"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."
From December, John. Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) Frequently Asked Questions (with Answers). Retrieved 8 April 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.december.com/cmc/info/faq.html.
Berge, Z. & Collins, M. (1995, March 1). Computer-Mediated Communication and the Online Classroom in Higher Education. Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine. 2.3. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://metalab.unc.edu/cmc/mag/1995/mar/berge.html.
Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) Studies Center. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.december.com/cmc/study/center.html.
Cravener, P.A. (1998). Education on the Web. Computer: Innovative Technology for Computer Professionals. 31.9. 107-108. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cravener.net/articles/DEweb.pdf.
Cravener, P.A., & Michael, W.B. (1998). Students use of adjunctive CMC. In K. Dooley (Ed.), Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Distance Education Conference (pp. 27-36). Texas A & M University: Center for Distance Learning Research. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cravener.net/articles/austin1.html.
Fleck, Jr., R. A. & McQueen, T. (1999, November). Internet access, usage, and policies in colleges and universities. First Monday 4.11. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_11/fleck/index.html.
Kearsley, G., Lynch, W. & Wizer, D. (1995, May). The effectiveness and impact of computer conferencing in graduate education. The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.gwu.edu/~etl/cmc.html.
Ludlow, P. (Ed.). (1996, June). High noon on the electronic frontier: Conceptual issues in cyberspace. Cambridge: MIT Press. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://semlab2.sbs.sunysb.edu/Users/pludlow/highnoon.html.
Mims, N. G. (1999, Fall). Out of the ivory tower and into the chat rooms -- Are we giving in too much to technology? Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. 2.3. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.westga.edu/~distance/mims23.html.
Morris, D., Mitchell, N., & Bell, M. (1999). Student use of computer mediated communication in an open university level 1 course: Academic or social? JIME 2. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www-jime.open.ac.uk/99/2/.
Rogers, S. M.& Wells, T. (1997). Computer-Mediated Communications. DEOSNEWS 7.6. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.music.ecu.edu/DistEd/communications.html.
Starr R. H. & Turoff, M. (1993). Video plus virtual classroom for distance education: Experience with graduate courses. Invited paper for Conference on Distance Education in DOD. National Defense University. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://eies.njit.edu/~turoff/Papers/dised2.htm.
Turoff, M. (1991). An overview of computer mediated communications. Transcript of an invited talk at the University of Victoria & Simon Fraser University. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://eies.njit.edu/~turoff/Papers/victalk.htm.
Williams, G. A. Online moderator guidelines and community-building tips. Adapted from The WELL Host Manual by J. Hoag, 1997. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.well.com/confteam/hosting.html.
Woolley, D. Conferencing software for the web: A comprehensive guide to software that powers discussions on the web. Retrieved 24 March 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://thinkofit.com/webconf/.
"This is a definition of computer-mediated communication that I've been using for several years; it is not meant to be the definition; I've used this as a working statement to explore the dimensions of what computer-mediated communication is and how to approach its study. Since I do research on Internet-based CMC, this definition is oriented to that context; but I don't mean to imply here that all CMC is Internet-based.
I believe that process and context are key themes in the study of computer-mediated communication.
Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) is the process by which people create, exchange, and perceive information using networked telecommunications systems (or non-networked computers) that facilitate encoding, transmitting, and decoding messages. Studies of CMC can view this process from a variety of interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives by focusing on some combination of people, technology, processes, or effects. Some of these perspectives include the social, cognitive/psychological, linguistic, cultural, technical, or political aspects; and/or draw on fields such as human communication, rhetoric and composition, media studies, human-computer interaction, journalism, telecommunications, computer science, technical communication, or information studies."
Defining Internet-based computer-mediated communication:
December, J. (1996). Units of analysis for Internet communication. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 1(4) / Journal of Communication, 46(1). http://www.usc.edu/dept/annenberg/vol1/issue4/december.html.
An exploratory essay raising issues of CMC's definition:
December, J. (1997). Notes on defining of computer-mediated communication. Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine, (3):1. http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1997/jan/december.html.
Special issue of Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine on What is CMC?:
(1997). Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine, 3(1). http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1997/jan/toc.html
From December, John. What is Computer-Mediated Communication... Retrieved 8 April 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.december.com/john/study/cmc/what.html.
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