Electronic Mail: An Annotated Bibliography
Erik A. Thelen
Department of English
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
January 7, 1989
Electronic Mail
Electronic mail is variously referred to as e-mail, email
(sometimes abbreviated as EM), electronic messaging (and hence as
EMS, for electronic messaging systems), and is classified by some
as a subset of computer-mediated communication (or CmC).
Electronic mail is part of suite of technologies made possible by
networking computers. The computers may be linked together
locally, as in an office or a classroom where PCs share software
and peripherals (such as printers), or by telephone lines. Lee
Sproull's economical definition of electronic mail underlines its
distictive characteristics as a means of communication:
Electronic mail uses computer text-editing and communication
tools to provide a high speed message service. Anyone with
a computer account can use a terminal to compose a message
and send it to anyone who has a mailbox on that computer or
on any other computer that communicates with the sending
computer. Four important characteristics of EMS are its
speed, asynchrony, lack of intermediaries, and ephemerality
of messages. Messages can be transmitted in seconds. They
are sent at the convenience of senders and read at the
convenience of recipients. The scheduling constraints of
synchronous communication vanish. Senders and receivers
usually process their own mail; they do not submit messages
to or receive messages from secretaries or operators who
process messages for many people. Messages appear on and
disappear from video screens with no hard copies left
behind. Every system makes it possible to store messages on
computer files and to create hard copies of them, but most
messages are never translated into hard-copy form. These four
characteristics lead to a communication system that is
relatively fast and convenient to use. ("Using Electronic
Mail," 160)
As vendors of computer-mediated telecommunications services
establish common gateways, the size and complexity of networks
increases dramatically. AT&T, MCI, Western Union, CompuServe,
Source, and a host of others currently offer electronic mail
facilities to subscribers.
Bibliographic Sources for Electronic Mail and Related Topics
The demand for electronic messaging services, the rapid
developments in the networking software itself, and the
multiplication of applications are creating a market for
information about electronic mail issues that is vast, varied,
and complex. To compile this survey of the literature, I
consulted a number of electronic databases, including the ERIC
database. In addition, I found both the Business Periodicals
Index and Communication Abstracts to be highly useful. The
American Business Index, which can be accessed through the DIALOG
service, is also an invaluable resource. Finally, the Works Cited and
and References pages of many of the articles listed can provide a very
rich source of bibliographic leads. The interdisciplinary
character of current research in the field is remarkable. Edward
Barrett's range of reference (see below) is particularly worth
noting.
As a help to the reader who wishes to keep up with this
tide, the following list of key terms may facilitate electronic
searches. This list will also give the reader some idea of the
variety of issues and audiences represented in the bibliography.
Access to Information;
Bulletin Boards;
Business Communication;
Classroom Communication;
Collaborative Writing;
Communication Behavior;
Communication Research;
Computer Assisted Instruction;
Computer Assisted Testing;
Computer Networks;
Computer Services;
Computer System Design;
Computer Users;
Computer Uses in Education;
Cooperative Learning;
Copyrights;
Corporate Education;
Databases;
Decentralization;
Decision Making Skills;
Distance Education;
Educational Technology;
Electronic Mail;
Electronic Publishing;
Facsimile Transmission;
Group Discussion;
Group Dynamics;
Group Instruction;
Industrial Training;
Information Dissemination;
Information Networks;
Information Services;
Information Technology;
Information Transfer;
Intellectual Property;
Interactive Media;
Interactive Systems
Library Automation;
Local Area Networks;
Man Machine Systems;
Managerial Communication;
Media Choice in Organizations;
Media Richness;
Media Selection;
Media Symbolism;
Media Theory;
Microcomputers;
Modems;
Office Automation;
Online Systems;
Open Education
Organizational Communication;
Organizational Culture;
Participative Decision Making;
Peer Evaluation;
Problem Solving
Social Networks;
Teleapprenticeships;
Telecommunications;
Teleconferencing;
Training Needs;
Writing Across the Curriculum;
In addition to making a note of the titles of journals,
institutions, working groups, and conferences mentioned in the
pages that follow, the interested reader might also wish to
contact:
Information Industry Association
555 New Jersey Avenue, Suite 800
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 639-8262
Bibliographic Format
One might well expect (and perhaps lament) the great variety
of bibliographic styles in the databases, reference works,
mentions, and bibliographies relevant to this topic. I have used
(by dint of habit) the MLA style throughout this bibliography.
However, because this document must withstand conversion to a
variety of text-processing protocols, I have not indented the
second and subsequent lines of the entries. Instead, I have used
a blank line to separate each entry and have indented only the
annotations themselves.
Annotations
Wherever possible, I have reproduced and cited the
annotations most widely available to represent the selections
which follow. Given the diversity of disciplines represented in
this bibliography, I thought this would give the reader who
wishes to continue the literature search a fair idea of the
quality of abstracts and summaries available online. The ERIC
abstracts, for example, are indicated by a closing parentetical
tag which looks like this: (ERIC/AN). The initials following
the slash belong to the person who wrote the abstract (unfortunately,
the full names of these reviewers could not be found). In
addition, I tried to incorporate, wherever possible, the authors'
own abstracts or internal summaries in the annotations. These
are cited, parenthetically, by page number. Authors' abstracts
or executive summaries are followed by this tag: (author).
Abstracts or summaries without parenthetical tags are my own.
Finally, I included tags which document my sources for
bibliographic references, particularly in those cases where I
found one or more mentions of a title or address but was unable
to acquire my own copy of the cited material. For example, an
entry which I first found mentioned in an endnote or bibliography
by Lee Sproull will be followed by a parenthetical remark which
names Sproull as the source of the helpful mention and an abbreviated
form of the title in which that mention can be found: (In Sproull,
"Reducing Social Context Cues"). Although some readers may not be
interested in knowing "who is quoting whom," I include these tags
because of my own interest in the way information about electronic
mail travels from one discipline to another.
I wish to thank Gerald J. Alred and Mike Allen of the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for their help, encouragement,
and interest.
Any errors or clumsiness in any of the entries which follow
are, of course, my responsibility alone.
Comments, Suggestions, Additions
If you have comments or questions about this bibliography,
please feel free to contact me at
thelene@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
or
erik_thelen@mcimail.com
Abelson, Philip H. "Retrieval of Scientific and Technical Data."
Editorial. Science 245.4913 (7 July 1989): 9.
"In the United States, computer networks are playing an
increasing role in the research and education communities.
More than 600 networks with over 100,000 computers and
workstations are currently linked by INTERNET. NSFNET, one
of the key components of INTERNET, links 250 institutions
and major laboratories. Its traffic has been increasing
rapidly (9).
Abramson, J.B., F.G. Arterton, and G.R. Orren. The Electronic
Commonwealth: The Impact of New Media Technologies on Democratic
Politics. New York: Basic, 1988.
This volume is the result of a three-year study done at the
Institute of Politics at Harvard University. The authors
look at the potential for the rebirth of participatory
democracy promised by the ability of citizens to attend
electronic town meetings, to speak (as well as to be spoken
to) through television, and to use computers to gain access
to remote data. They focused on the gap between civic and
commercial access to the new media, and its consequences for
the democratic process. The book falls into three major
parts. In chapters 1 and 2, the authors introduce both the
democratic theory and the new technologies. In chapters 3,
4, and 5, they study the implications of the new media for
three major political domains: elections, governance, and
citizen participation. In chapters 6 and 7, the focus turns
to issues of law and regulatory policy, in a comparative as
well as an American perspective. A concluding chapter
builds on the three sections of the book to discuss the
value choices that lie ahead (Communication Abstracts).
Acker, S. R. "Designing Communication Systems for Human Systems:
Values and Assumptions of 'Socially Open Architecture.'"
Communication Yearbook 12. Ed. J.A. Anderson. Newbury Park, CA:
Sage, 1989. 498-532.
A designer's assumptions about human communication have a
powerful effect on how the relationship between person and
machine is first established and later developed. These
assumptions are designed into the machine and lie dormant
until activated in the user's environment. Much like a
competent human communicator able to modify these a priori
assumptions through interaction, technologies designed to
adapt to the user's environment should find more acceptance
in the social setting of system use than should a less
flexibly designed system. This chapter attempts to identify
some of the critical features of this process of design and
the integral connection of these design features to the
process of implementing: finding social acceptance for new
communication technologies. Socially open architecture is
the approach advocated for designing technology-based
communication systems. Of particular importance to this
approach are two assumptions about (1) the purposes for the
technological innovation; and (2) the users as individual
information processors and as persons embedded in larger
social contexts (Communication Abstracts).
Alberty, Catherine A. "A Step Beyond Audience Analysis: A
Writer's Awareness of Audience While Composing." Proceedings of
the 34th International Technical Communication Conference.
Denver, Colorado. Washington, DC: Society for Technical
Communication, ret-26--ret-29, 1987.
Altheide, D.L. "Computer Formats and Bureaucratic Structures."
Ed. D.R. Maines, and C.J. Couch. Communication and Social
Structure. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1988. 215-230.
The author proposes that the media of communication used in
a situation are not a passive channel over which symbols
flow, but are themselves a part of the communication
process. In that sense, media are both constraining and
enabling. Despite the inevitable tension between the
processes of meaning construction and the meanings
themselves, it is theoretically important that the ways
technological forms interact with organized activities be
understood. He looks at the computer format, and suggests
implications for social order when a bureaucratic context
engulfs the computer form. The conclusion he reaches is
that how we communicate precedes and limits what we
communicate. When a medium used in daily affairs operates
on the basis of a distinctive logic, then communication is
subject to format, which in turn informs its content and
situated use. The impact is even greater when, as in the
case of computers, they are symbolically legitimated
(Communication Abstracts).
Anania, Loretta and Richard Jay Solomon. "Divining the Demand
for a General-Purpose Digital Network." Telecommunications
21.12 (December 1987): 28,30.
Antonoff, Michael. "Communication: Computing is the Medium for
the Message." Personal Computing 13.10 (October 1989): 163-8.
Special Issue: Computing in America IV (How Computing
Changes Everything). Historical sketch of telecomputing.
Jack Nilles coined the term "telecommuting" in 1973.
According to CAP International (market research firm) 1.5
million stand-alone fax machines and 92,000 computer-based
fax boards will be sold in 1989. Venture Development
Corporation (market research firm) predicts that unit
shipments of fax boards will reach 450,000 in 1993. "Ian
Ross, president of AT&T Bell Laboratories, predicted last
year that by the middle of the next decade, data
transmission--machines talking to people and machines
talking to machines--might well account for as much traffic
on AT&T's U.S. telecommunications network as voice
conversations" (167). "According to Electronic Mail & Micro
Systems, a New Canaan, Conn., newsletter that covers
communications technology, in 1985 some 8 million messages
were sent each month to 450,000 mailboxes; in 1989, those
figures were projected at 31 million monthly messages and
1.6 million mailboxes (167-8).
Antonoff, Michael. "Fighting City Hall at 2400 Baud." Personal
Computing 13.10 (October 1989): 170-172.
Special Issue: Computing in America IV (How Computing
Changes Everything). Santa Monica's Public Electronic
Network (PEN) provides access to information from city hall
and the community center. Electronic mail provides
residents with 24 hour a day access to officials, city
departments, and each other. An interactive database
supports ongoing conferences and discussions on a number of
topics.
Argyris, C. "Management Information Systems: The Challenge to
Rationality and Emotionality." Management Science 17 (1971):
B275-B292. (Cited in Hunter and Allen, "Adaptation").
Arms, Valerie M. "The Computer: An Aid to Collaborative
Writing." The Technical Writing Teacher 11 (Spring 1984): 181-
185. (Cited in Louth, "Selected Annotated Bibliography").
Bairstow, J.N. "Electronic Mail." Inc. 10 (July 1988): 73.
(Supplement: Office Guide).
Ball-Rokeach, S.J., and K. Reardon. "Monologue, Dialogue, and
Telelog: Comparing an Emergent Form of Communication with
Traditional Forms." Advancing Communication Science: Merging
Mass and Interpersonal Processes. Ed. R.P. Hawkins, J.M.
Wiemann, and S. Pingree. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1988. 135-161.
The authors address the question of whether the emerging
communication technologies represent an extension of
presently existing social forms of interpersonal
communication or mass communication or a third social form
of human communication. They propose that the important
focus in responding to this question is not new technologies
per se but how they are transformed by societies for
communication purposes. It is argued that sufficient
evidence exists to warrant the conclusion that new
communication technologies have extended what can be done
via interpersonal and mass communication. The new
communication technologies share with interpersonal and mass
communication more than the surface features of
interactivity and electronics, respectively. They share, to
a greater or lesser degree, a host of characteristics that
make them communication forms (Communication Abstracts).
Barrett, Edward. "Introduction: A New Paradigm for Writing with
and for the Computer." Text, ConText, and HyperText: Writing
with and for the Computer. Ed. Edward Barrett. MIT Press Series
in Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1988. xiii-
xxv.
Barrett, Edward. "Introduction: Thought and Language in a
Virtual Environment." The Society of Text: Hypertext,
Hypermedia, and the Social Construction of Information. Ed.
Edward Barrett. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1989. xi-xix.
Proposes a new model for thinking about the design and use
of text-oriented computer applications: social construction
theory rather than traditional cognitive models is used to
"read" the meaning of new information systems and to plan
their design. Cites Bruffee, Minsky, Vygotsky, and Zuboff
(and others).
Barrett, Edward, James Paradis, and F. Bequaert. "On-line
Classroom: Specification for a User Interface." Athena Writing
Project, MIT. 1987. (Cited in Barrett and Paradis, "On-line
Environment and In-House Training").
Barrett, Edward, and James Paradis. "The On-line Environment and
In-House Training." Text, ConText, and HyperText: Writing with
and for the Computer. Ed. Edward Barrett. MIT Press Series in
Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1988. 227-249.
Barrett, Edward, ed. The Society of Text: Hypertext, Hypermedia,
and the Social Construction of Information. MIT Press Series in
Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1989.
