The online tools I have used to communicate with peers at Ultraversity are:

Email - This is fast, easy to use, inexpensive and effective way of delivering a message. A message can be sent to an individual or to several people at the same time.

Blog - Blog is short for web log. It is a journal of comments, thoughts and ideas which is published in chronological order and frequently updated. It can be an effective communication tool for small groups of people to keep in touch with each other.

Instant messaging - It allows members to see who is online. Instant messages are sent in real time making it a faster way to communicate than email. Chats can be between two individuals or with a larger number.

Hotseat - This is a question and answer tool. An expert answers questions members have on a particular subject.

Bulletin/Discussion boards - Most are text based online forum or conference where posted comments are published in chronological order. Responses to specific post have a threaded application to allow for comments to be viewed one after each other.

Frappr -It is a 'Friend Mapper' This is a website which shows the locations of members on a map.