Describes a study of undergraduates that investigated the ability of readers of computer-mediated communication (CMC) such as electronic mail to identify the gender of the author when messages were selected for language characteristics identified in previous studies as being associated with both group development and gender. (Author/LRW)

This product evaluation reviews two of the most popular online Internet service providers, America Online and CompuServe, and describes their advantages and disadvantages for synthetic speech-users compared to services that offer Internet access only, such as Concentric or Netcome. It concludes that CompuServe is a better choice for individuals…

Lists a number of popular and useful master sites that librarians use when searching for community college resources and performing "comparisons shopping" on search engines. Subject directories tend to provide lists of community colleges by state and the four to six national organizations. (VWC)

Provides a structural definition of interactivity in instruction, with the goal of describing and delimiting a broad and general process. Examines the four major attributes to the concept of interactivity, and defines four additional variables that arise through the structural study of interaction. Outlines five common patterns that deal with…

Surveys ways in which criminal laws are finding their way into cyberspace, the implications of such actions for communicative rights and liabilities, and the media differentials of crime and punishment. Examines crime committed using email and the Internet; computer mediated felonies, misdemeanors, and violations committed in cyberspace; forgery;…

Examines the relationship between identity and anonymity in use of computer-based group decision support systems (GDSS). Finds that identification with all targets was lower in GDSS meetings than it was in general; and that discursively anonymous participants had less identification with their group and used fewer expressions of multiple…

Argues that the current state of computer-based distance learning is problematic. Shows that (1) solving the problems requires changes at all levels of computer-mediated communication; (2) more research is needed in computer interface design; and (3) delivery systems need radical redesign. Concludes that medium-sized and small colleges may suffer…

Examines one online forum conventionally defined as open, the discussion list TECHWR-L, and considers some positionings and restrictions that both validate and invalidate participants' conversational topics. Considers the question of democracy as it relates to electronic conversations. Suggests that a wide range of discursive conditions, not just…

Compares electronic support groups to electronic hobby groups to demonstrate the difference in terms of the rhetorical behavior of participants. Finds that some discourse characteristics and rhetorical features are common to all groups, others are unique to the special requirements of electronic support groups. (PA)

Finds that joking in computer-mediated communication constitutes a hybrid form of discourse, mingling the conventions of print and speech. Notes that students use typography and space to better capture the rhythms and inflections of oral joking, but such joking instantly organizes participants into hierarchically differentiated groups, creating…

Reports the results of a study that investigated whether faculty who use computer mediated communication (CMC) achieve greater scholarly productivity as measured by publications and numerous other prestige factors. Findings that indicate positive results from CMC are described, implications for faculty and academic libraries are discussed, and…

Discusses interactivity in distance education and outlines four models: (1) no-interactivity; (2) resource-learner interactivity and peer-peer interactivity, similar to a face-to-face classroom setting; (3) decentralized self-managed peer-peer interactivity; and (4) coordinated-decentralized interactivity. Tables and diagrams depict these…

A study of faculty one year before and four years after introduction of a local area network showed that in the first three years, electronic communication was used primarily for research and e-mail; in years four through five more teaching and service activities were added. Intended teaching uses have not materialized as expected. (SK)

Contributes to rhetorical scholarship on political discourse by surveying Web sites relevant to the 1996 presidential campaign. Argues that parodic sites sought to entertain the reader and to expose candidates' questionable or deceptive practices but that they themselves engaged in deception. Argues that they provided the illusion of political…

A study of Internet usage by large, small, and midsized businesses suggests that midsized businesses may be at a competitive disadvantage. Found that small businesses were more likely than midsized or large firms to have home pages and to reveal computer/technology programs as potential Internet services needed to improve current operations. (PEN)