Robert Arpo wrote: I´m writing doctoral dissertation on collective processes of interpretation and construction of meaning in Internet-newsgroups (Usenet, BBs, Web-boards) and I´d like to know more about research made on cultural aspects of newsgroups. <snip> Well, in my dissertation (1999) I used Goffman (Behavior in Public Places + The Presentation of Self In Everyday Life + Interaction Rituals) to interpret a newsgroup as a social gathering steered by norms (cultural norms as well as 'locally' invented norms). Because of the likeness in interaction rituals, I also used Lyn Lofland's work on the urban social space (A World of Strangers) and her later work on the urban realms (The Public Realm) to describe the not-private-nor-public atmosphere in a newsgroup. You may find my paper on these topics in the archives from AoIR:1 in Kansas. I would love to hear more about your research and the results/interpretations! /Stine