synchronous

Something that is happening in real time. Synchronous communication examples include: instant messaging, video conferencing, webcams, MUDs, MOOs, chat, Second Life. Examples of one-to-one synchronous communication include: instant messaging. Examples of one-to-many synchronous communication include: video conferencing, MUDs, and MOOs.

The opposite of synchronous is asynchronous, something that is not happening in real time, rather senders ship off their messages for recipients to open at their convenience. Asynchronous communication examples include: email, texting, newsgroups, listservs, blogs, social media. Examples of one-to-one asynchronous communication include: email and text messaging. Examples of one-to-many asynchronous communication include: newsgroups, listservs, blogs, and social media.