Course Content
1. The elements of communication
2. Internal communication plan
3. Metrics
4. Conclusions
Communication 4.0 represents a challenge due to the enormous speed of digital transformation. We have reviewed external communication processes with an emphasis on the digital tools needed to effectively communicate our ideas and reach our target audience, stressing the creation of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. We have also seen the need for a digital marketing strategy that allows us to define our objectives and the subjacent principles that govern any marketing proposal. On the other hand, we have seen the creation of an internal communication plan, highlighting the most remarkable features and the need for open and fluid communication between employees. We closed our module with a brief approach to social media metrics to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of our communication strategies. In short, we focused on practical creation, promoting a step-by-step vision of development and implementation. We hope this module can contribute to achieving your goals and help you to lead your future communication strategy. Remember that adaptation is a fundamental competence of the creation process and, therefore, we want to encourage you to be updated on the trends of communication 4.0 and to make the most of your efforts.
1.2 Software
What is software?
Software is a bunch of programs and files that together tell the hardware what to do and how to do to provide tools for users.
There are several categories of software: operating systems, games, office software such as the Microsoft Office Suite that we will talk about later in this module, etc. There is a wide range of concepts related to software and its engineering.
When talking about software, we can see some notions like programs and files, but what is it exactly?
A computer program is a series of instructions for the processor to execute. Instructions can be used to read data from the storage memory/disk, request input from the keyboard or display images on the screen. When these instructions are organised in a logical sequence for a particular purpose (calculating, playing, etc), we call this sequence a computer program.
As you already know, the processor is the brain of a computer and is responsible for carrying out all the tasks requested in the program. Programs are coded (programmed) by programmers in different languages (programming languages) that are understood by the machine and by humans.
A file () is a sequence of information on the storage memory or disk that is given a name. For example, some files contain images, others contain text. A program can read a file from the disk and do something with the information it contains.
A directory/folder () is a special file; the information it contains is actually other files. Indeed, a directory is like a folder in which we store sheets. Several files are stored in the directory, which allows us to classify (and find) our files quickly.
When we talk about a computer we use the term “PC” for personal computers. Although this term is not associated with a brand but with functioning, “PC” is now associated with a computer running Microsoft Windows as opposed to “Mac”, the Apple Macintosh computer. Originally, however, the term “PC” covered all personal computers, including Apple-branded computers.
The software that is undoubtedly the most important is the operating system.
An operating system is software that manages the resources of the computer (hardware and software) and provides the user with a general interface to communicate with the computer.
It would be far too complex to communicate with the computer in its own language! So you have to use the operating system’s features. To better understand what the operating system really is, it is good to see the machine as a structure with layers. The first layer at the bottom would be the hardware. Just above that is the operating system, which takes care of communicating with the hardware for you. Then come the ordinary applications like games, office software, etc.
Nowadays there are many different operating systems available, the three most popular being Windows, MacOS and Linux.
Examples of Operating Systems