When key communications are in electronic form, people often try to archive them, and build collections of hundreds or thousands of message files. Unfortunately, many of today's email systems don't provide good tools for managing these archives. It should not surprise us that organizations that adopt electronic systems with high quality archiving and search capabilities behave differently than those in which managing electronic communication is a time consuming nuisance. Fourth, Connections focusses on groups who routinely use email and distribution lists for meetings and other work. In many organizations, only a fraction of the people routinely use email.
Email connects some people more effectively than others.
It can reshape the communication infrastructure of social systems. For some organizational members, routine email use by others disconnects them from significant aspects of organizational life. This is an intriguing topic that requires a different form of study. It indicates a subject which reading this book inspired us to consider more carefully. As a collection, the four topics listed above are less amenable to the kinds of experimental studies which form the evidentiary core of Connections.