• Acker, S.R. (1995). Space, collaboration, and the credible city: Academic work in the virtual university. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 1 (1). Available: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol1/issue1/acker/ACKTEXT.HTM

Abstract: Collaboration, greatly facilitated by advanced telecommunication networks, has become a dominant mode of conducting academic work. However, when collaborators meet in both physical and "electronic" spaces there are a number of unexamined costs that go with the efficiency and inclusiveness made possible by easy telecommunication-based exchanges. This article asks collaborators to be sensitive to the role that physical space plays in creative human endeavors, and to consider the impact on work accomplished in merged electronic and physical work environments. A history of city space and university space are presented within Richard Sennett's notion of exposure: a delicate balance of fear and stimulation associated with community. The concluding section of this article considers how to build the collaborative university so that the pleasures of physical space are preserved, and the efficiencies of reaching across distances with telecommunications can be leveraged. The article's coda presents a case study, and efforts are made to use hypermedia's attributes to improve the collaboration between author and reader.

• Adams, L., Toomey, L., & Churchill, E. (1999). Distributed research teams: Meeting asynchronously in virtual space. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 4 (4). Available: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol4/issue4/adams.html

Abstract: As computer networks improve, more social and work interactions are carried out "virtually" by geographically separated group members. In this paper we discuss the design of a tool, PAVE, to support remote work interactions among colleagues in different time zones. PAVE extends a 2D graphical MOO and supports synchronous and asynchronous interactions. PAVE logs and indexes activities in the space. This capture facility enables playback and augmentation of meeting interactions by non-collocated group members. Thus, members can participate asynchronously in meetings they could not attend in real time, not just review them.

• Ahuja, M. K., & Carley, K. M. (1998). Network structure in virtual organizations. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 3 (4). Available: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol3/issue4/ahuja.html

Abstract: Virtual organizations that use email to communicate and coordinate their work toward a common goal are becoming ubiquitous. However, little is known about how these organizations work. Much prior research suggests that virtual organizations, for the most part because they use information technology to communicate, will be decentralized and non-hierarchical. This paper examines the behavior of one such organization. The analysis is based on a case study of the communication structure and content of communications among members of a virtual organization during a four-month period. We empirically measure the structure of a virtual organization and find evidence of hierarchy. The findings imply that the communication structure of a virtual organization may exhibit different properties on different dimensions of structure. We also examine the relationship among task routineness, organizational structure, and performance. Results indicate that the fit between structure and task routineness affects the perception of performance, but may not affect the actual performance of the organization. Thus, this virtual organization is similar to traditional organizations in some ways and dissimilar in other ways. It was similar to traditional organizations in so far as task-structure fit predicted perceived performance. However, it was dissimilar to traditional organizations in so far as fit did not predict objective performance. To the extent that the virtual organizations may be similar to traditional organizations, existing theories can be expanded to study the structure and perceived performance of virtual organizations. New theories may need to be developed to explain objective performance in virtual organizations.

• Anderson, T, & Kanuka, H. (1997). On-line forums: New platforms for professional development and group collaboration. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 3 (3). Available: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol3/issue3/anderson.html

Abstract: This study evaluated the output, level of participation and perceptions of effectiveness and value among participants in a virtual forum. Twenty-three experts in the field of adult education and community development were invited to participate in a three-week interactive session using a WWW-based, asynchronous computer conferencing system. Data gathered through surveys, interviews, transcript analysis and on-line discussion revealed that this technology has relative advantage for organizers and sponsors, but is perceived by most users as being less satisfying than face-to-face interaction. The on-line forum was found to be observable, trialable and relatively easy to use (compared with existing tools), indicating that this innovation has potential to become a widespread medium for continuing professional education.

• Adelaar, T. (2000). Electronic commerce and the implications for market structure: The example of the art and antiques trade. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 5 (3). Available: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol5/issue3/adelaar.htm

Abstract: In recent years, it has been widely stated that electronic commerce will signify the dawn of a friction-free market (Gates, 1995). Structural changes in markets, such as disintermediation, would occur due to the impact of electronic trade and electronic information exchange. As argued by Sarkar, Butler and Steinfield (1995), these statements are oversimplified and exaggerated, because different outcomes are possible, such as cybermediation and re-intermediation. In order to clarify the issues concerning the implications of e-commerce for market structure, this paper attempts to validate the model developed by Sarkar et al., by applying the model to the art and antiques market. The implications of e-commerce depend on the choice to internalize electronic inter-organizational activities or outsource these activities to so-called cybermediaries. The emergence of new intermediary roles and actors is not always based on pure economic arguments. Of equal importance are the constraints imposed by the social and cultural embedding of intermediary roles. However, the precise impact on market structure cannot be explained exclusively by e-commerce. In this paper, it is argued that a better understanding of the evolutionary impact of e-commerce on existing market structures and intermediary roles is reached by taken into account both historical and regional perspectives.

• Aycock, A. (1995). "Technologies of the self": Michael Foucault online. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 1 (2).Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue2/aycock.html

Abstract: While some have argued that computing via the Internet offers a vision of freedom and a shared humanity, others have claimed with equal vehemence that it may become the instrument of global surveillance and personal alienation. Foucault's notion of self-fashioning (souci de soi) exemplifies both sides of this debate, since fashions may both be imposed and freely chosen. To present a Foucauldian perspective on fashioning of self online I use instances of recent postings to the Usenet news group rec.games.chess. Key aspects of self-fashioning that I identify include romantic and modernist images of interior experience, the importance of keeping your "cool," the discussion of techniques designed to improve skill or strength, and the purchase and use of chess computers as icons of mastery. Finally, I consider some implications of this Foucauldian approach for future research on Internet self-constructions.

• Baker, P. (2001). Moral panic and alternative identity construction in usenet. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue1/baker.html

Abstract: In this paper the concept of the "moral panic" is applied to computer-mediated communication through a qualitative examination of the case of a "troll" poster to the Usenet group alt.tv.melrose-place over a four month period. The notion of Internet identity construction is analyzed as a collaboration between participants, and the resolution strategies that the participants used in order to neutralize the moral panic are examined.

• Banerjee, K. (1997). On-line services in India: A market analysis. Journalof Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 3 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue1/banerjee.html

Abstract: Unlike the on-line service providers in the USA or Western Europe, the growth of the on-line service providers in India has started tapering off. Major factors affecting the growth of Internet access in India have been partial deregulation of the telecom sector as opposed to complete liberalization, poor telecom infrastructure, a narrower home PC base, a high level of price sensitivity among the target audience, and a lack of effective exploitation of the on-line services for delivering content. For these reasons private sector service providers are slowly becoming marginalized in India. Any emerging country which wants to exploit this medium successfully needs to keep these constraints in mind while planning for the future.

• Barbatsis, G. & Hansen, K. (1999). The performance of cyberspace: An exploration into computer mediated reality. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 5 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue1/barbatsis.html

Abstract: This phenomenological enquiry into cyberspace examines the concept of space and metaphor, explaining 'cyber'space as a figurative term and a figurative space, as something projected as a shared mental concept. Reception theory is used to theorize this figurative space as an ideational object constituted by a 'text-reader' relationship. The performance of 'cyber'space is described as a self-reflexive ideation about meaning making itself, and examined as discursive, liminal, and transformative. Examination includes examples from e-mail, chat, and 3D conference systems.

• Bardini, T. (1997). Bridging the gulfs: From hypertext to cyberspace. Journalof Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 3 (2). Available:http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue2/bardini.html

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to focus on two main conceptions at the origin of hypertext technology, and contrast the associationist and the connectionist views. From the starting point provided by this conceptual opposition, it surveys the relationships between users and developers of new computerized communication technologies as inscriptions at the interface. Upgrading Brenda Laurel's models of the interface, it proposes a new conception of the personal interface that acknowledges the virtual presence of the designer, and locates the space of the screen as a dialogic space of mutual engagement.

• Baym, N. (1995). The performance of humor in computer-mediated communication. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 1 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue2/baym.html

Abstract: There has been very little work on humor in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Indeed, the implication of some CMC work is that the medium is inhospitable to humor. This essay argues that humor can be accomplished in CMC and can be critical to creating social meaning on-line. The humor of the Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.tv.soaps (r.a.t.s.), which discusses soap operas, is analyzed. The method combines user surveys with message analysis to show the prevalence and importance of humor in r.a.t.s. Close analysis of five exemplary humorous messages shows how the group's humor arises from the juxtaposition of close and distant readings of the soap opera, which place the participants in close relationships to one another, and distance them from the soap opera's writers and producers. Group solidarity is also created as participants draw extensively on previous messages to ground their own humor. Humor is also shown to be a primary mechanism for the establishment of individuality, as participants combine the shared meanings and play with the shared parameters of the group in idiosyncratic ways.

• Beaulieu, A. (2003). Combining approaches for the study of networks on the Internet. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 8(4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol8/issue4/intro.html
• Bechar-Israeli, H. (1995). From (Bonehead) to (cLoNehEAd): Nicknames, play and identity on Internet relay chat. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 1 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue2/bechar.html

Abstract: This article examines nicknames of IRC users. On IRC, a person's physical existence and identity must be condensed textually into a single line which states his or her nickname, the electronic address, and a slogan or the person's real name. IRC users attempt to make these representational elements as prominent as possible, by choosing an original nick which will tempt other participants to strike up a conversation. In this paper I demonstrate that although people play many kinds of games with their nicknames, the nicks they choose are very important to them. They are an inherent part of their Net- identity, and even of their "real-life" identity. Two hundred sixty nicknames were collected from IRC logs, and were analyzed and classified. Only rarely did the IRCers in this study use their real names. The largest category was that of nicks related to the self in some way, referring to character traits, physical appearance, the physiological or psychological state of the self, or the person's profession or hobbies. The list of nicknames and the relative frequency of the different categories illustrate prominent features of electronic culture, a culture in which the individual is placed at the center. Participants in this culture have a high awareness of technology and technological change. They value linguistic virtuosity, yet they show contempt for the rules of the language. Although there is freedom to engage in constantly changing identity games through the manipulation of nicks, most people tend to keep to one nick for a long period of time.

