THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF SYSTEMS THEORISTS
by Stuart A. Umpleby


[This is the first in a series about international online
organizations. Each time we receive a report, we will print it
so that we can better understand organizations outside of the
ENA that are using computer conferencing. --Stefanie Kott,
editor.]

In recent weeks the Electronic Networking Association has been
discussing the possibility of holding a meeting in Europe in the
fall of 1986 or the spring of 1987. Four locations have come
under discussion: 1) the International Institute for Applied
Systems Analysis (IIASA) near Vienna, Austria, 2) Stockholm,
Sweden, where the COM computer conferencing system is being
developed, 3) Greece, where work on computer conferencing has
begun in recent years, and 4) London, where NETREACH is active.

Since most of the scientists from around the world who are
active in the systems and cybernetics community pass through
IIASA from time to time, an explanation of various systems and
cybernetics organizations is given below as background to IIASA
as a possible site for a European meeting of ENA.


AN INTERDISCIPLINARY GROUP OF ACADEMICS
=======================================

There exists an international community of people interested in
general systems theory and cybernetics. Most of these people
are academics, though some are located in corporations,
government agencies, and think tanks. They come from several
disciplines including philosophy, psychology, mathematics,
neurophysiology, management, and electrical engineering.

These people have a wide range of interests from computer
modeling to strategic planning, from cognition to evolution.
They are interested in complexity (biological, social, or
conceptual), how it arises, grows, or is transformed. They
create theories of how an organization, individual, or machine
regulates its environment, becomes aware of itself, and then
alters its perceptions and hence its behavior.

One consequence of this work is a scientifically grounded theory
of ethics. Previously, science and ethics occupied different
parts of philosophy. The connection between science and ethics
illustrates that systems theorists seek to construct
relationships.


U.S. "SYSTEMS" GROUPS: SGSR AND ASC
===================================

Most countries have an academic society for cybernetics and
systems research. The U.S. has two--the Society for General
Systems Research (SGSR) and the American Society for Cybernetics
(ASC). SGSR is older, larger, and better organized. ASC has,
in my opinion, been more theoretically innovative.

The overlap in membership between these two organizations is
very large. There have been efforts in the past to merge SGSR
and ASC. These efforts may one day succeed but are presently
encumbered by an intense philosophical dispute between realists
who use the philosophy of logical positivism (SGSR) and
constructivists who use a more subjectivist epistemology (ASC).


INTERNATIONAL GROUPS: IFSR AND FUSCHL
=====================================

The International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR) is a
fairly new umbrella organization originally organized by SGSR,
the System Group Netherlands, and the Austrian Society for
Cybernetic Studies. Several other national organizations have
now joined. IFSR publishes a newsletter and is intended
primarily to coordinate publications and conferences.

Another action-oriented, less academic group is called the
Fuschl group. The Fuschl group is named after a town in Austria
where the group first met. Most of the members of the Fuschl
group are members of the national organizations that belong to
IFSR. The Fuschl group tries to accomplish very specific
objectives like setting up systems education programs in various
countries.


THE POLITICAL DIMENSION: IIASA
==============================

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
is a different kind of organization. There is no formal
connection between IIASA and the academic groups (SGSR, ASC,
IFSR, etc.). However, due to the overlap in subject matter, the
overlap in people is considerable.

IIASA was thought up in the Johnson administration and set up in
the Nixon administration as an exercise in detente. The members
of IIASA are the academies of science (or similar organizations)
in the U.S., the USSR, Eastern and Western Europe, Japan, and
China. There are two classes of members--those who pay a lot
(the U.S. and the USSR) and those who pay less (all other
countries).

IIASA is the only place in the world where citizens of the U.S.
and the USSR work side by side on common projects for periods of
months and years. Scientists at IIASA do studies of topics such
as acid rain, population trends, energy supplies, and
mathematical methods. In recent months they have broadened
their agenda to include management methods.

IIASA has been politically controversial. The Reagan
administration cut off (but has now restored) federal money to
IIASA; one objection was to Russian access to U.S. data banks
through the organization. But U.S. scientists found private
sources of funding in order to maintain U.S. membership, though
the level of funding was reduced.


COMPUTER CONFERENCING IN THESE GROUPS
=====================================

People in the "systems community" are more aware of computer
conferencing (CC) than are most academics. Quite a few members
of SGSR and ASC have some CC experience. Between 1977 and 1980,
I was the moderator of a computer conference on general systems
theory which was sponsored by the U.S. National Science
Foundation. Over 60 scientists from the U.S., Canada, and
Europe participated (some more than others).

IIASA also has some experience with CC. They have quite a good
in-house word-processing system that runs on a single computer
with remote terminals. Hence E-mail is something IIASA people
are familiar with. They claim to have an in-house CC system but
no one seems to use it much. Electronic links to colleagues in
other countries is not a new idea at IIASA. Several experiments
have been done and quite good reports (particularly on
electronic networks in Eastern Europe) have been written.

A principal impediment to computer networking efforts at IIASA
has been the fear among some people in the U.S. that the Soviets
would use IIASA and electronic networks to gain access to data
banks in the U.S. and Western Europe. However, in the past two
years, increasing thought has been given to the idea that the
information revolution, with its tendency to promote the free
flow of information, might have a liberalizing effect on the
Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Hence opposition in the U.S.
to computer conferencing experiments at IIASA seems to have
decreased in recent years.

[As you can see from the above, if ENA were to join IIASA in
Europe for a conference, the event might be an extremely
interesting one. Hopefully we will learn more about COM, the
Greek groups, and Netreach, in an effort to find the best site
for a European meeting as well as to unite the various groups in
the European meeting that the ENA plans. --Ed.]

-----

Author's note: Stuart Umpleby teaches cybernetics at George
Washington U. and is active in the Society for General Systems
Research. He has also taught and taken part in courses via
computer conferencing systems and has recently operated a PC-
based CC system.

