GLOBAL NETWORKING
English Journal Interview with Lisa Kimball

When I visited Kyoto last year I was interviewed about
networking for "The English Journal". This is an interesting
publication which is designed for students of the English
language in Japan. It comes with an audio tape which goes along
with the articles - most of which seem to be interviews.

_reprinted with permission_

+ACI-Networkers of the World Unite+ACEAIg-

Sumire: Music is one form of communication, and computers are
another.

Scott: Years ago, I never thought I'd one day be using a
computer in my daily life. Now that I do, I can't imagine
getting along without it. I guess more and more people are
using them - and for more than just work. Many like to talk to
each other through their computers.

Sumire: Lisa Kimball is a computer buff. She's met lots of
people via her computer keyboard. +AF8-The English Journal+AF8-
recently had a chance to talk with her ... in person+ACE-

(note: I think Sumire and Scott are folks on the tape who
introduce the interviews/articles.)

English Journal (EJ): We have the honor of talking today in
Kyoto with Ms. Lisa Kimball, co-founder of the International
Electronic Networking Association. You've been at the leading
edge of electronic networking in America for many years now.
Could you briefly explain for our readers what a computer


networker is, and what you find most fascinating about the
trade?

Making Old Friends
------------------

KIMBALL: Well, it's always a challenge to try and define it,
but usually a computer networker is someone who is, first of
all, a networker -- someone who feels a need to and enjoys
interacting with other people. And that's the most important
part about it. We use the computers to achieve that, in the
same way you might use a telephone to call your friends, might
use the mail to contact people in other ways. We use computers
to stay in close contact with people from whom we're separated,
in both space and time. So it means we can network with people
in Japan, even though we might be in the United States+ADs- and we
can leave a message for someone who we know is busy all day
today, but will be able to pick up that message when they come
home tonight.

Computer networkers, I think, fall into a couple of
different categories+ADs- one is people who use the network
primarily for their social or community needs+ADs- and it's not so
much related to their business+ADs- and then there are many other
people who use networks to support their business activities but
not necessarily their recreational activities+ADs- and then there
are some of us that do both.

The Electronic Networking Association's motto, or purpose,
is to promote electronic networking in ways that enrich
individuals, enhance organizations and build global
communities. So another way of defining who computer networkers
are - they're people who are interested in one or more of those
levels of purposes for computer networking.

But probably my favorite application, and the most exciting
part of computer networking for me, has been the way that it
connects people from all over the globe. In that sense, my trip
to Japan has been particularly interesting, because I have had
the opportunity to meet several people I first met online. In
fact, I consider them to be good friends. We've exchanged all
kinds of information -- we've celebrated each other's birthdays ---
we've talked about philosophy -- we've done practical things, like
figure out who was going to make a hotel reservation for me on
what day. And yet, we had never met in person. When we did
meet in person, I had an experience I've now had many times with
people that I've met through computer networks: it felt like
meeting an old friend again, rather than meeting someone new.
And it enabled us to pick up a relationship right from the
middle, rather than from the beginning.

And that ability to make connections with people, no matter
where they are in the world, has broadened my own perspective+ADs-
and I think other people have had a similar reaction. All of a
sudden, the world does not seem like a very big, distant place.
But now I feel like I have neighbors who, in reality, are
operating a dateline day ahead of me, in a completely different
part of the world.

EJ: In some ways, networking is almost a traditional part of
Japanese society. Electronically, what potential do you see
here for becoming the next "network nation?"

KIMBALL: I think it has a lot of potential. In terms of
explaining to people about the concept of networking, it's much
easier to do in Japan than anywhere else in the world+ADs- because,
as you say, Japanese have been networking for several hundred
years at least and the place of relationship-building in
business, in general, and in organizations in society, in
general, is very strong. It's only recently in the United
States we've come to understand the importance of
relationship-building to business associations and to
organization building.

EJ: As networking becomes more truly international, have you
seen, or do you foresee, cultural obstacles arising to this form
of communication?

KIMBALL: Ordinarily, in intercultural situations, when people
are from different countries, you don't get the opportunity to
spend very much time together. If you come to visit me, we
could have a couple of great evenings together, and I come to
visit you and we see each other for a couple of meetings+ADs- but
there are great, long spaces of time in-between. So each time,
we have to start our relationship over, and we don't have that
ongoing feeling of comfort. When people communicate with each
other on an international network, you get a chance to have,
first of all, much more communication, in volume, than you would
have otherwise. But also, and I think more importantly, you get
a chance to communicate about a broad variety of things.
Sometimes it's about business, but you might just send a note
that says, "Hello." At another time, we might both be
responding to what someone else has said. So it's much more
like living with another person, or working desk-to-desk with
another person.

My guess is that we may need to wait a generation for it to
really pay off. There are a number of projects now where
children from Japan and Canada and the Soviet Union and the
United States and places in Europe are using these networks to
develop relationships with one another. And because of the
great interest in a number of different societies in helping
children get into the technological age and learn about
computers, they've discovered that networking is a great way to
get children involved with computers. And I can't help but
think that a generation of people from many different countries
who have grown up being more than just pen pals, but having
real relationships with other children in other countries over
time -- it's got to be a positive thing.

Overcoming Technophobia
-----------------------

EJ: How do you think that other grassroots organizations could
use networking most effectively?

KIMBALL: Well, the first thing, of course, is always the
problem that many people involved in social movements and
grassroots movements are either technophobic or, sometimes, even
very anti-technology because technology has been associated with
the "Big Brother" image or modern industrialization, or a number
of other kinds of things that don't seem to match up with the
values that many people who are involved in local movements
hold.

I would say, when I'm using a computer network, it's
almost as though I move right through my computer and out into a
space that's full of other people. So the fact that it's
technology is not something I'm all that aware of. I'm really
thinking about the other people with whom I'm communicating. So
I think the first thing that people involved in grassroots
movements need to do is to get over their attitude problem about
technology if they have one.

Usually the message that I like to give people who are
working in community work or grassroots work is that they
already know 99 percent of what they need to know to use a
computer network, because the most important things have to do
with knowing how to communicate, knowing why it's important to
work with other groups, understanding the dynamics of creating
interest in your issue -- and then there's that little one percent
about actually tapping stuff out on a keyboard and sticking a
wire into a phone. But that's a relatively minor aspect of it.
What's so much more important is knowing about why it would be a
good thing to do.

EJ: Well, thank you very much.

---interviewed by Kathy Sokol---

Scott: If you want to stay on-line with us ... don't shut down,
Press eject, and flip the tape over. There's lots more on the
other side