• Beller, M. & Or, E. (1998). The crossroads between lifelong learning and information technology: A challenge facing leading universities. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 4 (2). Available:http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol4/issue2/beller.html

Abstract: Technology-Mediated Learning and Distance Learning (TML/TMDL), and particularly asynchronous learning through the Internet, are becoming major vehicles for fulfilling the needs of Lifelong Learning (LLL). A hybrid model of studies using technological means is leading to the development of a new pedagogy of learning and teaching. Various new models of higher education are evolving in North America and around the globe, in response to LLL needs and to the new opportunities that are becoming available through the integration of learning technologies. These models are described and discussed in this paper, for the benefit of those who are interested in or are partners to higher education, and in particular the policy makers. Traditional universities can adopt some of these models, while other models may call for the creation of new types of institutions of higher education. Most institutions will find that a joint effort is necessary for reaching the critical mass required for providing their educational system and their faculty with a generalizable, scalable and sustainable TML solution. Creating such coalitions will turn out to be a challenge in and of itself.

• Benbunan-Fich, R. & Hiltz, S.R. (1999). Educational applications of CMCS: Solving case studies through asynchronous learning networks. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 4 (3). Available:http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol4/issue3/benbunan-fich.html

Abstract: Case studies are an important component of many business curricula. However, in-class discussion of case studies suffers from temporal and geographical limitations. Computer-mediated communication systems (CMCS) can be used to overcome these constraints. An Asynchronous Learning Network, a CMCS supporting "anytime/anywhere" interaction and tailored for educational activities, may be used to expand and enrich case discussions. ALN-mediated discussions allow students and instructors from remote locations to participate in the discussion at their own convenient times. A field experiment was conducted to test the effectiveness of an ALN vs. traditional manual methods in individuals and groups discussing and solving a case study. Findings indicate that groups working in an asynchronous networked environment produced better and longer solutions to the case study, but were less satisfied with the interaction process.

• Bennington, T.L., & Gay, G. (2000). Mediated Perceptions: Contributions of Phenomenological Film Theory to Understanding the Interactive Video Experience. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 5 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue4/bennington_gay.html

Abstract: We draw upon phenomenological film theory and phenomenological studies of technological mediation to explore the perceptual, expressive, intentional and interpretive dimensions of the interactive video experience. Surrealist and phenomenological film theory can provide insights into the perceptual and communicative dimensions of the film/video experience, complementing current semiotic explorations of hypertext. The phenomenological notion of ìintentionality is used to explain the convergence of both filmmaker's and spectator's perceptions onto the world as referenced by the filmmaker, enabling and mediating intersubjective understanding. Both the filmmaker's and the spectator's perceptions are brought into engagement through the technological mediation of camera and computer and through the linguistic and cultural mediation of narration.

• Berthold, M., Sudweeks, F., Newton, S., & Coyne, R. D. (1997). Clustering on the net: Applying an autoassociative neural network to computer-mediateddiscussions. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue4/berthold.html

Abstract: ProjectH, a research group of a hundred researchers, produced a huge amount of data from computer mediated discussions. The data classified several thousand postings from over 30 newsgroups into 46 categories. One approach to extract typical examples from this database is presented in this paper. An autoassociative neural network is trained on all 3000 coded messages and then used to construct typical messages under certain specified conditions. With this method the neural network can be used to create "typical" messages for several scenarios. This paper illustrates the architecture of the neural network that was used and explains the necessary modifications to the coding scheme. In addition several "typicality sets" produced by the neural net are shown and their generation is explained. In conclusion, the autoassociative neural network is used to explore threads and the types of messages that typically initiate or contribute longer lasting threads.

• Bickel, B. (2003). Weapons of magic: Afghan women asserting voice via the Net. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 8 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol8/issue2/bickel.html

Abstract: In the global struggle over discourse and knowledge after 9/11, the voices of otherwise silenced women in Afghanistan were significantly amplified on the Internet. RAWA.org demonstrates how a Web site contended with discourses of fundamentalism and war while envisioning democracy and constructing new leadership identities for women.

• Birnie, S. A., & Horvath, P. (2002). Psychological predictors of Internet social communication (2002).
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue4/horvath.html

Abstract: This study investigated the relationship of traditional social behavior to social communication via the Internet in a completely wired campus where every professor uses computers in classroom teaching, each residence is wired to the Internet, and every student is issued a laptop computer. It has been suggested that shy and socially isolated individuals communicate more on the Internet because it provides some protection from social anxiety. However, little research has empirically tested this assumption. In line with social network theory, we proposed, instead, that online social communication would complement or supplement the uses of face-to-face social contact resulting in a positive association between the two forms of social behaviors. We assessed the frequency and intimacy of traditional social behaviors, sociability, and shyness in 115 undergraduates (52 male, 63 female). These variables were then used to predict the frequency and intimacy of Internet social communication. Sociability and the frequency of traditional social behaviors were positively associated with the frequency of Internet social communication. The intimacy of traditional social behaviors was positively associated with the intimacy of Internet social communication. Overall, the findings supported the implications of social network theory in that online social communication appeared to complement or be an extension of traditional social behavior rather than being a compensatory medium for shy and socially anxious individuals. With relation to uses and gratifications theory, however, shyness was associated with increased intimate socializing over the Internet, indicating that traditional and Internet communication are not functionally equivalent.

• Bilstad, B.T. (1996). Obscenity and indecency on the Usenet: The legal and political future of alt.sex.stories. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue2/bilstad.html

Abstract: This paper discusses the emerging prevalence of erotica and pornography on the Internet (in particular on the Usenet) and addresses legal and political questions raised in light of news events such as: University of Michigan cyber-stalker Jake Baker; convicted BBS-porn operators Robert and Carleen Thomas; and the passage of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (the "CDA") . In particular, one of the most popular Usenet discussion groups, "alt.sex.stories," has come under recent fire. However, the Usenet is not an easily regulatable zone and evades many contemporary legal notions of jurisdiction and agency. In turn, this paper discusses: (1) legal standards under the First Amendment, (2) the regulation of BBSs, (3) the regulation of the Usenet, (4) specific activities on alt.sex.stories, (5) the CDA, and (6) market-based alternatives to legislation. Ultimately, the author concludes that software products such as "SurfWatch" present better alternatives to federal legislation that infringe upon the First Amendment.

• Biocca, F. (1997). Cyborg's dilemma: Progressive embodiment in virtual environments. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 3 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue2/biocca2.html

Abstract: How does the changing representation of the body in virtual environments affect the mind? This article considers how virtual reality interfaces are evolving to embody the user progressively. The effect of embodiment on the sensation of physical presence, social presence, and self presence in virtual environments is discussed. The effect of avatar representation on body image and body schema distortion is also considered. The paper ends with the introduction of the cyborg's dilemma, a paradoxical situation in which the development of increasingly "natural" and embodied interfaces leads to "unnatural" adaptations or changes in the user. In the progressively tighter coupling of user to interface, the user evolves as a cyborg.

• Blanchard, A. (2004). Virtual behavior settings: An application of behavior setting theories to virtual communities. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 9 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol9/issue2/blanchard.html

Abstract: Virtual communities are a new social phenomenon in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Within these communities, a sense of place is emerging that may provide a key to understanding them. This paper proposes that virtual communities can be better understood as operating within an emerging environmental form: virtual behavior settings, a concept informed by Barker's (1968, 1978a) and Wicker's (1987, 1992) theories of (face-to-face) behavior settings, altered by considerations of the distinctive qualities of time, place, and objects in CMC. Virtual behavior settings are examined in terms of the emergence and maintenance of setting programs, their participants, and their operation within physical behavior settings.

• Birnie, S. A., and Horvath, P. (2002). Psychological predictors of Internet social communication. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue4/horvath.html
• Bosnjak, M., & Tuten, T. L. (2001). Classifying response behaviors in Web-based surveys. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 6 (3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue3/boznjak.html

Abstract: While traditional survey literature has addressed three possible response behaviors (unit nonresponse, item nonresponse, and complete response), Web surveys can capture data about a respondent's answering process. Based on this data, at least seven response patterns are observable. This paper describes these seven response patterns in a typology of response behaviors.

• Bowker, N., & Tuffin, K. (2003). Dicing with deception: People with disabilities' strategies for managing safety and identity online. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 8 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol8/issue2/bowker.html

Abstract: The visual anonymity associated with online interaction offers people with disabilities the potential to participate in social interaction beyond the stigma of a disabled identity. In problematizing traditional notions of reality, however, the online medium also has the potential to become a deceptive social space where people with disabilities become victims of malevolent acts. Considering the dilemma surrounding the choice to participate, this study investigates how people with disabilities are managing issues of deception and harm in online contexts. A discursive psychology framework is utilized. The research was conducted in New Zealand where 21 participants with physical and sensory disabilities volunteered to participate in an online interview. Two different repertoires enabled people with disabilities to manage the dilemma of engaging in a medium where there is potential for benefit and harm. A keeping safe repertoire deployed three safety strategies to protect participants from deceptive acts. Data from several participants was also categorized under a qualified deception repertoire. This allowed participants to access new subjective experiences outside of a disabled identity and to extend their online engagement beyond keeping safe. Both repertoires maintained participants' integrity as online users.

• Boyd, J. (2002). In community we trust: Online security communication at eBay. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7(3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue3/boyd.html

Abstract: As e-commerce and virtual communities fundamentally change the way Americans do business and build relationships, how can people be assured of safety in unfamiliar cyberspaces? This essay focuses on online auction site eBay to understand how eBay has successfully attracted millions of users in spite of perceived risks and uncertainties. It argues that eBay is, in fact, a community (of commerce), and that the rhetorical construction of "community" on the site provides a foundation for trust between users. Based on trust theory, this essay isolates eBay's "community trust" model as consisting of seven elements that work together to give users reasons to trust and to be trustworthy. Finally, the essay examines recent changes to eBay's system, suggesting that so-called improvements for control might actually weaken the "community trust" system already in place--a warning to other sites that might imitate eBay's community approach.