SOLVING INFORMATION OVERLOAD WITH CONFERENCE SUMMARIES
by Bob Sprigge


For practical reasons, we have developed ways to deliver
information initially in the form of SUMMARIES with the option
to delve behind for details only if required.

This article suggests that the idea of summaries is lacking from
most conferencing systems and ought to be included in future
ones. Summaries will assist in the information overload or
communication indigestion in that less will need to be read to
learn the same.

Structure of storage of items in conferencing systems is
critical. Here we are not discussing the format of individual
items but how items relate to each other from the users'
viewpoint.

In interpersonal messaging (electronic mail), messages can be
joined by using REPLY or FORWARD, etc. In conferencing, items
are usually related in a chronological order and sometimes in a
tree structure. They can also be organized by topic. On EIES,
for example, an individual can set up a "Notebook" which has
items related by page numbers and the user can set aside certain
ranges of pages for particular aspects of the topic.

The term "structure" is used here to mean structure imposed or
encouraged by the system. There is also the possibility of
secondary relationships created by users using cross referencing
techniques. A system could use a rigid imposed structure, none
at all, or anything in between.

Here I propose that:

1. The concept of structures of item relationships covers the
many different requirements currently known as conferencing.

2. There is no structure suitable for all situations.

3. Every situation has several optimum structures or combination
of structures.

4. One of the optimum structures for an information sharing
conference is the one described below as the SUMMARY AND
WORKSHOP STRUCTURE.

There are conferences which plan events, conferences which seek
to share information, conferences for research and development
of a product, conferences for running a business, and they do
not share the need for the same structure.

The summary and workshop structure can be best described with a
diagram, but words will have to convey the idea here.

First, take the viewpoint of someone joining an existing
conference. They wish to catch up with the discussion and read
everything but this is impractical due to the number of items.
So they need summaries along the way. Now take the viewpoint of
a user of a conference organized on purely chronological lines.
They want to add a new topic to an existing hotly-debated single
topic. Then look at how fragmented a tree-structured conference
can become unless carefully pruned. This is the problem that
the summary and workshop structure is meant to solve.

This structure consists of the "main line" and "workshops".

The only items which appear in the main line of the conference
are the proposals for workshops and subsequent summaries. The
Moderator keeps any item which should be a workshop item off the
main line. Workshops may report back once with a summary, some
with several summaries and many with none. Summaries are made
by the members of the workshop as and when they see fit, but
with the possible advice of the Moderator.

Members of a workshop may not agree on a summary and so a
minority report may also appear appended to the summary. One of
the many advantages of this type of structure is the reduction
in communication (or information) overload. A member of a
conference only reads the proposals for workshops and the
summaries and joins only those workshops of interest.

Occasionally a workshop would split into two to discuss
different aspects of a topic--some members might take part in
both workshops. There would be nothing to prevent two
conferences sharing a workshop which may or may not start or
finish at the same time and would probably have different
summaries, each suitable for its own conference.

This structure is designed for particular types of conferences,
and would be highly unsuitable for other applications which need
a structure or combination of structures designed specifically
for their purposes. Such designing is required for many other
forms of non-synchronous information exchange.

Let us hope that we can design near optimum structures for each
requirement. Please let me know if you can suggest other words
to replace "structures" and "workshops".

-----

Author's Note: Bob Sprigge has been networking from England for
some time and is part of NETREACH there. He is currently
logging on from Luxembourg where he is an Informaticien for the
European Economic Commission.

ACCESS: From Hobby to Canada's Premier Online Service
by Alan Pollock


In the mid-70's, a group of computer hobbyists communicated,
programmed, and blew each other up using their own software and
the idle time of the local high school's computer. Little did
they suspect that within a decade the fruits of their online
labor would grow into Canada's most full-featured, general
purpose online services.


"Teleconferencing? What's That?"
=================================

From time immemorial it seems, The Protestant School Board of
Greater Montreal (P.S.B.G.M.) has used a Hewlett-Packard HP-
2000F minicomputer to teach programming in Montreal's high
schools. Equipped with a terminal and a modem, each district
school communicated with this one computer which was located at
the P.S.B.G.M.'s central office. The system worked well;
students actually learned to program.

Predictably, the "job" of the minicomputer did not stop with
teaching programming techniques. Students, being of a curious
nature, soon sought out new applications in an emerging medium,
which unknown to them, was called "telecommunications."

Since other high schools were "out there," there was a need to
communicate. Multi-user games offered opportunities to set up
inter-school, inter-student rivalries. Most importantly, a
commonly accessible programming area let groups of students
working in different parts of the city "get together" to work on
group programming projects.

Given the facilities and the needs, it is no wonder that many
programs custom made to address these needs soon followed.
Personal communication was desired, so MAIL was written. Group
communication was desired; so, ignorant of a future industry, a
computer conferencing program called SEND was written (which
later became COMMUNE). The ability to avoid the complex H-P
editor was desired, so MINNIE, a mini text editor, was created.
Significantly, a place was needed to cohesively bind these
various programs that were in scattered, ephemeral student
accounts in order that access would be consistent as students
graduated or lost their accounts. Thus, ACCESS was born.

The programs and sense of community were good--so good that many
students continued to use their former school's facilities via
modem after graduation. Eventually, the school board's powers
that be decided that too many of the facilities were being used
for too much fun. People with "extraneous accounts" found
================================

The ACCESSories found a computer owned by a company that was
willing to RENT rather than GIVE them time. Income now had to
be generated for the usage of their software. With the U.S.
information services looming large, they transformed a hobby
into a part-time business. Since rented computer time was only
available at night, the ACCESS staff maintained day jobs while
putting in hours programming at night. The Inevitable
Corporation, as it was called, was founded.

