------------------------------------------------------------------------ Information Sources: the Internet and Computer-Mediated Communication ======================================================================== WHO === Compiled by John December (decemj@rpi.edu) WHEN ==== The internet-cmc project last update: 11 Mar 94. WHERE ===== Anonymous ftp Host: ftp.rpi.edu; File: pub/communications/internet-cmc.readme Web access: http://www.rpi.edu/Internet/Guides/decemj/internet-cmc.html WHAT ==== This file (internet-cmc.readme) describes information relating to my project to list information sources related to the Internet and Computer-Mediated Communication. The purpose of my project is to list pointers to information describing the Internet, computer networks, and issues related to computer-mediated communication (CMC). Topics include the technical, social, cognitive, and psychological aspects of computer networking and applications of CMC. Comments always welcome. WHY === I've gathered this information because I'm working on a PhD dealing with CMC and the use of the Internet. I'm sharing this information because I feel it belongs to the network community, for free, because that is where and how I got it. If my effort is worth something to you, I'm glad. Just cite me or acknowledge my work and preserve my copyright statement. In preparing this list, I first developed an ASCII file version, internet-cmc. However, I have recognized the need for this information to be more amenable for entry into other information systems, so I have developed a file tagged with identifier information (internet-cmc.dat) and a software program to translate this .dat file into other formats described below. FILES ===== Here are the files available at the ftp site: Anonymous ftp Host: ftp.rpi.edu; Directory: pub/communications/ File Explanation -------------------- ------------------------------------------------ internet-cmc.readme this file internet-cmc.dat the `raw data' file for other internet-cmc files, tagged according to the KEY, described below. internet-cmc a human-readable (wide column) version which can be manipulated or reformatted using Unix scripts; some scripts are suggested in this file itself. internet-cmc.txt a human-readable version which stays in 80-columns; useful for reading as static text (printed or online), but not as useful for scanning and reformatting as internet-cmc internet-cmc.tex the LaTeX version (source) internet-cmc.ps.Z the compressed PostScript version internet-cmc.html the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) version Thanks to Kevin Hughes (kevinh@pulua.hcc.hawaii.edu) for developing an early version of the software to convert internet-cmc.dat to internet-cmc.html. Link to this file with the URL: http://www.rpi.edu/Internet/Guides/decemj/internet-cmc.html internet-cmc.dvi the device-independent (binary) version internet-cmc.gif The graphics image that I use in the .html version. internet-cmc.bib This is a selected listing of items related to Computer-Mediated Communication, the Internet, and network information infrastructure and use. internet-cmc.use Some tips on using this information (still in draft form). The source code for translating internet-cmc.dat into its various formats is available on request. USE === Basically, o internet-cmc.ps looks best for reading on static paper. o internet-cmc.txt is good if you want the 80-column constraint (other wise, it seems a bit awkward to read with all the continuations). o internet-cmc is great for manipulating with Unix scripts. o internet-cmc.html is useful in a WWW server; Connect to URL: http://www.rpi.edu/Internet/Guides/decemj/internet-cmc.html HOW YOU CAN HELP ME =================== 1. Tell me of any errors/improvement suggestions. ---------------------------------------------- I try to check the information in this document as much as possible-- but this is a monumental task. So if a link is old, I might not get to it for a while. Let me know if you have problems with any source, and feel free to suggest new ones. Even send me any little nitpicks (spelling errors, formats). My goal is to continuously increase the quality and usability of this information. a. Quality Improvements i. I'm still actively seeking tools or methods to automatically verify the existence of Internet resources. My goal is to have an automated way to verify that a resource exists given its Uniform Resource Locator (URL). I want to have a program or script (touch-url in the illustration below) that will take an arbitrary Uniform Resource Locator and tell me if the resource it points to exists or not: $ touch-url http://www.internic.net/internic.html returns: 0 if not found 1 if found I have received some suggestions, but no single automated way to do this. My understanding so far is that a general solution to this is not possible. A program to at least do some of this would have