Notes that research on the use of networked information resources, like any kind of social science involving the study of human subjects, raises ethical questions. The tension between traditional research guidelines and new technologies is discussed; public/private distinctions and informed consent are addressed; and possible solutions are…

Describes a vision of the NREN (National Research and Education Network) as a set of public interest user organizations existing within the framework of the larger National Information Infrastructure to provide public information services that are the responsibility of government. The role of the private commercial sector is also discussed.…

Discusses the architecture of a global hypermedia information and communication system designed to operate through the Internet that is being developed at the Graz University of Technology (Austria). Topics addressed include clients and servers; distributed hypertext; link server protocol; document cache servers; and applications of the global…

Describes the Grace project's Group Communication Service which was developed to function in an Open Systems Interconnection global networking environment to aid in computer-supported cooperative work. A conceptual model of group communications is presented, system architecture and system navigation are explained, and two prototype activities are…

Before Nigeria can connect to the World Wide Web, it must have a national computer network and a series of organization-based intranets. This letter assesses Nigeria's communications infrastructure; discusses what is being done to improve it; and credits its shortcomings to low university funding, rising computers costs, currency exchange rates,…

Discusses policy decisions that led to the privatization and commercialization of NSFnet; explains the roles of IBM, MCI Communications, and ANS (Advanced Network and Service); and suggests the role that the federal government should take to ensure that the NREN (National Research and Education Network) addresses issues of public access and…

Describes the proposed Blacksburg Electronic Village project, a prototype community telecommunications network which delivers network services to an entire Virginia town. Possible educational, business and professional, civic, and quality of life uses are suggested. The importance of concentrating on applications and user services instead of…

Describes how the Commerce Department's Economic Bulletin Board has been linked to the Internet to further the dissemination of government information. Topics discussed include network services; operational constraints; technical issues; costs; identifying potential customers and their information needs; and future plans. (Contains six…

Examines the relationship between a society's communication technology and Marshall McLuhan's concerns for human cognition, and between the technology and the ways that humans organize their societies. It is suggested that appropriate development of global electronic networks could have a positive effect on individual and organizational abilities…

Surveys the politics and economics of networking and presents four general leadership strategies for making progress in the climate of change surrounding the developing National Information Infrastructure: (1) building the organizational information infrastructure; (2) emphasizing exploration and discovery; (3) cultivating relationships and…

Argues that much work needs to be done to assess the impacts of global networking on academic institutional performance. How the academic networked environment can be defined, possible assessment criteria, the need for a user perspective, and specific research needs are discussed. (Contains 11 references.) (KRN)

Presents a vision and a national strategy for civic networking based on the development of the National Information Infrastructure. Topics addressed include a public interest communications policy; benefits of civic networking, including improving services and reducing government costs, reducing poverty and health care costs, and improving…

Compares issues in the commercialization of public information through wide area networks in the United States and Europe. Policy and legal questions, the public's right to access information, government copyright issues, the potential for public-private-sector synergy, and the need to standardize formats and pricing are discussed. (Contains 45…

The federal Escrowed Encryption Standard (EES) has been opposed by civil liberties advocates and the computer industry. The author argues that the standard does not threaten privacy as long as its use remains voluntary, alternative forms of encryption are allowed, and the power of government to intercept transmission is kept in check. (20…

Argues that training is a critical success factor for Internet implementation in organizations, both in teaching Internet skills and in enabling trainees to participate in planning how the Internet could transform the organization. Conceptual areas relevant to the development of training and the associated theoretical perspectives are suggested.…