Explains how the Usenet network's dissemination model differs from electronic-mail-based discussion groups in terms of how users can choose which information best fits their needs. Various methods of limiting excessive numbers of unwanted messages are explained. (EAM)

Discusses current trends in the use of electronic mail (e-mail) in education. National and international academic networks are described, including BITNET and NSFNET; uses of electronic mail for faculty, administrators, and students are examined; and guidelines for using e-mail are offered. (seven references) (LRW)

Lists and annotates 49 resources for research in the area of computer networks as vehicles for communication. Compiles sources that present research findings, pedagogical approaches, and theoretical discussions related to applications of computer-mediated communication systems--electronic mail, computer conferences, or bulletin boards. (RS)

Noting that journalism and mass communication educators have experimented broadly with computer applications since the 1970s, this paper suggests that momentum is building in the 1990s in three areas (industry imperative, social significance, and pedagogic promise) to integrate computer-mediated communication (CMC) into the journalism and mass…

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…

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…

Examines the use of chaos theory in modelling time series data generated by computer-mediated communication (CMC). Data generated by CMC discussion groups are examined for the presence of chaotic behavior and to assess the variance which can be accounted for by the deterministic mechanism. (Author/LRW)

Online users leave traces that others can find and use. Provides an overview of where and how users leave traces and what users can do to protect their privacy. Discusses Internet accounts; special files ("signature,""plan,""project,""file,""finger,""whois," and "vacation");…

Discusses electronic bulletin boards that have been created by U.S. government agencies and suggests a method to make the information they contain more accessible to libraries and the public. Costs and technological issues are considered, and an appendix describes networks and computer programs that would facilitate access to government…

Describes the availability, installation, and use of the ZhonWen Disk Operating System (ZWDOS) to display, print, and transmit Chinese characters on conventional International Business Machines (IBM) personal computers and IBM-compatible machines. Also discussed is the use of ZWDOS to compose electronic mail messages, read newsgroups, and access…

Proposes that social constructivist theories of communication technology in organizations that interact with social agents influence technology-related cognition and behavior. Finds that individuals' cognitions of their combined network partners' attitudes and behaviors in using electronic mail predicted the individuals' own attitudes and…

Profiles computer usage at Tapawarea Area School, a small, rural, pre-K-12 school in New Zealand. A guided tour finds 14-year olds writing stories at individual terminals, several students participating in distance learning, older students teaching younger ones in forms 6 and 7, and a social studies class communicating with another school. (MLH)

Describes setting up a customer review network, using computer networks and fax machines, to collect customer feedback on documentation during the stages of designing and writing the information. Describes the electronic feedback from one customer in particular and how it was analyzed and used to modify the information before releasing it. (SR)

Discusses key themes from research funded by the British Library that investigated electronic communication in academic libraries in the United Kingdom. Highlights the intra-organizational use of e-mail, and discusses the development of effective networked communities. Contains 51 references. (Author/LRW)