Welcome

Welcome to the new Netweaver Blog. This space will contain the archives of the old Netweaver Newsletter as well as current comments. We invite you to add your comments to any and all of the posts and to share your thoughts and ideas with us here. Please let us know if you have any questions or problems by adding comments here or by email.

Netweaver History

Netweaver was the electronic newsletter of the Electronic Networking Association (ENA). ENA was formed in April, 1985 by a group of folks who were interested in the social and human aspects of the new medium of electronic networking. At the time, other organizations were focused on the engineering issues and/or the challenges of large scale users (for example, The Electronic Mail Association).

ENA's mission was:

To promote electronic networking in ways that:
- enrich individuals
- enhance organizations
- and build global communities

In 1991, ENA "sunsetted" itself in light of the many new organizations and SIGs springing up to take on various aspects of the mission. By then, there were other organizations looking at computer supported cooperative work, computers for social responsibility, telecommunications law, distance education and more. But, before it was done, ENA held 4 face-to-face conferences in DC, Allentown PA, Philadelphia, and San Francisco that drew participants from across the country and around the world. ENA also contributed to international conferences, including the first conference on electronic networking in Japan. Many members of the ENA network are still the ones working in other organizations and initiatives to promote the human and social side of the web.

Netweaver was an early example of a "virtual" venture in that the editors, writers, and readers were distributed on networking systems around the world. It was published from 1985-1991. The "newsroom" was an online conference. Netweaver pre-dated the wide availablity of electronic mailing lists and other internet-based tools. When each issue was complete, volunteer "porters" - people who had accounts on more than one online system - downloaded copies from one network and uploaded it to others, thus serving as a vast HUMAN internet. There was tremendous excitement about the ability to share ideas, values, and concerns across network boundaries.

Netweaver was called a "freeport" publication because anyone was (and still is) free to make articles available on any online system anywhere as long as they retained the headers which credited the authors and the source. People interested in re-publishing an article in print must contact the author directly to get permission and make arrangements.

Netweaver's managing editor, Lisa Kimball, stashed old issues of Netweaver away for safe-keeping. Now, Group Jazz has decided to make the Netweaver archives available on the Web again as a service to the online community. In these days when some folks seem to have the impression that online communities and networking were part of the Dot Com phenomenon it's a good time to remember that the desire to use this technology to connect people has been around for a long time (and shows no sign of ending!)

One of the amazing things about looking at some of these old articles is that so many of the same issues, themes, and hopes are still alive in discussions in newsgroups, on listservs, in online communities, in blogs and at conferences of people interested in the social and human side of networking. We'll be making connections from here to some of the current conversation.

Kudos and THANKS goes to Emily Reich who came up with the idea and did the design work to put this site together!

Enjoy!

(p.s. we are missing a couple of issues of NETWEAVER. If you are also a virtual packrat and have it stashed away, let us know so we can fill in the blanks)

Lisa Kimball
Group Jazz,Suite 440
5335 Wisconsin Ave.NW
Washington,DC 20015
Phone:+1 202.686.4848
Fax:+1 202.966.3772
http://www.groupjazz.com
lisa@groupjazz.com

Where are you now?

Where are you now and what are you doing?

If you were an editor, porter, author or subject of one of the Netweaver articles … .or, if you were an ENA member or attended an ENA conference … or, if you were one of the early adopters of electronic networking … we’d love to hear where you are and what you’re doing now!

Contact us through http://www.groupjazz.com

p.s. if you are in contact with anyone in this network - please point them here so they can join our virtual reunion!

Contributor Index

Here is a list of the archived articles, sorted by author.

Andy Abramson
Oct-85 - Electronic Socialization
Nov-85 - Here Comes the Common Ground
Feb-86 - Productivity and the Personal Computer

Izumi Aizu
Sep-85 - Report on Electronic Networking in Japan
Dec-85 - Save Ikego Forest
Jun 88 - Update on the Institute for Networking Design

Phyllis Barney
Dec-90 - Do Folk Music and Computers Mix?