Divided into four sections: (1) Hypertext and Hypermedia:
Designing Systems for the Online User; (2) Multimedia and
Nonlinear Information Architectures; (3) The Social
Perspective: Writers, Management, and the Online
Environment; (4) Sensemaking, Learning, and the Online
Environment. Although this book is more centrally concerned
with hypertext than with electronic messaging, the essays
address issues which bear on the redefinition of literacy in
the online environment. See Barrett, "Introduction: Thought
and Language," above.
Barrett, Edward, and James Paradis. "Teaching Writing in an On-
line Classroom." Harvard Educational Review 58 (1988): 154-171.
Barrett, Edward, ed. Text, ConText, and HyperText: Writing with
and for the Computer. MIT Press Series in Information Systems.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1988.
Divided into three sections: (1) Artificial Intelligence,
Document Processing, and Hypertext; (2) Management,
Training, and Corporate Culture; and (3) Designing On-line
Information. "The first section explains computer
techniques for implementing hypertext and natural language
processing, and addresses other topics involving the
processing of language on computers. The second section is
about explaining computer systems, and communicating their
descriptions to the users. Usually the documentation is
written after the code, and the writer must often present as
coherent a system that actually has the logic and
consistency of the tax laws. We'd be better to write the
documents first, many times. In the final section the
cultural context of the documentation is discussed. The
linguistic and psychological models of people using
computers and instructional materials are presented, along
with some thoughts about the overall job to be done, rather
than just the style of the manuals" (Barrett, ix-x).
Barrett, Edward. "Textual Intervention, Collaboration, and the
Online Environment." The Society of Text: Hypertext, Hypermedia,
and the Social Construction of Information. Ed. Edward Barrett.
MIT Press Series in Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press, 1989. 305-321.
Batson, Trent. "Teaching in Networked Classrooms." Computers in
English and the Language Arts: The Challenge of Teacher
Education. Ed. Cynthia L. Selfe, Dawn Rodrigues, and William R.
Oates. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English,
1989. 247-255.
Batson discusses networked computers and video-switching
technology as a way of moving beyond collaborative learning
to collaborative writing (251). This is a practical, down-
to-earth discussion of the challenges and potentials of
networking in the classroom. Batson briefly surveys
existing collaborative programs and facilities, but suggests
that the transformative potential of networks is still
largely untapped. "It is important to remember that when
computers are networked, they cease being like fancy
typewriters and take on new powers: the power to change how
people relate to each other and the power to speed up
classroom processes. Both powers can be brought to bear on
the writing classroom, but only with training that is far
different than the usual computer training. The normal
computer training is like learning to drive: you still move
along the ground but faster; training in networks is more
like learning to fly: you have to become comfortable in a
new medium" (254). Provides four guidelines for managing a
networked classroom.
Becker, J. "Electronic Homework in West Germany: A Critical
Appraisal." The Political Economy of Information. Ed. V. Mosco
and J. Wasko. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1988. 247-273.
The author examines a phenomenon that writers like Toffler
have claimed will transform the nature of work: the ability
to work at home electronically. Becker situates his work
within Habermas' theoretical perspective on the decline of
the public sphere in capitalist society. He reviews
critically the work of those who fantasize about how
homework will end the drudgery of factory and office
routines. The author concludes that electronic homework
still resides largely within the realm of fantasy. A great
deal more has been said about it than put into practice,
largely because the practice is very risky for both labor
and capital. The risks to labor, particularly to organized
trade unions, are not difficult to ascertain: homework
enormously complicates the organizing process. The author,
however, points to a factor that has not been given much
research attention: management is to maintain social control
at a distance (Communication Abstracts).
Beckham, Bonnie. "Networking Brown University." Technological
Horizons in Education 16.8 (April 1989): 62-68. ERIC EJ 392 694
Assesses BRUNET, a campuswide network that links more than
100 academic and administrative buildings and 40
dormitories. Notes a key element is hierarchical network
management and support. Discusses the deployment, security,
and use of four networking spheres in the system (ERIC/MVL).
Bender, Eric. "Networks Take Center Stage." PC World 7.11
(November 1989): 194-196.
Wells Fargo Wholesale Loan Systems, UPS, and others use LAN
applications.
Bender, Eric. "Beyond E-Mail: The Groupware Potential." PC
World 6.11 (November 1988): 226-229.
Discusses the components of integrated "Work-Group
Productivity" software, as well as the rationale for such
packages.
Bertrand, K. "Electronic Mail Marketers Build Critical Mass."
Business Marketing. 72:35+; April 1987.
Birks, G. "Electronic Mail--Its Use in a Corporate Information
Centre Network." Communicating Information. Proceedings of the
43rd ASIS Annual Meeting in Anaheim, 1980. White Plains, NY:
Knowledge Industry Publications, 1987. 41-43.
Blackwell, Mike. "Electronic Observations of Computer User
Behavior." In Sara Kiesler, Lee Sproull, and Associates. From
Chalkboards to BBoards: Computing and Organizational Change on
Campus. Carnegie-Mellon University, CSSRC Unpublished Monograph,
1986. (Cited in Sproull and Kiesler, "Reducing Social Context
Cues").
Bowen, Charles, and David Peyton. "Compuserve Electronic Mail
Evolving" (First in a Series of Tutorials). Online Today
(November 1989): 12-13.
Bowen, Charles, and David Peyton. "More on Using Electronic
Mail" (Second in a Series of Tutorials). Online Today (December
1989): 12-13. Discusses EasyPlex link to MCI Mail, Internet, Fax
group 3 machines, Telex I and II machines, and to conventional
postal addresses.
Bressler, Stacey. "Communications: How AppleLink Improved
Apple's Information Flow." Learning Tomorrow (Journal of the
Apple Education Advisory Council) 4 (Winter 1988): 125-141. ERIC
ED 302 203
This report describes "AppleLink," a communications system
used by Apple employees, which combines an electronic mail
system, bulletin boards, and databases. The development of
AppleLink from the pilot project stage is described, and the
basic functions and features of the system are detailed.
Suggestions are made for the use of a similar system in
education agencies, based on personal experience with delays
and lost paperwork in the California Department of
Education. Twelve figures provide examples of computer
displays at various points in system use (ERIC/EW).
Brown, Kenneth C. "The Administrator's Use of Microcomputer
Systems." Administrator's Update 4.3 (Summer 1983). Washington,
D.C.: American Association of University Administrators. ERIC ED
234 729
The use of microcomputers by college administrators to
increase productivity is discussed. Microcomputers can help
increase productivity in the following administrative office
tasks: decision support, communication, personal assistance,
and task management. One of the most promising developments
to emerge from the decision sciences over the past 10 years
is Decision Support Systems. The three types of decision
support aids for microcomputers that have proved to be of
most value to both novice and expert microcomputer users are
electronic worksheets, graph and chart formatting aids, and
data base management systems. Two of the automated office
subsystems that can improve communications are electronic
mail systems and word-processing systems. Microcomputers
can be used to implement both of these types of systems.
Word-processing systems can help administrators reduce the
time spent on editing and revising reports and
correspondence. Software packages available to
administrators include those for a daily personal
calendar/reminder system, keeping notes by topical areas in
the initial stage of writing a speech or report, and
managing office tasks such as employees' schedules. A
bibliography is appended. 8 pages (ERIC/SW).
Buckland, Michael K. "Combining Electronic Mail with Online
Retrieval in a Library Context." Information Technology and
Libraries 6.4 (December 1987): 266-71. ERIC EJ 363 855
The functions of electronic mail and online catalogs are
described, and the possible uses of the two in
conjunction for library purposes are explored, including
notes between librarians, broadcast news, patron
notifications, selective information dissemination, and
interlibrary loans (ERIC/Author/CLB).
Buerger, David J. "Computer Usage in a Liberal Arts University."
EDUCOM Bulletin 22.2 (Summer 1987): 11-14. ERIC EJ 361 306
This discussion of increased computer usage at Santa Clara
University focuses on results of a questionnaire sent to
faculty and staff to determine personal computer usage.
Attitudes towards support and training, electronic
communications, and information sharing are discussed, and
the establishment of the Personal Computer Center is
described (ERIC/LRW).
Brand, S. The Media Lab: Inventing the Future at MIT. New York:
Penguin, 1988. (Cited in Zimmerman, "Reconstruction").
Canna, E. "GE Electronic Mailbox Service Ready in NY/NJ."
American Shipper 30 (July 1988): 86.
Caras, Pauline. "Literature and Computers: A Short Bibliography,
1980-1987." College Literature 15.1 (Winter 1988): 69-82.
Caswell, S.A. "Electronic Mail: The State of the Art."
Telecommunications. 22 (August 1988): 27-8+.
Caswell, Stephen A. Email. Boston: Artech House, 1988.
Electronic mail is a series of powerful technologies ranging
from telex to computer conferencing. Because of the
powerful new technologies based on microelectronic
components, new electronic mail systems are developing at a
faster rate than are the older technologies. This book
examines the strengths, weaknesses, applications, cost
justification, and implementation of the technologies and
the industry as a whole. Chapter 1 explains the challenge
presented by the new electronic mail systems. Benefits of
and justification for the use electronic mail in a variety
of applications are surveyed in chapter 2. Chapter 3
provides an overview of the technologies involved in
electronic mail systems. An explanation of the limitations
imposed by the roadways over which electronic mail can
travel is given in the fourth chapter. The fifth chapter
looks at telematic services: telex 1 and 2, communication
word processors, and facsimiles. The remaining chapters
address further such issues (Communication Abstracts).
Catano, J.V. "Computer-Based Writing: Navigating the Fluid
Text." College Composition and Communication 36 (1985): 309-316.
(Cited in Barrett and Paradis, "On-line Environment and In-House
Training").
"Chatter Boxes." Economist. 302 (7 March 1987): 75.
Chin, Felix. Electronic Mail Systems: A Selected Bibliography.
Monticello, IL: Vance Bibliographies, 1982.
Primarily useful as a record of the early debate concerning
the role of the U.S. Postal Service in electronic messaging.
Chorafas, D. Office Automation: The Productivity Challenge.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982. (Cited in Hunter and
Allen, "Adaptation").
"Chrysler's Custom Electronic Mail System Uses IBM PROFS to
Connect 6500 Dealers." Communications News. 25:12; F 88.
Churbuck, David. "Let Your Modem Do the Walking." Forbes (May
29, 1989): 280.
Churbuck, David. "Prepare for E-mail Attack." Forbes (January
32, 1989): 82-87.
Clement, A. "Office Automation and the Technical Control of
Information Workers." The Political Economy of Information. Ed.
V. Mosco and J. Wasko. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1988. 217-
246.
In this analysis of the use of office automation to
centralize control of the workplace, the author identifies
three specific processes. First, he shows how automation is
used to deskill information workers, such as clerks and
computer professional. Second, he shows how computerization
puts in place sophisticated monitoring and surveillance
systems that further centralize control. Finally, he
describes the ways in which office computer systems are used
to limit access to information, providing upper management
with a deep view of the organization while keeping lower
level information workers in the dark. The author's
analysis refutes the postindustrial thesis that the
information workers have generally decentralized control.
Rather, he suggests, the information society deepens and
extends patterns of centralized control that have
characterized capitalist society since the Industrial
Revolution (Communication Abstracts).
Colomb, Gregory G. "Cultural Literacy and the Theory of Meaning:
Or, What Educational Theorists Need to Know about How We Read."
New Literary History 20.2 (Winter 1989): 411-450.
Compton, D. Chad, et al. "Techno-Sense: Making Sense Out of the
Technological Impact on Human Communication." International
Communication Association. Chicago, IL, May 22-26, 1986. ERIC
ED 277 060
A study examined how organizational members describe their
use and perceptions of electronic mail systems. Fifty-five
subjects with access to electronic mail systems were
interviewed at two organizations. Results indicated that
subjects used the electronic mail system in the following
ways: 84% for memos, notes, and correspondence; 53% for
voice mailing; 37% for updating calendars and setting up
meetings; 30% for obtaining or communicating necessary
information; 22% to obtain technical information; 15% for
brainstorming and problem solving; and 2% for document
preparation. In general, results suggest that automated
office systems have little or no impact on healthy
interpersonal relationships and in some cases the system
extends social interaction with other organizational
members. However, the data also suggest that when
interpersonal relationships or organizational climate are
faltering, technology may contribute to the continued
deterioration of the situation. Electronic mail systems
clearly change the way that employees communicate, process
information, and develop and maintain relationships. (The
interview guide used to collect data is appended.) 31 pages
(ERIC/SRT).
Conhaim, Wallys W. "Computer Conferencing in Business." Link-Up
6.2 (March/April 1989): 14-17.
Connell, Stephen and Ian A. Galbraith. Electronic Mail: A
Revolution in Business Communications. New York: Van Nostrand
Reinhold, 1983, 1982.
"...[E]lectronic mail has the potential to revolutionize
business communications. However, few organizations have
the information needed to plan for its adoption, or even to
judge its potential in the context of their daily
operations. This book is intended to fill that information
vacuum. It is the product of a major study, "Electronic
Mail in the USA and Western Europe," undertaken by
Mackintosh Consultants and Communications Studies and
Planning Ltd. Initiated in 1977 and completed in 1980, the
study collected data on the need for, and potential of,
electronic mail at organizations throughout North America
and Europe" (v). The survey included measurement of total
mail received by 130 businesses, 13,000 responses to
questionaires, including detailed information about
individual mail items, 1700 telephone interviews, and 215
personal interviews (19). In addition to a thorough
discussion of how organizations use email, the authors
provide suggestions and guidelines for designing a system to
meet the needs of individual firms. The book is divided
into three sections: (1) User Needs and System Concepts
(background, overview, and explanation of the technology);
(2) Electronic Mail and Your Business (how to evaluate your
own needs and design an appropriate system); and (3) Policy
and Market Analysis (regulatory issues and forecasts. Two
appendices provide information about suppliers. Although
this information is quite dated, the format of this book
provides an excellent model for subsequent guides for policy
makers.
Conroy, Cathryn. "EasyPlex Reaches Out." Online Today (December
1989): 18-19.
Discusses Internet gateway which links EasyPlex with more
than 1,000 independent networks, including BITNET
(university network), ARPANET (research network), CICnet
(Big 10 universities), and corporations.
Coombs, Norman R. "History by Teleconference." History
Microcomputer Review 4.1 (Spring 1988): 37-39. ERIC EJ 369 525
Discusses use of computer conferencing in history
instruction at Rochester, New York Institute of Technology.