The transformation of hobby into business is never an easy one.
ACCESS's growth and profitability suffered for this inescapable
fact of life. What was once fun and done for pleasure required
considerably more effort when done for others--especially after
already having put in a regular day's work. Responsibility
towards paying customers is of a different sort than leisure
time relaxation. Additionally, no business can survive and grow
with a commitment given only in spare time.

In early 1985, two of the original ACCESS members left the young
company. They were replaced by Neil Baron, the Inevitable
Corp.'s current president. "At the time, the company was in
neutral shifting into reverse," says Baron. With Baron, one of
those rare types who can combine technical skill with a strong
business sense, working full-time, ACCESS's wheels soon began to
turn and churn again.


From Part-Time Business to Booming Corporation
==============================================

Soon after Mr. Baron arrived, the Inevitable Corporation
purchased its own machine. There would be no more terrible
response time when a large batch job went through. Additions of
modems and other hardware was now a simple matter. Most
importantly, ACCESS would now be available 24 hours per day.

In August 1985, ACCESS was put onto Telecom Canada's DATAPAC
packet switching network. The implications were enormous. No
longer was ACCESS a local system with good custom software. It
now had all the technology in place to become Canada's foremost
system.

In November 1985, Tim Campbell, who wrote much of ACCESS, left
the company. ACCESS was no longer a hobby in any form for the
staff of the Inevitable Corporation, and all involved knew it.
That same month, ACCESS joined Telecom Canada's iNet 2000
service, enabling, if you will excuse the pun, access to ACCESS
for all of iNet's 5000 subscribers.

In the last month of 1985, the last of the original ACCESS
founders resigned. It was an unfortunate way to signify that
ACCESS had become all the original members had hoped, but at
their personal expense.

Today, ACCESS is experiencing tremendous growth. There are
users from Halifax to Vancouver, from downtown Toronto to the
Northwest Territories. In a few months, the Official Airlines
Guide will be available, with other value-added services to
come. Although not without challenges yet to be met, ACCESS has
come through the transition from Hobby to Corporation
successfully and expects to continue to improve and expand as it
strengthens its position as Canada's premier online service.

-----

Author's note: This article is actually a collaboration by The
Access Staff, in cooperation with David Wihl (Porter). Contact:
Alan Pollock (Marketing). ACCESS, A Service of The Inevitable
Corporation, 8400 Cote de Liesse, Suite 217 St. Laurent, Quebec,
Canada H4T 1G7. Phone:(514)342-8147.

COMPUTERS AND YOUR HEALTH, Part Two
Ergonomics: Your Feet and Lower Back
by Clyde Ford


In the first part of this series (NETWEAVER Vol. 2, No. 1), I
discussed some of the health hazards associated with the
radiation output of the computing devices with which we work. I
also offered some health and nutritional guidance to help you
combat the potential health risks of this radiation output.

In part two, I will introduce you to the ergonomics of your
working environment. As you are most likely aware, "ergonomics"
is a science that makes extensive use of mathematics, physics,
and biomechanics to determine the optimal conditions for humans
who work with machines. I am not going to discuss ergonomics
from the scientific viewpoint; rather, I will offer some common
sense suggestions and relate my experiences--as both a regular
computer user and a doctor who deals with spinal complaints. In
particular, I will discuss the effects that the use of computers
has on our spines and nervous systems. (In my office, I see a
lot of computer users with spinal problems that result from
ignorance about using computers safely.)


YOUR FEET
=========

There are three areas of your body that must be supported if you
are going to sit in front of a computer for any length of time:
your feet, your buttocks, and your spine (from the base of the
spine to the base of the skull). Most people think only of back
support (from the base of the spine to the mid-back) when they
sit. However, really good "computer posture" starts at your
feet.

Your feet should be in contact with the floor, for several
reasons. If your nervous system receives information from the
sensors in your feet about the location of your body in relation
to the ground, muscles throughout your body tend to be more
relaxed. Also, the position of your feet controls the postural
stress on your ankles, knees, and pelvis. Positioning your feet
in any way other than flat on the floor increases the stress on
these areas--particularly the pelvis--and is often the start of
spinal pain.

(As you read this, raise both feet off the ground; notice what
happens to the pressure on your pelvis, your abdominal muscles,
and the muscles of your spine. I guarantee that you won't be
comfortable for long.)

A final point about your feet: your chair height should be such
that your knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Your knees
should never be higher than your hips; if you want to sit
comfortably for a long time, the "sports car" position is
definitely out.

There are some fun things you can do with your feet while you
sit at your computer. I enjoy putting a "footsie roller" under
my feet and stimulating them while I'm hacking away at the
keyboard. I also have a pair of "reflexology sandals"--sandals
with about 200 small rubber tips that stimulate your feet when
you press on them. This is great reflex stimulation for the
rest of your body.


YOUR LOWER BACK
===============

If your lower back becomes fatigued while you are working at a
computer, there are several things you can do. You can provide
yourself with adequate lumbar support by getting a better chair,
or by placing a small pillow between your back and the back of
the chair. There are several good lumbar supports that fit into
any chair. The one we use in my clinic, a "Postural Back
Support," is available through most chiropractors' offices. It
costs about $30, and can be easily transported from your home to
your car and office.

A second way of combating lower back stress is simply to "sit
back" when you're working at the computer, instead of leaning
forward. Notice your sitting posture the next time you're
working away at the keyboard. I'll bet that many of you lean
forward toward the computer, as if you will somehow be able to
perform your work better if you get physically closer to the
computer. In fact, as your work gets more intense (and often
more stressful), the tendency of most computer users is to lean
further forward. This forward-leaning position causes increased
contraction of your spinal muscles to support the weight of your
body, and contributes to lower back fatigue.


chair away from the computer, relax, and bend forward
from the waist; let your body hang over your knees.
If you're lying down, raise your hands over your head,
reach up, and lift your upper body forward to bend
over your outstretched legs. In either case, bend as
far forward as you can without straining. Just let
your body hang there for 15-20 seconds without
bobbing. Do three or four repetitions of this
exercise.