Trent Batson
Dec-87 - Bridging the Deaf and Hearing Worlds

Art Bechhoefer
Sep-85 - Notes for Active Networkers

Ron Beloin
Aug-86 - A New Research Tool For Scholars: An Interview with Dr. Richard W. Slatta, Director of ScholarNet, Part I
Aug-86 - A New Research Tool For Scholars: An Interview with Dr. Richard W. Slatta, Director of ScholarNet, Part II

Tzipporah Benavraham
Jul-91 - DisABILITY Computing and the Law: What You Should Know

Mike Blaszczak
Feb 86 - Teen Room
Dec-88 - A Look at Computer Viruses
Jul-89 - A Vision of Networking Systems of the Future

Kelley Boan
Oct-85 - Computer-Related Communications in Sweden

Reuben Boiardi
Feb 88 - X.400: What is it? Part I
Mar 88 - X.400: What is it? Part 2

Glen Bull, Judi Harris, and John Lloyd
Nov-88 - The Electronic Academical Village Part I
Nov-88 - The Electronic Academical Village Part II

Roger Bunting
Nov-85 - The Electronic Compendium
Feb-86 - Managing Computer Conferencing

Frank Burns
May-86 - Excellence Networks
Dec-87 - Online Networking by Presidential Candidates

Margaret Chambers
Apr-91 - Message from the ENA President

Steve Cisler
Jul-89 - The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide
Apr-91 - Computers, Freedom & Privacy - Part 1
Apr-91 - Computers, Freedom & Privacy - Part 2

Carolyn Clock-Allen
May-86 - Conferencing and Corporate Hierarchies

Donald L. (Skip) Conover
Jun-88 - The LAN Wo/Man Cometh

Gordon Cook
Jun-88 - Some Things to Think About: Choosing Conferencing to Run on a Minicomputer
Jul-89 - The Transformative Vision of Dave Highes: An Interview by Gordon Cook in 3 Parks

Norman Coombs
Jul-91 - Bringing the Mountain to Muhammad
Jul-91 - Telecommunications, Education and the Handicapped

Robert Cramer
Jul-87 - FCC Regulation Change May Effect Costs

Dawn Debbe
Feb-86 - Support Groups

Odd de Presno
Dec-91 - Getting the Kids Online

Fred Dudden
Sep-85 - The Evolution of a Computer Conferencing System Part I
Sep-85 - The Evolution of a Computer Conferencing System Part II

Jim Dunn
Sep-88 - Buy At Large: A Review of Mind at Large

David Eggleton
Nov-87 - Software for Self-Development

Sylvia Engdahl
Nov-85 - The Benefits of Computer Conferencing

Charles Findlay
Nov-87 - Beyond the Classroom

Andrew Finkenstadt
Dec-85 - Growing Pains

Clyde Ford
Jan-86 - Computers and Your Health
Feb-86 - Computer and Your Health, Part Two

Ray Gallon
Dec-90 - RS Electronica - A Network of Systems or Too Much Mediahype?
Dec-90 - Ideas of Planetary Creativity: The College Art Association
tackles networking

Michael Gilson
Oct-85 - Computer Conferencing Is Resisted

Gary Ginter
Apr-86 - Messages from Kenya

Margaret Gouin
Apr-86 - ALTERNET: Computer Communications for Positive Social Change

Mike Greenly
Dec-85 - Report from the ENA Conference, Part I
Dec-85 - Report from the ENA Conference, Part II
May-86 - 1985 Computer Press Association Awards
Jun-88 - Keynote Address to the Electronic Networking Association (Part I)
Jun-88 - Keynote Address to the Electronic Networking Association (Part II)

Paolo Guidi
Jul-87 - TELENET President's Letter to Customers

Sue Gunn and Linda Bryant Nicholson
Feb-88 - How to Pick Up Someone New with the Same Old Line

Robert Harper
Dec-85 - The Screen Personality

Jill Herndon
May-86 - Introduction to "Excellence Networks"

Danny Hilton-Chalfan, Carmel Castorina, Jane Berliss
Jul-91 - EDUCOM's Project EASI: Resources for Barrier Free Computing in Higher Education