Describes how students hand in papers and communicate with
their blind professor using personal computers and modems to
send and receive electronic mail on the mainframe. Examines
student reactions to project and evaluates program in terms
of student achievement, overall efficiency, convenience, and
productivity (ERIC/GEA).
Cooper, D.S. "Electronic Mail: Has Its Time Finally Come?"
Office 106 (August 1987): 34-5.
Corteses, Joanne G. "Computer Applications in Teaching Business
and Professional Writing Courses in Four-Year Colleges: Research
Suggesting Curricular Changes." The Bulletin of the Association
for Business Communication 52.4 (December 1989): 3-5.
This article surveys the literature on computer applications
in the business and technical writing curriculum. All of
the studies were published in connection with the ABC
(either at conferences, in the Bulletin, or in the Journal
of Business Communication) during the period 1985-1986. The
literature falls into three categories: studies of general
computer usage in four-year colleges, studies of specific
apllications (e.g,. electronic mail, style-analysis
software), and background studies which underwrite the need
for curriculum development generally. Eight works are
listed as references. Concise and useful. See Mitchell,
R.B., et al. "An Investigation" (below).
Crawford, Albert B. "Corporate Electronic Mail--A Communication-
Intensive Application of Information Technology." MIS Quarterly
6 (1982): 1-14. (Cited in Sproull, "Using Electronic Mail" 1986;
and in Sproull and Kiesler "Reducing").
Cross, Thomas B. and Marjorie B. Raizman. Networking: An
Electronic Mail Handbook. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman, 1985.
Czubek, D.H. "Understanding IBM's Electronic Mail Architectures
[Document Interchange Architecture and SNA Distribution
Services]." Data Communication. 15 (November 1986): 157-8+.
Daiute, Colette. "The Computer as Stylus and Audience." College
Composition and Communication 34 (1983): 134-145. (Cited in
Barrett and Paradis, "On-line Environment and In-House
Training").
Daiute, Colette. "Can the Computer Stimulate Writers' Inner
Dialogues?" W. Wresch, ed. The Computer in Composition: A
Writer's Tool. Urbana: NCTE, 1984. (Cited in Barrett and
Paradis, "On-line Environment and In-House Training").
Daiute, Colette. "Issues in Using Computers to Socialize the
Writing Process." Educational Communication and Technology 33
(Spring 1895): 41-50. (Cited in Louth, "Selected Annotated
Bibliography").
Daiute, Colette. "Physical and Cognitive Factors in Revising:
Insights from Studies with Computers." Research in the Teaching
of English 20.2 (May 1986): 141-159. (Cited in Krull, "Online
Writing").
Davies, Dick. "Computer-Supported Co-operative Learning Systems:
Interactive Group Technologies and Open Learning." Programmed
Learning and Educational Technology 25.3 (August 1988): 205-15.
ERIC EJ 384 384
Discussion of interactive technologies and open learning
focuses on computer supported cooperative work (CSCW),
especially computer based message systems, and their effects
on open learning. Topics discussed include cooperative
learning; distance learning; individualized instruction;
local area networks; group communication; and design
principles for human-computer systems. (41 references)
(ERIC/LRW).
Datta, Jean. "Improving Written Electronic Communications."
Administrative Management 48.8 (August 1987): 21-23.
Electronic mail makes new demands on writing skills, and
makes clarity and economy even more important. "[W]ritten
communication will no longer be reserved [exclusively] for
formal and final interchanges, but rather for casual and
informal types of interaction and for tentative exchanges of
ideas; in other words, for the least structures type of
communication. For these purposes, the heavy, elaborate
formulations and impersonal phrasings preferred for
conventional written communications in business and
government today will be unsuitable and will need to give
way to a more natural and direct style, more appropriate to
day-to-day interchanges of views and information" (22).
Sidebar: "Rules of Good Writing."
DeWine, Sue, et al. "Electronic and Courier Methods of
Information Dissemination: A Test of Accuracy." Annual Meeting
of the International Communication Association. Chicago, IL, May
1986. ERIC ED 275 331
As part of a larger endeavor to evaluate the impact of
communication technology on organizations, this study
assesses the accuracy of information diffusion via
electronic-mail and courier-mail systems in two large
organizations which have implemented electronic-mail systems
in the last three years. Data were obtained through the use
of questionnaires prepared using the Episodic Communication
Channels in Organizations (ECCO) method. Related literature
is reviewed, the research methodology is discussed, and
results are presented. Conclusions indicate that channel
selection has little, if any, impact on the accuracy of
message recall, and that the salience of a message appears
to have a more significant effect on message fidelity.
Future researchers will need to address the several
intervening variables that may have affected the study
results. References are provided, and an ECCO format is
appended. 27 pages (ERIC/KM).
Dickson, G., and J. Simmons. "The Behavioral Side of MIS."
Business Horizons 15 (1970): 59-71. (Cited in Hunter and Allen,
"Adaptation").
Dodd, Julie E. "Closeness Possible through Computer Networking."
Communication: Journalism Education Today (C:JET) 22.3 (Spring
1989): 15-16. ERIC EJ 388 529
Special Issue on Scholastic Press Associations. Points out
the benefits of computer networking for scholastic
journalism. Discusses three systems currently offering
networking possibilities for publications: the Student Press
Information Network; the Youth Communication Service; and
the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund's electronic mail system
(ERIC/MS).
Dortch, M. "Pac Bell, DEC begin Message Trials." Telephony 215
(8 August 1988): 11-12.
Downing, Theodore E., et al. "Improving Instructor/Student
Interaction With Electronic Mail." Engineering Education 78.4
(January 1988): 247-50. ERIC EJ 365 248
Reports on the results of a University of Arizona experiment
that used electronic mail to supplement traditional modes
of student/instructor interaction in four courses in
electrical and computer engineering. Results indicated that
students liked electronic mail to supplement their discourse
with their instructors (ERIC/TW).
Dvorak, John C. "Telecommuting Rights Now!" (Column).
PC/Computing 2.12 (December 1989): 19.
Explains how to connect your modem to a hard-wired hotel-
room telephone.
Edabi, Yar M. and James M. Utterback. "The Effects of
Communication on Technological Innovation." Management Science
30 (1984): 572-585. (Cited in Sproull and Kiesler, "Reducing").
Edstrom, A. "User Influence and the Success of MIS Projects: A
Contingency Approach." Human Relations 30 (1977): 589-607.
(Cited in Hunter and Allen, "Adaptation").
Edwards, Renee, et al. "Innovation in Business Organizations:
Adoption of Japanese Management Principles and Communications
Technologies." Annual Meeting of the Southern Speech
Communication Association. Winston-Salem, NC, April 11-14, 1985.
ERIC ED 259 411
A survey was completed by 248 North Carolinian companies in
a study conducted to determine the extent to which
businesses have responded to recent theories on Japanese
management principles and communication technologies. The
five areas of the survey focused on (1) characteristics of
the respondent and organization, (2) communication and
decision making within the organization, (3) organizational
change, (4) new communication technologies, and (5)
familiarity with and adoption of Japanese management
principles. The companies that were investigated
demonstrated many characteristics typical of more
authoritarian, small, nonunion organizations. Communication
was typically downward, and most decisions were made by top
level management. Most companies reported being affected by
new technologies or advances in their industries, and most
indicated high satisfaction with them. Only 60% had
computers, 17% used electronic mail, 16% used Telex, and 4%
participated in video teleconferences. One-third of those
interviewed were not familiar with Japanese management
practices, and only 17% were very familiar. Seventy percent
of the companies made no attempt to adopt such principles.
While 67% of those who had adopted some Japanese principles
felt they were successful, 31% were neutral (ERIC/HTH).
Eighmey, C.R. "Instant Communication: Modems Make it Happen."
Association Management. 39 (October 1987):140.
"Electronic Mail Growing, Slowly." Wall Street Journal (Eastern
Edition) 28 May 1987: 1.
"Electronic Mail Services." Data Communications. 15 (June
1986):198-9. (table).
"Electronic Mail Services Connect [AT&T Mail, with Dial-com,
Inc., subsidiary of British Telecom]." Data Communications. 18
(March 1989): 73.
"Electronic Mail: User Boom." Data Communications 15 (April
1986): 76-7. (table).
"Electronic Messaging [Special Report]." Communications News 24
(September 1987): 28-51.
Erdman, H., M. Klein, and J. Greist. "The Reliability of a
Computer Interview for Drug Use/Abuse Information." Behavior
Research Methods and Instrumentation 15 (1983): 66-68. (Cited in
Sproull, "Using Electronic Mail").
Farkas, D.K. "Online Editing and Document Review." Technical
Communication 34.3 (August 1987): 180-183. (Cited in Krull,
"Online Writing").
Fenno, C.R. "Interactive Online Editing: A Review of Current
Techniques." Proceedings of the 34th International Technical
Communication Conference, Denver, May 10-13, 1987, WE55-58.
(Cited in Krull, "Online Writing").
Fenno, C.R. "But What If the Shoe Doesn't Fit?: User Comfort in
the Electronic Office." Technical Communication 34.3 (August
1987): 146-149. (Cited in Krull, "Online Writing").
Fisher, Francis Drummer. "The Electronic Lumberyard and
Builders' Rights: Technology, Copyrights, Patents, and Academe."
Change 21.3 (May/June 1989): 12-21. ERIC EJ 390 781
The legal system of copyright may have worked in the era of
print, but with electronic technology, society needs less
encumbered and cheaper access to expressed ideas. Economic
success will go to those nations that best succeed in
promoting creativity without inhibiting the incorporation of
expressed ideas into other products (ERIC/MLW).
Flynn, John P. "Simulating Policy Processes through Electronic
Mail." Computers in Human Services 2.1-2 (Spring/Summer 1987):
13-26. ERIC EJ 367 051
Focuses on the use of electronic mail for teaching and
learning about social welfare policy processes and compares
electronic mail as a simulation medium to more structured
computer applications (ERIC/Author).
Fodor, G.M. "Electronic Mail vs. On-line Communication."
Industrial Distribution. 77 (July 1988): 65-6.
(Redinet E-mail service and Norton Connection).
Forman, Janis. "Computer-Mediated Group Writing in the
Workplace." Computers and Composition 5.1 (1987): 19-30.
This article reviews a 1985-1986 study in which the author
studied computer-mediated group writing in a 110-person
software manufacturer. Seven preliminary conclusions are
reviewed: "1. Difficulties with audience analysis may be
exacerbated by the use of electronic messaging"
(inapproriate tone and inappropriate usage are discussed at
length). "2. The management of information systems is
crucial to the effective use of electronic messaging in
group writing" (underscores the need for clear agreement on
how and when email should be used). "3. A group's maturity
and the repetitiveness of its tasks enhance the group's
ability to use electronic messaging effectively." "4.
Electronic messaging reduces geographical distances" (and
hence ameliorates the loss of organizational unity sometimes
felt by personnel in distant branches). "5. Electronic
messaging reduces boundaries between business and personal
life" (by bringing the office into the home, and vice
versa). "6. Managers use electronic messaging for different
reasons and see different advantages" (e.g., accountability,
convenience, more efficient scheduling and goal-setting, and
reduced formality). "7. Electronic Messaging is Used
Throughout the Writing Process." Forman concludes with a
detailed list of questions for further research. This
article previews a three-year collaborative study
(undertaken by Forman and M. Lynne Markus) on management
students' use of electronic messaging. Taken together, the
studies will provide an interesting contrast between
experienced professionals and student novices as users of
electronic messaging as a medium for collaboration.
Fredin, E. S. "Interactive Communication Systems, Values and the
Requirement of Self-Reflection." Communication Yearbook 12. Ed.
J. A. Anderson. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1989. 533-546.
This commentary is an elaboration of points found in the
Acker chapter and the Gagnon commentary, rather than a
criticism of them. The author is in agreement with the main
points found in both works, and many of his points are
complementary to theirs. The commentary begins with the
author developing a list of implications that can be drawn
from an example Acker used to demonstrate that terms often
fail to describe the state of new technology. The first
implications explicate some of the difficulties involved in
predicting the uses of new technology. Additional
implications lead to the question of whether the ultimate
goal of a new communication system is being functionally
equivalent to an older communication mode. The author then
discusses a new technology project--the development of a
computer news system in which the attempt is being made to
go beyond functional equivalence. Moving beyond functional
equivalence requires the socially open architecture proposed
by Acker. The aspect of socially open architecture the
author elaborates on is the kind of effort required by users
(Communication Abstracts).
Fryser, Benjamin S., and Keith H. Stirling. "The Effect of
Spatial Arrangement, Upper-Lower Case Letter Combinations, and
Reverse Video on Patron Response to CRT Displayed Catalog
Records." Journal of the American Society for Information
Science 35.6 (1984): 344-350. (Cited in Grice, "Online
Information" 1989).
Freedman, David H. "An Early Lead in Electronic Messaging."
Infosystems 35 (January 1988): 14-19. (Digital Equipment).
Gabriel, Michael R. A Guide to the Literature of Electronic
Publishing: CD-ROM, Desktop Publishing, and Electronic Mail,
Books and Journals. Greenwich, CT: Jai Press, 1989.
Gagnon, D. "Toward an Open Architecture and User-Centered
Approach to Media Design." Communication Yearbook 12. Ed. J. A.
Anderson. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1989. 547-555.
Acker proposed an open architecture approach to media
design. This design philosophy, which he calls "socially
open architecture," has at its base the principle of
incompleteness. The technology does not solely determine
its function; instead, the user participates with the
technology to realize that aim. The system acts as a
partner in problem solving. Such systems can easily adapt
to changes in both the environment and user. The author of
this commentary argues that how much structure and control
should be designed into the media is the central issue
underlying an open architecture approach. She considers how
much structure or lack of structure is necessary and
preferred, and what the appropriate balance of control
between media and user should be. She concludes that for
the present, media designers should work toward designs that
are driven by artificial intelligence prefilters and
individually adaptive designs that are under the control of
the user. These systems should be thinking, observing, and
formulating their responses while still remaining open to
the requests of the user (Communication Abstracts).
