Computer-mediated communication

Acknowledgements to Euan Wilson (Staffordshire University)

Topic includes

• E-mail• Bulletin boards• Structured message system• Computerised meeting rooms• Video conferencing

E-mail

• In relation to Groupware email is the– most popular– least expensive– most successful

• Systems vary with respect to the amount of support provided for Groupware functions

E-mail (2)

• E-mail stages– Preparation– Despatch– Notification– Receipt

Bulletin boards

• Contributions are submitted by users to a specific conference or newsgroup

• Contributions may be moderated by a bulletin board administrator

• Following possible moderation, contributions are made available to all users of the service.

E-mail v Bulletin Boards

• In e-mail the message author selects the recipients, though some distribution lists may be administered centrally.

• In bulletin boards, it is the recipient who decides what to subscribe to.

• Senders do not know who will read their contributions.

• Contributions may be moderated.

Question

• Does the “mail box” you use provide enough functionality to be the core of a Groupware system ?

Definition of Groupware (1)

• Lynch et al. (1990)– “groupware is distinguished from

normal software by the basic assumption it makes; groupware makes the user aware that he is part of a group, whilst most other software seeks to hide and protect users from each other …”

Definition of Groupware (2)

• Two main types of groupware exist– Asynchronous– Synchronous

Definition of Groupware (3)• Refined by Preece [1994] (who adapted Shneirderman [1992]) (definition of CSCW)

» Same time Different times

Same place face-to-face Asynchronous interaction(class rooms, (project scheduling, co- meeting rooms) ordination tools)

Different place Synchronous distribution Asynchronous distribution(shared editors, video (email, bulletin boards, windows) conferences)

• De Sanctis and Gallupe (1987)• Johansen (1988)• Baecker et al (1995)

Asynchronous Groupware

• E-mail– originally “point to point” communication– snail mail but with greater speed and

efficiency• Newsgroup

– extension of email– centrally stored– ordered / structured

Issues

• Electronic etiquette• changes in group dynamics• allows the employees to feel

“connected”• problems of authority, control and

influence• junk mail• structure

Structured Messages

• Structured messages systems represent an attempt to provide users with better methods of organising, classifying, filtering and managing messages

• creation of “intelligent” processes which delegate tasks to agents

Information Lens

• Malone et al. 1987, 1989• an environment for intelligent

email management using semi-structured messages

• methods for mail management via the specification of rules for processing messages

Object Lens and Oval

• Malone et al 1988, 1992• representation of “things” in the

world as semi structured objects with template based interfaces

• summarising collection of objects into views

• development of rule based agents

Multimedia mail

• Allows data other than text– images– audio– video

• IBM 1995, Wang Labs 1989

• MIME - multipurpose Internet mail extensions

Computational mail

• Embedding of programs within email (Borenstein 1993)

• active messages can carry out particular interactions with recipients in addition to transmitting information

Language / Action Perspective

• One way in which interdependencies amongst co-workers can is achieved is through language

• Winograd defines conversation as a means– to indicate a co-ordinated sequence of

acts that can be interpreted as having linguistic meaning”

Co-ordinator

• Each message is treated as a move in a conversation.

• A request can be followed by – accepting that request– declining the request– offering an alternative– nothing

• Each leads to other steps

Workflow

• In e-mail the focus is on the process of messaging

• In workflow processing, the focus is on messages that define process

Co-operative Hypertext

• focus instead on the corpus of messages or other computer documents and their interrelationships

• web of complex information is recorded and structured into a hypertext– examples, collaborative knowledge

building, asynchronous collaborative writing, organisational memory

Organisational Memory

• Conklin (1992)– organisations must shift from a document

and artefact orientated paradigm to one that embraces process as well

– software that integrates three technologies• hypertext• groupware• rhetorical method (Issue based information

system)

Rhetorical method

• Can improve quality of dialogue• by providing structures for

discussions about complex problems

• improved conversation record– recorded by thread rather than time

Lotus Notes

• Most successful organisational memory product

• is “an integrated communications and data base network application designed to gather, organise and distribute information among work groups, regardless of individual members physical locations”

– Connor (1992)

First major user of Notes

• Price-Waterhouse– three major business issues

• Nobody knew who had the knowledge needed to solve a particular problem

• PW professional were constantly re-inventing the wheel

• need for better communication» Laube, PW Chief Information Office

– introduced from the top-down

Advantages

• Increased structure raises potential for automation, for example in:– Message-base searching (e.g. with keywords)

• Tracing conversation threads• Automatic routing to relevant users.• Formalised model of conversation:

– focuses attention– clarifies actions– clarifies deadlines

Disadvantages

• Rigid message structure leads to bending of message types etc.

• Over use of reminders can lead to sabotage and widespread disillusion

• Formal communications model can straight-jacket communications.

Synchronous Groupware

• Desktop conferencing systems• Electronic meeting rooms• Media spaces