synchronous conferencing

Synchronous conferencing is the formal term used in science, in particular in computer-mediated communication, collaboration and learning, to describe text chat technologies. It has arisen at a time when the term chat had a negative connotation. Today it is occasionally also extended to mean audio/video conferencing or instant messaging systems, given they provide a text-based multi-user chat function. The word synchronous in this case is not to be considered a technical term, but rather describing how it is perceived by humans - chat happens in realtime before your eyes.
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