The CSCW forum

The author examines the computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) enterprise from historical, demographic, geographic, and linguistic perspectives. He also extends some earlier analyses of activity and technology content. The guiding analogy is that CSCW, rather than an existing or emerging field or discipline, is more profitably regarded as a forum, where researchers and developers with diverse backgrounds can mingle and shop before returning to their scattered homes. Several different perspectives are carefully identified. It is pointed out that by avoiding assumptions of widely overlapped interests, shared priorities, and even a common language, by focusing on differences and the patterns among them, one can avoid frustration and better understand what can be learned from other participants