(2) Knees to chest: In a chair, alternately grasp each
knee and raise it toward your chest. On your back,
bend your knees and raise them toward your chest,
grasping them alternately with each hand. Don't
strain your neck forward to reach your knees; just let
them come as far toward your chest as possible. Hold
them in this position for 15-20 seconds; repeat three
or four times.

(3) Pelvic rock: On the floor or sitting, alternately
relax and tighten your spinal and buttocks muscles so
that your lower back straightens against the floor or
chair back and then relaxes. When you do this
fluidly, your pelvis assumes a gentle rocking motion,
effectively relaxing the muscles of your lower back
and pelvis.


COMPUTER AS AN EXTENSION OF SELF
================================

When we use computers, an interesting phenomenon occurs that has
both positive and negative components. Psychologically, most
committed computer-users identify with the devices they use. In
fact, we not only see our computers as extensions of our minds,
we also see them as physical extensions of our bodies.

If you observe first-time computer users, you will usually find
that their physical posture is "stand-offish"--far away from the
computer, extending only their hands to touch the keyboard. In
contrast, most of us "pros" get our whole body into the act. We
grab, pound, shake, stroke, and even caress these electronic
objects of our affection. When we use our computers to

(Next time you're driving, try to keep your head and body
straight while you're making a turn. It's almost impossible.
We all lean in the direction in which we are causing the vehicle
to go. Although this kind of activity has little to do with the
technical performance of the machine, it is very relevant to the
ways in which we interact and control the functions of the
machines with which we work.)

We get into trouble when we extend ourselves toward our machines
inappropriately. Animating your automobile with the stress in
your life is not a good idea, as it actually impairs the way you
drive and endangers other people. Similarly, extending yourself
physically toward your computer monitor--and thereby placing
unnecessary stress on your spine--is unproductive in the long
run.


PERSONAL TIPS
=============

I have developed some personal preferences about sitting and
working at a computer that I'd like to share with you.

First of all, whenever possible, I don't sit! One of the
computers in my office is set up for my receptionist to use
while standing; when no one else is around, I use it myself. As
long as the keyboard and the monitor are at the proper height
(which I'll discuss in the next article of this series) I find
that this is a very comfortable way to work. Besides, I like to
"pace out" problems, and standing is very convenient for that.

When I'm forced to sit, I find that the crossed-legged "half
lotus" yoga position is the most comfortable one. You might try
this at the computer, but only if you're able to do it
comfortably; otherwise, it will probably bring you more
discomfort than relief.


ERGONOMIC FURNITURE
===================

Finally, as a conclusion to this section, let me mention the
Balans chair and the Seiza bench, two sitting arrangements which
you may want to consider.

The Balans chair is that backless chair that includes a bar
around which you wrap your legs. Its construction forces you to
sit with good posture. Because your weight is distributed not
only on your buttocks but also on your knees and legs, a lot of
stress is removed from your spinal muscles.

The Seiza bench, which you may have seen in the pages of the
East-West Journal or New Age Magazine, is similar to the Balans
chair, but without the bar to wrap your legs around. With this
device, your knees and lower legs are folded under you in
contact with the floor. Here again, there is good weight
distribution and less chance for lower back fatigue.

I encourage you to experiment with these unorthodox seating
arrangements; you might find a combination that really works
well for you. Most importantly, you should observe some of the
precautions concerning your shoulders and neck that I plan to
present in part three of this series.


POSTSCRIPT
==========

As a postscript to this section, I should tell you that all the
exercises and precautions I've given are general. You might
have a physical condition that precludes you from doing some of
the exercises or might even cause the exercises to give you
additional pain. Pay attention to the signals provided by your
body; don't work or exercise through pain. If your problems
remain unresolved after a reasonable period of self-help, get
professional help.

In the next part of this series, I'll continue to work my way up
the spine to the shoulders and neck.

-----

Author's Note: Clyde Ford is the organizer of Meta:Health on The
Meta Network. A chiropractor from Richmond, Virginia, he is
interested in applying leading-edge insights from areas such as
brain research and new physics to health and healing.

TEEN ROOM
by Mike Blaszczak


"TEEN ROOM". An interesting conference; it's strange, it's
offbeat, and it works.

The door swings open easily. Orange peels, straws, beer cans,
atmosphere. There is a small group huddled around a sad excuse
for a table in one corner. One person is talking slowly, then
others seem to be injecting ideas or suggestions. You feel
totally uninhibited, without a care in the world. Your normal,
social "caste" is totally shattered; you realize that this is an
elbows-on-the-table, eat-with-yer-fingers bunch.

Before the night ends, you've discussed a few problems that
you're having as a teen. The group has mentioned things that
they have run into with their parents. Everything from drinks
to birth control, from music to midterms and finals.

As you make your exit, you realize that this should be the way
things are run. People should talk to people openly, not caring
about the way they act, the way they think, or where they come

The move was good. The mode that the freedom installed in the
users was terrific. The people who use the system are the
finest... No one has come anywhere near the ragged edges of
taste, even after being exposed to total freedom. Respect is
maintained for others.

The anonymity that telecomputing presents is very comforting and
stimulates one's urge to get involved. People have come into
Teen Room, and its now abandoned "heavy-discussion" branch,
"Dianne", to mull over problems with the opposite sex, our
parents, and school. We've had more lighthearted discussions
about the best brand of beer, what kind of music to listen to,
who should wear earrings or ear clips, and why snow stinks.
Parti has brought together lovers before, and there was even a
marriage. "Teen Room" is responsible for bringing together a
pair of people, also.