Gandy, O.H., Jr. "The Political Economy of Communications
Competence." The Political Economy of Information. Ed. V. Mosco
and J. Wasko. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1988. 108-124.
The author offers a concrete analysis of the threat to
equality contained in the use of new communication
technologies. The author reviews research on the
distributional impacts of new technology and suggests that
in several vital areas a substantial portion of the
population in developed societies such as the United States
lacks the competence to communicate in a technologically
sophisticated world. Contrary to certain analysts' views,
he suggests that class and race may matter more in the
information society than they did in the industrial world
because the powers of data gathering for surveillance,
market manipulation, and general social control are greater
in a society marked by computer communication systems.
Privacy legislation, the main response to government and
corporate data gathering so far, appears to be limited to
attempts to bring laws governing theft and government
intrusion in touch with modern technological realities. It
is less concerned with the more complicated questions
focusing on power relations (Communication Abstracts).
Gerber, Barry. A Computer Network for Social Scientists.
Academic Computing 3.5 (January 1989): 30-31,53-58. ERIC EJ 389
292
Describes a microcomputer-based network developed at the
University of California Los Angeles to support education in
the social sciences. Topics discussed include
technological, managerial, and academic considerations of
university networking; the use of the network in teaching
macroeconomics, social demographics, and symbolic logic; and
possible future developments in academic networking
(ERIC/CLB).
Gilfoil, D.M. "Warming Up to Computers: A Study of Cognitive And
Affective Interaction Over Time." Human Factors in Computing
Systems. Gaithersburg, MA, 1982. 242-250. (Cited in Krull,
"Online Writing").
Gillespie, A., and H. Williams. "Telecommunications and the
Reconstruction of Regional Comparative Advantage." Environment
and Planning A 20.10 (October 1988): 1311-1322.
The innovative use of advanced telecommunications is
becoming increasingly significant within strategies used by
firms to maintain or enhance their competitive position in
turbulent market environments. This paper explores the
implications that such innovations have for the nature of
intracorporate spatial relationships, and, in a more
generalized sense, for the redefinition of core-periphery
regional interrelationships. In an attempt to demonstrate
the significance of these developments for the
reconstruction of regional comparative advantage, attention
is focused on a policy domain which has been all but
overlooked by regional scientists, that of
telecommunications regulatory policy. The author concludes
that we are witnessing a realignment of regional
interrelationships in an increasingly global space economy.
The bases of regional comparative advantage are rapidly
shifting as the existing relational distances between places
are in the process of being redefined through
telecommunications-based computer innovations (Communication
Abstracts).
Gilsdorf, Jeanette W. "Written Corporate Communication Policy:
Extent, Coverage, Costs, Benefits." Journal of Business
Communication 24.4 (Fall 1987): 35-52. ERIC EJ 359 229
Answers pertinent questions about the use of corporate
communication policies, based on evaluation of written
policies and in-depth interviews with corporate
representatives (ERIC/JC).
Grice, Roger A. "Information Development is Part of Product
Development--Not an Afterthought." Text, ConText, and HyperText:
Writing with and for the Computer. Ed. Edward Barrett. MIT
Press Series in Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press,
1988. 133-148.
The tasks of research (or collecting information) and
writing are parallel activities.
Grice, Roger A. "Online Information: What Do People Want? What
Do People Need?" The Society of Text: Hypertext, Hypermedia, and
the Social Construction of Information. Ed. Edward Barrett. MIT
Press Series in Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press,
1989. 22-44.
Grosch, Audrey N. "Electronic Bulletin Board in a University
Library--The University of Minnesota Experience." Electronic
Library 6.3 (June 1988): 184-91. ERIC EJ 377 791
Discusses rationale for operating an electronic bulletin
board in an academic library setting and considerations for
software and hardware selection. Experiences related to the
operation of a bulletin board system at the University of
Minnesota Library are summarized in the areas of goals and
rationale, system selection, system configuration, and
operating factors. 6 references (ERIC/MES).
Goldberg, Fred S. "Telecommunications and the Classroom: Where
We've Been and Where We Should Be Going." Computing Teacher 15.8
(May 1988): 26-30. ERIC EJ 375 261
Discussion of the use of telecommunications highlights
projects designed by the New York City Board of Education to
investigate telecommunications alternatives for the
classroom. Telecommunications systems models are described,
including electronic bulletin boards and networking; and
instructional models are explained, including computer
mediated dialogs, user-supported libraries, and online
research (ERIC/LRW).
Greist, John H., Marjorie H. Klein, and Harold P. Erdman.
"Routine On-line Psychiatric Diagnosis by Computer." American
Journal of Psychiatry. 12 (1976): 1405-08. (Cited in Kiesler and
Sproull, "Response Effects").
Guthrie, A. "Attitudes of the User-managers Towards Management
Information Systems." Management Informatics 3 (1974): 221-232.
(Cited in Hunter and Allen, "Adaptation").
Hargadon, T.J. "Information Services and Electronic Mail."
Office. 107 (May 1988): 22.
Hargadon, T.J. "A Small Convention with Big Promise." Office
106 (December 1987): 28.
The Electronic Mail Association holds their annual
conference in San Francisco.
Haas, Christina. "How the Writing Medium Shapes the Writing
Process: Effects of Word Processing on Planning." Research in
the Teaching of English 23.2 (May 1989): 181+.
Haas, C. and J.R. Hayes. "What Did I Just Say? Reading Problems
in Writing with the Machine." Research in the Teaching of
English 20.1 (February 1986): 22-35. (Cited in Krull, "Online
Writing").
Hedges, K. "Presenting a User's Guide to E-mail Etiquette, or,
How to Compose More Stimulating Messages." Communication News
23 (October 1986): 64.
Heeter, C. "Classifying Mediated Communication Systems."
Communication Yearbook 12. Ed. J. A. Anderson. Newbury Park,
CA: Sage, 1989. 477-489.
The author sees Rice's chapter in this volume as a very
useful reminder of the illusion of objectivity and as an
important step toward classification dimensions for mediated
communication systems research. She contends, however, that
detailed specification of the particular mediated
communication system under study is even more crucial to
generalizing across studies than is classification of the
research project. Section 1 of her commentary extends the
scope of Rice's framework's from computer mediated
communication systems. Section 2 proposes a distinction
between classifying media systems and classifying media
system research. Section 3 discusses the importance of
detailed descriptions of media systems for generalizing
across studies. Section 4 reviews other media system
classification schemata. Section 5 proposes and applies a
schema based on two traditional communication variables:
function and channel. Section 6 discusses extensions of
that schema (Communication Abstracts).
Hellweg, Susan A., et al. "Emerging Organizational Electronic
Communication Technologies: A Selected Review of the Literature."
Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association. Denver,
CO, November 7-10, 1985. ERIC ED 263 645
A selective review of research dealing with emerging
organizational electronic communication technologies from
the communication, management, and organizational psychology
literature was divided into four categories: word
processing, electronic mail, computer conferencing, and
teleconferencing (audio/video). The analysis was directed
specifically at the communicative implications of these
technologies. It was found that research on word processing
focused not only on the communicative strategies, but also
on the political implications of word processing
implementation and usage. It was also found that the most
common use of electronic mail was as a substitute for the
telephone. Research on computer conferencing revealed that
an emotional dimension was possible through this form of
communication and that it widened the range of communication
options. The studies on teleconferencing examined its
strengths and weaknesses and reported various experiences
with its use. From this analysis it is concluded that
future research should examine (1) the specific contingency
utilization framework of each electronic technology based on
its limitations and communicative outcomes, (2) the
integration of white-collar workers into communicative
processes formerly associated with blue-collar workers, (3)
the redefinition of communicative roles within the
organization, and (4) the decision making processes and
influence processes as functions of these technologies.
Twelve pages of references are appended. 47 pages
(ERIC/HOD).
Hepworth, M.E. "Information Services in the International
Network Marketplace." Information Services and Use 7.6 (1987):
167-182.
Innovations in converging computer and technologies are
creating an international network marketplace. The
technical infrastructure of this "marketplace" is a global
grid of several thousand private computer networks used by
firms and governments for producing and distributing online
information services. Commercial transactions may include,
for example, electronic funds transfer, online price
information, electronic mail and document delivery, credit
card authorization, and computer software. This paper
examines the internationalization of the network marketplace
through case studies of the London Stock Exchange and I.P.
Sharp Associates, a Canadian computer service bureau. The
author shows that transnational computer networks operated
by these organizations are of central importance to the
production of information services and global market
expansion. He concludes that insofar as the information and
communication requirements of all sectors are increasingly
delivered through the network marketplace, the latter's
global expansion reflects and reinforces economy-wide trends
toward transnational production and markets (Communication
Abstracts).
Hernandez, Nicolas, Jr. "ISAAC: An Introduction to IBM's
Information System for Advanced Academic Computing at the
University of Washington-Seattle." CALICO Journal 6.2 (December
1988): 41-47. ERIC EJ 384 101
Traces the origin of ISAAC (Information System for Advanced
Academic Computing) and the development of a languages and
linguistics "room" at the University of Washington-Seattle.
ISAAC, a free, valuable resource, consists of two databases
and an electronic bulletin board spanning broad areas of
pedagogical and research fields (ERIC/Author/CB).
Hernandez, R.T. "ECPA and Online Computer Privacy." Federal
Communications Law Journal 41.1 (November 1988): 17-42.
During the ninety-ninth term of the U.S. Congress, the
Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA) was
enacted to provide federal statutory guidelines to protect
the privacy of electronic communications found on commercial
computer-based services. This discussion of ECPA and
related areas was prompted by one of the first civil
lawsuits which relies on ECPA as a basis for some of its
claims, Thompson v. Predaina. The author discusses the
following issues: (1) the computer communication
environment; (2) an example of the pre-ECPA criminal
situation; (3) the law prior to the passage of ECPA; (4) a
preliminary discussion of ECPA with emphasis on its criminal
procedure aspects; (5) ECPA as applied in the civil context
to the Thompson situation; and (6) ECPA as applied, again in
the civil context, to the corporate situation. The author
concludes that it is very likely that more cases like
Thompson will develop. The future is also likely to bring
the passage of more electronic privacy legislation in the
manner of ECPA (Communication Abstracts).
Hershey, John E., and William J. Pomper. "An Introduction to the
Local Area Network Concept." Telecommunications: An
Interdisciplinary Text. Ed. Leonard Lewin. Dedham, MA: Artech,
1984. 419-448.
Hiltz, S.R., and M. Turoff. The Network Nation. Reading, MA:
Addison-Wesley, 1978. (Cited in Barrett and Paradis, "On-line
Environment and In-House Training").
Horowitz, Irving Louis. "New Technology and the Changing System
of Author-Publisher Relations." New Literary History 20.2
(Winter 1989): 505+.
Hunter, John E., and Mike Allen. "Adaptation to Electronic Mail."
Journal of Applied Communication Research 20 (1992): 254-274.
This paper describes the stages through which a new user of
electronic mail passes: cognitive and emotional
anticipation, learning to use the electronic mail facility,
and experiencing the use of electronic mail. Each stage is
described with careful attention to the emotional and
cognitive responses of users. This is an original and
important contribution to research in the field and includes
a helpful list of references.
Hurwicz, Mike. "Electronic Mail Evolving into Groupware." LAN
Times 6.5 (May 1989): 73.
Listing of available packages.
Irish, Peggy M. and Randall H. Trigg. "Supporting Collaboration
in Hypermedia: Issues and Experiences." The Society of Text:
Hypertext, Hypermedia, and the Social Construction of
Information. Ed. Edward Barrett. MIT Press Series in
Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1989. 90-106.
Irwin, M. "Corporate Strategy and Information Networks."
InterMedia 16.2 (March 1988): 32-36.
Today, information technology--computers and communication--
is altering the pace and environment of the firm. It is the
author's thesis that the information network is emerging as
a corporate strategy for firms both domestic and global.
The article focuses on the telecommunication network as an
internal and external strategy. An internal strategy is one
of cost reduction and competitive positioning. An external
strategy invites a firm to resell excess capacity, to
leverage in-house services into new markets, and to
penetrate geographic areas beyond the traditional reach of
the firm. This latter strategy is called capacity resell,
enhanced resell, and spatial resell. Both internal and
external strategies are shown to carry three implications.
A first is that companies are being redefined in terms of
customers and markets. A second is that companies are being
redefined in terms of their relationships to their suppliers
and contractors. Third, firms are experiencing a softening
of products, services and markets on a geographical basis.
In sum, it is argued, we are witnessing a subtle transition
in what we call a firm (Communication Abstracts).
Iwaasa, R.-S. "Convivial Messaging Systems: Startling Facts and
Figures About Electronic Mail (messageries) for French
Households." The Information Society 5.4 (1987/1988): 265-269.
Commencing with a pilot program in 1982-1983, the French PTT
introduced a national videotex service, Teletel, based on
distribution of Minitel terminals to each telephone
subscriber. There was a massive increase in the number of
information banks or related services. Personal message
sending "messageries" originally provided as an additional
facility by some information bank services, has become the
dominant use and source of income not only of these services
but of Teletel itself. Although there are currently
proposals aimed at taxing messageries to slow their growth,
there are several reasons why messaging represents a long-
term phenomenon: (1) the cost is affordable as compared to
travel, logistic expenses, and needs for face-to-face
encounters; (2) possibilities exist for conservation and
synthesis of messages-exchanges if necessary; (3) there is a
new hold on multidimensional interaction--not only are
physical distances done away with but timetables become more
flexible; (4) there is spontaneity--exchanges among users
are easier and quicker, and individuals often feel more
secure while interacting than with classical forms of social
communication (Communication Abstracts).
Johansen, Robert, Barbara McNeal, and Michael Nyhan.
Telecommunications and Developmentally Disabled People:
Evaluations of Audio Conferencing, Personal Computers, Computer
Conferencing, Electronic Mail. Menlo Park, CA: Institute for the
Future, 1981.
Johansen, R. Teleconferencing and Beyond. New York: McGraw
Hill, 1984. (Cited in Barrett and Paradis, "On-line Environment
and In-House Training").
