This pushed his much closer to his girlfriend (IMDb 1). What I loved about the film was the manner in which its sequences were shown. All of them were well synchronized meaning that the viewer cannot be lost even for a split second. The film manages to keep someone hooked to the screen all

Trait and Types Approaches to Personality

Trait and Types Approaches to Personality Critically evaluate the trait and type approach/perspective of personality, drawing on relevant research. This essay will begin by giving a description of what personality is, before going on to critically evaluate trait and type approaches of personality. The precise definition of personality has been a controversial issue over many years by various theorists. One definition of personality can be described as the underlying causes of individual behaviour and experience within a person (Cloninger, 2000).   Trait and type theory is one of many personality approaches and has been an influential part of personality theory and research. The basic assumption of the trait and type approach is that people possess broad predispositions to respond in particular ways (Pervin, 1993). Therefore, traits are the fundamental building blocks of personality because they produce consistent patterns in our behaviour. Allport and Odbert (1936, cited in Cloninger, 2000), found that the English dictionary lists 18,000 words referring to personality traits. It is difficult to know which of these traits are actually basic and applicable to everyone and which ones are variations of other traits. In order to eliminate unnecessary traits, some researchers have statistically examined which trait scores tend to be correlated. This is done by the use of questionnaires and from this, factor analysis is carried out. Factor analysis is carried out by using a large number of test items administered to many participants , which are then co varied. This enables the identification of groups , clusters or factors of related items. Cattell (1957) proposed 16 dominant personality dimensions. Each of these were defined by a pair of adjectives, such as outgoing versus reserved, tense versus relaxed and suspicious versus trusting. However, later research by other investigators, managed to reduce this number even smaller. Norman (1963, cited in Goldberg, 1990) found five major dimensions of personality, often called the ‘Big Five’. This five-factor model is a descriptive classification of traits into broad domains called neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience. His analysis relied largely upon factor analysis. Within these dimensions are lower-level traits such as, talkative versus silent and sociable versus reclusive, which come under the extroversion dimension. This model proposes that human personality can be fully described in terms of five dimensions, however in order to fully understand what an individual’s personality is, the lower-level trait s are needed. Researchers such as Costa McCrae (1992) claim that the five-factor model is the best theory of personality. Nevertheless, a number of investigators have suggested that there may be even fewer underlining dimensions (e.g. Livneh and Livneh, cited in Gleitman, Fridlund Reisberg, 1999). However, the most influential researcher is Eysenck (1967) who found two basic dimensions of personality. He named these introversion-extroversion and neuroticism (stable-unstable). The extrovert is sociable, impulsive and enjoys new experiences, while the introvert tends to be more solitary, cautious and slow to change (Eysenck, 1967). Neuroticism relates to emotional stability, and Eysenck (1967) states that neuroticism/emotional stability and extroversion/introversion are independent dimensions. Introverts and many neurotics have something in common, they are both unsociable and withdrawn, but their lack of sociability has different roots. Introverts are not afraid of social activities, they just don’t like them, however, neurotically shy people keep to themselves through fear of joining in. In the 1970’s, Eysenck added psychoticism onto his existing two dimension classification. People high on this dimension tend to be insensitive, uncaring about others and opposed to accepted social custom (Pervin, 1993). This third dimension is similar to two of the Big Five dimensions, agreeableness and conscientiousness, and Eysenck regards them as being components of the psychoticism dimension. Although Eysenck (1967) does not include openness to experience in his approach, he argues that it is important because it is related to cognitive and educational traits, including intelligence. An alternative five-factor model was also proposed by Zuckerman, Kuhlman, Thornguist Kiers (1991, cited in Zuckerman, Kuhlman, Joireman, Teta Kraft, 1993), and adds impulsive sensation seeking, aggression-hostility and activity to sociability and neuroticism-anxiety to the model. The Big five factor model has been challenged by Waller and Ben-Porath (1987, cited in McCrae and Costa, 1989), claiming that additional research is needed in order to relate the five-factor model to alternative personality systems. However, more research has been carried out by McCrae and Costa (1989), in which they provided evidence that the model can be used to organise the Murray needs measured by Jackson’s (1974) Personality Research Form. Another criticism of the five-factor model comes from McAdams (1992), who claims that although this model may be an important one in the study of personality, it is far from being an integrative model of personality. He also states that because the five factors are so broad, trait