Providing a shared environment to distributed work groups

The author presents a prototype system designed to support distributed work groups. The system is based on a communication concept that integrates synchronous and asynchronous communication modes. The user interface was implemented based on the room metaphor, which provides users with one simple mechanism for communication, regardless of the type of media and communication mode. As for the types of media, text, graphics, image, voice, and video are supported. The author focuses on the room metaphor and its implementation with special attention paid to video related issues