• Branscomb, A.W. (1996). Cyberspaces: Familiar territory or lawless frontiers. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (1).Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue1/introl.html
• Breen, M. (1997). Information does not equal knowledge: Theorizing the political economy of virtuality. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 3 (3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue3/breen.html

Abstract: This paper argues that causation theory has a role in discussions about knowledge in the virtual context. Drawing on cultural studies, it suggests that the fragmentation of rational knowledge in the postmodern world has produced a focus on information that is unaware of its history. A knowledge gap has been produced that needs careful consideration by those people and institutions advocating the use of virtual technologies. Virtuality is about a politics of convenience, where contemporary knowledge is characterized by two modes of action: mathematics and marketing. The paper suggests that contemporary capitalism fits well with this type of knowledge. It argues that other ways of conceptualizing causal relationships between information-knowledge are necessary in the virtual world.

• Bughin, J. (2001). E-push or e-pull? Laggards and first-movers in European on-line banking. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue1/bughin.html

Abstract: While a strategic imperative for financial institutions, major differences currently exist among banks' abilities to convert their customers to using the Internet. In addition, not a lot is known as to what drives those differences, although one can easily hypothesize that on-line banking adoption must be due to a combination of demand ("pull") and firm ("push") factors. This paper presents a statistical appraisal of the determinants of on-line customer penetration for a cross-sectional sample of the major incumbent banks in Western Europe for the combination of the years 1988 to 2000. "Pull" factors play a large role in explaining customer conversion to Internet banking, yet bank-specific factors (or "push" factors) are not marginal. Among others, banks with traditionally high cost-effectiveness and that already offer wide private ATM coverage for their customers are also the ones which have already started to migrate a larger proportion of their customer base on-line. Interestingly, among all "push" factors analyzed, cost-effectiveness emerges as the largest leverage effect on customer conversion. Finally, a cluster analysis supplements the regression results along the axes of "pull" and "push", and identifies a set of early movers and laggards among the banks in our sample. Generally speaking, those first-movers already exhibit stronger off-line profitability than laggards, which may indicate that the on-line marketplace may reproduce performance off-line (i.e., currently successful banks have nothing to fear from aggressive start-ups).

• Burnett, G., & Buerkle, H. (2004). Information exchange in virtual communities: A comparative study. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 9 (2). Available:.html http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol9/issue2/burnett.html

Abstract: Burnett's (2000) typology of information exchange in virtual communities attempts to provide a framework for examining the range of activities undertaken by participants in such communities. This study is the first in a series to apply the typology to specific virtual communities, in an effort to assess its accuracy against the day-to-day interactions to be found in two online communities. Through a comparison of these two communities using the typology, revisions to the typology are proposed which will allow it to reflect more accurately activities found within the communities. By providing a metric through which to address such questions, the revised typology will allow a richer understanding of virtual communities as social information environments.

• Burton, M., & Walther, J. B. (2001). The value of Web log data in use-based design and testing. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 6 (3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue3/burton.html

Abstract: Web-based logs contain potentially useful empirical data with which World Wide Web (Web) designers and design theorists can assess usability and effectiveness of design choices. Most Web design guidelines from artistic or usability principles feature no empirical validation, while empirical studies of Web use typically rely on observer ratings. Web server logs and client-side logs can provide naturally-occurring, unobtrusive usage data, partially amenable to normative use assessments but particularly useful in experimental research comparing alternative Web designs. Identification of types of Web server logs, client logs, types and uses of log data, and issues associated with the validity of these data are enumerated. Frameworks that outline how sources of use-based data can be triangulated to assess Web design are illustrated. Finally, an approach to experimentation that overcomes many data validity issues is presented and illustrated through a pilot experiment that used server logs to compare user responses to frames, pop-up, and scrolling arrangements of a single Web site.

• Carmichael, P. (2003). The Internet, information architecture and community memory. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 8 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol8/issue2/carmichael.html

Abstract: This article reviews current technological developments, particularly Peer-to-Peer technologies and Distributed Data Systems, and their value to community memory projects, particularly those concerned with the preservation of the cultural, literary and administrative data of cultures which have suffered genocide or are at risk of genocide. It draws attention to the comparatively good representation online of genocide denial groups and changes in the technological strategies of holocaust denial and other far-right groups. It draws on the author's work in providing IT support for a UK-based Non-Governmental Organization providing support for survivors of genocide in Rwanda.

• Chen, C., & Rada, R. (1996). Modelling situated actions in collaborative hypertext databases. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue3/chen.html

Abstract: The need to model users' dynamic behaviour in Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) systems arises in many contexts. This study developed a probabilistic model of the usage of an awareness-maintaining mechanism in a collaborative hypertext database system. Longitudinal time series data of user-database interaction were studied. The study found that the recurring patterns in the occurrences of the awareness-seeking event were related to several contextual aspects of the CSCW system studied. The context-behaviour relationship is captured by a Poisson regression model. The analytical method can be applied to the study of situated actions in other CSCW systems.

• Cheong, W. H. (2002). Internet adoption in Macao. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue2/macao.html

Abstract: Based on the data from a telephone survey of 868 Macao residents conducted in Macao with 330 Internet users and 538 non-users, this paper examines the characteristics of the users and non-users in terms of their demographics, assessments on media credibility, family functioning, media use, and perceived values of the Internet. Drawing from the literature of diffusion, expectancy-value and media substitution theories, it investigates the relations between Internet use and its potential predictors. The results confirmed the conclusions of previous adoption studies that Internet users were more likely to be male, younger, better educated and with higher monthly household income than non-users. The study also found that demographic variables such as education, sex and income, as well as doing exercise were the significant predictors of Internet use. However, no traditional mass media use variables and perceived values of the Internet were found to be significant predictors.

• Chesney, T. (2004). "other people benefit. i benefit from their work." Sharing guitar tabs online. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 10(1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol10/issue1/chesney.html

Abstract: This paper reports the results of a study into a public space Internet portal which publishes guitar tabs (tablature) online, to examine what motivates people to participate in this activity and what benefits they get from doing so. A guitar tab is essentially sheet music for guitarists. The study examines why people contribute when it is easier for them not to publish their tabs and simply use the tabs that other people have posted. Answers to this will have implications for businesses wanting to encourage their employees to share their knowledge. An open ended questionnaire was sent to 183 tab publishers with a usable response rate of 39%, which is considered high for surveys. The questionnaire sought to gather data on motivations, benefits and community interaction. The paper begins with a review of relevant theories of knowledge sharing and publishing, in particular the private-collective model of innovation (von Hippel & von Krogh, 2003) which is used to analyze the results. Motivations are listed as under two categories, self and altruistic, with the most popular motivation being to share the songs with others, which is from the altruistic category. The most common benefit is personal satisfaction. The results show tab publishing fits with the private-collective model of innovation which means that a tab published online can be seen as a public good, as it is available to all, that has significant private elements. These private elements are the benefits that tab publishers get which the people who only use tabs without contributing their own, do not. The implications of the work are as follows. Enjoyment of the domain seems to be an important factor in motivating knowledge sharing. People who feel like they are part of a community and get satisfaction from being part of a community, will be more likely to contribute. The act of sharing knowledge should be as close to effortless as possible to encourage contributions. The act of preparing (collecting, collating etc.) the material to be shared should have meaning in itself for the person who is preparing it. If the act of sharing leads to increased status in the community people will be more likely to contribute. To encourage knowledge sharing, those who make use of the shared knowledge should be encouraged to give positive feedback to the person who shared it. To date, there has been little empirical work examining online posting forums.

• Chester, A., & Gwynne, G. (1998). Online teaching: Encouraging collaboration through anonymity. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 4 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol4/issue2/chester.html

Abstract This paper describes our experience as tertiary teachers (and learners) in cyberspace. A brief evaluation of the literature on computer-mediated communication (CMC) is presented, together with a review of the major theoretical positions explaining online interaction. The filtered-cues and social information processing perspectives are compared in the light of more recent formulations of the hyperpersonal. With a desire to facilitate and critically evaluate a hyperpersonal learning context or online learning community, we developed a range of strategies including the use of aliases. The subject is described together with our observations of the benefits and disadvantages of pseudonymity for education.

• Choi, J. H., & Danowski, J. (2002). Making a global community on the Net: Global village or global metropolis?: A network analysis of Usenet newsgroups. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7(3). http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue3/choi.html

Abstract: This study examined the global structure of intercultural communication on a computer-mediated communication network. Extracted from a total of 232,479 discussion messages, a matrix of crossposted messages among 133 online newsgroups over a year on the Usenet was analyzed to investigate structural patterns of communication flow. This research found, unlike earlier research, that a simple structure of core-periphery relations does not fit the pattern of cross-cultural postings in Usenet discussion groups. Bonacich's centrality, cluster analysis, and multidimensional scaling analysis were conducted using UCINET V software. Results identified a multi-cored structure with decentralized and diversified patterns of information distribution in cyberspace.

• Chung, H., & Zhao, X. (2004). Effects of perceived interactivity on Web site preference and memory: Role of personal motivation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 10(1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol10/issue1/chung.html

Abstract: The main purpose of this study is to explore theoretically and empirically the effects of consumers' different surfing behaviors in terms of advertising effectiveness in the new media context. This study attempts to answer two primary questions: (1) What effect does interactivity have on attitude and memory? (2) What is the role of individual motivation on clicking behavior on the Web site? In this study, perceived interactivity was also found to influence consumers’ attitudes toward the ad and memory for its contents. This finding is consistent with literature about the effects of interaction on attitude and memory. Results of this study showed a positive impact of perceived interactivity on both attitude and memory.

