Communicating by text

What do you need to send and receive emails?

• A smart phone, tablet or computer that’s connected to the internet 
• An email address/account.

Things to know about emails

• Email can be used while you’re out, and only uses very small amounts of data.
• Email is not a real-time communication option, which means that the other person might not receive the email straight away.
• If you have dexterity or vision issues, typing or reading an email on a small mobile phone keypad can be difficult.

Learn how to use email

The Be Connected website has more information about email, including a short online course you can do.

Visit the Be Connected website and learn more about Using email(Opens in a new tab/window)

What do you need to send and receive text messages?

• Any type of mobile phone or a tablet that has either a mobile connection or is linked to a mobile account.

Things to know about texting (SMS)

• You can text (SMS) when you’re out and no internet connection is required.
• If you have dexterity or vision issues, typing and reading texts on a small mobile phone keypad might be hard.
• Text (SMS) messages usually get to the other person pretty quickly, but sometimes a message can take longer.

Some messaging apps are:

• Messenger
• WhatsApp
• Snapchat

What do you need for messaging apps?

• A mobile phone, tablet or computer that’s connected to the internet
• A messaging app with an account set up.

Things to know about messaging apps

• The other person needs to be using the same app.
• Conversation is in "real-time", meaning it’s a quicker way to send and receive messages than email or SMS text messaging.
• If you have dexterity or vision problems, typing or reading on a small mobile phone keypad can be difficult.

Learn how to use messaging apps

The Be Connected website has more information about messaging apps, including a short online course you can do on how to use WhatsApp

Visit the Be Connected website and learn How to use WhatsApp(Opens in a new tab/window)

A lot of organisations for people who are d/Deaf, hard of hearing and/or have speech difficulties have their own online social networks that you can join.

What do you need to use a social media network?

• A mobile phone, tablet or computer that’s connected to the internet
• An account (with a password) for each social network.

Things to know about social media networks

• You can share and get information from people who are interested in the same thing as you.
• When posting online, you need to be careful to only share your personal information with the right people. It's also a good idea to check your privacy and security settings.

Learn how to use social media networks

The Be Connected website has more information about social networks, including short courses you can do on social media.

Visit the Be Connected website and learn about social media(Opens in a new tab/window) and Facebook(Opens in a new tab/window)

What do you need for live chat?

• A smartphone, tablet or computer that’s connected to the internet.

Things to know about live chat

• Live chat can help you quickly ask questions and find out information when you’re thinking of buying products or using the services of a website.