This chapter examines the way online language users enhance social interaction and group collaboration through the computer mediated communication (CMC) channel. For this, discourse analysis based on the linguistic politeness theoretical framework is applied to the transcripts of a real time online chat. Analysis of the data shows that online participants employ a variety of creative devices to...

Researchers have suggested that individual differences will help to determine which online communication tools appeal to and are used by different individuals. With respect to the domain of computer-mediated communication, shyness is a particular personality trait of interest, as forums provide opportunities for social interactions that shy individuals might otherwise avoid. The present study i...

Distance education via asynchronous learning networks (ALNs) is an increasingly common method of educational delivery. To add to a practical and academic understanding of asynchronous, computer-mediated communication this article reports a conversation analysis study to „map the ground‟ of ALNs by identifying and describing conversation practices of ALN students in terms of conversation analyti...

Cyber-bullying, or the repeated (mis)use of technology to harass, intimidate, or terrorize another person (Franek, 2004), is a growing problem among adolescents and teenagers in schools. Although cyberbullying inherently implicates important aspects of the communication process, scholars interested in computer-mediated communication have been slow to investigate this phenomenon. This chapter pr...

Analysis how to use Internet influence to the process of political communication, marketing and the management of public relations, what kind of online communication methods are used by political parties, and to assess satisfaction, means of communication and the services they provide to their party's voters (people) and other interest groups and whether social networks can affect the political...

The present widespread interest in the use of electronic media for learning presents an unprecedented opportunity for leveraging the computational medium’s strengths for learning. However, existing software tools provide only primitive support for online knowledge-building discourse. Further work is needed in supporting coordinated use of disciplinary representations, discourse representations,...

Despite its potential benefits, the effectiveness of CMC when used to support learning in higher education is very variable, making it important to identify those factors which best predict successful implementations. A review of the literature from the past few years, presented in the first half of this paper, suggests that, consistent with Activity Theory (Leont'ev, 1978), the critical factor...

Developments in computer-mediated communications are not only providing new opportunities for educators but also changing roles and competencies in learning and teaching environments. Experts agree that teaching online requires different roles and competencies. The literature includes several studies on roles and competencies for online teaching. However, as Le Boterf underlines, roles and comp...

Though many GSS research findings suggest the benefits of restricting group interaction to GSS-prescribed procedures and rules, called a coordination structure, these findings cannot be generalized for all situations of group interaction supports with GSS. There are also many studies that argue for a flexible coordination structure to overcome the negative effects of restrictive coordination. F...

This paper reports on a consumer-focused research and development project aimed at investigating the online communication requirements of people with disabilities in Australia. Results are informing the development of an accessible email software package with word prediction.