• Climent, S., More, J., Oliver, A., Salvatierra, M., Sanchez, I., Taule, M., & Vallmanya, L. (2004). Language choice on a Swiss mailing list.
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 9 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol9/issue1/climent.html >

Abstract: This paper presents a linguistic analysis of a corpus of messages written in Catalan and Spanish, which come from several informal newsgroups on the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia; henceforth, UOC) Virtual Campus. The surrounding environment is one of extensive bilingualism and contact between Spanish and Catalan. The study was carried out as part of the INTERLINGUA project conducted by the UOC's Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3). Its main goal is to ascertain the linguistic characteristics of the e-mail register in the newsgroups in order to assess their implications for the creation of an online machine translation environment. The results shed empirical light on the relevance of characteristics of the e-mail register, the impact of language contact and interference, and their implications for the use of machine translation for CMC data in order to facilitate cross-linguistic communication on the Internet.

• Crede, A. (1995). Electronic commerce and the banking industry: The requirement and opportunities for new payment systems using the Internet. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 1 (3). Available:http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue3/crede.html

Abstract: With the rapid expansion of the Internet, there are a number of initiatives underway for the creation of a secure cost-effective payment system which will be able to support growing commercial activities on the network. Although electronic payment systems for large payments have been in operation for some time, rapidly expanding volumes of foreign exchange and securities trading are increasingly at variance with the requirements for a cost-effective and efficient electronic payment systems for making low value payments. Current progress in establishing such payment systems on the Internet is examined. The paper argues that the ultimate vision could be for a truly global and virtual marketplace, requiring completely new institutional and legal structures and having a profound impact on economic life similar to that of the medieval trade fairs which emerged in Europe in the 12th century.

• Dahan, M. (2003). Between a rock and a hard place: The changing public sphere of Palestinian Israelis. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 8 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol8/issue2/dahan.html

Abstract: According to some researchers, particularly political economists, cyberspace serves to reproduce the political and social relations of capitalism and while we may very well be moving towards a postindustrial phase, the balance of power remains and will continue to remain the same (Kitchin, 1998). In the past I have shown that the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) may serve as a catalyst in advancing social, cultural and political change, as well as enhancing the public sphere (Dahan 1999, 2000, 2001; Dahan & Sheffer, 2001). While CMC and information and communication technologies (ICTs) have had positive catalytic affects among the majority Jewish population of Israel, there have been distinct changes in the use of CMC and ICTs among the Palestinian Israeli1 minority in Israel which serve to maintain the existing political and social disenfranchisement of this group within the larger Israeli society. In addition, this paper discusses the resulting creation of a regional public sphere, beyond the boundaries of the Israeli State, in part as a result of the violent conflict of the past two years. This regional public sphere, unique to Palestinian Israelis, serves to further distance the Palestinian Israeli minority from mainstream discourse and influence within Israel.

• Dahlberg, L. (2001). Computer-mediated communication and the public sphere: A critical analysis. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue1/dahlberg.html

Abstract: In recent times much has been said about the possibility that the two-way, decentralized communications of cyberspace can provide sites of rational-critical discourse autonomous from state and economic interests and thus extending the public sphere at large. In this paper the extent to which the Internet does in fact enhance the public sphere is evaluated. Online deliberative practices are compared with a normative model of the public sphere developed from the work of Jürgen Habermas. The evaluation proceeds at a general level, drawing upon more specific Internet research to provide a broad understanding of the democratic possibilities and limitations of the present Internet. The analysis shows that vibrant exchange of positions and rational critique does take place within many online fora. However, there are a number of factors limiting the expansion of the public sphere online. These factors include the increasing colonization of cyberspace by state and corporate interests, a deficit of reflexivity, a lack of respectful listening to others, the difficulty of verifying identity claims and information put forward, the exclusion of many from online political fora, and the domination of discourse by certain individuals and groups. The article concludes by calling for more focused Internet-democracy research to address these problems further, research for which the present paper provides a starting point.

• Danet, B. (1995). Playful expressivity and artfulness in computer-mediated communication. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 1 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue2/genintro.html
• Danet, B., Ruedenberg-Wright, L., & Rosenbaum-Tamari, Yehudit. (1997)."HMMM...WHERE'S THAT SMOKE COMING FROM?" Writing, play and performance on Internet Relay Chat. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue4/danet.html

Abstract: Digital writing is strikingly playful. This playfulness flourishes particularly in synchronous chat modes on the Internet. This paper is a study of writing, play and performance on IRC (Internet Relay Chat). We analyze a "virtual party" on IRC, whose highlight was a typed simulation of smoking marihuana. Three interrelated, yet analytically distinct types of play are discussed: 1) play with identity; 2) play with frames of interaction; and 3) play with typographic symbols. We adopt a qualitative, textual, and micro-sociolinguistic approach, drawing on work in discourse analysis, the study of orality and literacy, and the anthropology of play and performance. In all play there is reduced accountability for action. In the material world, masks and costumes at carnival time liberate participants; here, the ephemeral, non-material medium, the typed text, and the use of nicknames provide the mask. Although the improvisation analyzed here is typed and occurs between geographically dispersed strangers, it has fascinating affinities with "live" interactional forms such as jazz, charades, and carnivals.

• Danet, B., Wachenhauser, T., Cividalli, A., Bechar-Israeli, H., & Rosenbaum-Tamari,Y. (1995). Curtain time 20:00 GMT: Experiments in virtual theater on Internet Relay Chat. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 1 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue2/contents.html

Abstract: This is an interdisciplinary study of a group called the Hamnet Players, who have scripted and performed parodies of Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams on IRC (Internet Relay Chat). Our approach draws on sociolinguistics and discourse analysis; the study of oral genres of verbal art, as practiced by folklorists and ethnographers of communication; Shakespearean studies and analyses of genres in literature; research on communication and popular culture; and recent studies of language, play and performance in computer-mediated communication. We focus primarily on the first production of the Hamnet Players, a hilarious, 80-line parody of Hamlet, called "Hamnet". The main source of humor is the playfully irreverent juxtaposition of Shakespearean plot, characters and language with materials drawn from Net culture and from IRC specifically. Hamnet productions are currently primarily textual-- participants type their lines in real time, or load them in prepared mini-files--but the players have already begun to experiment with graphics and sound, as well.

The paper contains three main sections: (1) an analysis of the substantive and stylistic features of the "Hamnet" script;" (2) an explication of the logistics of virtual production--how one coordinates in real time the activities of a group of persons dispersed around the globe and seated before their computer screens; (3) detailed analysis of logs of actual Hamnet performances, with special focus on improvised play with the Shakespearean canon, with the "theater game," with language itself (obscenity, parlor word games, spelling games, puns), with the IRC software, and with the situation of typed online interaction. Hamnet productions are not only experiments in virtual theater; they are also carnivals of wordplay, chock-full of wit and humor, reflecting and fostering a sense of abandon not unlike that in real-world carnivals. They provide new and important evidence for the rise of interactive digital writing as stylized performance. In times of rapid, even dizzying technological change, it is natural to turn to Shakespeare for a sense of continuity with the past. There is some evidence for the democratization and globalization of culture in Hamnet productions, as reflected in the countries represented among players and audience members. In addition, women are quite prominent in all phases of production. On the whole, however, Hamnet activities appeal primarily to a well-educated, technologically sophisticated, English-speaking elite.

• December, J. (1996). Units of analysis for Internet communication. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 1(4). Available:http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue4/december.html
• de Oliveira, S. M. (2004). Breaking conversational norms on a Portuguese users network: Men as adjudicators of politeness?
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 9 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol9/issue1/oliveira.html >

Abstract: This article examines messages exchanged via asynchronous CMC at a Portuguese university that would be considered impolite in face-to-face interaction (cf. Brown & Levinson, 1987; Culpeper, 1996; Oliveira, 1985, 2003; Oliveira Medeiros, 1994). A comparison by gender was conducted of the degree and nature of participation in the university Users' network, focusing on transgressions and chastisement involving inappropriate message content, message form and address form selection. Although women participate less often in discussions on the network, messages posted by women are more often treated as transgressions, while men more often initiate responses demonstrating concern with established norms of politeness and the importance of adhering to them. These results confirm traditional gender roles of men as interactionally dominant and representative of "authority," but do not support findings for English-language CMC that women are more concerned with politeness than men (Herring, 1994; Smith, McLaughlin & Osborn,1997); rather, Portuguese men on the university network assume the role of "politeness adjudicators."

• DeSanctis, G., & Monge, M. (1998). Communication processes for virtual organizations. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line],3 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue4/desanctis.html

Abstract: Communication is fundamental to any form of organizing but is preeminent in virtual organizations. Virtual organizations are characterized by (a) highly dynamic processes, (b) contractual relationships among entities, (c) edgeless, permeable boundaries, and (d) reconfigurable structures. Relative to more traditional settings, communication processes that occur in virtual contexts are expected to be rapid, customized, temporary, greater in volume, more formal, and more relationship-based. To glean insight into communication processes for virtual organizations, we draw on the rich body of literature on synchronous and asynchronous electronic organizational communication. The vast set of empirical findings regarding mediated communication can foreshadow how communication will change as firms "go virtual." Six areas of electronic communication research provide implications for the major aspects of virtual organization design: (1) communication volume and efficiency, (2) message understanding, (3) virtual tasks, (4) lateral communication, (5) norms of technology use, and (6) evolutionary effects.

• Dodge, M., & Kitchin, R. (2000). Exposing the 'Second Text?of Maps of the Net. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 5 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue4/dodge_kitchin.htm

Abstract: Maps have long been recognized as important and powerful modes of visual communication. In this paper we examine critically maps which are being produced to represent and promote information and communication technologies and the use of cyberspace. Drawing on the approach of map deconstruction we attempt to read and expose the 'second text' of maps of the Net. As such, we examine in detail a number of maps that display, with varying degrees of subtlety, the ideological agendas of cyberboosterism and techno-utopianism of their creators. A critical reading of these maps is important because they are widely reproduced and consumed on the Internet, in business and governmental reports, and in the popular press, all too often without a detailed consideration of the deliberate and intended messages being communicated. As we illustrate, many of these maps not only promote certain ideological messages but are often also poor in terms of cartographic design, with many containing serious ecological fallacies. We restrict our analyses to maps at the global scale.

