Collaborating in Cyberspace: A Case Study of Computer-Mediated Communication Among 100 Scholars in 15 Countries

Abstract

The focus of this paper is the experience of an on-line research group, ProjectH.

ProjectH consisted of 100 experts from 15 countries who collaborated using computer-mediated communication, namely electronic mail or email. The anatomy of the process of collaborative computer-mediated communication is profiled and the benefits as well as its constraints in fostering the diffusion of knowledge and facilitating technological learning are identified. The role of asynchroneity as an inherent quality of electronic mail and its impact in bridging time and space divides among people, are also stressed and the potential benefits for the emerging globally dispersed, virtually connected, and knowledge-driven corporation are brought to the fore