Conversation Map: An Interface for Very Large-Scale Conversations.

Author List: Sack, Warren;
Journal of Management Information Systems, 2000, Volume 17, Issue 3, Page 73-92.
Very large-scale conversation (VLSC) involves the exchange of thousands of electronic mail (e-mail) messages among hundreds or thousands of people. Usenet newsgroups are good examples (but not the only examples) of online sites where VLSCs take place. To facilitate understanding of the social and semantic structure of VLSCs, two tools from the social sciences--social networks and semantic networks--have been extended for the purposes of interface design. As interface devices, social and semantic networks need to be flexible, layered representations that are useful as a means for summarizing, exploring, and cross-indexing the large volumes of messages that constitute the archives of VLSCs. This paper discusses the design criteria necessary for transforming these social scientific representations into interface devices. The discussion is illustrated with the description of the Conversation Map system, an implemented system for browsing and navigating VLSCs.
Keywords: browsing; conversation analysis; discourse analysis; electronic mail; interface design; navigation; news groups; semantic networks; social networks; summarization; visualization
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#234 0.239 social networks influence presence interactions network media networking diffusion implications individuals people results exchange paper sites evidence self-disclosure important examine
#203 0.163 communication media computer-mediated e-mail richness electronic cmc mail medium message performance convergence used communications messages face-to-face findings participants results work
#283 0.133 interface user users interaction design visual interfaces human-computer navigation human need cues studies guidelines laboratory functional developed restricted know guided
#272 0.087 requirements analysts systems elicitation techniques analysis process technique understanding determination analyst acquisition interview development used semantic results knowledge structured effectiveness
#82 0.085 case study studies paper use research analysis interpretive identify qualitative approach understanding critical development managerial elements exploring points positivist presents
#247 0.078 online evidence offline presence empirical large assurance likely effect seal place synchronous population sites friends increases isomorphism rewards drop intermediaries
#167 0.060 workflow tools set paper management specification command support formal implemented scenarios associated sequence large derived taxonomies called given systematic specifications