• Doering, N. (2002). Personal home pages on the Web: A review of research. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7(3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue3/doering.html

Abstract: Personal or private home pages are Web sites published and maintained by individuals or informal, small groups. The paper presents the personal home page as a new object of sociological, psychological, linguistic, and communication studies research. It shows how theories of identity, self-presentation and computer-mediated communication are being applied to personal home pages. The paper is the first systematic review of about thirty personal home page studies. In oder to integrate the diverse empirical findings a communication studies framework is used: Personal home pages are regarded as media products with specific production processes, product characteristics, and reception processes. The paper ends by suggesting some possible directions for future research.

• Donath, J., Karahalios, K., & Viegas, F. (1999). Visualizing conversation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 4 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol4/issue4/donath.html

Abstract: Although the archive of text generated by a persistent conversation (i.e. newsgroup, mailing list, recorded chat, etc.) is searchable, it is not very expressive of the underlying social patterns. In this paper we will discuss the design of graphical interfaces that reveal the social structure of the conversation by visualizing patterns such as bursts of activity, the arrival of new members, or the evolution of conversational topics. Our focus is on two projects: Chat Circles, a graphical interface for synchronous conversation and Loom, a visualization of threaded discussion. Through these examples we will explore key issues in the generation, design and use of graphical interfaces for persistent conversations.

• Donnelly, D.F. (1996). Selling on, not out, the Internet. Journal of Computer Mediated-Communication [On-line], 2 (1). Available:http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue1/adsnew.html
• Eastin, M. S. (2001). Credibility assessments of online health information: The effects of source expertise and knowledge of content. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 6 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue4/eastin.html

Abstract: Millions of Americans use the Internet as a resource for information, with a large proportion seeking health information. Research indicates that medical professionals do not author an extensive amount of health information available on the Internet. This creates a possibility for false information, thereby potentially leading ill people away from proper care. One way to begin addressing this problem is to assess perceptions of credibility about information found online. A between-groups, 2 (message type) x 3 (source type) factorial design was tested by manipulating source expertise (high, medium, low) and content knowledge (known and unknown). While findings did not indicate a significant interaction between source and content type, they did indicate an overall tendency to rate all information as relatively credible. In addition, results indicate that both knowledge of content and source expertise affect perceptions of online health information.

• Durham, M. (2004). Language choice on a Swiss mailing list.
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 9 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol9/issue1/durham.html >

Abstract: This paper examines how the language situation in Switzerland affects, and may be affected by, the choice of languages for Internet use within the country. It focuses primarily on language choices on a mailing list for members of a Pan-Swiss medical student organization. English has become the lingua franca, the preferred language of intra-Swiss communication, within this group. The use of English by list members is charted over four calendar years to determine when and how this change occurred. Qualitative analysis of comments by the members in the e-mails themselves and in interviews provides clues as to why English has become so important on the mailing list. The paper concludes by considering the implications of this case for the linguistic situation in Switzerland in general and for the global spread of English via the Internet.

• Eastin, M. S., & LaRose, R. (2000). Internet self-efficacy and the psychology of the digital divide. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 6 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue1/eastin.html

Abstract: Internet self-efficacy, or the belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute courses of Internet actions required to produce given attainments, is a potentially important factor in efforts to close the digital divide that separates experienced Internet users from novices. Prior research on Internet self-efficacy has been limited to examining specific task performance and narrow behavioral domains rather than overall attainments in relation to general Internet use, and has not yielded evidence of reliability and construct validity. Survey data were collected to develop a reliable operational measure of Internet self-efficacy and to examine its construct validity. An eight-item Internet self-efficacy scale developed for the present study was found to be reliable and internally consistent. Prior Internet experience, outcome expectancies and Internet use were significantly and positively correlated to Internet self-efficacy judgments. Internet stress and self-disparagement were negatively related to Internet self-efficacy. A path analysis model was tested within the theoretical framework of social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1997).

• Ebersole, S.(2000). Uses and gratifications of the Web among students. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 6 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue1/ebersole.html

Abstract: This study was designed to explore how some students in ten public schools view the WWW and how their attitudes and opinions affect their use of this new medium in an educational context. An exploratory principal components analysis of forty use statements resulted in an eight factor solution. Additionally, student responses to a computer-administered survey instrument were collected and analyzed revealing significant differences in the way that students describe their use of the WWW. Gender, grade level, and amount of time spent using the WWW were used to create between-group comparisons of the WWW use categories that made up the computer-administered survey instrument. The final phase of data analysis was a content analysis of sites visited by students. A total of 123,071 URLs were collected from the computers used to administer the computer survey instrument. These were reduced to a total of 500 sites that were reviewed by media specialists. Students were found to be visiting commercial sites at a much higher proportion than those in other domains. Also, the commercial sites received the lowest rating for "suitability for academic research" of all the domain names. And while students reported their purpose for using the WWW as "research and learning" fifty-two percent of the time, the coders found only twenty-seven percent of the sampled sites to be "suitable" for that purpose.

• Elkin-Koren, N. (1996). Public/private and copyright reform in cyberspace. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue2/elkin.html
• Erickson, T. (1999). Persistent conversation:  An Introduction. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 4 (4). Available:http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol4/issue4/ericksonintro.html
• Ess, C. E., & Sudweeks, F. (2003). Technologies of despair and hope: CMC in the Middle East. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 8 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol8/issue2/essandsudweeks.html
• Fisher, D. R. (2001). On utopias and dystopias: Toward an understanding of the discourse surrounding the Internet. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 6 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue2/fisher.html

Abstract: It is clear that the Internet has the capacity to change how individuals interact with others as well as increase access to information. Whether either one of these factors affects the social landscape has yet to be determined. This fact has not kept many from anticipating the effects of the technology on society. In this paper, we contextualize some of the main issues of discussion regarding the Internet, describing these positions in terms of utopian and dystopian perspectives. By resurrecting William Ogburn's theory of the cultural lag (1964), we present a framework for understanding the extreme responses to the technology. The lag suggests that the effects of a technology will not be apparent to social actors for some time after it is introduced to a society. As such, much of the discourse concerning the Internet is ideologically charged, filled as much with the hopes and fears of individual authors as with the reality of the medium's effects.

• Foot, K. A., Schneider, S. M., Dougherty, M., Xenos, M., & Larsen, E. (2003). Analyzing linking practices: Candidate sites in the 2002 US electoral Web sphere. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 8(4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol8/issue4/foot.html

Abstract: This article offers preliminary insights and a possible empirical model for managing the conceptual, methodological, and technological challenges entailed in developmental analysis of link-mediated relations. We offer a "mid-range" approach to making sense of linking practices, midway between close rhetorical/ethnographic analysis of links and large-scale link mapping. We suggest that systematic human coding and interpretation of linked-to producer types affords a more concrete and specific basis for hypothesizing about linking strategies than machine mapping, while providing a more robust attempt to generalize across the universe of candidate Web sites than ethnographic analysis. To illustrate this two-pronged approach to link analysis, we examine the linking practices exhibited on Web sites produced by U.S. Congressional candidates during the 2002 campaign season, focusing on the extent and development of links from candidate Web sites to other types of political Web sites during the three months prior to the November, 2002 election.

• Gammack, J.. (2002). Mindscapes And Internet-mediated communication. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7(3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue3/gammack.html

Abstract: Cultures are considered to be epistemologically heterogeneous, and it is assumed that epistemologically similar individuals exist across distinct cultures. Epistemological type is viewed as prior to, and transcendent of, nationality and culture. Identifying a shared epistemological basis for communication will be more likely to succeed in dialogical contexts where conformity to prevailing national stereotypes may fail. Two levels of communication are distinguished: explicate (here seen as conformity to social and cultural symbolic norms and conventions), and implicate (the level at which implicit, abstract communicative intention originates). Cyberspatial interactions potentially undermine normative cultural influences and permit multicultural or transcultural environments in which new codes extending from epistemological types (rather than cultural) become possible, limited only by media potential and symbolization itself. Drawing upon Maruyama's (1980) theory, implications for an alternative to the homogenization of verbal communication, and potential elements of codes for universal understandings are considered.

• Garton, L., Haythornthwaite, C., & Wellman, B. (1997). Studying online social networks. Journal of Computer Mediated-Communication [On-line], 3 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue1/garton.html

Abstract: When a computer network connects people or organizations, it is a social network. Yet the study of such computer-supported social networks has not received as much attention as studies of human-computer interaction, online person-to-person interaction, and computer-supported communication within small groups. We argue the usefulness of a social network approach for the study of computer-mediated communication. We review some basic concepts of social network analysis, describe how to collect and analyze social network data, and demonstrate where social network data can be, and have been, used to study computer-mediated communication. Throughout, we show the utility of the social network approach for studying computer-mediated communication, be it in computer-supported cooperative work, in virtual community, or in more diffuse interactions over less bounded systems such as the Internet.

• Gay, G. (2000). Editor's Introduction: Computer-Mediated Visual Communication . Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 5 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue4/gay.html
• Gay, G., & Lentini, M. (1995). Use of communication resources in a networked collaborative design environment. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 1 (1).Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue1/IMG_JCMC/ResourceUse.html

Abstract: The goal of this exploratory study is to examine student use of a prototype networked collaborative design environment to support or augment learning about engineering design. The specific goals of the research are to characterize design activities and practices and to examine the use of multiple communication resources to augment activities in a three-way group collaboration. This paper examines the communication resource use of students engaged in a collaborative design activity. Students use the channels for a variety of activities to increase depth of communication, increase breadth of communication, and overcome technical difficulty. Conclusions suggest that students need multiple representations of design information to effectively move the design process forward.

