WWW: Beyond the Basics

4. Collaboration

4.5. The Future of Collaboration on the WWW

The collaborative technology described in this chapter reflects various levels of integration with the WWW. CMC mechanisms such as IRC, bulletin boards, and e-mail have been well-integrated into WWW browsers. These mechanisms have been incorporated into many WWW groupware applications available today. Other CMC mechanisms such as synchronous audio and video teleconferencing are much less common on the WWW. As for collaboration frameworks, newsgroups and discussion groups, graphical virtual worlds, and review and annotation systems have experienced moderate to high levels of integration with the WWW while MUDs and MOOs have experienced minor levels of integration.

In the near future, we should see increased development and application of collaborative technologies over the WWW. Asynchronous audio capabilities are rapidly becoming available on the WWW today through CMC applications such as CoolTalk (Netscape, 1996b) and Conference (Netscape, 1996a). Video conferencing applications such as LiveMedia (Netscape, 1996d) are in the midst of development. Fully-integrated Web-based MUDs and MOOs are being explored in research projects such as Xerox's Jupiter project (Frahmann, 1995).

As collaborative technology evolves over the WWW, we must shift our focus on the technology from its development to its use. We must consider how to best utilize collaborative technology to allow remote users to effectively work together. We must evaluate how computer-supported collaborative environments deviate from natural environments. Can we improve the level of collaboration over natural forms? Does collaborative technology inherently impose constraints that necessarily impede collaboration? How do users perceive collaborative technology? Do they find it natural or artificial? These are the types of questions that become important to answer as collaborative technology establishes a foothold on the WWW.

From a social standpoint, we expect that the user's perspective of the WWW will change. No longer will the WWW be viewed just as the super-highway to massive amounts of information, but also as a gateway to real people with interconnected needs and goals. The WWW will evolve from a massive information database to a dynamic, living organism that encompasses the knowledge and capabilities of its users. The human element of the WWW will increasingly be emphasized.

Collaborative applications should not be developed for and installed on the WWW merely for the purpose of advancing technology. Such applications have human consequences. As responsible scientists and technologists, we must come to understand the social and organizational impact of this technology, for it will forever change the way that people work, interact, and communicate.

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Copyright © 1996 George Chin Jr., All Rights Reserved

George Chin Jr. <chin@csgrad.cs.vt.edu>
Last modified: Tue Dec 10 16:00:00 1996