Dave Hughes
Oct-85 - A Personal Vision
Oct-87 - Electronic Democracy (Part I)
Oct-87 - Electronic Democracy (Part II)
Nov-87 - Electronic Democracy (Part III)
Nov-87 - Electronic Democracy (Part IV)
Jul-88 - Potholes in the Highways of the Mind
Apr-91 - Electronic Freedom of Speech
Apr-91 - A Curmudgeon's Impressions
Dec-91 - In the Beginning was the Word

Darrell Icenogle
May-86 - Geography, Media, and Group Function: Part I
May-86 - Geography, Media, and Group Function: Part II

Grant Ingle
Sep-85 - Eliminating Toll Calls to Telenet

Joichi Ito
Oct-85 - The International Packet Switch Stream ....

Bob Jacobson
Mar-88 - Judge Greene Speaks Again -- Info Services (Part 2)

Luanne James
Dec-88 - The Adapso Foundation

Nancy Jennings
Oct-89 - Computers and Disabled

Mary Gardiner Jones and Nancy Chasen
Jan-88 - Public Policy and a Look at the Future (The Access Issue Part I)
Jan-88 - Public Policy and a Look at the Future (The Access Issue Part II)
Jan-88 - The Potential of Telecommunications for Nonprofit Organizations (Part I)
Jan-88 - The Potential of Telecommunications for Nonprofit Organizations (Part I)

Peter Keen
Sep-87 - Competing in Time

Kevin Kelly
Dec-87 - Share-Right

Charlie Kellner (aka Dragon)
Aug-86 - Seymour Cray

Lisa Kimball
Aug-85 - Associating with Networkers
Aug-85 - ENA Activities Update
Sep-85 - ENA Update
Sep-85 - CC Economics
Sep-85 - BOOK REVIEW: Paul A. Strassmann's INFORMATION PAYOFF
Oct-85 - ENA Update
Oct-85 - Book Review
Nov-85 - ENA Update
Dec-85 - ENA Update
Jan-86 - ENA Update
Jan-86 - The Longest Weekend, Part I
Jan-86 - The Longest Weekend, Part II
Feb-86 - ENA Update
Mar-86 - ENA Update
Mar-86 - Book Review
Apr-86 - ENA Update
May-86 - ENA Update
May-86 - The Future of Business Conferencing: Part I (Interview with Phil Moore)
May-86 - The Future of Business Conferencing: Part II (Interview with Phil Moore)
Jun-86 - ENA Update
Jun-86 - A Design Style for the Information Age
Jul-86 - ENA Update
Jul-86 - ETIQUETTE ONLINE: A Rand Report
Aug-86 - ENA Update
Jul-87 - ENA Update
Aug-87 - ENA Update
Sep-87 - ENA Update
Oct-87 - ENA Update
Nov-87 - ENA Update
Dec-87 - ENA Update
Jan-88 - ENA Update
Jan-88 - Networking Executive Education
Feb-88 - ENA Update
Mar-88 - ENA Update
Jun-88 - ENA Update
Jul-88 - ENA Update
Oct-88 - ENA Update
Nov-88 - Globall Networking: English Journal Interview
Jul-89 - ENA Update
Oct-89 - ENA Update

Vince Kimball
Nov-88 - Conferencing in a Law Firm

Art Kleiner
Aug-86 - Final Exam: Key Questions About Computer Conferencing

Robert Kost
Jul-87 - Copyright in the Information Age, Part 1
Jul-87 - Copyright in the Information Age, Part 2

Stefanie Kott
Aug-85 - The ENA Vision: What Is ENA?
Aug-85 - Interview: Mike Greenly, Interactive Online Journalist Extaordinaire
Aug-85 - Online Jargon or Hyperlanguage?
Sep-85 - Interview: Mike Greenly, Interactive Online Journalist Extaordinaire Part II
Oct-85 - Conference Report: Chronicle
Oct-85 - Have Lap, Will Travel
Feb-86 - Think Tank on Marketing Computer Conferencing
Oct-87 - Computer Fear
Aug-88 - Computer Conferencing: A Step Beyond Electronic Mail

