Computer conferencing: Choices and strategies

Computer conferencing permits meeting through the computer while sharing a common file. The primary advantages of computer conferencing are that participants may (1) meet simultaneously or nonsimultaneously, and (2) contribute across geographic distance and time zones. Due to these features, computer conferencing offers a viable meeting option for distributed business teams. Past research and practice is summarized denoting practical uses of computer conferencing as well as types of meeting activities ill suited to the medium. Additionally, effective team strategies are outlined which maximize the benefits of computer conferencing

The relationship between different email management strategies and the perceived control of time

Time management research, and the psychological construct of perceived control of time, are drawn on to investigate populist claims of the virtues of regularly filing and organising ones electronic mail. Using a process model of time management, it would seem that filing of email may increase ones time control perceptions and thus their job satisfaction and wellbeing. One hundred and sixty five participants were involved in a questionnaire-based field study. Analyses of variance revealed that for some e-mail users, not having a filing system may result in a high perceived control of time. Furthermore, challenging assumptions regarding optimal e-mail organisation, those that tried to frequently file their incoming messages, but did so somewhat unsuccessfully, had significantly less perceived control of time. These results highlight individual differences in control of time perceptions, and recommendations are made regarding organisational e-mail behaviour and training

New literacies and future educational culture

The paper draws attention to three developments that are crucial to online education. First, the new literacy required by group discussion in writing, i.e. by computer‐mediated communication ('e‐talk') is discussed Educators are urged to delimit and structure their courses so that online conversations in writing are successfully framed for effective discourse. Second, new literacy arising from the merging of multimedia with text is considered It is maintained that this will enhance communication, not debase it. Third, the way that increasing ease of information retrieval is eroding boundaries between traditional disciplines is discussed It is argued that this may create new difficulties in education. The paper recommends various ways of overcoming the problems that arise from the three developments

Measuring the Impact of the E-Mail Conversation Format on E-Mail Overload: A Pilot Test

It is well known that e-mails are causing information overload. Existing research investigated the amount of e-mails but does not consider the format of a single e-mail and its cognitive impact. Therefore, we investigate e-mail conversations as one of the most promising formats, which is composed of the quoted history of appended e-mails, forwarded to a third person. Cognitive load theory is used to scrutinize the contribution of the e-mail conversation format on intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive load. The resulting hypotheses and our pilot of the experiment investigate the induction of e-mail overload by e-mail conversations. By successfully validating our measurement instruments we gain first indications of construct validity. As a result we present an exploratory factor analysis, a confirmatory factor analysis, and an assessment of the model fit. Subsequently, we reflect on our findings and present the implications for future research

Why Forwarded Email Threads are Hard to Read: The Email Format as an Antecedent of Email Overload

Research has shown that excessive email use leads to feelings of being overwhelmed and stressed. Existing coping solutions, which mitigate email overload, address the number of emails and, in consequence, the time spent on emails. These approaches are congruent with existing research on antecedents of email overload. Further coping solutions include addressing email threads. However, we lack a theoretical grounding for perceiving email threads as an antecedent of email overload. I suggest cognitive load theory as a means of investigating the format of forwarded email threads in an experiment. I found support for the effects on reading time and performance in terms of correct answers per second, findings that confirm that forwarded email threads are an antecedent of email overload and that we need a new conceptualization of email overload

E-mail and Direct Participation in Decision Making: A Literature Review

This paper reviews the literature on the effects of the use of e-mail on direct participation in decision making (PDM) in organisations. After a brief review of the organisational literature on participation the paper distinguishes e-mail theories on direct participation in three different theoretical perspectives. Then the paper focuses the attention on the role of e-mail in affecting task type, vertical and horizontal communication and their consequences for PDM. Finally the paper presents indications and open questions for future research.email, e-mail, decision making, participation in decision making, literature review,

Facebook News Feed: Relevance or Noise?

Facebook, with over 800 million active users, is one of the most successful social networking sites. It offers the quick exchange of data among geographically dispersed users to help them build and maintain social relationships. However, with the recent changes to its News Feed, Facebook has inundated users with information. Many users are bewildered and are unable to filter out irrelevant information. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent of information overload experienced by Facebook users. Additionally, this study explores the factors associated with information overload on Facebook users. Results reveal that females experience more Facebook information overload than males. Furthermore, it was found that frequent visitors to Facebook are subject to more irrelevant information and are confronted with excessive information. These findings have implications for the design of user interfaces that could address perceptions of information overload on the Facebook News Feed

Theorizing the Unintended Consequences of Instant Messaging for Worker Productivity

Instant messaging (IM) is one of the newest and fastest-growing communication technologies in the workplace today, yet little is known about its real implications for worker productivity. We have taken the particular affordances of instant messaging as the basis for extrapolating from and linking prior studies of email use, polychronic communication, and task interruptions to develop propositions regarding the unanticipated individual-level productivity implications of widespread IM use in the workplace. We argue that while instant message communication may accelerate particular tasks and decision processes, unstructured IM use will likely contribute to erosion in individuals’ overall productivity due to an increase in users’ communicative workloads, engagement in polychronic communication, and an increase in the frequency of interruptions. We intend our proposed model and propositions as an impetus for further study of both the benefits and challenges of workplace instant messaging

A Cognitive Learning Perspective on Encoding and Decoding E-mails

The high e-mail amounts that individuals sent back and forth each day are one of the major causes for information overload. Knowledge seems to help overcoming information overload. However, it is not clear which knowledge areas are helpful. Therefore, we examine knowledge areas supporting the encoding and decoding of e-mails by investigating cognitive processes that allow knowledge building to avoid e-mail induced information overload. A novel theoretical perspective is developed which draws on knowledge as acquired schemas which allows bypassing working memory through automation. We employed a case study design which results in a conceptual model relating three knowledge areas: (1) channel knowledge, (2) message topic knowledge, and (3) communication partner knowledge. By drawing on cognitive load theory, we explain how these knowledge areas allow the reduction of e-mail induced cognitive load as a conceptualization of information overload