Skip to main content
Log in

Challenges for Cooperative Work on the Web: An Analytical Approach

  • Published:
Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper investigates some of the issues which willdetermine the viability of the World Wide Web as aninfrastructure for cooperative work. In fact, takinga weak definition of collaboration, the Web is alreadya very successful collaborative environment. Inaddition, it is already being used as the basis forexperimental and commercial groupware. The paper takesthis as a starting point and uses analytic methodsdeveloped in the field of Computer SupportedCooperative Work to investigate the reasons for theWeb's present success, its strengths and weaknesses asa platform for CSCW, and prospects for future development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Benford, S., J. Bowers, L. Fahlén, and C. Greenhalgh (1994): Managing Mutual Awareness in Collaborative Virtual Environments. In Proceedings of ACM SIGCHI Conference on Virtual Reality and Technology-VRST'94. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bentley, R., T. Horstmann, and J. Trevor (1997): The World Wide Web as Enabling Technology for CSCW: The Case of BSCW. Computer Supported Cooperative Work: The Journal of Collaborative Computing (this issue).

  • Brown, C. and S. Benford (1996): Collaborative Visualisation of Large-Scale Hypermedia Databases. In Proceedings of the ERCIM W4G Workshop on CSCW and the Web, Sankt Aigustin, Germany, April 1996. Available from GMD as GMD Working Paper 984.

  • Dix, A.J. (1992): Pace and Interaction. In Proceedings of HCI'92: People and Computers VII, York, September 1992. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 193–207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dix, A.J. (1994): Computer-Supported Cooperative Work-A Framework. In D. Rosenburg and C. Hutchison (eds.): Design Issues in CSCW. London: Springer-Verlag, pp. 9–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dix, A.J. (1995):Cooperationwithout (Reliable) Communication: Interfaces for Mobile Applications. Distributed Systems Engineering, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 171–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dix, A.J., D. Ramduny, and J. Wilkinson (1996): Long-Term Interaction: Learning the 4 Rs. In CHI'96 Conference Companion, Vancouver, Canada. New York: ACM Press, pp. 169–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dix, A.J. (1996): Closing the Loop: Modelling Action, Perception and Information. In AVI'96-Advanced Visual Interfaces, Gubbio, Italy. New York: ACM Press, pp. 20–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Easterbrook, S. (ed.) (1993): CSCW: Cooperation or Conflict? London: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, A. (ed.) (1993): Extra-Ordinary Human-Computer Interaction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuchs, L., U. Pankoke-Babatz, and W. Prinz (1995): Supporting Cooperative Awareness with Local Event Mechanisms: The GroupDesk System. In Proceedings of ECSCW'95, Stockholm, Sweden, 10-14 September 1995. Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 247–262.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ginsburg,M. and K. Duliba (1997):Enterprise-LevelGroupwareChoices:EvaluatingLotus Notes and Intranet-Based Solutions. Computer Supported Cooperative Work: The Journal of Collaborative Computing (this issue).

  • Grudin, J. (1988): Why CSCW Applications Fail: Problems in the Design and Evaluation of Organisational Interfaces. In Proceedings of CSCW'88, Portland, Oregon. New York: ACM Press, pp. 85–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haake, J. and B. Wilson (1992): Supporting Collaborative Writing of Hyperdocuments in SEPIA. In Proceedings of CSCW'92, Toronto, Canada, 31 October-4 November 1992. New York: ACM Press, pp. 138–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, C., P. Luff, and A. Sellen (1995): Reconsidering the Virtual Workplace: Flexible Support for Collaborative Activity. In Proceedings of ECSCW'95, Stockholm, Sweden, 10-14 September 1995. Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 83–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, J.A., D. Randall, and D. Shapiro (1992): Faltering from Ethnography to Design. In Proceedings of CSCW'92, Toronto, Canada, 31 October-4 November 1992. New York: ACM Press, pp. 115–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirby, A. and T. Rodden (1995):Contact: Support for DistributedCooperative Writing. In Proceedings of ECSCW'95, Stockholm, Sweden, 11-15 September 1995. Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 101–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lea, R., Y. Honda, and K. Matsuda (1997): Virtual Society: Virtual Collaboration in 3D Spaces on the Internet. Computer Supported Cooperative Work: The Journal of Collaborative Computing (this issue).

  • Manohar, N. and A. Prakash (1995): The Session Capture and Replay Paradigm for Asynchronous Collaboration. In Proceedings of ECSCW'95, Stockholm, Sweden, 11-15 September 1995. Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 149–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, J., M. Day, and J. Kucan (1996): Notification Servers for Synchronous Groupware. In Proceedings of CSCW'96, Boston, Massachusetts, 16-20 November 1996. New York: ACM Press, pp. 122–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfaff, G. (1985): User Interface Management Systems. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodden, T. (1996): Populating the Application: A Model of Awareness for Cooperative Applications. In Proceedings of CSCW'96, Boston, Massachusetts, 16-20 November 1996. New York: ACM Press, pp. 87–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez, G. and L. Navarro (1996): AlephWeb: A CSCW Large Scale Trader. In Proceedings of the ERCIM W4G workshop on CSCW and the Web, Sankt Aigustin, Germany, February 1996. Available from GMD as GMD Working Paper 984.

  • Romero Salcedo, M. and D. Decouchant (1997): Structured Collaborative Editing on theWorldWide Web. Computer Supported Cooperative Work: The Journal of Collaborative Computing (this issue).

  • Sandor,O. and K. Tollmar (1996):@Work:The Design of aNewCommunication Tool. In Proceedings of the ERCIM W4G workshop on CSCW and the Web, Sankt Aigustin, Germany, February 1996. Available from GMD as GMD Working Paper 984.

  • Schill, A. (1995): Cooperative Office Systems. London: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stefik, M., D. Bobrow, G. Foster, S. Lanning, and D. Tatar (1987): WYSIWIS Revised: Early Experiences withMulti-User Interfaces. ACMTransactions on Office Information Systems, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 147–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takemura, H. and F. Kishino (1992): Cooperative Work Environment Using Virtual Workspace. In Proceedings of CSCW'92, Toronto, Canada, 31 October-4 November 1992. New York: ACM Press, pp. 226–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Took, R. (1990): Surface Interaction: A Paradigm and Model for Separating Application and Interface. In Proceedings of CHI'90, Seattle, Washington, 1-5 April 1990. New York: ACM Press, pp. 35–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Welie, M. and A. Eliëns (1996): Chatting on the Web. In Proceedings of the ERCIM W4G workshop on CSCW and the Web, Sankt Aigustin, Germany, February 1996. Available from GMD as GMD Working Paper 984.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dix, A. Challenges for Cooperative Work on the Web: An Analytical Approach. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 6, 135–156 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008635907287

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008635907287

Navigation