Johnston, J. "Commentary on Issues and Concepts in Research on
Computer-Mediated Communication Systems." Communication Yearbook
12. Ed. J. A. Anderson. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1989. 490-497.
In his chapter on computer-mediated communication systems
(CMCS), Rice notes that the body of research on the uses and
implications of CMCS is usually diverse, reflecting wide-
ranging goals and disciplinary orientations of those who
have conducted studies on this topic. Over the years,
Rice's own publications on CMCS have played an important
role for academics in the field of communication by
synthesizing literature from sources outside the mainstream
of the communication field. In his chapter, Rice attempts
to provide a framework that can be used to both understand
the existing diversity and guide further research. The
author of this paper considers that attempt a laudable goal,
but argues that there is a basic diversity of goals between
communication researchers with their theoretical orientation
and those researchers who identify with the field of program
evaluation. Further, the stakeholder notion, which arose in
the field of program evaluation, is impractical because it
diffuses focus and interest. Increased use of qualitative
strategies to study CMCS is also recommended (Communication
Abstracts).
Kalmbach, J.R., J.W. Jobst, and G.P.E. Meese. "Education and
Practice: A Survey of Graduates of a Technical Communication
Program." Technical Communication 33.21 (1986): 21-26. (Cited
in Krull, "Online Writing").
Karweit, Nancy, and Edmund D. Meyers, Jr. "Computers in Survey
Research." Peter H. Rossi, James D. Wright, and Andy B. Anderson
(eds.). Handbook of Survey Research. New York: Academic, 1983.
Katz, J.E. "Public Policy Origins of Telecommunications Privacy
and the Emerging Issues." Information Age 10.3 (July 1988): 169-
177.
This paper examines historical forces both supporting and
diminishing telecommunications privacy, and how America's
sociopolitical environment has given use to particular
attitudes towards communication privacy. Then it extends
past trends into the future to see how they are likely to
affect the environment of the telecommunications industry.
Six trends are proposed and discussed: (1) the expectation
of privacy will continue to expand in the U.S., along with
the expansion of material well-being; (2) telecommunications
and computer technologies will strengthen the value of
privacy to people and sensitize them to its possible lows;
(3) the concept is spreading that people should have access
to review and correct data files kept on them by formal
organizations; (4) public opinion shows high and growing
levels of concern about privacy invasion (governmental
leaders' concerns on this issue will largely be reactive to
public pressure); (5) the rapid pace of change in
telecommunications technologies adds to public disquiet; and
(6) organizations will continue to demand even more privacy
invasive information about individuals with whom they have
contact (Communication Abstracts).
Kemper, Marlyn. "Emerging Technologies: A Roadmap for
Librarians." School Library Journal 35.3 (November 1988): 36-41.
ERIC EJ 384 333
Reports results of a survey of 17 public library systems on
their use of electronic mail, desktop publishing, local area
networks, and telefacsimile. Two sidebars present steps for
the deployment of emerging technologies and the addresses
for several vendors of telefacsimile equipment. Nine
references (ERIC/MES).
Kerr, Elaine B., and Starr Roxanne Hiltz. Computer-Mediated
Communication Systems: Status and Evaluation. New York: Academic
Press, 1982.
Kiesler, Sara, and Lee S. Sproull. "Response Effects in the
Electronic Survey." Public Opinion Quarterly 50 (1986): 402-413.
This report examines the electronic survey as a research
tool. In an electronic survey, respondents use a text
processing program to self-administer a computer-based
questionnaire. As more people have access to computers,
electronic surveys may become widespread. The electronic
survey can reduce processing costs because it automates the
transformation of raw data into computer-readable form. It
can combine advantages of interviews (e.g., prompts, complex
branching) with those of paper mail surveys (e.g.,
standardization, anonymity). An important issue is how the
electronic survey affects the responses of people who use
it. We conducted an experimental sample survey on healh
attitudes, behaviors, and personal traits using two forms of
administration: electronic and paper mail. Closed-end
responses in the electronic survey were less socially
desirable and tended to be more extreme than were responses
in the paper survey. Open-ended responses that could be
edited by respondents were relatively long and disclosing.
These findings are consistent with other research on
computer-mediated communication, raising general issues
about using computers to collect self-report data (authors).
Kiesler, Sara, Jane Siegel, and Timothy McGuire. "Social
Psychological Aspects of Computer-mediated Communications."
American Psychologist 39 (1984): 1123-1134. (Cited in Sproull,
"Using Electronic Mail"; Kiesler and Sproull, "Response
Effects").
Kiesler, Sara, D. Zubrow, A.M. Moses, and V. Geller. "Affect in
Computer-mediated Communication." Human Computer Interaction 1
(1985): 77-104. (Cited in Sproull, "Using Electronic Mail").
Kinkead, Joyce. "Wired: Computer Networks in the English
Classroom." English Journal 77.7 (November 1988): 39-41. ERIC
EJ 379 839
Describes several collaborative writing projects using
electronic mail (e-mail). Notes that although most of these
projects can be tried without computers, two of the barriers
in the classroom--time and distance--are removed as a result
of electronic communication links (ERIC/MM).
Kinser, W., Pear, J. J. "Computer-Aided Personalized System of
Instruction for the Virtual Classroom." Canadian Journal of
Educational Communication 17.1 (Winter 1988): 21-36. ERIC EJ
370 728
Describes a computer-aided personalized system of
instruction (CAPSI) and its implementations for both
on-campus and off-campus teaching at the University of
Manitoba. Highlights include electronic mail, student
reactions, the use of data that are saved throughout the
course, and future possibilities (ERIC/Author/LRW).
Kirkman, John. "How 'Friendly' is Your Writing for Readers
Around the World?" Text, ConText, and HyperText: Writing with
and for the Computer. Ed. Edward Barret. MIT Press Series in
Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1988. 343-364.
Klein, Jennifer. Electronic Mail Systems. A Brief Description.
One in a Series of Papers on Alaskan Telecommunications. Alaska
State Senate, Juneau. Rural Research Agency. August 1984. 10p.
ERIC ED 267 736
This paper describes several electronic mail systems in
use in Alaska. The University of Alaska Computer Network has
had an electronic mail system since 1976 that connects its
campuses throughout the state. The Department of Education
also has had a mail system since the late 1970s that links
the 53 school districts as well as the support and
administrative offices in the department. Within the
Legislative Affairs computer network, a system is being
used with many advanced capabilities which the
Legislative Information Offices also use. In order to
improve communication between state agencies, the
Department of Administration has introduced a new shared
electronic mail system on its System Network
Architecture (SNA) network, which is accessible to all
state agencies. Following descriptions of each of the
aforementioned systems, several recommendations are
presented: while a number of good in-house electronic mail
systems exist within state government, communications
between departments should be improved with support of the
electronic mail system on the state SNA network; there are a
number of products available on today's software market and
care should be taken when choosing an electronic mail
system; and compatibility with existing systems should be
examined as well as service arrangements (ERIC/Author/THC).
Kleinschrod, Walter A. "The Management Message in Electronic
Messaging Media." Administrative Management 48 (October 1987):
13.
Komsky, S. "A Profile of Users of Electronic Mail in the
University Organization: Frequent Users Versus Occasional Users."
Paper presented at the Speech Communication Association
Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana. (1988). (Cited in Hunter and
Allen, "Adaptation").
Kraemer, K.L, and R. King. "Political Character of
Computerization in Service Organizations: Citizen Interest or
Bureaucratic Control?" Information Age 10.4 (October 1988): 229-
239.
The authors examined a recurring question: are computerized
systems at the local government level bringing about new
services and more equitable distribution of service benefits
and costs, or are they more likely to be instruments of
political elites, reinforcing the traditional distribution
of values and services? For their study, the authors
collected data from computing managers of U.S. cities of
over 50,000 population and counties over 100,000 population.
The preliminary data analysis indicated that computerized
systems reinforce the traditional emphases of local
governments on administrative efficiency and basic
government functions, especially finance and police. To
explore these patterns more fully, the authors classified
local government computer applications according to whether
they provide direct services to citizens as opposed to
indirect support or social control of targeted groups. The
analysis revealed that the pattern of computerization in
local governments reflects an emphasis on control rather
than the distribution of services within and between
jurisdictions (Communication Abstracts).
Kruk, R.S., and P. Muter. "Reading of Continuous Text on Video
Screens." Human Factors 26.3 (1984): 339-345. (Cited in Krull,
"Online Writing").
Krull, Robert, and Philip Rubens. "An Eye Motion Study of Online
Information." Proceedings of the 1984 Annual USER-bility
Symposium. Kingston, NY: IBM. 9-17. (Cited in Grice, "Online
Information").
Krull, Robert. "Online Writing from an Organizational
Perspective." The Society of Text: Hypertext, Hypermedia, and
the Social Construction of Information. Ed. Edward Barrett. MIT
Press Series in Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press,
1989. 250-264. 33 references.
??? Krull, R., and J.M. Hurford. "Can Computers Increase Writing
Productivity?" Technical Communication 4th Quarter (1987): 243-
249. (Cited in Krull, "Online Writing").
Kraut, Robert. Telecommuting: Cautious Pessimism. Murray Hill,
NJ: Bell Communications Research, 1984. (Cited in Kiesler and
Sproull, "Response Effects").
Kuehn, Scott A. "Discovering All the Available Means for
Computer Assisted Instruction: Adapting Available University
Facilities for the Small to Medium-Sized Course." 79th Annual
Meeting of the Eastern Communication Association. Baltimore, MD,
April 27-May 1, 1988. ERIC ED 294 284
Computer networks connecting members of a class can provide
an effective, efficient means to exchange commentary, field
and answer questions, submit and grade assignments, and post
class information. Mainframe networks--large computers used
by universities before the advent of microcomputers--serve
the needs of many users at once. Mainframe users send and
receive messages through "electronic mail," connecting them
with other users. This information sharing, or
"connectivity," can be adapted to create communication
networks between instructors and students. A computer
applications specialist is helpful when designing an
educational computer network using a mainframe computer.
The advantages of a computer network include the timeliness
of the interactions, the computer's word processing
capabilities, the ease of evaluating assignments, and the
facilitation of communication between the instructor and
students. In addition, the discussion forum created through
electronic mail can successfully extend classroom
discussions. Network and mainframe software capabilities
allow an instructor to design specific applications for a
variety of communication courses, such as public speaking,
organizational communication, and journalism. Both students
and instructors can benefit from increased interaction
opportunities and from the experience gained in computer-
mediated communication. A computer word processing and
communication manual for a news writing course, and nine
references are appended (ERIC/MM).
Kuzela, L. "Communications: Electronic Mail's Surge." Industry
Week 233 (4 May 1987): 53+.
Johansen, Robert, Barbara McNeal, and Michael Nyhan.
Telecommunications and developmentally disabled people:
evaluations of audio conferencing, personal computers, computer
conferencing, electronic mail. Menlo Park, CA: Institute for the
Future, 1981.
Lamersdorf, W., ed. Office Knowledge: Representation, Management
and Utilization. Selected full papers based on contributions to
the IFIP TC8/WG8.4 Workshop held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 17-
19 August 1987. North-Holland, 1988. (Cited in A.A. Verrijn-
Stuart, "Problems in Office System Design").
Langefors, B., A.A. Verrijn-Stuart, and G. Bracchi, eds. Trends
in Information Systems. North-Holland, 1986.
Lanham, Richard A. "The Electronic Word: Literary Study and the
Digital Revolution." New Literary History 20.2 (Winter 1989):
265-290.
Lannon, L. "Dialcom Hopes High for US Market." Telephony 213 (3
August 1987): 20+.
Lasden, M. "Will You Love Electronic Mail or Hate It? Computer
Decisions 8 (1979): 47-60. (Cited in Hunter and Allen,
"Adaptation").
Latocha, W. "Electronic Mail: Slow Start But Moving Now."
Office 108 (August 1988): 56-7.
Lerch, I.A. "Electronic Communications and Collaboration: The
Emerging Model for Computer Aided Communications in Science and
Medicine." Telematics and Informatics 5.4 (1988): 397-413.
In the industrialized northern hemisphere, the advent of
computer-aided communications (CAC) and office automation
has provided physicians and scientists with the tools to
quickly and accurately obtain information, computer
resources, communications, and administrative support. Data
bases, such as those offered by the National Library of
Medicine and commercial vendors, once available only through
librarian services, are now routinely accessed by
individuals, greatly increasing the rapidity and accuracy of
literature searches. Formal computer networks such as
ARPANET and the emerging university system, BITNET, are
being supplemented by a spectrum of host facilities
available at reasonable cost via packet-switching utilities.
This has greatly facilitated the exchange of information and
data among and between individuals and institutions in North
America and Western Europe. The enhanced sophistication and
declining cost of mid- and micro-hardware and software, has
led to the emergence of local, regional, and national
networking and sharing of facilities. The promise of the
future is that of a global network of interconnected
communities, provided that certain intractable technical and
fiscal problems can be solved (Communication Abstracts).
Levin, James A., et al. "Education on the Electronic Frontier:
Teleapprentices in Globally Distributed Educational Contexts."
Contemporary Educational Psychology 12.3 (July 1987): 254-60.
ERIC EJ 361 912
The Inter-cultural Network is an electronic communication
network connecting faculty and upper elementary through
graduate students in the U.S., Mexico, Japan, and Israel.
The students address the problem of water shortage, while
learning science concepts and transferring learning. A new
form of instruction, teleapprenticeships, is suggested
(ERIC/GDC).
Levine, Lawrence B. "Corporate Culture, Technical Documentation,
and Organization Diagnosis." Text, ConText, and HyperText:
Writing with and for the Computer. Ed. Edward Barrett. MIT
Press Series in Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press,
1988. 149-174.
Lewis, Geoff, Jeffrey Rothfeder, Resa W. King, Mark Maremont,
Thane Peterson, et al. "Special Report (Electronic Mail)."
Business Week (October 10, 1988): 102-112.
Articles include: "The Portable Executive"; "Can Computers
Help the Poor?" "'EMAIL ' as a Way of Life: Westinghouse
Couldn't Do Without It"; "Thanks, I'd Rather Commute: Japan
Distrusts the Data Pipeline."
Licklider, J.C.R., and Albert Vezza. "Applications of
Information Networks." IEEE Proceedings 66 (1978): 1330-1346.