Norman Kurland
Nov-85 - Study Circles and Computer Conferencing
Mar-88 - Optical Storage and Education -- An Important National Conference

David T. J. Landrigan
Aug-86 - An Electronic Search Party is Helping to Find My Missing Daughter

Bennett Landsman
May-86 - A New Approach to Office Automation: Top Down

Jacques LeCavalier
Sep-87 - Computer-Mediated Communications and Democracy

Martin E.H. Lee-Gosselin and Helene Lee-Gosselin
Mar-86 - Understanding Resistance to Computer Conferencing, Part 1
Mar-86 - Understanding Resistance to Computer Conferencing, Part 2

Billye Lemon
Oct-85 - Future Mail, Part I
Oct-85 - Future Mail, Part II
Feb-86 - User Support: The The Bottom Line for CC
Sep-88 - The Many Faces of User Support

Paul Levinson
Jul-88 - Virtual on Virtual - Review of Harvey Wheeler's Virtual Book

David Lochhead
Feb-86 - UCHUG: The Electronic Network of the United Church of Canada

Carl Eugene Loeffler
Dec-90 - Computer Based Art: Notes on the Context

William Louden
Sep-88 - Remarks by William Louden, General Manager, GENIE, Part I
Sep-88 - Remarks by William Louden, General Manager, GENIE, Part II

David Lunney
Jul-91 - Adapted Computers as Laboratory Aids for People with Disabilities

Linda Maldonado
Apr-86 - CARINET: Technology Transfer for the Third World via CC

Al Martin
Mar-86 - Batch Read and Blink, Part 1
Mar-86 - Batch Read and Blink, Part 2

Brock Meeks
Oct-85 - Telecommunications: Love It Or Lose It

Tom Miezejeski
Jun-86 - EMCA's GEMSERVICE

David Mills
Sep-87 - TELEZAP

Hank Mishkoff
Jul-86 - An Interview with Wendy Woods, Editor of NEWSBYTES, Part 1
Jul-86 - An Interview with Wendy Woods, Editor of NEWSBYTES, Part 2
Aug-87 - Selling Computer Conferencing to Business

Mitra
Apr-86 - International Networking and GREENNET

Phil Moore
Aug-88 - The Business Future Part I
Aug-88 - The Business Future Part II
Aug-88 - The Business Future Part III

Harry Murphy
Jul-91 - The World's Largest Conference on Disability and Technology

Frank Odasz
Jun-88 - Graducation Speech for the Information Age

John C. Oeffinger and Tom Sherman
Jul-86 - International Informatics Acess '87
Aug-86 - International Technology Transfer: A Case Study

Jason Ohler
Jul-89 - Using E-Mail in the Classroom

Susanna Opper
Aug-85 - The Fall Meeting of ENA, Nov. 7-11, 1985
Oct-85 - Would You Work in a Place Like This?
Dec-87 - Dear FCC
Aug-88 - Groupware -- From Anohter Perspective

Stan Pokras
Sep-85 - CC Makes Neighborhood Services Work! .
Apr-86 - NON-PROFIT NETWORKS Cluster Summary
May-86 - Conferencing without a Computer
Jul-86 - COMPUTERS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: A Conference Report

Alan Pollock
Feb-86 - ACCESS: From Hobby to Canada's Premier Online Service

George Por
Aug-85 - Interview: Stewart Brand on the WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link)
Aug-85 - Organizational Effectiveness: Electronic Grapevine
Aug-85 - Have Micro, Get Teleducation: New School Goes Online
Sep-85 - VCRs and Computer Conferencing: Towards Intermedia Synergy
Oct-85 - Move over Hypertext, Here Comes Hypermedia
Dec-85 - The Charm of Long-Distance Modem-Talk
Dec-85 - Center for New Democracy Goes Online
Mar-86 - Computer Conferencing and Desktop Publishing
Apr-86 - Networking at the Space Station
Jun-86 - ECONET
Jul-86 - Chernobyl or Communications

John S. Quarterman
Dec-91 - The Maturation of the Matrix

Mary Lou Rebelo
Dec-91 - From the Banks of the Tamagawa River

Howard Rheingold
Dec-88 - Memes

Lowell Roberts
Aug-87 - The Electronic Seminar, Part I
Aug-87 - The Electronic Seminar, Part II