scores may not be highly useful in the prediction of specific behaviour in particular situations (McAdams, 1992). However, Digman (1990), states that the five-factor model’s main aim was to be empirical and compatible with other major psychological theories, and this has been achieved. The Big five-factor theory and the three-factor theory seem to agree on two basic points. First, Cattell’s, (1967, cited in Zuckerman et al, 1993) 16-factor personality theory has too many dimensions. Research has also shown that these factors do not seem to be replicable across gender, age, or methods and many investigators have simply failed to find them. The second point is that in the five- and three-factor models, they both agree that two of the major factors are extraversion-introversion and neuroticism. However, there is less agreement on the lower level traits, as proposed by Norman (1963, cited in Gleitman, 1999). In an empirical analysis carried out by Zuckerman et al (1993), they found that there was a great deal of convergence among the major factors in the three-trait models, particularly the two five-factor models. Extroversion and neuroticism are fairly similar in all three models, despite differences in their components. Much research has been carried out in order to support Eysenck’s approach. Two questionnaires were developed to measure extroversion and introversion. One is called the Maudsley personality inventory and the other the Eysenck Personality Inventory, which includes a scale that detects individuals who are faking responses. An example of a question in these questionnaires would be, ‘do you prefer reading to meeting people?’. From the data obtained, they found that individual variations in introversion/extroversion reflect differences in neurophysiological functioning. Introverts are more easily aroused by events and more restrained and inhibited than extroverts. In fact, several studies of identical and fraternal twins suggest that heredity plays a major part in their scores on this dimension (Shields, 1976, cited in Pervin, 1993). It was also found that people high on neuroticism tend to be emotionally susceptible and frequently complain of worry and anxiety, as wel l as bodily aches, such as headaches. It was suggested that individual differences was due to an inherited biological difference in nervous system functioning. Individuals high on neuroticism show a slower decrease in the stress response once the problem has gone and genetic factors contribute significantly to psychoticism (Pervin, 1993). In a study carried out by Barrett, Petrides, Eysenck Eysenck (1998), the factorial similarity of extroversion, neuroticism, psychoticism and social desirability were assessed using gender-specific data collected from 34 countries across the world. They used the Kaiser-Hunka Bianchini (KHB) procedure, however, this procedure was modified due to previous criticism of the validity of this procedure. Eysenck has suggested that it is necessary to collect data for cross-cultural comparisons between countries and cultures using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), as the main measuring instrument. The main aim was to compare the factorial structure of the EPQ within each country, to that of a UK dataset. This comparison would establish whether there is universality of the psychometric scales of extroversion, neuroticism, psychoticism and social desirability. Eysenck and Eysenck (1985, cited in Barrett et al. 1998), claimed that extroversion, neuroticism, psychoticism and social desirability would prove to be universal across countries and cultures because these scales are based upon a biological theory of personality. Although social desirability has not been specified in this way, Eysenck still claims that there will also be universality. The results found that the factors of extroversion, neuroticism, psychoticism and social desirability were strongly replicable across all of the 34 countries. The trait and type theory approach does seem to be effective in describing and providing evidence for personality. Generally in the study of personality, trait psychologists seek to discover the psychological dimensions along which people differ and the ways in which traits cluster within individuals the major focus being on enduring behaviour (Buss, 1989). The impact of experimental manipulations is not always investigated, because the focus is on the content of behaviour not the psychological process underlying the behaviour. This has been debated by many researchers e.g. Mischel (1968, cited in Hjelle, 1992). An experiment by Fenigstein (1979, cited in Buss, 1989), investigated whether manipulations are crucial determinants of behaviour. He placed each participant (with different degrees of public self-consciousness) in a waiting room with two other â€Å"participants†, who were experimental accomplices. In the control condition these accomplices responded to conversation by the participant, but did not respond in the experimental condition. This manipulation found that participants high in the public self-consciousness trait, reported high levels of discomfort and tended to avoid choosing the accomplices as subsequent partners in the second part of the experiment, compared to those participants low on this trait. This empirical research seems to suggest that traits do have an impact on behaviour, and experimental manipulations significantly influence behaviour (Buss, 1989). Another criticism of the trait theory approach is with the use of factor analysis. The results obtained from this, relies heavily on the exact contents of the date