Gone But Not Forgotten – Ancient Communications Strategies
- By Jenny Kettlewell
- Published 04/19/2010
- Computers and Technology
- Unrated
In today’s fast-paced and hi-tech world of the Internet, instant messaging and every other possible form of digital communication, it’s easy to forget that, in the grand scheme of things, it was not so long ago that communications strategies were an entirely different kettle of fish (or pile of wood as the case may have been).
In a world obsessed with staying ‘connected’, it seems that nothing is impossible in the realms of communications strategies. What once seemed like science-fiction is now a part of our everyday life. But imagine if we still had to communicate the old-fashioned way. Can you see yourself firing up the outdoor barbeque to send a message to your mother; or getting out the flags to signal to your best friend that you’ll be half an hour late for cocktails? Well spare a thought for our ancestors who didn’t have it as easy as us...
Smoke Signals
As a communications strategy, the practice of smoke signalling obviously had some major drawbacks but still, for the time, it was a very successful way of sending messages over long distances. The earliest recorded practices of smoke signalling were in China, where soldiers stationed at various points along the Great Wall would signal an approaching enemy to their comrades. With this crudest of communications strategies they were nonetheless able to convey messages over distances of hundreds of miles in just a few hours. The North American Indians were perhaps the most famous proponents of smoke signalling, and each tribe had their own complex systems involving the location and angle of
the smoke plume. Today, smoke signals are not entirely outmoded and they are still used in the Vatican City to signify the selection of a new Pope.
Morse Code
Although quite different from Samuel Morse’s original system, a form of his famous code is still used today as an effective communications strategy between amateur radio operators. Back in 1840 when Morse developed his unique system of translating information telegraphically using rhythm, it revolutionised the way people were able to communicate and effectively opened up a whole new world. Using a sequence of long and short electric ‘pulses’, which became known as dots and dashes, Morse was able transmit a message from an operator at one end, and have it received via electric current at the other. It was indented on to a special tape and the receiver was able to decipher or ‘decode’ these indents. Eventually, trained operators were able to decipher the length of the dots or dashes directly by the sound and tape was no longer necessary. Sounds simple now, but as far as communications strategies went in the 19th Century, it was ground-breaking.
Semaphore Flags
The practice of using flags, called semaphores, for a communications strategy began in the 1800s when they were used in the maritime world to convey information over medium length distances at sea. Although there are variations on the theme, basically each letter of the alphabet is represented by the bearer holding two flags (one in each hand) in unique positions. The system is still used in some form today in many industries and, while the instruments may be different (some use paddles, some lighted wands and some bare hands), the concept is the same.
In a world obsessed with staying ‘connected’, it seems that nothing is impossible in the realms of communications strategies. What once seemed like science-fiction is now a part of our everyday life. But imagine if we still had to communicate the old-fashioned way. Can you see yourself firing up the outdoor barbeque to send a message to your mother; or getting out the flags to signal to your best friend that you’ll be half an hour late for cocktails? Well spare a thought for our ancestors who didn’t have it as easy as us...
Smoke Signals
As a communications strategy, the practice of smoke signalling obviously had some major drawbacks but still, for the time, it was a very successful way of sending messages over long distances. The earliest recorded practices of smoke signalling were in China, where soldiers stationed at various points along the Great Wall would signal an approaching enemy to their comrades. With this crudest of communications strategies they were nonetheless able to convey messages over distances of hundreds of miles in just a few hours. The North American Indians were perhaps the most famous proponents of smoke signalling, and each tribe had their own complex systems involving the location and angle of
Morse Code
Although quite different from Samuel Morse’s original system, a form of his famous code is still used today as an effective communications strategy between amateur radio operators. Back in 1840 when Morse developed his unique system of translating information telegraphically using rhythm, it revolutionised the way people were able to communicate and effectively opened up a whole new world. Using a sequence of long and short electric ‘pulses’, which became known as dots and dashes, Morse was able transmit a message from an operator at one end, and have it received via electric current at the other. It was indented on to a special tape and the receiver was able to decipher or ‘decode’ these indents. Eventually, trained operators were able to decipher the length of the dots or dashes directly by the sound and tape was no longer necessary. Sounds simple now, but as far as communications strategies went in the 19th Century, it was ground-breaking.
Semaphore Flags
The practice of using flags, called semaphores, for a communications strategy began in the 1800s when they were used in the maritime world to convey information over medium length distances at sea. Although there are variations on the theme, basically each letter of the alphabet is represented by the bearer holding two flags (one in each hand) in unique positions. The system is still used in some form today in many industries and, while the instruments may be different (some use paddles, some lighted wands and some bare hands), the concept is the same.
Jenny Kettlewell
Jenny Kettlewell is the Marketing Manager for Multitone Systems, a leading telecommunications strategy company. Multitone has implemented custom, integrated communications strategies for businesses and organisations in the public and private sector for over 75 years.
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