MAKING CONTACT: GETTING THE GROUP COMMUNICATING WITH GROUPWARE

Abstract

Groupware is readily available. Yet people on wide area networks--such as the Internet--have considerable trouble contacting each other and setting up groupware connections. To resolve this problem, this paper identifies human factors critical to getting a group communicating through groupware. It identifies how people find suitable partners, and how people choose appropriate communication mediums. These factors form a design foundation for systems that promote social presence and that integrate communication. Existing systems are shown to be inadequate for general use over a wide area net, for they either do not meet some basic design criteria, or they require a very high technological entry level that is beyond the reach of most computer users. As an alternative, the paper presents TELEFREEK, a flexible, extensible, and customizable platform that supports people contacting each other, and that integrates access to common communication facilities. A major advantage of TELEFREEK is that it draws on resources freely available to the Internet community.