Dear Air'ers - One way to pursue this logically is simply to divide (as I have done, below) this 'space' into three different domains. My argument is that the interactions in these three kinds of space are actually different as the users, the interface, and the computing environments are actually different, hence influencing the communication factors. Rall, Denise N. (2000). A functional analysis of the Internet, the World Wide Web and Cyberspace: Introducing some disciplinary protocols for online education and research. unpublished ms. This is somewhat similar to the previous proposals of David Silver and others re: the 'stages of the internet'. What I find most difficult about all of these conversations is the assumption that we are talking about one space - the Internet - rather than the myriad of spaces that it has become. Some of the net's activities are highly documented statistically, some are not, some of the net's activities (see Turkle) remains entirely within the users - a strictly subjective feeling no matter what the actual 'space' one inhabits looks like. I.e, to defeat the proposal of the above 'domains' some of the Net's activities that are most 'real' are the interior feelings of those who participate in a virtual community - whether within a text-based Well or Moo or within the interactive game parks of today. Cheers, Denise ===== "What Narcissism Means to Me" (poetry) Tony Hoaglund (2003). Denise N. Rall, PhD student, School of EnvironSciMgmt, Southern Cross Uni, Lismore, NSW, 2480 Australia Phone +61-2-6624-8627 Fax +61-2-6624-8637 Office (Tuesdays) (02) 6620 3577 Mob 0438 233 344 http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/staff/pages/drall/index.html __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance: Get your refund fast by filing online. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html