Question Answer
What is "Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) Information Sources"? CMC Info is a compact, comprehensive, carefully organized set of links to essential Web sites about computer-mediated communication, with a stress on Internet-based CMC.
Ok, but what is "Computer-Mediated Communication" (CMC)? CMC is human communication via computer. People interested in CMC study a range of phenomena--from the dynamics of group communication in Usenet news articles to how people use hypertext to shape meaning. Not all CMC is Internet-based, of course. People use CMC on private networks. I have a longer-winded definition of CMC with references available.
What is the purpose of CMC Info? The purpose of CMC Info is to present, in a compact form, the essential information sites related to the field of Computer-Mediated Communication, with an emphasis on Internet-based CMC.
Well, where did CMC Info come from? Didn't you have a list back in the 1990's called "Information Sources: the Internet and Computer-Mediated Communication"? Some people called it the "December List"? What is CMC Info today began in 1992 as part of my interests in collecting, organizing, and presenting information describing the Internet and computer-mediated communication. I was working on an academic degree dealing with CMC, and I originally gathered this information as part of an independent study project. In preparing this information, I first developed an ASCII file version. I released version 1.00 on May 23, 1992. (You can view a digital copy of that first release). When the big Web craze came along, I developed a hypertext version that eventually grew to over a hundred linked files. There were 2,268 entires in version 3.95 released May 15, 1995. I maintained this for many years. I wrote an article about CMC Info and information-organizing issues on the Internet in 1994. By 1997, I was doing other things (finally graduating, moving, finishing up some writing projects), so I stopped maintenance on CMC Info for a while. (You can still see the final version from 1997.) In revising my Web site in 1999, I decided to revise CMC Info into a much more compact, maintainable form. I borrowed the idea of a compact table of information from my blue pages about geographic regions. In many ways, reconverting CMC Info back to a single page of information is getting back to its origins in 1992.
But what good is your "wall of blue"? Where's the value-added? The single page of links saves you a lot of time and effort; through a single bookmark, it gives you a compact set of links to essential sites of interest to students and scholars. The single page of links is a great way for users to get an idea of what a the Web offers in the way of CMC information, as a starting point for further work and study. The value-added is the selection, organization, and careful editing and maintenance.
What links do you include on your CMC Info page? I include the best collection of links I can find to help someone explore CMC. So I link to major sites about:
Internet
where CMC takes place
Applications
uses of CMC in many contexts
Technology
the makeup of the infrastructure to support CMC
Culture
the human aspects of CMC
Forums
where people exchange information about CMC
Organizations
major centers involved in CMC-related research and work
Books
read about CMC and related issues
Why are you making CMC Info? Are you nuts? CMC Info is a publication of my company (December Communications, Inc.) and is intended to earn money through sponsored advertising and sales of books. You'll see sponsor links on the top and bottom of the page. Your patronage of these sponsors and purchases on the Books page makes the publication possible.
I get tired of always clicking back to CMC Info after visiting a site. How can I use the page so that it stays right in a browser window, with the Web sites listed appearing in a separate browser window? Use your Web browser's features to launch a new window for links on the page. For example, using Netscape Navigator, you can:
  1. Place the cursor over a link on the CMC Info page.
  2. Press and hold down the right mouse button.
  3. Choose "Open in New Window" from the list that pops up.
  4. Look at the new Web browser that opens up and enjoy.
Great! How can I help you?
  1. Let me know your suggestions--corrections, additions, or complaints.
  2. Spread the word about my Web site; tell your friends who would be interested in the information.
  3. Patronize The Market, a collection of many free Internet services as well as great product deals.
My friend Earl has a Web page listing some CMC information. Could you link to his page? Well, I have to be careful in how many places I link to. Since the late 1990's, the amount of information available about CMC has risen dramatically. So now, I am looking for authoratitive, major, important, and useable sites.
Our major [college, university, research lab or organization] has an extensive Web site devoted to CMC. Could you link to it? Yes. Send me the URL.
Hey, I found a dead link on one of your pages. Send me a report of what went wrong. I appreciate your help in keeping the page up-to-date.
How am I allowed to use CMC Info?
  1. You have my permission to link to CMC Info or its subpages for any reason you'd like (either commercial or non-commerical use). You can use CMC Info by accessing the johndecember.com site in any class or training session, in for-profit or not-for profit contexts.
  2. Please do not, under any circumstances, copy the CMC Info pages to your server or computer host and make it available for public use.
  3. Please provide this publication information to others whom you know may benefit from CMC Info. Continued improvement is supported by sponsored advertising.
Are you going to maintain CMC Info forever? I hope to maintain this resource as long as it is of value to the online community, and the modest advertising/book sale revenue supports me enough so that I can devote my time to its development.
Have you learned anything about CMC and the Internet by maintaining CMC Info? Yes. CMC Info, in its original form, launched my writing career which in turn gave me the resources to launch my company and enjoy the kind of life I have today. I still offer presentations about CMC, cyberspace, or the nature of the Web, hypertext, and geographically-oriented information.
search Search · star Market
2023-06-19 · John December · Terms © johndecember.com