The participants that have used the Room have been outstanding.
justly rewarded.

It's been a tremendous success, even if I must say so myself.
"TEEN ROOM" is now the oldest "SUPPORT GROUP". You may not be
overweight, smoke, or lust for an improved sex life, but you are
always a teen at least once.

-----

Author's note: Mike Blaszczak, 16, answers to the name "Nifty
James" while in Parti on the Source. In recognition of his
contributions toward making "Teen Room", and Parti, a great
place to hang out, he has recently become a Helper for Parti.

THINK TANK ON MARKETING COMPUTER CONFERENCING
edited by Stefanie Kott


The book REINVENTING THE CORPORATION: TRANSFORMING YOUR JOB AND
YOUR COMPANY FOR THE NEW INFORMATION SOCIETY, by John Naisbitt
and Patricia Aburdene (Warner Books, New York, 1985) became the
focal point of an ongoing discussion about the future of
computer conferencing and, once again, the marketing of it, in
Naisbitt lists ten considerations in re-inventing the
corporation. Among them, he suggests that the top employees
("the best and brightest") want personal growth, psychic and
literal ownership in a company, and want to work for companies
that foster that. Naisbitt suggests that the role of managers
will become one of "coach, teacher, and mentor," and he states
that "authoritarian management is yielding to a networking
people style of management." He describes corporations in which
"quality will be paramount," and where "intuition and creativity
are challenging...business school philosophy."

Gordon said, "What Naisbitt's book tells me is that there is an
emerging group of corporations out there to which CC could be
marketed in such a way that its strengths could play directly
into the strong points of a newly emerging corporate paradigm."


Shoring Up the Cornerstone
==========================

Anthony Bay, reacting against the seemingly open-ended
endorsement of computer conferencing (CC), responded, "If we
want CC to become a mainstream technology, we have to face
certain business realities. We are not marketing computer
conferencing or computer-mediated communication. We are
marketing the ability to more effectively communicate, share,
and disseminate information within an organization in order to
increase the organization's probability of reaching its goals
and objectives."

Anthony advocated highlighting "specific benefits to specific
companies in specific situations. We must take our
understanding of the technology and the ways in which it can be
applied and then creatively evaluate specific situations where
it can be of value. This value must be simple to explain and
Anthony concluded by saying, "Although the overall vision of
enhancing the communications and the participatory environment
within an organization is important, in most situations it is
not strong enough to lead a company to adopt CC. The costs of
the hardware, software, network costs, training, and
organizational rethinking must be clearly offset by the
perceived benefit if a company is to take such action
responsibly."


Seizing the Moment
==================

Bennett Landsman said, "Anthony Bay's comments ring true in a
logical sense. However, I wouldn't want to limit introduction
of conferencing and e-mail to only logical, rational
application-oriented conferences or e-mail use.

Cornering the Market with Expertise
===================================

From Unison, Peggy Berk agreed with Anthony that "in order to
effectively leverage the medium a broad-based mass metaphor...is
required. But if you look at he problem from a service
presentation mode, rather than a product mode, it becomes
apparent that we're looking at the problem from the wrong
place."

refute the notion that any individual application, no matter how
popular its appeal, is sufficient to cover the marketplace."

On a sobering note, Peggy concluded, "This medium (those who
provide it, develop it, sell it, and so forth) suffers from a
lack of definition of 'expertise.'"

The conversation goes on (and is most interesting). In future
issues of NETWEAVER, I will report on its progress.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BUSINESS CULTURE
by Catharine Vinson


Imagine a company whose principals are respected medical
researchers, statisticians, and computer scientists. Imagine
that this same company has been designing computer-based man-
machine systems since the mid-60s and has been using them online
since 1968. Imagine that the company provides businesses,
industry, health-care providers, government agencies, and other
public and private organizations with proprietary, computer-
based "human performance assessments" of personnel and patients
scattered over the globe.

Since the majority of the reports are categorized as expert
medical consultations, imagine that broadly-based input into the
consultation/diagnosis is needed quickly, and that both data and
the resulting assessments must be held absolutely confidential.

Finally, imagine that this organization has relied on
telecommunication systems to receive, process, and send *data*
for more than 15 years. Its management and staff are "old
hands:" the vagaries of line noise and the eccentricities of
cryptic communication protocols can't hold a candle to the
nuisance of oily chads, Model 33 TELEX/TWX terminals, and the
sensitive "feelings" of huge mainframe computers given to
mainframe to a stand-alone microcomputer environment?

-------->*<--------

As you've probably guessed, computer conferencing bombed within
this organization. Ultimately, neither the savings in time and
dollars (both the corporation's and its users') nor the ability
to draw on a larger talent pool for the programming "conversion"
offset the resistance to using the green screen to communicate
with people, instead of as a tool to display data transmissions.

Instead of creating a climate of participation, many-to-many
computer-based communications created dissension, to-the-death
power struggles, and more paranoia than the TV-series "Dallas."
The computer conferees were accused of plotting to take over the
company, stealing trade secrets, or wasting time "talking" on a
machine. The traditionalists were viewed as narrow-minded prima
donnas intent on making everybody's life miserable and turning
back the clock unnecessarily.

Computer conferencing came close to wrecking the organization.
and software, work. Ultimately, it's the *human configuration*
that determines how well an organization can integrate CC into
its communication and power structures.

Everyone who's involved in planning and implementing CC systems
in organizations can reel off typical sources of resistance and
has developed more or less effective ways to overcome--or go
around--the obstacles. So, I won't list them. Instead, I'll
add a few that don't seem to be stated as often. They are the
ones that hampered acceptance of CC in the company I've
sketched. I think some of them may turn out to be significant
obstacles blocking greater use of CC in other business
applications and settings.