• Gay, G., Sturgill, A., Martin, W., & Huttenlocher, D. (1999). Document-centered peer collaborations: An exploration of the educational uses of networked communication technologies. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 4 (3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol4/issue3/gay.html

Abstract: Document-centered software, such as the CoNote application developed at Cornell University, supports cooperative work systems by facilitating communication within work groups via shared annotations (marginal notes) on a set of documents. The central idea is that shared annotations provide an effective communications forum for groups whose work involves frequent reference to some set of documents (e.g., teachers and students, field service workers, editors and publishers, organizations). In this study we examined how students used annotation tools for communication and learning and attempted to identify which factors influenced students' interpretations of these collaboration tools. It appears that the beliefs that users hold about what constitutes a legitimate educational experience can influence the value they ascribe to educational software. Gender also seemed to have an impact on whether students felt that the annotations helped them create better Web sites and learn more effectively.

• Gebauer, J., & Scharl, A. (1999). Between flexibility and automation: An evaluation of Web technology from abusiness process perspective. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 5 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue2/gebauer.html

Abstract Web information systems hold great potential to streamline and improve business-to-business-transactions. However, not all Web technologies are equally suited to support the different business processes throughout their distinct phases. In this paper, we outline a framework to improve the conceptual design of Web-based information systems to support business-to-business transactions. The framework consists of three parts. The first part delineates the different phases of commercial transaction processes, part two introduces a model to evaluate process infrastructures, and part three categorizes Web technologies and underlying communication models. By combining the three parts, we can match available systems with the requirements of transaction processes in a structured way. This integration allows improving long-term process efficiency, and helps to identify areas where the information system functionality is currently inadequate.

• Girard, T., Silverblatt, R., & Korgaonkar, P. (2002). Influence of product class on preference for shopping on the Internet (2002).
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 8 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol8/issue1/girard.html

Abstract: The study reported here examined the influence of product classification (i.e., search, experience, and credence) on consumer preferences for shopping on the Internet, and the importance of Internet retailers' attributes. In addition, the authors investigated whether the emphasis consumers place on Internet retailer attributes significantly influences their online purchase preference for the different product categories. Based on the review of the product classification literature, products are classified into four categories: search products, two types of experience products, and credence products. Data were collected from adult Internet users in two phases, through self-administered surveys. The findings of the present study support the hypothesis that product classes significantly influence consumers' online purchase preferences. Internet retailer attributes were found to be important as well. In addition, the findings confirm that the importance consumers place upon Internet retailer attributes significantly influences their online purchase preference for different product categories. Managerial and academic implications are discussed.

• Goldring, J. (1996). Consumer protection, the nation-state, law, globalization,and democracy. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue2/goldring.html
• Gordin, D.N., Gomez, L.M., Pea, L.M., & Fishman, B.J. (1996). Using the World Wide Web to build learning communities in K-12. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (3). Available:http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue3/gordin.html

Abstract: Social accounts of learning and human knowledge have led to attempts to reorganize schools as learning communities. This paper examines the utility of the World Wide Web for aiding in the construction of school-based and work-based learning communities. An ordered list of interactions is provided to characterize the depth of students' entry into new learning communities. Current offerings on the World Wide Web are then surveyed in terms of these categories. Finally, proposals are advanced for enhancing the architecture of the WWW to facilitate its use for the creation and operation of learning communities.

• Grabowski, M., & Roberts, K. H. (1998). Risk mitigation in virtual organizations. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 3 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue4/grabowski.html

Abstract: This paper examines the problem of risk mitigation in virtual organizations (VO's). We begin by discussing risk propensity in virtual organizations, and draw on a variety of research to suggest processes important in obtaining high levels of reliable performance in VO's. From this research we identify four processes we think are important: organizational structuring and design, communication, culture, and trust. Based on existing research done in conventional and high reliability organizations, we suggest how these processes may enhance reliability in VO's. We discuss how thoughtful management of these attributes can mitigate risk, and conclude with a theoretical and research agenda for future work.

• Greenleaf, G. (1996). A proposed privacy code for Asia-Pacific cyberlaw. Journal of Computer Mediated-Communication [On-line], 2 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue1/asiapac.html
• Guzley, R. M., Avanzino, S., & Bor, A. (2001). Simulated computer-mediated/video-interactive distance learning: A test of motivation, interaction satisfaction, delivery, learning & perceived effectiveness, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 6 (3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue3/guzley.html

Abstract: This paper reports on an innovative, computer-mediated, educational technology application in a simulated distance learning environment. As an initial evaluation, real student groups completed an entire university course using this state-of-the-art, two-way synchronous audio/visual communication technology, Distributed Tutored Video Instruction (DTVI). The study reported here explored student perceptions of a simulated distance learning environment using the system. The learning environment was characterized by videotaped lectures by the course instructor, delivered in computer-mediated small group settings. Six separate groups made up of six to eight students and a facilitator were studied. Group members were in separate locations, interacting via synchronous audio and visual computer channels. Our findings indicate an overall high level of perceived effectiveness and satisfaction with the instructional mode. In addition, significant relationships were established between facilitator effectiveness and student satisfaction, student motivation and class participation, student exam grades and perceived amount of group discussion. Findings indicate innovations in computer-mediated instructional designs can achieve desired levels of participant interaction considered critical to effective distance education technology.

• Ha, H.-Y. (2002). The effects of consumer risk perception on pre-purchase information in online auctions: Brand, word-of-mouth, and customized information.
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 8 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol8/issue1/ha.html

Abstract: This study examines how consumer information processing affects consumers' perception of risk prior to purchase. In particular, this research focuses on pre-purchase information such as brand, word-of-mouth, and customized information. The results show that customized information and word-of-mouth communication influence consumers more than do other types of information from online auctions. Consumers rely on these two factors because they are based on consumer experience and relevant to product purchase. Nevertheless, brand also has a significant effect upon consumer perceived risk. Pre-purchase information processing is directly related to reducing consumers' risk perception. In particular, information processing associated with product performance plays a crucial role in reducing consumers' perceived risk in online transactions. The results offer insights to e-marketers and e-marketing researchers about the role of pre-purchase information in management and e-commerce.

• Haythornthwaite, C., Kazmer, M. M., Robins, J., & Shoemaker, S. (2000). Community development among distance learners: Temporal and technological dimensions. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 6 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue1/haythornthwaite.html

Abstract: This paper explores social support and community development among members of a computer-supported distance learning program. The research focuses on what characterizes this community, and how students define and maintain community while largely restricted to communication through media that have been viewed as unsuitable for the maintenance of close social bonds. Interviews conducted over a year with 17 students reveal the importance of community and its role in supporting them in their "different kind of world" and important temporal and technological dimensions associated with community development. Each cohort begins in physical proximity with an intensive, on-campus "boot camp" that acts as a lasting bonding experience. When students return home, they reinvent this physical proximity as virtual proximity, appropriating technology and the opportunities afforded them by class and program structures to socialize and work with people they met on-campus. They enjoy the temporal proximity of "live" lectures and appropriate Internet Relay Chat's "whispering" facility to socialize; they make near-synchronous use of email, and use the timing of assignment submission to initiate email exchanges. Those who fail to make such connections feel isolated and more stressed than those who are more active in the community. Recommendations include promoting initial bonding, monitoring and supporting continued interaction and participation, and providing multiple means of communication to support the need to engage in work and social interaction, both publicly and privately. Overall, our interviews show that belonging to a community brings benefits to the individuals and to the program, and supports efforts by educators who strive to provide such a community for their distance learners.

• Hawkins, R., & Verhoest, P.. (2002). A transaction structure approach to assessing the dynamics and impacts of 'business-to-business' electronic commerce. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7(3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue3/hawkins.html

Abstract: This paper proposes some ways forward in stimulating and structuring interdisciplinary research on business-to-business electronic commerce. A 'commerce-centered' perspective is proposed that is grounded in concepts of commerce as a complex socio-economic institution. On this basis, a conceptual framework is developed for assessing the dynamics and impacts of electronic commerce in the value chains of products and services. The approach focuses on examining technical change in transaction structures, and how this relates to the evolution of electronically-mediated business relationships in the rapidly developing Internet environment. The approach is oriented towards critical research questions concerning the effects of electronic commerce on the ways various market participants exercise and/or respond to control over the organization and operation of value chains, and the implications for business, the public interest and policy. The practical research possibilities of the transaction structure approach are then discussed as oriented toward a comparative analytical framework.

• Hellsten, I. (2003). Focus on metaphors: The case of "Frankenfood" on the Web. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 8(4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol8/issue4/hellsten.html

Abstract: The metaphor of "Frankenfood" rapidly spread into popular use at the end of the 1990s, to the extent that it was even added to the New Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 2000 edition. The metaphor gained wide popularity at least partly because of the active campaigns of various NGOs on their Web pages. The metaphor was also widely used in more informal e-mail and newsgroups on the Web, and seemed to provide common ground for different discourses. In this article, I explore the way metaphors relate different discourses on the Internet. This approach may open up new ways of analyzing both the network structure on the Internet, and the substantial aspects of the debate within the network. I first follow the development of the metaphor of "Frankenfood" over time, and then I map the uses of the metaphor by various sites on the Web. The aim is to discuss the role of metaphors as tools of communication by combining diachronic analysis of the expanding network around the metaphor with the static snapshots of the main sites' textual structure.

• Herring, S. (1999). Interactional coherence in CMC. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 4 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol4/issue4/herring.html

Abstract: Text-only CMC has been claimed to be interactionally incoherent due to limitations imposed by messaging systems on turn-taking and reference, yet its popularity continues to grow. In an attempt to resolve this apparent paradox, this study evaluates the coherence of computer-mediated interaction by surveying research on cross-turn coherence. The results reveal a high degree of disrupted adjacency, overlapping exchanges, and topic decay. Two explanations are proposed to account for the popularity of CMC despite its relative incoherence: the ability of users to adapt to the medium, and the advantages of loosened coherence for heightened interactivity and language play.

