Magazine

Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine
ISSN 1076-027X / Volume 4, Number 2 / February 1, 1997

Editor's Page: The Intertwined Fortunes of Netizens and Online Communities

Amelia DeLoach introduces this special issue on the Netizen and points out how the various viewpoints on the term represented in this special issue exhibit the same multi-faceted nature as online communities themselves.

SPECIAL FOCUS: THE NETIZEN

The Netizens and Community Networks

Michael Hauben discusses how he developed the term, Netizen, and how its original definition has its roots in ARPANET and the cooperation the early net prompted.

Establishing a Point of View Toward Virtual Communities

Frank Weinreich disputes the concept of "virtual communities." He contends that communities rely on interaction on a face-to-face basis, which most mediated contacts don't currently promote. Consequently, "Netizenship" cannot be defined by being a part of the Net but by showing a certain attitude towards CMC.

(How) Can Software Agents Become Good Net Citizens?

Software agents, bots, and spiders reside on the Internet, work on the Internet, and facilitate many positive communicative roles on the Internet. Because of these facts, Sabine Helmers, Ute Hoffmann & Jillian Stamos-Kaschke contend that these online "actors" conform to current definitions of Netizens and should therefore be considered such.

Notes from the Underground

What are the citzen's of the online world like? The online world is truly a confluence of many communities. In this interview, Richard Thieme talks to Se7en, a hacker and phreaker who has emerged from the underground.

DEPARTMENTS

Book Review: Balancing the Global Through the Local

Leslie Regan-Shade finds Stephen Doheny-Farina's The Wired Neighborhood a much needed reminder of our need to rethink our visions of cyberspace, and ground them in local communities.

CMC News: The Internet Is 'Mission Critical' For Business

Chris Lapham reports on what happened at the Fourth Internet World Conference in New York City this past December. The question isn't about if the online world will have a role in business; the question is what role that will be.

Call For Articles: Looking Backwards

John December calls for articles for the upcoming special third anniversary issue of CMC Magazine. For this issue we ask our readers, contributors, and editors to take a look back at our best articles and comment on them. What was good? What are your insights?

Call For Articles: Data Collection on the Internet

Whom can a Netizen trust? Which organizations and institutions do monitor the net? What are the privacy issues concerning automatic data collection online? Dirk vom Lehn will be the special guest editor of an upcoming issue of CMC Magazine on data collection on the Internet.

The Last Link: Communities Exist in Cyberspace

Does the self-organizing and self-aware nature of online activity prove the existence of communities online?

Letters to the editor always welcome: mailto:john@december.com