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Discussion of the use of electronic networking systems by women focuses on a study of their use of the Public Electronic Network (PEN) in Santa Monica (California). Characteristics of PEN that contributed to female adoption are described; gender, political participation, and motivation are examined; and future research is suggested. (46 references) (LRW)

Getting help in understanding how to use and interpret a new information system is a crucial organizational and individual resource. Indeed, both informal and formal sources of information technology help are expensive and necessary, but largely unidentified, unmanaged, and underresearched. This study proposes that two types of factors influence the formation of information technology helping relationships: individual and structural. Based on a survey of employees in an organization implementing a new workstation-based customer database system, the study compares influences on being sought as an informal source of IT help, and on types of help (individual or positional) that one seeks. One individual factor (some forms of computer expertise) and most structural factors (especially measures of employees' perceived socialization, task interdependence, and communication networks) exerted weak but significant influences on employees' IT helping relationships.

Collective action organizations used to rely on interpersonal channels for intra-organization communication. However, their increasing size and the changes in their bureaucratic nature made the use of mass-mediated channels seem more effective. A survey of members of an environmental action group was undertaken to compare how a certain communication channel influences the individual members' consensual support of the group's goals. Results showed that volunteers, who participated through interpersonal and mass-mediated channels, agreed more with their dominant leaders' goal rankings than did direct mail members, who participated through mass-mediated channels.

The two controversial institutional values, the particular discipline value and the value which combines completely opposite views, have retarded the development of communication studies rather than increasing the development. The primary reason is that the scholars advocating the two different views have always been in conflict and never in agreement. They have considered the discipline level values in isolation and not in a referential context. The disciplinary conflicts are caused primarily due to connectedness, creativity, pluralism and social relevance. The social, economic and intellectual conditions reveal the relative importance of the values.