• Ho, J. (1997). Evaluating the World Wide Web: A global study of commercial sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 3(1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue1/ho.html

Abstract: While commercial applications of the Internet proliferate, particularly in the form of business sites on the World Wide Web, on-line business is still relatively insignificant. One reason is that truly compelling applications have yet to be devised to penetrate the mass market. To help identify approaches that may eventually be successful, one must address the question of what value is being created on the Web. As a first step, this paper proposes a framework to evaluate Web sites from a customer's perspective of value-added. A global study covering 1,800 sites, with representative samples from diverse industries and localities worldwide, is conducted to give a profile of commercial use of the World Wide Web in 1996.

• Ho, J. (2004). APEC multilingual international trade project: Methodology and case reports on needs assessment.
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 9 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol9/issue1/ho.html >

Abstract: As Internet use continues to grow worldwide, its potential to facilitate e-commerce and international trade, especially among small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), is well recognized. However, formidable barriers in language and word processing have to be overcome before significant uptake of such computer-mediated communication by SMEs can be realized. A pragmatic methodology to enable multilingual e-mail communication is introduced, in a prototype system called "TigerTalk for SMEs." This approach has been endorsed by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) as the Multilingual International Trade Project. The first phase of needs and feasibility assessment is reported in eight case studies.

• Hoffman, D.L., Novak, T.P., & Chatterjee, P. (1995). Commercial scenarios for the Web: Opportunities and challenges. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 1 (3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue3/hoffman.html

Abstract: The potential of the World Wide Web on the Internet as a commercial medium and market has been widely documented in a variety of media. However, a critical examination of its commercial development has received little attention. Therefore, in this paper we propose a structural framework for examining the explosion in commercial activity on the Web. First, we explore the role of the Web as a distribution channel and a medium for marketing communications. Second, we examine the factors that have led to the development of the Web as a commercial medium, evaluating the benefits it provides to both consumers and firms and its attractive size and demographic characteristics. Third, we discuss the barriers to commercial growth of the Web from both the supply and demand side perspectives. This analysis leads to a new classification of commercialization efforts that categorizes commercial Web sites into six distinct types including 1) Online Storefront, 2) Internet Presence, 3) Content, 4) Mall, 5) Incentive Site, and, 6) Search Agent. The first three comprise the "Integrated Destination Site," and the latter three represent forms of "Web Traffic Control." Our framework, argued in the context of integrated marketing, facilitates greater understanding of the Web as a commercial medium, and allows examination of commercial Web sites in terms of the opportunities and challenges firms face in the rush towards commercialization.

• Hoffman, D.L., Novak, T.P., & Schlosser, A.E. (2000). The evoluation of the digital divide:How gaps in Internet access may impact elecronic commerce. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 5 (3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue3/hoffman.html

Abstract: Enthusiasm for the anticipated social dividends of the Internet appears boundless. Indeed, the Internet is expected to do no less than virtually transform society. Yet even as the Internet races ambitiously toward critical mass, some social scientists are beginning to examine carefully the policy implications of current demographic patterns of Internet access and usage. Key demographic variables like income and education drive the policy questions surrounding the Internet because they are the most likely have a differential impact on the consequences of interactive electronic media for different segments in our society. Given these concerns, we set out to conduct a systematic investigation of the differences between whites and African Americans in the United States with respect to computer access, the primary current prerequisite for Internet access, and Web use. We wished to examine whether observed race differences in access and use can be accounted for by differences in income and education, how access influences use, and when race matters in the calculus of equal access. The particular emphasis of this research is on how such differences may be changing over time. We believe our results may be used as a window through which policymakers might view the job of ensuring access to the Internet for the next generation.

• Holmes, D. (2002). Transformations in the mediation of publicness: Communicative interaction in the network society. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue2/holmes.html

Abstract Recent debates on the role of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in facilitating a democratisation of the public sphere are criticized for presenting inadequate accounts of the public sphere that is being transformed. Like broadcast communication, computer-mediated communication does not obey national borders. Because of this a number of questions are raised insofar as the traditional conception of the public sphere has invariably corresponded to the nation-state. The difference between embodied and electronic assemblies, between an homogenous public sphere and public 'sphericules' is introduced in order to clarify the political and communicative significance of contemporary CMC.

• Hossain, L., & Wigand, R. T. (2004). ICT enabled virtual collaboration through trust. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 10(1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol10/issue1/hossain_wigand.html

Abstract: The advent of information and communication technology (ICT) provides opportunities for employees with offices in geographically dispersed locations to communicate, share and collaborate on projects to achieve common business goals. Previous studies on computer-mediated communication and computer-supported cooperative work suggest that the higher utilization of ICT for supporting collaborative work is largely dependent on the business strategy, which promotes trust among parties. Our focus is on understanding the effect of virtual organizing for achieving higher collaboration in virtual settings. We identify the challenges for developing trust in a virtual collaborative environment. We describe how the process for virtual organizing helps promote higher levels of collaboration among parties in geographically dispersed locations. We posit that virtual organizing helps support creating, sustaining and deploying key intellectual and knowledge assets while sourcing tangible, physical assets in a complex network of relationships. Our analysis demonstrates that the real challenge for the management of virtual collaboration is trust and has to be guided by a shared business principle or shared vision. Eight propositions are offered based on this analysis. We conclude that virtual organizing as presented here suggests a set of rules and norms enabling and constraining actions that promote a desired and required higher level of trust. This, in turn, is critical (a) to the development and sustainability of virtual collaboration and (b) to ensure the optimal use of ICT.

• Hu, Y., Fowler Wood, J., Smith, V., & Westbrook, N. (2004). Friendships through IM: Examining the relationship between instant messaging and intimacy. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 10(1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol10/issue1/hu.html

Abstract: This study explores the relationship between the amount of Instant Messenger (IM) use and the level of perceived intimacy between friends. Results showed the amount of IM use was positively associated not only with verbal intimacy, but also with affective and social intimacy. Findings are consistent with the relationship liberated perspective of computer-mediated communication, and suggest that IM promotes rather than hinders intimacy. Moreover, frequent conversation via IM actually encourages the desire to meet face-to-face. Theoretical as well as practical implications of the results for geographically remote friends and families are discussed.

• Hutchison, C. (1995). The 'ICP Online': Jeux sans frontieres onthe CyberCampus. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line],1 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue1/hutchison/CHRISR.html

Abstract: With new technologies relentlessly redefining the way we work and live, it may not merely be an anachronism to continue to embrace the model of the traditional residential university as the primary locus of learning -- it may arguably be an impediment to appropriate learning and ultimately a threat to growth, both economic and personal. Partly from this vision, and partly from the imperative of improving student mobility within the European Union, ERASMUS-funded Inter-university Cooperation Programmes (ICP) have been created. ICP OnLine, accessed through the World Wide Web, was launched in the Summer of 1994 to provide "virtual mobility." This article focuses on an ICP OnLine in the area of Informatics/Artificial Intelligence and discusses the programme's objectives, student experiences, and the risks and opportunities afforded by multicultural/multilingual Internet-based education.

• Jackson, M. J. (1997). Assessing the structure of communication on theWorld Wide Web. Journal of Computer Mediated-Communication [On-line],3 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue1/jackson.html

Abstract: This paper examines closely the nature of the hypertext link as a communication tool for Web designers and authors. The strategic nature of the link raises important questions for the representation and interpretation of Web structure. Network analysis is suggested as a methodology that can be used by researchers investigating the World Wide Web from a communication perspective.

• Jacobson, D. (1999). Impression formation in cyberspace: Online expectations and offline experiences in text-based virtual communities. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 5 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue1/jacobson.html

Abstract: How do people in cyberspace picture one another? More specifically, how do individuals engaged in text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC), with its paucity of visual and auditory cues, form impressions of those with whom they interact? And how do expectations formed online compare with offline experiences? Researchers have begun to answer these questions, drawing primarily on theories of stereotyping. This paper uses prototype theory and related models to extend previous research and to account for discrepancies between online image and offline reality. It draws on interviews with individuals who first met others online and subsequently moved to face-to-face interaction; it also utilizes comparisons between text-based impressions formed online and photographs displayed on web pages.

• Janower, C.R. (1996). Gambling on the Internet. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue2/janower.html

Abstract: This paper explores the political and social implications of the emerging online gambling industry and the ability of the existing legal framework to halt the industry's development. Making gambling more broadly available via the networks threatens heightened crime, an increased incidence of compulsive gambling, and cannibalized spending in other areas of the economy. Yet, U.S. state and federal laws are inadequate to deal with the onslaught of virtual gaming. States are unlikely to be able to prosecute out of state casino operators operating in cyberspace. Although they may be able to prosecute their own citizens for gambling on-line, enforcement will be difficult. Federal statutes may criminalize cyberspace casinos, but the U.S. government's ability to prosecute foreign operators is questionable. As existing legal frameworks prove inadequate to deal with a global, intangible entity, new legal, technological, and political solutions will have to be crafted in order to protect Americans from the substantial externalities posed by on-line gambling.

• Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Leidner, D. E. (1998). Communication and trust in global virtual teams. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 3 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue4/jarvenpaa.html

Abstract: This paper explores the challenges of creating and maintaining trust in a global virtual team whose members transcend time, space, and culture. The challenges are highlighted by integrating recent literature on work teams, computer-mediated communication groups, cross-cultural communication, and interpersonal and organizational trust. To explore these challenges empirically, we report on a series of descriptive case studies on global virtual teams whose members were separated by location and culture, were challenged by a common collaborative project, and for whom the only economically and practically viable communication medium was asynchronous and synchronous computer-mediated communication. The results suggest that global virtual teams may experience a form of 'swift' trust but such trust appears to be very fragile and temporal. The study raises a number of issues to be explored and debated by future research. Pragmatically, the study describes communication behaviors that might facilitate trust in global virtual teams.

• Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Tractinsky, N. (1999). Consumer trust in an Internet store: A cross-cultural validation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 5 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue2/jarvenpaa.html

Abstract: Many have speculated that trust plays a critical role in stimulating consumer purchases over the Internet. Most of the speculations have rallied around U.S. consumers purchasing from U.S.--based online merchants. The global nature of the Internet raises questions about the robustness of trust effects across cultures. Culture may also affect the antecedents of consumer trust; that is, consumers in different cultures might have differing expectations of what makes a web merchant trustworthy. Here we report on a cross-cultural validation of an Internet consumer trust model. The model examined both antecedents and consequences of consumer trust in a Web merchant. The results provide tentative support for the generalizability of the model.

• Jeffres, L. W., Atkin, D. J., Campanella Bracken, C., & Neuendorf, K. A. (2004). Cosmopoliteness in the Internet age. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 10(1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol10/issue1/jeffres.html

Abstract: The concept of cosmopoliteness previously has been associated with the diffusion of innovations. Previous research suggests that cosmopolites are earlier adopters of innovations (e.g., new media technologies) and that they use more diverse media sources. This paper details the history of the concept and identifies eight dimensions. Two surveys were employed to investigate the relationship between the concept of cosmopoliteness and new media technology usage. The results indicate that most Internet use behaviors are positively associated with cosmopoliteness. However, this pattern was not found for other media applications such as e-mail and watching DVDs. Implications of study findings are discussed.

• Johnson, J. D., Chang, H., Pobocik, S., Ethington, C., Ruesch, D., Wooldridge, J., & Mruphy, J. R. (2000). Functional work groups and evaluations of communication channels: Comparisons of six competing theoretical perspectives. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 6 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue1/johnson.html

Abstract: This paper examines perceptions of three different communication channels (written, interpersonal, and e-mail) in a new organizational form, from six perspectives: social information processing, decision making, cost minimization, social presence, uncertainty reduction, and appraisal. In this study three functional groups within the Cancer Information Service (CIS) were examined: Project Directors (N=11), Outreach Coordinators (N=16), and Telephone Service Managers (N=17). The results indicated that there were few significant differences between these functional groupings. While there were clear differences between theoretical perspectives, the specific functional role differences related to them only marginally supported our hypotheses. This study suggested that refocusing on fundamental underlying processes may be necessary at this stage in the development of the literature on channel selection in organizations.

• Johnson, D.R. (1996). Due process and cyberjurisdiction. Journal of Computer Mediated-Communication [On-line], 2 (1). Available:http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue1/due.html
• Jones, Q. (1997). Virtual-communities, virtual settlements & cyber-archaeology: A theoretical outline. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 3 (3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue3/jones.html

Abstract: If useful explanations are to be provided about the relationship between computer mediated communication (CMC) technologies and online behavior, then a longer-term perspective needs to be taken than the current focus of CMC researchers. This paper provides such a perspective by outlining in theoretical terms how a cyber-archaeology of virtual communities can be conducted. In archaeology, researchers focus on cultural artifacts. A similar focus on the cultural artifacts of virtual communities should be a focus for CMC researchers as these artifacts can provide an integrative framework for a community's life, be it virtual or real. It is proposed that CMC researchers pursue cyber-archaeology by systematically examining and modeling the framework for virtual community life provided by their cultural artifacts.

The systematic exploration of cyber-space via cyber-archaeology cannot proceed without adequate linguistic tools that allow for taxonomy. The first step in the creation of such a taxonomy is to distinguish between virtual communities and their cyber-place, the virtual settlement. The second, is to define and operationalize the term virtual settlement so that they can be systematically characterized and modeled. With this new terminology, it is possible to detail a cyber-archaeology where technological determinism is replaced with the notion of bounded hierarchies and material behavior. The theoretical outline will show how cultural artifacts can play a role in constraining the forms virtual settlements can sustain. The modeling of the boundaries of virtual settlements via cyber-archaeology should dramatically increase our understanding of communication in general.

• Jones, S. (1997). Using the news: An examination of the value and use of news sources in CMC. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue4/jones.html

Abstract: This study examines one facet of the penetration of personal computers into everyday life. It seeks to discover how members of a Usenet newsgroup value and use news sources. Electronic news sources predominated. An important finding is that media use was not tied to the user's local geographic. The study raises several questions for future research: What are the rhetorical dimensions of media use in electronic communities? How might our understanding of readers and communities be affected by new patterns of media use in electronic communities?

• Kamali, N., & Loker, S. (2002). Mass customization: On-line consumer involvement in product design . Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 7 (4). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue4/loker.html

Abstract: Using a channel theory framework, this experimental study investigated the on-line involvement of consumers in product design, a mass customization approach. Three treatments varying the level of participants' design involvement in the design of a T-shirt were developed to simulate a Web-based retail environment. Results established an overall interest in design involvement, some support for higher levels of design involvement in shopping for apparel, and higher satisfaction with a Web site's navigation and usability as involvement increased. The study demonstrated that the Internet provides an acceptable interactive platform and distribution channel for consumer design involvement and should be considered by e-tailers. Additional research directions are recommended.

• Katsh, M.E. (1996). Lawyers in the networld. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue2/katsh.html


• Kim, J., & LaRose, R. (2004). Interactive e-commerce: Promoting consumer efficiency or impulsivity? Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 10(1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol10/issue1/kim_larose.html

Abstract: Previous research established that online shopping activity might be caused by impulse as much as by rational thinking about the conveniences of e-commerce. Interactive features of ecommerce sites, such as email alerts of special offers and “clickable” product arrays, may stimulate unregulated buying activity by undermining consumer self-regulation, but this connection has not been empirically verified. In this study, structural equation modeling techniques were used to model the relationship of interactive e-commerce features to online buying activity with a sample of 174 college students. Recreational shopping orientation predicted the usage of interactive shopping features thought to promote unregulated purchases, increasing deficient self-regulation, and leading to increased online buying activity. Convenience shopping orientation had a direct impact on buying activity, but it did not influence buying activity through the usage of convenience shopping features. Convenience shopping orientation also contributed to the usage of recreational shopping features that promoted deficient self-regulation. Overall, the model explained fifty percent of the variance in online buying activity.

• Kim, K.-J., & Bonk, C. J. (2002). Cross-cultural comparisons of online collaboration.
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 8 (1). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol8/issue1/kimandbonk.html

Abstract: This study investigated two interconnected conferences formed by students and instructors from two different cultures-Finland and the United States-to discuss case situations or problems in school observations,in order to examine cross-cultural differences in online collaborative behaviors among undergraduate preservice teachers. A conference for Korean students in the following semester was added and analyzed for more diverse cross-cultural comparisons. In terms of the first part of this study, computer log data indicated that there were more cross-cultural postings in the Finnish conference by U.S. students than Finnish visitors within the U.S. conference. In addition, student postings made up nearly 80 percent of these discussions. Qualitative content analyses of computer transcripts were conducted to compare their collaborative behaviors with the conferences. Results revealed some cross-cultural differences in the participants' online collaborative behaviors. Korean students were more social and contextually driven online, Finnish students were more group-focused as well as reflective and, at times, theoretically driven, and U.S. students more action-oriented and pragmatic in seeking results or giving solutions. The U.S. and Finnish students spent much time sharing knowledge and resources and also providing cross-cultural feedback. Findings indicate that instructors who facilitate online collaboration among multicultural students need to be aware of cultural differences in the learners' online collaborative behaviors, and such differences need to be taken into account to foster online collaboration among culturally diverse learners. Some data from post-collaboration questionnaires, student interviews, and videoconferencing further informed these findings.

• Kim, T., & Biocca, F. (1997). Telepresence via television: Two dimensions of telepresence may have different connections to memory and persuasion. Journal of Computer Mediated-Communication [On-line], 3 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue2/kim.html

Abstract: To be truly useful for media theory, the concept of presence should be applicable to all forms of virtual environments including those of traditional media like television and traditional content such as advertising. This study reports the results of an experiment on the effects of the visual angle of the display (sensory saturation) and room illumination (sensory suppression) on the sensation of telepresence during normal television viewing. A self-report measure of presence yielded two factors. Using Gerrig's terminology for the sense of being transported to a mediated environments, we labeled the two factors "arrival," for the feeling of being there in the virtual environment, and "departure," for the feeling of not being there in the in physical environment. It appears that being in the virtual environment is not equivalent to not being in the physical environment. A path analysis found that these two factors have very different relationships to viewer memory for the experience and for attitude change (i.e., buying intention and confidence in product decision). We theorize that the departure factor may be measuring the feeling that the medium has disappeared and may constitute a deeper absorption into the virtual environment. The study did not find evidence that visual angle and room illumination affected the sensation of telepresence

• Kirsh, E.M., Phillips, D.W., & McIntyre, D.E. (1996). Recommendations for the evolution of cyberlaw. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 2 (2). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue2/kirsh.html

Abstract: This article focuses on the privacy implications arising from an increasing reliance on digital networks for communication, commerce, education and entertainment. Greater access to the maze of information and services will create needs for customized services and tools to guide users through the information anarchy and channel products of interest to consumers. Yet these trends raise concerns about what usage data will be collected and how such data will be stored, used and disclosed to others. While there have been calls from privacy advocates in the U.S. to adopt the European model and create new privacy laws and federal agencies to govern data use practices, this approach conflicts with not only traditional U.S. legal privacy paradigms, but also with current U.S. public opinion. The global market for interactive services, the U.S. public's growing concern for their privacy in cyberspace and reluctance to rely on government intervention with respect to personal privacy matters all support initial reliance on market forces and the industry-regulatory model. For U.S. providers of interactive services to remain competitive in the United States and operate in global markets, they must establish and maintain their subscribers' trust with respect to individual privacy. Consumers will penalize providers who fail to proactively disclose their data collection practices and privacy safeguards.

• Klein, S. & Selz, D. (2000). Cybermediation in auto distribution: Channel dynamics and conflicts. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication [On-line], 5 (3). Available: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue3/kleinselz.htm

Abstract: The emerging electronic market