Group processes can be viewed from two as­pects — group communication (the linguistic acts in the communication process) and the actual group dynamics present (Goldberg & Larson, 1975). While the former focuses on the com­munication process between group members, the latter examines the many behavior patterns of the interaction and interpersonal relationships between group members. […]

Anonymity is a crucial feature in collaborative systems and refers to the inability ofteam members to identify the origin and destination of messages received and sent (Valacich et al., 1992). Drawing from the social identity model of deindividuation (Spears & Lea, 1992), anonymity within a social group would encourage deindividuation which maximizes the opportunity of […]

1.1 Gender Effects in CMC Gender research has revealed several differences in communication styles between males and females (Barrett & Davidson, 2006). Similarly, communi­cation styles over CMC have been found to differ between males and females (Lind, 1999; Thom­son, 2006a). Males tend to be more aggressive and argumentative in communication compared to females. On the […]

The distributed work force is becoming more prevalent in many organizations. Increasingly, e­business requires employees to work across office boundaries such as from their homes, outstations, and different countries. Employees often work in temporary groups to fulfill particular organiza­tional tasks. These are known as virtual teams, who due to geographical, organizational or time dispersion, rely […]

An Exploratory Study Elizabeth Koh National University of Singapore, SingaporeNa Liu National University of Singapore, SingaporeJohn Lim National University of Singapore, Singapore ABSTRACT With the advancement of information and communication technology, virtual teams are becoming more popular as geographical constraints in collaboration have become a non-issue. Features of the technology and characteristics ofthe group influence […]

This book would never come into being if it weren’t for the IGI Global team who contacted me with the suggestion to edit this book and provided me with help throughout the book project. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude in particular to Julia Mosemann, Director of Book Publications and Heath­er Probst, Director […]

In Chapter 13, Monica Whitty examines the differences between the development of on-line relationships and the more traditional face-to-face courtships. The chapter presents a model for the phases of online dating and compares this model with Givens’ (1979) work on a traditional model of courtship. It argues that eDating follows different “phases” than other courtship […]

In Chapter 9, Abbe E. Forman, Paul Baker, Jessica Pater, and Kel Smith examine the portrayal of dis­ability, gender, and identity in virtual communities where representation is a matter of convenience, style, or whim. Based on survey of groups that identified themselves as disabled or having a disability, with a focus on gender, four distinctive […]

In Chapter 1, Elizabeth Koh, Liu Na, and John Lim focus on the interaction between anonymity and gender and their impact on groupwork, particularly in terms of team collaboration processes, satisfaction and performance. The study that the authors report on in the chapter presents a process-based interpretation of virtual team collaboration, incorporating the anonymity of […]

This book, Gender and Social Computing: Interactions, Differences and Relationships, provides an overview of the major questions that researchers and practitioners are addressing at this time, outlining possible future directions for theory development and empirical research on gender and computing. In doing so, this volume contributes toward closing the gap between the public growing interest […]