In this paper, a creative narrative is used to illustrate an episode of flaming (defined as the fervent exchange of messages personally attacking or expressing defensiveness on computer-mediated communication networks) in an electronic mail exchange among a small group of communication scholars. The narrative allows for the presentation of an…

Traditionally, e-mail (electronic mail) has been seen as an efficient communications medium for the transmission of simple, routine, unambiguous messages. More recent research has argued that the simple, efficient view of e-mail is incomplete. Future research should be extended into the strategic and symbolic functions of email, such as the use of…

A study explored the efficacy of the general semantic technique of E-Prime (a technique for increasing awareness of abstraction through the deliberate deletion of all forms of the verb "to be") through a study of copula deletion (omission of auxiliary verbs) and flaming (the fervent exchange of emotionally charged messages) in electronic…

This handbook is addressed to people who have access to the Internet and want to learn how to use it and to people who want to teach Internet skills to others. It includes the content of a 14-hour training institute and beginning and advanced level exercises, as well as discussion topics, sample overheads and other materials, and a checklist of…

New technologies brought about by the computer are causing writing to take on more and more the features of orality. The computer's emphasis on speed reduces or even eliminates distance, which is one of the key features of orality. Orality is immediate and relies on assumptions, on gaps to be filled in by the auditor. It is also "socially…

A study examined the variables that influence the use of electronic mail. The Uses and Gratifications perspective was employed to determine the antecedent factors that motivate individuals to engage in electronic mail communication. Subjects, 105 students enrolled in graduate-level courses at a small midwestern university and 252 individuals who…

This guide is intended as a brief orientation to the Bulletin Board System (BBS) used by the California Educational Research Cooperative (CERC) in a continuing effort to expand support services to its member districts and ancillary providers through operation of an electronic networking system. This facility provides a means through which…

This manual is intended to provide guidance to those interested in establishing an electronic bulletin board system (BBS) that enables users to send and read messages both individually and by teleconferencing, and to transfer files to and from the system. The manual begins with a definition of a BBS and explains its uses and facilities. It then…

Communication via computer networks is becoming more common each day. The differences between computer-mediated communication and face-to-face communication fall into three categories: (1) temporal factors (asynchronous versus synchronous); (2) spatial factors (geographical context and distance); and (3) social factors (participants, their…

A writing exchange project at Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College in Vermont, funded by Apple Education Foundation and McDonnell Douglas, examined what happened when high school students use word processors and a modem to write to distant audiences. In the first exchange, students interviewed each other in pairs and wrote short…

A survey of companies using telecommunications equipment investigated the distribution of channel selection and the use of external mail distribution systems. A total of 50 companies responded to the survey, which identified 12 telecommunications systems and seven external mail distribution systems. Results indicated that the four most popular…

The paper reports on the development of videotex services appropriate for the communication needs of hearing-impaired and speech-impaired persons in France. The videotex service, called TELETEL, serves 3.8 million business and home users with approximately 8,500 services through the public telephone network and packet switching network. TELETEL…

To collect baseline data about how K-12 standards were being implemented in North Dakota, a standards implementation survey was sent electronically to all school plants and to curriculum leaders across the state in the spring of 2002. Responses were received from 253 teachers, administrators, and curriculum coordinators representing approximately…

This study examined the access to and use of electronic mail (e-mail) and the Internet by postsecondary instructional faculty and staff. Findings are based on a nationally representative sample of instructional faculty and staff who taught one or more classes for credit in the fall term of 1998. These data originate in the 1999 National Study of…

The most common consequence of setting up an "electronic discussion group" for a university class or a group of faculty is a flurry of initial greetings followed by an enduring silence. Only a small proportion of computer users are active and sophisticated enough to read regularly and feel disposed to participate actively. Written…