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December, John. (1994).  Communicating on Global Computer
   Networks.  Paper presented at the Council on College Composition and
   Communication annual conference, Nashville, Tennesee, March 18,
   1994.
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Copyright (c)1994 by John December.  All rights reserved.
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ABSTRACT

In this oral presentation, I will discuss and analyze the strategies
communicators can use to exchange information on global computer
networks.  These computer networks have grown immensely since their
inception more than twenty years ago.  With this growth has come an
explosion in the number of users and information content.  On the
Internet computer network, forums for computer-mediated communication
(CMC) have evolved---electronic mail, information servers, and
real-time talk utilities---that provide opportunities for nearly
instantaneous communication with a global audience.  Network
information retrieval (NIR) tools such as Archie, Gopher, World Wide
Web, and others have created opportunities for people to search for,
retrieve, and disseminate information.  The objective of this
presentation is to demonstrate how the communicator using CMC or NIR
tools must understand mechanisms for distribution, access, practices,
and social context.