This study investigated the writing of elementary and high school students who participated in an on-line conference called Elementary Books over a two-year period, from 1992-1994. During this period, exchanges between a third- and a fifth-grade class and two high school English classes in different geological regions of Virginia were analyzed to determine message content, sentence structure, and the impact of writing for real audiences. Four different types of information were exchanged: story facts, personal information, story-related information, and references to other books. Students used three different types of sentences in their writing: simple (subject and verb), sentences that contained at least one prepositional phrase, and sentences that contained a conjunction to produce a compound or complex sentence. Findings indicated that telecommunications provided an authentic medium for communications with real audiences, fostered the establishment of personal connections between participants, and changed students's perceptions of writing. Through these experiences, students were able to take greater responsibility for their own learning tasks and practice skills in meaningful contexts. Findings are illustrated in two figures. (Contains 21 references.) (Author)