Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine / Volume 1, Number 2 / June 1, 1994 / Page 8


An Introduction from an Assistant Editor

by Leysia Palen (palen@ics.uci.edu), Assistant Editor

Greetings and welcome to the June issue of CMC Magazine! I am joining John on the editorial staff this month; please allow me to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share my thoughts and hopes for the future of this magazine.

Currently a graduate student at the University of California Irvine, my interests lie in the Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) arena. In particular, I am interested in the formation, evolution, and perpetration of distributed electronic groups. I also research how distributed computer environments support specific kinds of communication and social interaction, and how membership in electronic groups affects real space activities.

I envision CMC Magazine to be a forum to explore what we know and understand about computer-mediated communication as it is used in the activities we participate in now. We will look at the possibilities that CMC brings us, and seek discussion to understand its limitations. Research from a variety of disciplines including sociology, anthropology, and psychology in conjunction with real experiences in CMC-supported environments assist us in understanding the role of technology in our interactions with each other. I'll be reporting on and seeking participation from academicians on issues such as the impacts of organizational structure on CMC use, the social implications of the NII and its design, and technological support for collaborative working and learning.

This month we have an essay from Rob Kling, Professor of Information and Computer Science at the University of California at Irvine. Professor Kling discusses issues of privacy at the workplace with respect to computer supported cooperative work. He draws on e-mail as one familiar example of a communications technology for exploring privacy issues in addition to other CSCW technologies like active badge systems.

For future editions of CMC Magazine, I challenge our readers to share their expertise of CMC-related topics by submitting letters to the editor, or articles describing research, policy matters, and practical applications.


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