set. Therefore, if the items included in the analysis are changed, the resulting factors may be significantly different. Consequently critics argue that it is difficult to claim that any single factor analysis allows us to identify the real dimensions of personality. In conclusion, it seems that the study of personality is not as clear cut as one would hope. Although there appears to be many similarities among the trait theorists, there are also differences between them. It is also important to point out that there are many other approaches and perspectives of personality – behaviourist, social cognition and dynamic perspectives, which may provide a more complete understanding of personality. No one model seems to be appropriate in accounting for the whole theory of personality, but it seems apparent that each theorist does provide a valuable theory of personality. References Barrett, P.T., Petrides, K. V., Eysenck, S. B. G. Eysenck, H. J. (1998). The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire: An examination of the factorial similarity of P, E, N and L across 34 countries. Personality and Indiviudal Differences, 25, 805-819. Buss, A. H. (1989). Personality as traits. American Psychologist, 44, 1348-1378. Cattell, R. B. (1957). Personality and motivation structure and measurement. New York: Harcourt, Brace, World Cloninger, S. C. (2000). Theories of personality: Understanding persons. (3rd Ed). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall. Costa, P. T. McCrae, R. R. (1992). Four ways five factors are basic. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 653-665. Digman, J. M. (1990). Personality structure: Emergence of the five-factor model. Annual Review of Psychology, 41, 417-440. Eysenck, H. J. (1967). The biological basis of personality. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas. Gleitman, H., Fridlund, A. J. F. Reisberg, D. (1999). Psychology. (5th Ed). New York: W.W. Norton. Goldberg, L. R. (1993). The structure of phenotypic personality traits. American Psychologist, 48, 1299-1314. Hjelle, L. A., Ziegler, D. J. (1992). Personality theories: Basic assumptions, research and applications. New York: McGraw-Hill. McAdams, D. P. (1992). The five factor model in personality: A critical appraisal. Journal of Personality, 60, 329-355. McCrae, R. R., Costa, P. T., (1989). More reasons to adopt the five factor model. American Psychologist, 44, 1001-1004. Pervin, L. A. (1993). Personality: Theory and research. (6th Ed). New York: Wiley Zuckerman, M., Kuhlman, D. M., Joireman, J., Teta, P. Kraft, M. (1993). A comparison of three structural models for personality: The big three, the big five, and the alternative five. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 757-768.

E-commerce and Interactive Communications Methods :: E-Commerce Design Essays

E-commerce and Interactive Communications Methods E-commerce E-commerce means carrying out of trade and commerce (including shopping) via electronic means. E-commerce can be sub-divided into business-to-business, business-to-consumer, and consumer-to-consumer transactions. E-commerce is sometimes known as e-tail, e-trade or e-business. There are a number of different uses of e-commerce. E-commerce can be used for marketing of goods and services; retail of goods and services; customer service and supply chain management (also known as E-procurement). Advantages of e-commerce: * The ability to reach a wider market * The ability to find information on competitors and to compete with larger businesses on an equal basis * Lower operating costs * The ability to buy as well as sell goods on the internet * Being faster than traditional retailing * Cost savings on marketing and promotion, e.g. producing fewer brochures * Offering more choice than traditional retailing * Establishing better customer and supplier relationships Disadvantages of e-commerce: * Staff- technical staff are an expensive resource * Building a customer base is expensive * Distribution- it is difficult when delivering orders to customers within a reasonable time period * Quality- online products should be equal in standard to the offline products * Expensive to set up e-commerce systems * Risk of fraud Interactive Communications Methods Interactive media is defined as the following: ‘A new telecommunication system designed to permit two-way communications between televisions or computers in one location with software stored on a central computer. Can also allow individuals in distant locations to communicate, teach, or learn from one another’. Examples of interactive communications methods include CD-ROMs; letters, memos and e-mails; the intranet; one-to-ones; meetings; phone calls and videoconferencing calls. Advantages of interactive communication: * The opportunities it provides for feedback * The greater degree of confidence it provides that the message has been understood * The recipient can to some extent control the pace of the communication * The message can be tailored to better meet the recipient’s needs The Internet is the primary interactive media for advertising. It has recently affected many areas of promotion, with interactive advertising, creative sponsorship, sales promotion, public relations, database marketing and prestige value of having a website. There are a number of other Internet resources which can be used to promote a website. Some of these are mentioned below: * Discussion lists- are a method for individuals to network with others on a particular topic * Webcasting- this is when subscribers list topics of interest and new information is sent directly to their to their computer screen