(Cited in Sproull and Kiesler, "Reducing" and in Hunter and
Allen, "Adaptation").
Lindley, W.R. "From Hot Type to Video Screens: Editors Evaluate
New Technology." Journalism Quarterly 65.2 (Summer 1988): 485-
489.
A questionnaire concerning the changeover from paper and hot
type to computerized production was mailed to the copy desk
chiefs of every U.S. newspaper with more than 50,000
circulation. Of the 221 questionnaires mailed, 127 were
completed and returned. Overall, the respondents reacted
positively to electronic editing, rating it clearer and
faster. They also found local copy more readable, though
they were not sure errors had been curtailed. On the
controversy among editors on whether typographical errors
are easier to spot on a screen than on hard copy, the
results were mixed. However, respondents generally felt
they were getting added help from technology. As editors
like control over the final product, one editor said that
one of the few benefits of VDTs was the lesser dependency on
the printer. Copy editors tended to reject the idea that
they had been turned into technicians, and strongly
disclaimed the notion that VDTs had depersonalized
copyediting. The copy editors doubted that polishing of
copy took place before the arrival of VDTs, and that editors
conferred more than they do now. They strongly agreed that
newspapers have become more sophisticated since pre-VDT
times (Communication Abstracts).
Louth, Richard. "Selected Annotated Bibliography: Collaborative
Technical Writing." Collaborative Technical Writing: Theory and
Practice. Ed. Richard Louth and Ann Martin Scott. Auburn, AL:
Auburn University, Association of Teachers of Technical Writing,
1989. 9-14.
Lucas, H. Why Information Systems Fail. New York: Columbia UP,
1975. (Cited in Hunter and Allen, "Adaptation").
Manross, G., and R. Rice. "Don't Hang Up: Organizational
Diffusion of the Intelligent Telephone." Information and
Management 10 (1986): 161-175. (Cited in Hunter and Allen,
"Adaptation").
Markoff, John. "Computer Mail Gaining a Market." New York Times
26 December 1989: D1,D8.
Electronic mail is gaining on fax because "the nation's
hodgepodge of electronic mail systems are increasingly being
hooked together." This linkage is a result of pressure from
the Aerospace Industries Association. "More than any other
industry in the United States, military aerospace companies
are related by a web of subcontracts and joint projects that
require workers at different companies to stay in touch with
one another." Mentions existing services, including Western
Union's Easylink, U.S. Sprint's Telemail, MCI Mail, and AT&T
Mail, which can connect with one another through electronic
gateways. "AT&T Mail and MCI Mail, two of the nation's
largest electronic mail services [announced earlier in
December that they] will connect with an X.400 link [making
it] possible for a computer-user to send computer-generated
messages to and receive them from various commercial
services from a single mailbox." Mentions Eric Arnum, who
is the editor of Electronic Mail and Micro Systems, an
industry newsletter based in Forest Hills, Queens. Also
mentions Anterior Technology, a Menlo Park, California firm
that "is setting up a filtering service to provide
subscribers with summaries culled from the world-wide Usenet
computer network."
Markus, M. Lynne. "Toward a 'Critical Mass' Theory of
Interactive Media: Universal Access, Interdependence and
Diffusion." Communication Research: An International Quarterly
14.5 (October 1987): 491-511. ERIC EJ 365 855
Special Issue: Theories of Organizations and Information
Technology. Proposes a "critical mass" explanation for the
diffusion of interactive media, such as telephone,
electronic mail, or computer conferencing, within
communities. Considers two special characteristics of
interactive media: (1) that widespread usage creates
universal access, and (2) that use entails interdependence,
in which earlier users are influenced by later users and
vice versa (ERIC/NKA).
Matalene, Carolyn B., ed. Worlds of Writing: Teaching and
Learning in Discourse Communities of Work. New York: Random
House, 1989.
McAllister, Carole, and Richard Louth. "The Effect of Word
Processing on the Quality of Basic Writer's Revisions." Research
in the Teaching of English 22.4 (December 1988): 417+.
McKeown, Kate. "Leadership: Everyone Can Be a Leader."
PC/Computing 3.1 (January 1990): 110-115.
"The companies that blossom in the 1990s will not be those
that try to layer information systems over the old
bureaucratic structures--those that try to use information
systems to beef up command and control. Rather, the stars
of the '90s--and many will shine--will be those companies
that use PCs to enable their people to become leaders, that
use PCs to inform and connect their entire work force"
(115). How networked PCs are changing the structure of
American corporations. Sequential, hierarchical
organization becomes more team and task-oriented. Examples
and anecdotes from American Airlines, Coca-Cola Foods, Hanes
Hosiery, and Wal-Mart.
McKie, Peter, Christopher McDonald, and Patrick Honan. "The
Personal Computing 500." Personal Computing 13.10 (October
1989): 195-207.
"In 1988, 15.4 million corporate Americans telecommuted full
time" (199).
Meeks, B.N. "E-mail Economics." Byte 14 (April 1989):151-2+.
Miles, I. Home Information: Technology and the Transformation of
Everyday Life. London: Pinter Publishers, 1988.
The author uses the term "home informatics" (HI to refer to
the applications of information technology products that are
emerging for use by members of private households. It
includes not only items of hardware like home computers, but
also the software that programs the equipment, the services
that may be used with the hardware and software, and the
networks and systems formed by linking together groups of
users. The five chapters in this book set out a view of the
dynamics of technological development, consumer behavior,
and industrial strategies, and seek to throw light upon
future forms of HI. The first chapter explains the purpose
and scope of the analysis. Chapter 2 outlines the scope of
HI, and describes general tendencies and technological
developments in HI equipment and systems. Chapter 3
considers the demand side of the equation, issues arising in
the consumer use of new IT. Chapter 4 discusses the
strategies being developed by suppliers of hardware and
services, and the innovation and industrial policy issues
that arise. Chapter 5 draws on these analyses to look at
future developments in HI, and chapter 6 summarizes the key
issues that are covered in the preceding chapters
(Communication Abstracts).
Mitchell, Bill. "Workshop on Office Automation and
Telecommunication: Applying the Technology." Annual Convention
of the American Vocational Association. Dallas, TX, December 6,
1986. ERIC ED 276 889
This document contains 12 outlines that forecast the office
of the future. The outlines cover the following topics: (1)
office automation definition and objectives; (2) functional
categories of office automation software packages for mini
and mainframe computers; (3) office automation-related
software for microcomputers; (4) office automation
architecture top-down design; (5) office automation
architecture bottom-up design; (6) office automation
architecture departmental design; (7) telecommunications--
wide area networks; (8) a sampling of public databases; (9)
electronic mail/message/voice systems; (10) electronic
document-based filing systems; (11) a comparison of optical
disk technologies for office automation applications; and
(12) the office in the year 2000. Most outlines are one to
two pages in length (ERIC/KC).
Mitchell, R.B., M.C. Crawford, and R.B. Madden. "An
Investiugation of the Imact of Electronic Communication Systems
on Organizational Communication Patterns." Journal of Business
of Communication 22.4 (1985): 9-16. (Cited in Cortese, "Computer
Applications").
Moore, Michael G. "Telecommunications, Internationalism, and
Distance Education." American Journal of Distance Education 2.1
(1988): 1-7. ERIC EJ 372 444
Discussion of the role of telecommunications in distance
education focuses on teleconference networks and
international cooperation. Highlights include the TELECON
VII Distance Learning Conference, the use of
teleconferencing by corporations for continuing education
and training, and questions to be addressed concerning the
future potential of teleconferencing (ERIC/LRW).
Morris, J.H., M. Satyanarayanan, M.H. Conner, J.H. Howard, D.S.H.
Rosenthal, and F.D. Smith. "Andrew: A Distributed Personal
Computing Environment." Communications of the ACM 29.3 (March
1986): 184-201. (Cited in Neuwirth, "Techniques of User Message
Design").
Mortensen, Erik. "Adapting Electronic Mail to Management's
Needs." Administrative Management 48.8 (August 1987): 26-31.
Mumford, Enid. "Participation--from Aristotle to Today."
Th.M.A. Bemelmans, ed. Beyond Productivity: IS Development for
Organizational Effectiveness. Proceedings of the WG8.2 Working
Conference, Minneapolis, 22-24 August 1983. North-Holland, 1984.
(Cited in A.A. Verrijn-Stuart, "Problems in Office System
Design").
Murray, Denise E. "Computer-Mediated Communication: Implications
for ESP (English for Special Purposes)." English for Special
Purposes 7.1 (1988): 3-18. ERIC EJ 367 567
Computer-mediated communication (CmC) refers to interactive
computer messages (E-messages), electronic mail (E-mail);
forums, and computer conferencing. The use of CmC in
business and classroom environments is described in light
of (1) the organization of conversation; (2) surface
discourse features; (3) choice of medium; and (4) the
acquisition of CmC (ERIC/Author/LMO).
Murray, Denise E. "The Context of Oral and Written Language: A
Framework for Mode and Medium Switching." Language in Society
17.3 (September 1988): 351-73. ERIC EJ 380 202
A case study of IBM VM users is discussed in terms of those
aspects of the context of a situation that affect both user
choice of mode/medium and mode/medium switching. Results
indicate that the medium of communication is itself a
linguistic choice (ERIC/Author/DJD).
National Directory of Bulletin Board Systems. Westport, CT:
Heckler Pub., 1985.
Nelson, T.H. "Replacing the Printed Word: A Complete Literary
System." IFIP Proceedings. October 1980: 1013-1023.
Neuwirth, Christine M. "Toward the Design of a Flexible,
Computer-Based Writing Environment." W. Wresch, ed. The
Computer in Composition: A Writer's Tool. Urbana: NCTE, 1984.
(Cited in Barrett and Paradis, "On-line Environment and In-House
Training").
Neuwirth, Christine M. "Techniques of User Message Design:
Developing a User Message System to Support Collaborative Work."
The Society of Text: Hypertext, Hypermedia, and the Social
Construction of Information. Ed. Edward Barrett. MIT Press
Series in Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1989.
325-342.
Neuwirth, C.M., D.S. Kaufer, G. Keim, and T. Gillespie. The
Comments Program: Computer Support for Response to Writing (CECE-
TR 3). Center for Educational Computing in English, English
Department, Carnegie Mellon University. January 1988. (Cited in
Neuwirth, "Techniques of User Message Design").
Nyce, H. Edward, and Richard Groppa. "Electronic Mail at MHT."
Management Technology 1.1 (1983): 65-72. (Cited in Sproull,
"Using Electronic Mail" and in Sproull and Kiesler, "Reducing").
O'Brien, L. "X.400 Standard Brings E-mail Systems Together."
Telephony. 216:26+; May 8, 1989.
Oeffinger, John C. "Merging Computers and Communication: A Case
Study in Latin America." Telematics and Informatics 4.3 (1987):
195-210. ERIC EJ 361 343
Discusses access to information through merging computers
and new communications technology and its influence in
developing nations. Highlights include a case study of
InterNet/LACRIP (Latin American Cancer Research Information
Project), a microcomputer-based international network
involving institutions in the United States and Latin
America that includes electronic mail and database searching
capabilities (ERIC/LRW).
O'Leary, Mick. "NewsNet for Newsletters on Electronic
Information Industry." Information Today 5.3 (March 1988): 13,
36-37.
Olson, M.H. "New Information Technology and Organizational
Culture." Management Information System Quarterly, Special Issue
(December 1982): 71-92. (Cited in Neuwirth, "Techniques of User
Message Design").
O'Malley, Christopher. "Business: The Power of Information
Access." Personal Computing 13.10 (October 1989): 71-74.
Special Issue: Computing in America IV--How Computing Changes
Everything.
Broadcasting and forecasting the importance of networked
decision-making in business.
O'Malley, Christopher. "Learning: The Revolution is Yet to
Come." Personal Computing 13.10 (October 1989): 115-120.
Special Issue: Computing in America IV--How Computing Changes
Everything.
Suggests that meaningful integration of computers into the
classroom will require deep changes in the way we view
teaching.
O'Reilly, Charles. "Individuals and Information Overload in
Organizations: Is More Necessarily Better?" Academy of
Management Journal 23 (1980): 648-696. (in Sproull and Kiesler,
"Reducing").
Orton, E. and R. Nasatir. "Getting the Most Out of Electronic
Mail." Data Communications 15 (June 1986): 189-90+.
Palme, Jacob. "You Have 134 Unread Mail! Do You Want to Read
Them Now?" Hugh T. Smith, ed. Computer-Based Message Services.
Proceedings of the IFIP WG 6.5 Working Conference on Computer-
Based Message Services in Nottingham, England, 1-4 May, 1984.
Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1984. 175-184.
Discusses various message-handling and control strategies
which aim to give the receiver a level of control over
messages commensurate with that of senders. Compares
relative efficiency of electronic message distribution with
that of conventional conferencing and telephoning, but
identifies 'information overload' as a potential problem in
the electronic office.
Paradis, J., E. Barrett, and F. Baquaert. "A Prototype On-line
Classroom Using the MIT Athena Network to Teach Scientific and
Engineering Writing: An Interim Report." Athena Writing Project,
MIT. 1987. (Cited in Barrett and Paradis, "On-line Environment
and In-House Training").
Paulson, William. "Computers, Minds, and Texts: Preliminary
Reflections." New Literary History 20.2 (Winter 1989): 291-304.
Pear, Joseph J., Kinsner, W. "Computer-Aided Personalized System
of Instruction: An Effective and Economical Method for Short- and
Long-Distance Education." Machine-Mediated Learning 2.3 (1988):
213-37. ERIC EJ 379 104
Describes a computer program based on Keller's Personalized
System of Instruction that has been used for on-campus and
off-campus teaching by the University of Manitoba.
Highlights include electronic mail, student attitudes and
roles, costs, suggestions for future research, and examples
from computer-aided personalized system of instruction
(CAPSI) courses. 24 references (ERIC/Author/LRW).
Penzias, Arno A. Ideas and Information: Managing in a High-Tech
World. New York: Norton, 1989.
