Informal Communication in Distributed Environments

Mark Handel
School of Information
University of Michigan

7:00pm
Wednesday, October 8, 2003
411 West Hall (Ehrlicher Room) directions...

Much work is done in informal and opportunistic contexts, for example, running into a co-worker in a hallway or a short meeting at the water cooler. However, when collaborative work is spread across multiple locations, these opportunistic contexts disappear, causing problems such as scheduling delays and loss of shared context. This talk discusses a possible technological solution: presence awareness with text chat. Much has been made of the potential pitfalls of this solution however. Results will be presented from a deployment of a prototype group-oriented text chat environment into a geographically distributed workplace that support the use of chat in the workplace as one tool among others to help build shared context and support informal communication.

About the Speaker

Mark Handel is a PhD Candidate at the University of Michigan's School of Information. Prior to studying at UM, he graduated with a dual degree in Computer Science and Art History from Cornell University. While at UM, he worked with Bell Laboratories on globally distributed software development methodologies, and is currently researching the role of technology in maintaining social relationships across geographic boundaries. His areas of research include the roles of informal communication in maintaining work and social relationships; presence or situational awareness technologies and techniques; and ways to better support distance collaboration.