ENA Update
by Lisa Kimball

One of the most talked about obstacles to wide acceptance of
the medium of computer conferencing is "computer fear." Mike
Greenly interviewed Drs. Michelle Weil and Larry Rosen on the
subject and shared the results with his online readers. In this
issue of NETWEAVER, Stefanie Kott reports on Mike's interview
and the lively discussion which followed.

People who fall in love with computer conferencing soon fall in
love with something else - laptop computers! Read about a real
life "case study" of how an ad was created via laptop by Philip
Siddons.

The presidential campaign of 1988 is already well underway.
Discussions of how computer conferencing could support the
political process both before AND after the election have
started up on many networks. A couple of candidates have set
up their own private systems and more will probably follow.
Dave Hughes has probably had more experience than anyone in the
world at using an online system as an integral part of local
politics. We've collected a series of Dave's online comments
for NETWEAVER readers about his experience and what he's
concluded about the place of electronic communication at the
grass-roots level.

The effectiveness of online "calls for action" is being tested
this month. The FCC is accepting comments on proposed new
rules which may have an effect on online costs (CC Docket
87-215) until October 26th so there's still time to make your
views known. See past issues of NETWEAVER for a range of
viewpoints on this issue and get YOUR comments in on time!
Comments should be addressed to: The Honorable Dennis R.
Patrick, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission,
Washington, D.C. 20554.

Get ready to mark your calendar! We will soon announce the
exact dates for the next ENA f-t-f meeting which will take place
in Philadelphia in May '88. If you have an idea for the
program or would like to participate in putting this event
together, let us know soon. Everyone with an interest in
computer conferencing is welcome to participate.

We're always looking for more articles and article ideas for
NETWEAVER. What would YOU like to see here next month?