Al Rogers with comments by Chris
Oct-89 - Telecommunications Definitions Terminology

Peg Rossing
May-86 - Legislating Privacy in Electronic Communications
Jun-86 - TeleLaw Update

Parker Rossman and Takeshi Utsumi
Apr-86 - Peace Games with Globally Interconnected Computers, Part 1
Apr-86 - Peace Games with Globally Interconnected Computers, Part 2

Eduardo Salom
Dec-91 - Networking in Argentina

Linda Samuelsen
Sep-87 - N-Group

Kathryn L. Schmitz
Jul-91 - Please Leave Your Message: Telephone Not Necessary

Lynne Schrum
Feb-88 - Expanding Educational Possibilities

Jeffrey Shapard
Jun-86 - TWICS BEELINE: From BBS to "BEE JIMA"
Oct-88 - From Electronic Insularism to Connected Communities (Part I)
Oct-88 - From Electronic Insularism to Connected Communities (Part II)

Robert Shayon
Jul-88 - Technological Salvation and Electronic Networking

Tom Sherman and Barbara Harrison
May-86 - DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION: Profile of a Networked Corp.

Tom Sherman
Nov-88 - Call for Ideas - Nonprofit Networking

Philip Siddons
Jul-87 - Desk Top Publishing
Oct-87 - Lap Top Publishing (Part I)
Oct-87 - Lap Top Publishing (Part II)
Dec-87 - The Evening Before Christmas
Feb-88 Sales and Power
Jul-89 - Everything is Related: From Looms to Computers
Jul-89 - Time Management: Or how to control your destiny in four easy steps

Sam Simon
Jul-87 - Access Fees for Vans

Craig L. Smith
Jul-91 - Telecomputing for a Mobility Impaired Scientist

Bob Sprigge
Feb-86 - Solving Information Overload with Conference Summaries
Apr-86 - International Standards

Nancy Stefanik
Dec-91 - Online for a Smoke Free Planet

Harry Stevens
Feb-86 - The Business Culture of Computer-Based Communications
Aug-87 - Organization Building and Community Building
Aug-87 - Expert Networks vs. Expert Systems
Oct-88 - Computer-Supported Cooperative Work

Dwight Steward
Dec-90 - The SCAN Network
Dec-90 - Factsheet Five

Don Straus
Nov-87 - Electronic Democracy (Comments)

Mark Szpakowski
Oct-85 - Byte Gets CoSy on BIX

Gail S. Thomas
Feb-88 - Connected Education, INC
Mar-88 - Education by Telecourse (Part I)
Mar-88 - Education by Telecourse (Part II)
Oct-88 - A Nybble of WinDOS
Dec-88 - Book Review: The Modem Reference

Stuart Umpleby
Jan-86 - Online Educational Techniques
Jan-86 - Desirable Features for CC Systems
Feb-86 - The International Network of Systems Theorists

Catharine Vinson
Oct-85 - Mindspeak
Feb-86 - The Other Side of the Business Culture

Kate Wholey
Apr-86 - GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES Conference Summary

Griff Wigley
Jun-88 - Development of a Computer Conferencing Moderator Editorial Team
Oct-89 - A Framework for Implementing Computer Telecommunications in the Nation's Schools

Rev. Lewis L. Wilkins, Jr.
Jun-86 - Six Weeks on the Road: Presbyterians Move Into A New House

Peter Wingfield-Stratford
Apr-86 - NETREACH

Edward Wondoloski
Sep-87 - An Educator, a PC, and a Modem

Robert Zenhausern
Jul-91 - Rehabilitation of Educational Disabilities

Link to us!

We would love to have you link your web site to our blog!

Here's a graphic you can download:

and some sample code:

<a href="http://www.groupjazz.com/netweaver"><img src="netweaver-logosmall.gif" alt="Netweaver" border=0></a>

If you'd like to link to a particular entry, there is a "link" link on each individual page that will show you the full direct URL for the page.

If you do make a link, please leave a comment here so we can come visit!