Phillips, Gerald M., et al. "The Use of Computer-Mediated
Communication in Training Students in Group Problem-Solving and
Decision-Making Techniques." American Journal of Distance
Education 2.1 (1988): 38-51. ERIC EJ 372 447
Describes the development of a computer-assisted college
course in group performance skills (GPS) which was designed
to expand the instructor's ability to monitor development of
individual performance skills and assess their influence on
the group output. Computer-mediated communication is
explained, and its implications for distance education are
discussed. 19 references (ERIC/LRW).
"A Professional Electronic-Mail Manager Offers Tips that Help
Ensure the Success of a System." Communication News 23
(September 1986): 38.
Qvortrup, L. "The Nordic Telecottages: Community Teleservice
Centers for Rural Regions." Telecommunications Policy 13.1
(March 1989): 59-68.
In Scandanavia a growing number of telecottages, or
community teleservice centers, as they are officially
called, have become operative in recent years. Their main
function is to provide isolated village communities with
access to telecommunication and information services. This
article examines the background and origins of telecottages,
and describes their structure and functions. An evaluation
of their contribution to local communities is made, as well
as an assessment of their future potential and development,
particularly in the context of a developing country. The
author concludes that the success of community teleservice
centers depends on the reduction of three barriers: the cost
barrier, the qualification barrier, and the service barrier.
Because telecottages provide rural communities with communal
access to IT equipment, they reduce the cost barriers of
establishing and running small rural firms. Since they
offer teleservices at a level normally only provided in big
cities, the telecottages reduce the service barrier of
isolate rural communities (Communication Abstracts).
Rafaeli, S. "Interactivity: From New Media to Communication."
Advancing Communication Science: Merging Mass and Interpersonal
Processes. Eds. R.P. Hawkins, J.M. Wiemann, and S. Pingree.
Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1988. 110-134.
Interactivity is a widely used term with an intuitive
appeal, but it is an underdefined concept. As a way of
thinking about communication, it has high face validity but
only narrowly based explication, little consensus on
meaning, and (only recently) emerging empirical verification
of actual role. The purpose of this chapter is to
contribute to the construct validation of interactivity as a
variable. Theoretical explication, some examples of related
concepts, classificatory explications, a responsiveness
model, and an interim summary of empirical studies are
offered toward that end. The author concludes that the
reason interactivity has escaped notice by mass
communication researchers so far is the curious temporal
orientation of the concept. While purely psychological
findings have traditionally focused on the short time span
of seconds or minutes, social research is usually located at
(and aimed toward) the long term: weeks, months, years. The
author suggests that several classes of issues should guide
further investigation of the interactivity construct:
specification; theoretical, empirical, and pragmatic
questions (Communication Abstracts).
Raffio, Ralph, and Carolyn Hlavaty. "Trends." Personal
Computing 13.10 (October 1989): 188-192F.
"An Explosion in Networking" (chart): In 1988 there were
19.2 million installed PC's. Of these, 49.4% were
standalone, and 50.6% were networked. In 1992, the number
of installed PC's is projected at 32.4 million, with only
6.8% as standalone systems: 93.2% will be networked. Email
has been a big reason for networking PC's, but the authors
suggest that filesharing and groupware will play an
increasingly important role (p. 190; Source: Dataquest).
"Gains in Business Software Sales" (graph): Communication
software sales: 2 million units shipped in 1988; 5.5
million projected in 1993 (p. 192; Source: Market
Intelligence Research Co.). Authors project a rapidly
expanding demand for client/server systems.
Rahtz, Sebastian, ed. Information Technology in the Humanities:
Tools, Techniques, and Applications. Chichester: Horwood, 1987.
New York: Wiley, 1987. (Series in Computers and Their
Applications). 184 pages.
Reed, Sandra R. "Corporate Pacesetters: The Top 100 Companies
with PCs." Personal Computing 13.9 (September 1989): 70-90.
Results of a two-month research project surveying personal
computers in businesses (excluding government and
educational institutions). Discusses interoperability,
PC/employee ratios, management strategies and productivity
(with special attention to the challenges of management and
productivity measurement in a distributed environment).
Especially useful observations and interviews concerning
strategies in American Airlines, PG&E, General Electric,
GTE, First National Bank of Chicago, Arco, and Chrysler.
"On LANs, E-mail edges out database management, word
processing, and spreadsheets as the most popular
application" (graph, p. 83).
Rice, R., and G. Manross. "The Case of the Intelligent
Telephone: The Relationship of Job Category to the Adoption of an
Organizational Communication Technology." Communication Yearbook
10. Ed. M. McLaughlin. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1987. 727-742.
(Cited in Hunter and Allen, "Adaptation").
Rice, Ronald. "Computer Conferencing." In Brenda Dervin and
Melvin Voight, eds. Progress in Communication Sciences II.
Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1980. 215-240. (Cited in Sproull and
Kiesler, "Reducing").
Rice, R. "Computer-Mediated Communication and Organizational
Innovation." Journal of Communication 37 (1987): 65-94. (Cited
in Hunter and Allen, "Adaptation").
Rice, Ronald. "Communication Networking in Computer Conferencing
Systems: A Longitudinal Study of Group Roles and System
Structure." In Michael Burgoon, ed. Communication Yearbook 6
Beverly Hills: Sage, 1982. 925-944.
Rice, R., and D. Case. "Electronic Message Systems in the
University: A Description of Use and Utility." Journal of
Communication 33 (1983): 131-152. (Cited in Hunter and Allen,
"Adaptation").
Rice, R., and G. Love. "Electronic Emotion." Communication
Research 14 (1987): 85-108. (Cited in Hunter and Allen,
"Adaptation").
Rice, Ronald, and George Barnett. "Group Communication
Networking in an Information Environment: Applying Metric
Multidimensional Scaling." In Margaret McLaughlin, ed.
Communication Yearbook 9 Beverly Hills: Sage, 1986. 315-338.
(Cited in Sproull and Kiesler, "Reducing").
Rodrigues, D. and R. Rodrigues. "Computer-Based Problem
Solving." W. Wresch, ed. The Computer in Composition: A
Writer's Tool. Urbana: NCTE, 1984. (Cited in Barrett and
Paradis, "On-line Environment and In-House Training").
Roen, Duane H., and R.J. Willey. "The Effects of Audience
Awareness on Drafting and Revising." Research in the Teaching of
English 22.1 (February 1988): 75-????
Rose, Phillip E. "The UNIX Operating System in Libraries:
Advantages of LAN's and Bulletin Board Systems in Your Library."
Library Software Review 7.1 (January/February 1988): 17-19. ERIC
EJ 367 829
Describes the experiences of the AT&T Technical Library in
installing a local area network (LAN) and bulletin board
using the UNIX operating system. Reasons why a LAN was
needed, how the system works, and hardware and software used
are discussed. 1 reference (ERIC/MES).
Ross, D.E. "The Way to Handle Electronic Messages [based on
X.400]." Infosystems 34 (Fall 1987):64+.
Rubens, Philip. "Online Information, Hypermedia, and the Idea of
Literacy." The Society of Text: Hypertext, Hypermedia, and the
Social Construction of Information. Ed. Edward Barrett. MIT
Press Series in Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press,
1989. 3-21. Need for visual literacy.
Rubens, Philip. "The Impact of Innovative Communication
Technologies: Online Documentation, the Reader, and the Writer."
Iowa Journal of Business and Technical Communication 1.2
(September 1987): 5-20.
Rubens, Philip. "Online Information and the Electronic Discourse
Community." Carolyn Matalene, ed. Discourse Communities and
Their Relationship to Writing Instruction. NY: Random House,
1988.
Sadler, L.V. "The Computers-and-Effective Writing Movement:
Computer-Assisted Composition." ADE Bulletin 87 (1987): 28-33.
(Cited in Barrett and Paradis, "On-line Environment and In-House
Training").
Sanchez, James Joseph. Electronic Bulletin Boards and Computer
Conferencing: A Selective, Annotated Bibliography. Monticello,
IL: Vance, 1987.
Schaefermeyer, Mark J., and Edward H. Sewell, Jr. "Communicating
by Electronic Mail." American Behavioral Scientist 32.2
(November/December 1988): 112-23. ERIC EJ 386 466
Reports the results of a survey designed to determine the
frequency and purpose of individuals' use of electronic mail
in relation to their professional development. Survey was
distributed using three newsletters found on BITNET. Finds
that electronic mail is replacing other means of
communication and stimulating new communication among
diverse users (ERIC/KO).
Schiller, Dan. Telematics and Government. Norwood, NJ: Ablex,
1982.
Discusses the U.S. government as a regulator and as a user
of telecommunications technology. Thorough historical
background of corporate use, as well as of public regulation
and policy.
Schmidt, Wallace V., and Mary Elizabeth Dorsey. "Office Design:
The Spatial Dimension of Organizational Communication and
Reflector of Communication Climate." Annual Meeting of the
Southern Speech Communication Association. Houston, TX, April
3-7, 1986. ERIC ED 263 643
In addition to serving as executive enclosures, offices
illustrate organizational goals and reflect the
communication climate of the organization. Traditional
office designs accentuate personal territory, in which
communication is largely controlled by the occupant of the
office, and space often becomes a symbol of status. One of
the first major breaks from traditional office arrangement
was an open office plan called office landscaping. Furniture
and equipment were arranged in clusters in staggered
patterns on a flat surface, and managers were taken out of
their private offices and placed on the floor among
subordinates. Another office design is the multiple activity
setting, in which employees move to different activity
settings as tasks change. The emphasis is on sharing the
equipment and making more effective use of the office
workforce. A third design concept is the total office
support system that relies on electronic mail system, note
processing facility, and other means of communication. While
office designs are still the prerogative of management,
organizations are increasingly turning to "space" committees
to coordinate the office design project. What is emerging
is not an approach but rather a number of approaches to
office design dependent upon particular organizational
objectives (ERIC/HOD).
Schwartz, H.J. "Monsters and Mentors: Computer Applications for
Humanistic Education." College English 44 (1982): 141-152.
(Cited in Barrett and Paradis, "On-line Environment and In-House
Training").
Schwartz, H.J. "Teaching Writing with Computer Aids." College
English 46 (1984): 239-247. (Cited in Barrett and Paradis, "On-
line Environment and In-House Training").
Schwartz, Jeffrey. "The Drudgery and the Discovery: Students as
Research Partners." English Journal 77.2 (February 1988): 37-40.
ERIC EJ 373 348
Describes the effects of an intercultural exchange of
electronic mail, a research project carried out by a high
school teacher and two student research assistants.
Emphasizes the educational value of students' participation
on the research team (ERIC/ARH).
Seghers, Frances, Jeffrey Rothfeder, and Robert D. Hof.
"Electronic Mail: Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Software . . ."
Business Week (February 20, 1989): 36.
Selfe, Cynthia L., and Billie J. Wahlstrom. "An Emerging
Rhetoric of Collaboration: Computers, Collaboration, and the
Composing Process." October 1985. ERIC ED 261 384
A study was conducted to explore how microcomputers had
affected the collaborative writing and communication habits
of 11 teachers and 16 students at a midwestern technological
university. Informal observations made after the computers
were placed in faculty workspaces and later in a computer
lab led to a more formal survey of teachers and students and
to follow-up interviews. The results of the observations,
surveys, and interviews indicated that increased use of
computers for composing in the humanities department had
intensified collaborative writing habits among the students
and faculty in three ways: (1) by bringing faculty and
students together in communal writing spaces, (2) by
encouraging faculty to establish new patterns of sharing
information about writing, and (3) by altering the social
patterns that controlled the exchange of written copy.
Teachers reported increaasing their rate of communication
with other writers when they composed on computers in the
communal workspaces rather than with pen and paper in an
isolated setting. Both teachers and students indicated that
traditional boundaries existing between the two groups began
to break down in the computer labs, although some
respondents did not see this as a positive development.
Because of the public nature of writing, students and
faculty appeared to be developing an etiquette, specifically
designed for communal writing spaces, that included rules
about greeting other users, looking at someone else's screen
copy, and locating oneself physically in relation to other
writers composing on computers. (Tables of data are
included) (ERIC/HTH).
Selfe, Cynthia L., Dawn Rodrigues, and William R. Oates, eds.
Computers in English and the Language Arts: The Challenge of
Teacher Education. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of
English, 1989.
21 essays provide a detailed composite picture of the
current status of computer-assisted instruction in English.
The collection surveys existing teacher preparation and
inservice programs and proposes model programs. One essay
explicitly addresses the challenges and opportunites
presented by the possibility of networking computers (see
Batson, "Teaching in Networked Classrooms," above). Two
useful appendices survey the present state of computer
integration in English programs: the first lists
applications and the second identifies issues affecting
adoption policies and proposes strategies for improving
access to equipment.
Selfe, Cynthia. "Computers in English Departments: The Rhetoric
of Technopower." ADE Bulletin 90 (Fall 1988): 63-67.
Shapiro, Norman Zalmon and Robert. H. Anderson. Toward an Ethics
and Etiquette for Electronic Mail. Santa Monica, CA: Rand, 1985.
Shaw, R., B. Lewis, and W. Cattey. "File Exchange for the
Educational On-line System: User Specification." MIT Project
Athena. 1987. (Cited in Barrett and Paradis, "On-line
Environment and In-House Training").
Sherblom, John. "Direction, Function, and Signature in
Electronic Mail." Journal of Business Communication 25.4 (Fall
1988): 39-54. ERIC EJ 378 623
Presents a content analysis performed on 157 electronic mail
files received over the course of several months by a middle
level manager in a computer services department of a large
organization. Suggests that computer mediated communication
changes communication function and context in certain
specific ways, which are reflected throughout the
corporation (ERIC/RAE).
Short, John, Ederyn Williams, and Bruce Christie. The Social
Psychology of Telecommunications. London: Wiley, 1976. (Cited
in Kiesler and Sproull, "Response Effects").
Siegel, Jane. "Managers' Communication and Telecommunication
Technology Use." Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Carnegie-
Mellon University, 1986. (Cited in Sproull and Kiesler,
"Reducing").
Siegel, Jane, Vitaly Dubrovsky, Sara Kiesler, and Timothy W.
McGuire. "Group Processes in Computer-Mediated Communication."
Organization Behavior and Human Decision Processes 37 (1986):
157-187. (Cited in Sproull and Kiesler, "Reducing").