applicability to many resource lists and would be a great help in identifying "stale" links. Given such a program or script, I could do a better quality check on the information that I distribute. Send me a note if you are interested in helping me with this. ii. In the program that I use to translate internet-cmc.dat to the other formats for this imformation, I've placed checks to make sure that the required information to identify a resource is there. Some of the previous errors with this information were of this type---where I had the wrong KEY (see below) tag for a resource---so that it would be missing a host or address name. Errors of this kind should be all cleared up. b. Usability Improvements i. I will be expanding and updating the .use file. ii. In the long term, I'll be re-organizing the categories and re-shaping the information presentation. 2. Be a subject for my dissertation research ----------------------------------------- I need people to answer questions about their use of specific Internet resources and interfaces. Send me an email note to me (decemj@rpi.edu) asking me how you can participate. COPYRIGHT ========= My copyright statement is meant to protect my ownership of this work and to prevent someone from directly profiting from its distribution. Feel free to use my files for any educational or personal use in any setting (academia, industry, government, etc) as long as you don't directly charge for the distribution of this work---that is, you don't charge anyone a fee to receive a copy of this work (aside from normal connect times in the case of online services, or the normal tuition charges in the case of training or education, or the cost of delivery medium itself such as photocopying). If you have any doubt about the use of this work, and especially if you are using it in a commercial setting, just send me a note. I've never turned anyone down who asked to use this work, nor have I earned any money from its use or distribution. The following section illustrates references and uses of this work that are OK with me. REFERENCES TO THIS DOCUMENT =========================== I had been keeping track of where on the network and in books my document was referenced. I had been doing this for my own interests and to keep track of Internet information archives. I'm no longer specifically looking for these references in order that I may focus more of my energies on improving this information itself. Internet searching tools allow me to find most references (particularly since the development of the World Wide Web Worm!). My document is referenced or in full text at dozens of ftp sites, gophers, Web Pages. If you are a maintainer of copies, please make sure that you regularly obtain my most recent version so the users will have the most updated information possible. Using links where possible is the best way to deliver the "freshest" information. For Web users, update the pointer to the http access given at the top of this file. I'm working out some http mirror sites in Europe and Asia for internet-cmc.html, internet-tools.html, and my Internet Web text, http://www.rpi.edu/Internet/Guides/decemj/text.html. My document has been mentioned in many Internet books, including, Hahn, Harley and Rick Stout (1994) _The Internet Complete Reference_ and _The Internet Yellow Pages_, and Tolhurst, William A., Mary Ann Pike and Keith A. Banton (1994), _Using the Internet_. In full-text, my list has been or will appear on CD-ROMs from Sun Microsystems and Atlanta Innovation, Inc. and in a forthcoming book, _CMC and the Online Classroom: An Overview and Perspectives_ (Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press). KEY === to internet-cmc.dat: Look at the file internet-cmc.dat. The format should be fairly self-explanatory. The following is a detailed description of it. Each item of the file internet-cmc.dat is of the form: ::= # ::= | | | ::= EMAIL | FINGER | FTP | GOPHER | HTTP | PHONE | TELNET | UNIX | USENET ::= "[:]" ::= % string | NULL ::= ADR | AUDIENCE | BODY | CHECKED | DIR | DIAL | FILE | GROUP | HOST | LOGIN | PASS | PORT | PURPOSE | SUBJECT | TOPIC | DIAL | COMMAND ::= | AUTHOR | COPYRIGHT | DATE | DISCLAIMER | END-DOCUMENT | PAPER | SECTION | SUB-SECTION | SUB-SUB-SECTION | TITLE | UPDATES ::= string ::= a blank character ::= PAPER ::= author. (year). title. other publication information. ::= END-DOCUMENT More explanations: Description -------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- # a comment (a # followed by a blank character, followed by any character strings.) #AUTHOR the author of the document (email address) #COPYRIGHT a statement of the copyright #DATE the release date; version #DISCLAIMER disclaimers about document use #EMAIL an email CMC ITEM (see below) #END-DOCUMENT the end of the document #FINGER a finger CMC ITEM (see below) #FTP a ftp CMC ITEM (see below) #GOPHER a gopher server #HTTP hypertext transfer protocol #PAPER a PAPER ITEM (see below) #PHONE telephone (%DIAL field shows phone #) #SECTION a main section title #SUB-SECTION a sub-section #SUB-SUB-SECTION a sub-sub-section #TELNET a telnet CMC ITEM (see below) #TITLE the title of the document #UPDATES how to obtain updates of the document #UNIX Unix operating system command #USENET a Usenet newsgroup Description --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ %ADR Internet address (used with #EMAIL) %BODY body of the email message %COMMAND command (used with #UNIX) %DIAL Used with #PHONE to show phone call %DIR directory (used with #FTP) %FILE name of the file (used with #FTP) %GROUP name of the Usenet newsgroup %HOST computer host Internet address (e.g., for #FTP, #TELNET) %LOGIN the login name you should use (e.g, for #TELNET) %PASS the password (e.g., if password for #FTP is NOT 'anonymous') %PORT port number (used with #TELNET) %SUBJECT the subject of the email message Each of the above CMC ITEMs has a "description : long description." The long description is optional, the : separates the short description from the long description. OTHER FIELDS ------------ Note: not all the entries have the following fields filled in yet, and I don't use these fields for anything yet. %PURPOSE the overall purpose for the item; one of: GUIDE to provide an explanatory guide LIST to list information (e.g., internet-cmc is a list) CATALOG to provide a catalog (a list with more description for each item) DESCRIBE to describe something COLLECT to collect/gather information (e.g., a gopher menu) %AUDIENCE the intended audience for the item; one of: NEW a new user to the Internet or the explained application USER an experienced (intermediate) user ADVANCED an advanced user SPECIAL a specialized user %TOPIC the topic the item relates to; one of EDUCATION LIBRARY INTERNET EMAIL TEXT %CHECKED date last checked REVISION PROCESS ================ 1. I update this information almost once a week (I save references to new information from LISTSERVs, newsgroups, my Hot List, and other sources, and when my directory space gets nearly full, it is time to update my document!) 2. After this (almost weekly) update, I generate a http version and place it at the http://www.rpi.edu/Internet/ Guides/decemj site. 3. Because generating the LaTeX version is labor-intensive (my translator program can't do all the work) and because I submit files for the ftp site to an administrator first, I don't update the ftp site information as often as the http site information. REVISION HISTORY ================ Vers Date Lines ---- --------- ----- 1.00 23 May 92 242 1.20 04 Jun 92 279 1.40 29 Jun 92 272 1.50 01 Aug 92 319 1.60 01 Sep 92 353 1.70 20 Oct 92 368 1.80 01 Dec 92 384 1.81 05 Dec 92 391 1.90 11 Jan 93 411 2.00 19 Jan 93 435 2.10 01 Feb 93 462 2.20 13 Feb 93 486 2.30 15 Mar 93 513 2.40 04 Apr 93 539 2.50 10 May 93 570 2.60 03 Jul 93 633 2.70 26 Jul 93 694 2.90 28 Aug 93 551 .dat file, multiple (.tex, .txt, .ps, .html) formats 2.98 02 Oct 93 594 3.00 03 Nov 93 696 3.10 17 Nov 93 733 3.14 01 Dec 93 790 3.15 15 Dec 93 848 3.20 22 Jan 94 960 3.25 11 Feb 94 989 3.29 05 Mar 94 1160 3.30 11 Mar 94 1201 Biographical Note ================= John December is a Ph.D. Candidate in the program in Communication and Rhetoric at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a Teaching Assistant at Rensselaer and researching Computer-Mediated Communication tools, forums, and technology. He is beginning a doctoral dissertation dealing with CMC. John recently presented papers on CMC: "Characteristics of Oral Culture in Discourse on the Net" at the 1993 Penn State Conference on Rhetoric and Composition and "Directions for Computer-Mediated Scholarship" at the 1993 International Professional Communication Conference of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He is third author, with Fay Sudweeks and Mauri Collins, of a chapter, "Internetwork Resources" in the book, _CMC and the Online Classroom: An Overview and Perspectives_ (Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press). He is the author of a chapter on navigating the Internet in the forthcoming book, _Computer Networking and Scholarship in the 21st Century University_, a collection of essays edited by Teresa M. Harrison and Timothy Stephen (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press). Prior to studying at Rensselaer, John earned a M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing (Poetry) from The Wichita State University, and a B.S. in Mathematics from Michigan Technological University. From 1985 to 1989, he developed software in the Operations Analysis Department of Boeing Military Airplanes in Wichita, Kansas. He has published poetry in many literary magazines including Mid-American Review, Sou'wester, Passages North, and others. ------------------------------------------------------------------------