SECURITY
========

The simple worry over eavesdropping or unauthorized persons
"breaking" into conferences. Installing a private CC system
that bypassed packet-switched networks like Tymnet and Telenet
didn't do much to allay that fear. It seems that people don't
=============

If "Mindspeak" doesn't appeal to many corporate types, "speaking
one's mind" is positively anathematic!

At the risk of being pessimistic, I don't think the majority of
*organizations* are all that committed to distributed decision-
making and participatory communications. The "God Squad" in an
organization gets a little uncomfortable when the "peons" are
Too, CC tends to generate so *much* paper; a lot doesn't get
read or isn't read carefully. Information overload also breeds
paranoia. Seeing a lengthy queue of waiting messages that
he/she can't possibly wade though quickly turn murmurings of,
"*What* are they up to?" into mutterings of, "No good, I bet!"


IS-THIS-FOR-REAL?
=================

I think this may be one of the most serious obstacles to
business-based teleconferencing...at least it has been at the
company I described (and among some of its users, too). Nobody
questions an electronic signature on a telegram or a TWX. Some
*do* question a "handle" or a conference note signature. The
protest range from, "He/she wouldn't say that; it must be a
forgery" (!!) to "Before I'll act on his/her suggestion/order, I
want it in *writing*." (!!!)


The objections and obstacles I've listed could go on, but
basically they all seem to be express people's fears about
weeks. CC pulled together the talents and efforts of people in
Canada, Missouri, England, Texas, California, and Washington,
D.C. Some of the people knew each other well; some had never
met. The dollar savings were substantial. The final product
was outstanding. But the "bottom line" was "boo-hiss," a lot of
fussing and paranoia, a defensive retreat to "old" ways of doing
things. The final product has never seen the light of day.
Frustrating.

The whole CC experience with this company was frustrating. Here
was what appeared to be a "perfect candidate" for computer-based
communication systems. There was a perceived need to find more
efficient and cost-effective ways to bring together human


resources to create a needed product. The skills to install and
effectively use a conferencing system were in place. Yet, the
"experiment" failed.

The failure just may prove that a line I read in one of John
Naisbitt's books contains more truth than I originally gleaned.
To paraphrase:

Teleconferencing is too rational to ever take hold.

Computer-based communication systems proved too rational for one
company--an organization of scientists who more than anything
pride themselves on their "rationality," but ultimately
demonstrated that all of us are simply human when our egos are
involved. The ego has figured out ways to deal with telephone
tag and endless meetings in-the-flesh; it has not yet learned to
cope with a green screen. Until it does, the ideal of many-to-
many, participatory computer-based communication systems will
remain just that: an ideal.

-----

Author's note: Catharine Vinson (a.k.a. Grendel) is a
professional writer from Houston, Texas. She is also a Helper
on Parti on The Source.

THE BUSINESS CULTURE OF COMPUTER-BASED COMMUNICATIONS
by Harry Stevens


Will electronic mail and other forms of computer-based
communications change the way that we do business? In
substance, yes; in form, even more so--for reasons I'll discuss
in this article.

Some businesses are already experiencing substantive change.
Online organizations are being formed, co-ventures launched,
contracts made, projects coordinated, sales managed, customers
served, problems solved, employees trained, papers co-authored,
etc. Online collaboration sometimes emerges in the complete
absence of any face-to-face or voice-to-voice communications.
These "meetings of minds" occur in the form of exchanges of
textual "notes" (brief, informal, interactive communications)
between two individuals or among many--or even among thousands.

Online textual exchanges often resemble "talking" more than what
we are accustomed to thinking of as "writing." In fact, those
who are becoming most addicted to this medium are developing new
habits--like sprinkling their text with signals such as
""--in order to compensate for the lack of eye contact and
voice inflection, both of which are important in helping to
convey meanings in face-to-face communications.


TYPES OF COMPUTER-BASED COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
=============================================

The following list of some of the types of systems that are
available, and the key features that are associated with them,
is arranged in order of increasing capability.

TYPE OF SYSTEM FEATURE
============== =======

Chat System Distance independence

Electronic Mail Time independence

Bulletin Board Topic orientation

Computer Conferencing Joining to get note
markers in topics

Many-to-Many Communications Topic branching to form
groups most easily

Electronic Organization Various access controls
in topic structures

Participation System Decision-making aids
for groups and
individuals

(I believe that you can readily overcome most resistance to this
medium by identifying where the resister's understanding of the
above currently stands--and to where it needs to go. For
example, even if management already understands electronic mail,
they will still want to understand electronic organization
before risking its impact on their organization. However, it
may not be easy to lead them from an understanding of electronic
mail to an understanding of electronic organization, because the
three levels in between must be understood first.)

A chat system, which involves the simultaneous online presence
of participants, comes the closest to talking. As the word
"chat" implies, the content may hardly be more than an exchange
of pleasantries.

Computer conferencing, a form that allows for more meaningful
dialogue, does not require participants to be online
simultaneously. The content of a computer conference may
actually be more thoughtful and complete than the contents of
traditional forms of offline print media such as letters, memos,
magazines, and even books. Why? Simply because the non-
simultaneous interaction among participants leads to the
development of "collective wisdom."


COLLECTIVE WISDOM AND BRANCHING
===============================

As electronic communication enthusiasts point out, collective
wisdom is more substantial than the individual knowledge of any
single participant. (If you've ever attended a Quaker meeting,
you may conclude, as I have, that the thread of comments made by
participants--with the benefit of silent meditation in between--
can yield greater wisdom than is typically found in a sermon by
an individual preacher.)

Online collective wisdom cannot be readily found in electronic
mail, which uses only two basic computer capabilities: storing
and forwarding information. Branching, the other basic computer
capability, is what makes unprecedented many-to-many
communications feasible.