Slack, Warner. "Computer-based Interviewing System Dealing with
Nonverbal Behavior as Well as Keyboard Responses." Science 171
(January 8, 1971): 84-87. (Cited in Kiesler and Sproull,
"Response Effects").
Smith, J.B., et al. "WE: A Writing Environment for
Professionals." Technical Report 86-025. Department of Computer
Science, UNC, Chapel Hill, 1986. (Cited in Barrett and Paradis,
"On-line Environment and In-House Training").
"Special Report: Electronic Mail Technologies." Communication
News. 23:26-46; S. 86.
Sproull, Lee, and Sara Kiesler. "Reducing Social Context Cues:
Electronic Mail in Organizational Communication." Management
Science. 32: 1492-1512; November 1986.
This paper examines electronic mail in organizational
communication. Based on ideas about how social context cues
within a communication setting affect information exchange,
it argues that electronic mail does not simply speed up the
exchange of information but leads to the exchange of new
information as well. In a field study in a Fortune 500
company, we used questionnaire data and actual messages to
examine electronic mail communication at all levels of the
organization. Based on hypotheses from research on social
communication, we explored effects of electronic
communication related to self-absorbtion, status
equalization, and uninhibited behavior. Consistent with
experimental studies, we found that decreasing social
context cues has substantial deregulating effects on
communication. And we found that much of the information
conveyed through electronic mail was information that would
not have been conveyed through another medium (authors'
abstract).
Sproull, Lee S. "Using Electronic Mail for Data Collection in
Organizational Research." Academy of Management Journal 29.1
(1986): 159-169.
The author describes the use of electronic mail as a vehicle
for organizational research. She suggests that, "under
certain conditions, it may produce higher response rates at
a lower cost than either questionnaires or interviews"
(159). Her study, conducted in the R&D and product
development divisions of a Fortune 500 company, compared
conventional data collection methods with electronic mail.
Results suggest the following: "participation was at least
slightly more problematic for the electronic mail research
than it was for the face-to-face research." This may be due
to the fact that electronic mail suppresses customary cues
about status and legitimacy (e.g. letterhead stationary,
authorized signatures, and attire). Sproull notes that
participation may also be influenced by the problem of
"managing attention": electronic messages, unlike first-
class letters, are relatively undifferentiated. Overall,
however, electronic mail was found to be adequate,
convenient, economical, and preferred by respondents, who
indicated a willingness to participate in further such
studies. See also Kiesler and Sproull, "Response Effects."
Stefik, M., G. Foster, D.G. Bobrow, K. Kahn, S. Lanning, and L.
Suchman. "Beyond the Chalkboard: Computer Support for
Collaboration and Problem-Solving in Meetings." Communications
of the ACM 30 (1987): 32-47. (Cited in Barrett and Paradis, "On-
line Environment and In-House Training").
Steinfield, C. Communicating via Electronic Mail: Patterns and
Predictors of Use in Organizations. Unpublished Doctoral
Dissertation. University of Southern California, Los Angeles,
1983. (Cited in Sproull, "Using Electronic Mail").
Steinfield, C.W. "Computer Mediated Communication in an
Organizational Setting: Explaining Task-Related and
Socioemotional Uses." Communication Yearbook 9. Ed. M.L.
McLaughlin. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1985. 777-
804.
This study was conducted in a large decentralized
corporation in which an electronic mail system had been in
place for approximately seven years. All electronic mail
users were identified, and from that list 400 were randomly
selected and sent questionnaires. Data analysis of the 220
returned questionnaires revealed that three important
classes of variables best predict task use of electronic
mail systems: (1) task-related use of electronic mail
depends on variables that involve the communication
infrastructure, including access to relevant others via
electronic mail and access to terminals; (2) task-related
use depends further on a positive orientation to electronic
mail, as measured by the perceived attributes of the
channel; (3) increased task use results from a specific need
that is met by electronic mail, that of communicating in a
timely and accurate fashion with geographically and
organizationally dispersed coworkers (Communication
Abstracts).
Stern, David. "An Alternative National Electronic Mail Network
for Libraries." Special Libraries 79.2 (Spring 1988): 139-42.
ERIC EJ 370 737
Discusses the use by librarians of BITNET and other national
electronic mail networks for note and file transfer.
Progress made in developing gateways and network interfaces
is described. The problem of smaller libraries without
access to large computer facilities and the issue of
charging are considered as future concerns. 11 references
(ERIC/MES).
Stewart, Jacqueline A. "How to Manage Educational Computing
Initiatives--Lessons from the Fist Five Years of Project Athena
at MIT." The Society of Text: Hypertext, Hypermedia, and the
Social Construction of Information. Ed. Edward Barrett. MIT
Press Series in Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press,
1989. 284-304.
Stills, Peter. "Dark Contagion: Bigotry and Violence Online."
PC/Computing 2.12 (December 1989): 144-149.
Skinheads and white-supremacist groups using electronic
bulletin boards as "high-tech propaganda machine[s]."
Raises a number of related questions concerning the
Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, anonymity on
BBSs, and the effectiveness of computer communication as a
propaganda vehicle (facilitates communication across groups,
lends an aura of authority to messages, and can foster a
sense of community through interactive media). Peter Stills
is a pseudonym.
Swanson, E. "Management Information Systems: Appreciation and
Involvement." Management Science 21 (1974): 178-188. (Cited in
Hunter and Allen, "Adaptation").
Systems and Procedures Exchange Center. Electronic Mail in ARL
Libraries. Washington, D.C. : Systems and Procedures Exchange
Center, Association of Research Libraries, Office of Management
Studies, 1984.
Systems and Procedures Exchange Center. The Use of Electronic
Mail in Research Libraries. Washington, D.C.: Systems and
Procedures Exchange Center, 1988.
Z678 A7ax no.149
"Technography: Unorthodox Meetings." Business Software Review
5.12 (December 1986): 10,12.
Computers and collaboration in the work place.
Thorpe, Judie Mosier. "The Responsible Media Communicator:
Guidelines for Consulting in the Information Age." Central
States Speech Association. Schaumberg, IL, April 6-8, 1988.
ERIC ED 292 162
As more and more organizations are utilizing media such as
videotape, electronic mail, computer-based training, and
video-conferencing, the role of the media professional
becomes more crucial. The responsible media communicator
must be cognizant of the ethical concerns of the consultant
and adapt these to the special needs of the client and the
technology used. Since research has shown that in the past
media consultants have sometimes been involved in unethical
practices, a set of guidelines for media professionals would
be a timely contribution to the emerging field. It has been
proposed that responsible media consultants: (1) will not
oversell their expertise; (2) will detail their activities
for the organization in contract form; (3) preserve client
confidentiality; and (4) ensure the safety of the
organization's information. In addition, as Gerald Goldhaber
points out in "Organizational Communication," a consultant
who is providing training should: (5) treat trainees with
dignity; (6) provide opportunities for self-actualization
for trainees; (7) encourage critical thinking; (8) devote
explicit attention to ethical problems; (9) show concern for
long-term development of trainees' careers; and (10) if a
university faculty member, the trainer should take care that
consulting does not jeopardize either an employer or client.
Forty-four references are attached (ERIC/ARH).
Trevino, Linda Klebe, et al. "Media Symbolism; Media Richness;
and Media Choice in Organizations: A Symbolic Interactionist
Perspective." Communication Research: An International Quarterly
14.5 (October 1987): 553-7. ERIC EJ 365 858
Special Issue: Theories of Organizations and Information
Technology. Uses symbolic interactionism to understand
media choice processes during managerial
communications--studying communication incidents involving
face-to-face, telephone, electronic mail, and written media.
Suggests that managers' choices are influenced by (1)
ambiguity of the message content and richness of the
communication medium, (2) symbolic cues provided by the
medium, and (3) situational determinants such as time and
distance (ERIC/NKA).
Trigg, Randall J., Lucy A. Suchmann, and Frank Halasz.
"Computer-Supported Cooperative Work." Proceedings of the
Conference on Computer- Supported Work. Austin: TX, December 3-
5, 1986. (Cited in Forman, "Computer-Mediated Group Writing").
Trudell, Libby, Janet Bruman and Dennis Oliver. Options for
Electronic Mail. White Plains, NY: Knowledge Industry
Publications, 1984.
Tucker, S.A. "Electronic Mail Connections." Online 11 (July
1987): 55-62.
Tucker, S.A. "E-mail Glossary." Online 11 (July 1987): 58-60.
Tunis, J.A. "Electronic Mail: Tool for the Information Age."
Office 106 (August 1987): 66+.
Turner, Judith Axler. "'E-Mail' Technology Has Boomed, but
Manners of Its Users Fall Short of Perfection." Chronicle of
Higher Education 34.31 (April 13 1988): A1,16. ERIC EJ 369 150
Many suggestions by two researchers at Rand Corporation, who
published a paper on etiquette for news networks, have been
incorporated into bulletin-board conventions, but with new
users coming online all the time socialization is slow.
Some suggestions for e-mail users are provided (ERIC/MLW).
Uhlig, R. "Human Factors in Computer Message Systems."
Datamation 3 (1977): 120-126. (Cited in Hunter and Allen,
"Adaptation").
Ulrich, W. "Electronic Mail is at Critical Turning Point."
Office 104 (August 1986): 129.
United States. Office of Technology Assessment. Computer-Based
National Information Systems: Technology and Public Policy
Issues. Washington: GPO, September 1981.
United States. Office of Technology Assessment. Implications of
Electronic Mail and Message Systems for the U.S. Postal Service.
Washington: GPO, August 1982.
Market penetration forecasts for electronic mail and
electronic funds transfer systems. Projects that "two
thirds or more of the current mailstream could be handled
electronically, and that the volume of USPS-delivered mail
is likely to peak in the next 10 years" (ix). Effects of
EMS on USPS labor force and finances. Discusses the market
for EMS, the competition for services, and the status of
regulatory activities.
United States. President's Science Advisory Committee. Computers
in Higher Education: Report. Washington, DC: USGPO, 1967.
Verrijn-Stuart, A.A. "Problems in Office System Design." B.
Pernici and A.A. Verrijn-Stuart, eds. Office Information
Systems: The Design Process. Proceedings of the IFIP WG 8.4
Working Conference on Office Information Systems: The Design
Process, Linz, Austria, 15-17 August 1988. Amsterdam: Elsevier,
1989. 3-8.
Vervest, Peter. Electronic Mail and Message Handling.
Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books, 1985.
Vickers, Peter, et al. "Consultants around the World." Online
12.4 (July 1988): 42-51. ERIC EJ 379 026
Three articles discuss information brokering in the United
Kingdom, Canada, and Argentina. A sidebar describes the
Working from Home Forum on CompuServe, which is available
to information consultants/brokers worldwide (ERIC/MES).
Walker, P.M. "Electronic Mail Offers Growing Range of Uses."
Office 107 (January 1988): 120.
Walker, Susan. "BreadNet: An On-Line Community." Bread Loaf and
the Schools 1.1 (Summer 1987): 12-20. ERIC EJ 379 174
Describes BreadNet, a computer network linking Middlebury
College English teachers, their associates, and students.
Network extends to rural English teachers and their K-8
students. BreadNet used for student pen pal program,
teacher teleconferencing, information access. Also
describes BreadNet's problems and future possibilities
(ERIC/TES).
Weissman, S.B. "Electronic Mail's Rite of Passage." Computer
Decisions. 18 (17 June 1986): 60+.
Wigley, Griff. "Telecommunications Planning Guide for
Educators." Computing Teacher 16.3 (November 1988): 24-29. ERIC
EJ 385 839
Presents guide developed by the McGraw-Hill Information
Exchange (MIX) to help educators plan effectively for the
use of computer telecommunications. Highlights include
telephone lines; modems; software; commercial information
services that offer such services as electronic mail and
computer conferencing; basic costs and billing formats; and
a telecommunications budget worksheet (ERIC/LRW).
Wilson, K.G. Technologies of Control: The New Interactive Media
for the Home. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1988.
In chapter 1, major trends in the videotex industry are
examined, incorporating an analysis of developments in
technology, markets, industry competition, ownership, and
investment. A scenario for the structural organization of a
future videotex industry is proposed, based on an analysis
of these trend. In chapter 2, the North American privacy
tradition is reviewed as a basis for understanding what
constraints, if any, will be placed on corporate use of
information. Current trends in creating privacy policy for
home networking are examined in chapter 3. Rule's concept
of public surveillance, based on the problem of agency
control of mass clienteles, is the theoretical backdrop for
the discussion of social control and privacy protection in
this chapter. In chapter 4, an alternative
conceptualization of social control and home networking is
proposed, based on the use of information generated by these
systems for corporate-sector social management. Social
management designates uses of the informational commodity
for social simulation and long-term social forecasting and
planning. Chapter 5 identifies general trends in
communications that will have an impact on home networking.
The repercussions of these trends and their implications for
home networking are considered (Communication Abstracts).
Winsor, W.M. "Electronic Mail: A Modern Day Messenger." CPA
Journal 58 (August 1988): 97-100.
Wresch, William. "Survey of Computer Uses in English Education
Programs." (Appendix A). Computers in English and the Language
Arts: The Challenge of Teacher Education. Ed. Cynthia L. Selfe,
Dawn Rodrigues, and William R. Oates. Urbana, IL: National
Council of Teachers of English, 1989. 281-286.
Surveys the use of computers in English Education Methods
courses, English department attitudes toward computers as a
part of the curriculum for future teachers of English in the
schools, and the availability of computers in area school
districts (along with the most frequently encountered
applications).
Zimmerman, Muriel. "Reconstruction of a Profession: New Roles
for Writers in the Computer Industry." The Society of Text:
Hypertext, Hypermedia, and the Social Construction of
Information. Ed. Edward Barrett. MIT Press Series in
Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1989. 233-249.
Notes the shift in business organizations from the hierarchy
to the network. Discusses the effects of decentralization
in terms of a shift in the role of the writer. "Writers" as
a specialized function become less important with
decentralization. The notion of the writer as a social
construct is also in flux. Mentions the work of Foucault
and Barthes. 53 references.
Zuboff, S. In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work
and Power. New York: Basic, 1988.
Zuboff, S. "New Worlds of Computer-Mediated Work." Harvard
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"Adaptation").
