An alternative to video is iconic presence indicators that show who is around and the likelihood of their availability. This paper shows how presence indicators, as implemented in Peepholes, afford casual interaction, especially when they are integrated with common communication and groupware facilities. Users can create their virtual community in Peepholes by choosing potential collaborators from an electronic address book. For example, Figure 1 shows a virtual community of five people selected from the book. Each person is represented by a labeled icon and optional address entry.
Peepholes automatically maintains the address book.
It first scans incoming email for names and electronic addresses, and then adds new members to the book or updates old ones. This tracks people who have recently communicated with the user, and who are likely to be part of one's virtual community. In the book, a user can create sub-communities and assign people to them. Particular sub-communities can then be recalled quickly. Peepholes activity icons and an address entry Informal awareness through activity indicators.