Branching overcomes the chief weakness of electronic mail
systems by screening out electronic junk mail. Only when you
"join" a topic do you automatically receive future notes on that
topic. By selectively joining and leaving topics, you avoid
"information overload" and screen out what would seem like
electronic junk if you found it in your inbox.

The branching of topics into subtopics, then into sub-subtopics,
etc., creates dynamic knowledge bases. Through topic branching
and selective joining, many more people can efficiently form
specialized groups than ever before. This new support for
"people networking" is a most promising new way to do business.
Advocates of these systems claim that improvements in
productivity, innovation, and personal satisfaction are already
For example, in computer conferencing systems, you don't need to
embed comments in lengthy, formal, context-setting phrases such
as, "In reference to [so-and-so's] letter of [some date] about
[some subject] suggesting [such-and-such]..." More efficiently,
you might just say, "Yes, let's [do some variation of such-and-
such]." Because of computer storage capacities and software
flexibilities, the context will be obvious from easily
retrieved, automatically time-stamped, and author-identified
comments on that topic.

Brevity is not the only type of informality that occurs online.
Since interacting (rather than expounding) becomes the norm,
questions are as common as declarative statements. The best
answers for these questions often come from surprising sources,
especially in many-to-many communications systems. An unknown
peer who has recently solved a problem similar to yours can
often provide better help than a more-easily-identified, famous
expert.

If you think that you might like informality ,
interactivity, collective wisdom, and people networking--come
join us in many-to-many communications!

USER SUPPORT
The Bottom Line for CC
by Billye Lemon


The User Support session of ENA's fall conference involved
network coordinators and experienced users in a lively
discussion of needs, problems, solutions, and opportunities.
The information in this article reflects a broad range of user
experience on a variety of systems. It was interesting to
discover the extent to which the *same* problems and the *same*
needs seem to exist across systems and across software. It's
critical for everyone involved in the development of this medium
to LISTEN TO THE USERS!

Participants in the session had the opportunity to share
experience and ideas in small groups. Here is a sampling of the
ideas we generated about some key issues of user support:

* What would make the medium better?
* Who should provide user support?
* What are the priority needs of users?
* What can ENA provide?


WHAT WOULD MAKE THE MEDIUM BETTER?
==================================

1. Off-line software demonstration of online activities would be
useful, especially if the demonstration put the user into
"trouble spots" to have the user learn how to get out. This
would help users learn the *thought process* of the system.

2. Test all manuals/documentation with beta groups before
publishing. Documentation should be clear, concise, well-
illustrated.

3. Networking systems may want to pay for (provide free) time
for new users to learn their system characteristics.

4. Either vendors could/should standardize their terminology for
common functions, such as sending messages or entering
discussion items, or else ENA should develop a "cross-walk"
showing how each network service uses prompts and commands for
the same functions. This would benefit people who already are
or who want to participate actively on several systems.

5. Letting the users tailor symbols for prompts and commands--
perhaps a common front-end, such as is found in database
systems--would make this easier. An alternative to achieving
the same result would be flexible user software that permits
users to tailor the keystrokes.

6. Each system needs a combination/choice allowing users to
decide whether to use menus or commands. This accommodates both
new users who need to know the options and experienced users who
know the options and would prefer the speed of direct commands.
Or perhaps adopt several levels of menus, a la Wordstar.

7. Better text editing is needed, providing full-screen online
editing for real-time text entry.

8. Each system should be up-front about the text entry norms of
the system, e.g., one or two pages may be the maximum preferred
length for a text entry. Perhaps have built-in monitoring/
feedback comments from the system, e.g. "Your lines are too
long," "Your entry is longer than the norm," "Typos are OK,"
etc. These would provide informal Rules of the Road.

9. Find a way for the system to inform the user *WHAT* is wrong
when a problem occurs, rather than just generating a cryptic
message that doesn't *explain* to the user what has or hasn't
happened.

10. It would be handy to be able to use windows for concurrent
sessions. For example: a user in the middle of a signon session
who has a question could simultaneously "chat" with an
experienced user to get help, with both windows on the screen.


WHO SHOULD PROVIDE USER SUPPORT?
================================

1. The system vendor should provide technical support--how to
log on, use commands, etc.

2. Other system users can provide online support if new users
have questions or problems.

3. Kinds of support needed:
a. Dial-up and log-on sequence
b. Using system commands and prompts to send messages,
etc.
c. Using communications software intelligently.

4. For cross-system users and facilitators, help is needed for
them to get quickly up-to-speed in how to use the different
systems (as suggested earlier on the "cross-walk").


WHAT ARE THE PRIORITY NEEDS OF USERS?
=====================================

1. One of the key priority needs identified by this group of
people is UNBIASED equipment information, e.g., what to buy,
what combinations work well.

2. "Right info at the right time." Suggestions were:

* an incremental layering of the information in
tutorials, to progress in stages

4. Affective needs:

* users should receive/have access to "rational
expectations" for themselves, their performance, their
experiences, and also for the level of support they
should expect to receive. In other words, *knowing
what to expect* is difficult in new territory.

* "participation norms" would provide some guideline for
knowing how to interact with this new culture.


WHAT CAN ENA PROVIDE?
=====================

1. A booklet containing a list of "Questions To Ask When Buying
a Computer," which should be written in a *coaching* style. It
should address how to assemble a communications system and what
the options are.

2. Promote the use of cassettes and videos, and thereby
expanding the definition of "documentation" and "tutorials".

3. "Life cycle" information--referring to the new culture and
the stages that a user goes through in experiencing electronic
communication. These range from:

* etiquette of computer conferencing--a social approach
describing some of the roles, jobs, what's needed, how
to access one's place in the social environment. For
example, "lurkers" defined as "monitors," when they
are looking after the well-being of the group.

* clues to self-management, the scope of which could
include tips on organizing one's work space, disk
files, information overload, stress or other possible
physical affects, and integrating "addiction" with
one's social environment!


Another source of input for this session was a questionnaire
which was included in the registration packets at the ENA Fall
Meeting. Most of the responses were from people who attended
the session--with a few additional ones from people who
responded online. The 30 responses do not represent a
scientific survey, but can be useful as representative of the
kind of sampling which could be done when we feel the need to
gather information.


Here is a summary of the responses to the questionnaire:

1. "The *nicest* or most helpful thing anyone did for me when I
first began signing on was..."

Two answers predominated: being SHOWN how and being *recognized*
(greeted or responded to) online.

2. "When someone *new* has logged on, I..."

Most said they greeted newcomers, but an almost equal number
said they recognized the new person by trying to *respond* to
their first input or by checking to see if they shared similar
interests. The responses seem to indicate that *content* is
highly important when people make contact with others using this
medium.

3. "The best kind of support that I have had from an electronic
system, hardware, or communications software vendor was..."

Help was appreciated, but it seemed to lean towards online help
from a *person* or help from a vendor for hardware/software
problems. Next in order was good documentation.

4. "My most harrowing or difficult experience was..."

Responses on this varied, but the majority focused on technical
problems due to incompatibility of software, or access
difficulties. Learning how to "upload" was mentioned most
often.

5. "The hardest thing about signing on..."

The *learning curve* itself, and the differences between
systems, was most frustrating. A need for a "map" was expressed
5 times.


WE WISH TO THANK THIS LIVELY, INTELLIGENT, ENTHUSIASTIC GROUP OF
PEOPLE FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION!

One of the biggest contributions ENA can make might be our
ability to collect information and experience of this kind to
share with system designers, vendors, and managers. We can give
the *user* a needed voice in the development of the medium--and
the *user* is our bottom line.

-----

Author's Note: Billye Lemon organized the User Support session
with the help of Kate Wholey, Jill Herndon, Linda Maldonado, and
Mary George.

ENA UPDATE
by Lisa Kimball


ORGANIZATION
============

We've done it! Our new RING structure is now set up in ENA's
electronic office on UNISON. So far, about fifteen CLUSTERS
have formed around key ENA activities and selected someone to
report to the whole group. These representatives (we're calling
them SEATS to indicate that the role may rotate among members of
the cluster rather than belonging to a single individual) have
agreed to sign on regularly (at least every four days) to keep
track of the "big picture" of ENA and make policy and other
decisions. We hope this will allow us to distribute activity
but still maintain good communication.

One good example of how our clusters operate is the BUSINESS
CLUSTER, which is planning to develop strategies and materials
to attract and support business users and applications. The
members of the cluster meet electronically on the Strategic
Information System which is based in Massachusetts. There is a
conference on UNISON where periodic summaries of activity and
discussion will be posted. Susanna Opper will be the first SEAT
and participate in the "RING" conference by bringing issues from
the Business Cluster to the whole group and participating in
decision making on behalf of the members of the Business
Cluster.

Information about what's going on in the Business Cluster will
be disseminated via the porting process to our intersystem
network. ENA members who want to get involved in this activity
can send a message to Susanna via their porter and may either
join the group online, or develop a related activity on their
own system and create other strategies to maintain communication
with the cluster.

Other clusters which have formed include PUBLICATIONS,
INTERNETWORKING, LOCAL CONFERENCING, TECHNOLOGY, ENA ETHICS,
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MEMBERSHIP, FUNDING, ENA ADMINISTRATION, NON-
PROFIT NETWORKS, INTERMEDIA SYNERGY and GLOBAL NETWORKING. Any
three ENA members can form a new cluster to develop other
activities. There are currently groups exploring other areas
including Education and Training, Social Systems Research,
Telecommunications Policy, and Academic Perspectives. If your
interests aren't represented yet, it's up to you to get
something started!


COMMUNICATION
=============

Now that we have worked out some of the logistical aspects of
our organization, we will be turning more attention toward some
of our communication needs. We are discussing how to improve
NETWEAVER and other publications that might be useful to develop
in the Publications Cluster. The Membership Cluster is
developing a proposal for the members of the ring to consider to
finalize our ENA dues structure and develop new membership
applications and other materials. We are also discussing
whether we need some print vehicles to complement our online
publications. For example, we will soon have an Electronic
Compendium from our fall conference ready for porting but we
want to develop a print version for those we can't reach online.
The Public Relations Cluster is also considering what kind of
brochures and other materials we need for ENA and for promoting
the medium of computer conferencing.


IN THIS ISSUE
=============

We've been particularly interested in linking up with networkers
from around the world to take advantage of global communication.
We now have active participants from Japan, Canada, Europe, and
Sweden as well as the U.S. We're exploring the possibility of
participating in or co-sponsoring an international conference.
In this issue of NETWEAVER, you'll find an article by Stuart
Umpleby about some of the international organizations with which
we want to develop relationships. There's also an article by
Bob Sprigge, who signs on from Luxembourg, about a strategy for
managing information overload in conferences.

Several articles in this issue focus on business applications of
conferencing. Included is an article by Harry Stevens which you
might find useful to share with those new to the medium.
Catharine Vinson's article talks about a business application
which was not successful and some of the possible reasons for
the problems encountered. Stefanie Kott has edited a lively
discussion about marketing to business from an ongoing online
conference.

You'll also find a report from the User Support session at our
fall conference which describes needs of users applicable in any
conferencing system. The second in a series on Computers and
Your Health talks about ways you can avoid terminal backaches.
There's a description of one of the liveliest conferences on
Parti on The Source, "TEEN ROOM", and an article on the ACCESS
system.

And don't forget to take advantage of the opportunity to comment
on these articles or make suggestions about things *you'd* like
to see in NETWEAVER!

ENJOY!