What is chat doing in the workplace?
M Handel, JD Herbsleb - Proceedings of the 2002 ACM conference on …, 2002 - dl.acm.org
M Handel, JD Herbsleb
Proceedings of the 2002 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work, 2002•dl.acm.orgWe report an empirical study of a synchronous messaging application with group-oriented
functionality designed to support teams in the workplace. In particular, the tool supports
group chat windows that allow members of a group to communicate with text that persists for
about a day. We describe the experience of 6 globally-distributed work groups who used the
tool over a period of 17 months. An analysis of use shows that the group functionality was
used primarily for bursts of synchronous conversations and occasional asynchronous …
functionality designed to support teams in the workplace. In particular, the tool supports
group chat windows that allow members of a group to communicate with text that persists for
about a day. We describe the experience of 6 globally-distributed work groups who used the
tool over a period of 17 months. An analysis of use shows that the group functionality was
used primarily for bursts of synchronous conversations and occasional asynchronous …
We report an empirical study of a synchronous messaging application with group-oriented functionality designed to support teams in the workplace. In particular, the tool supports group chat windows that allow members of a group to communicate with text that persists for about a day. We describe the experience of 6 globally-distributed work groups who used the tool over a period of 17 months. An analysis of use shows that the group functionality was used primarily for bursts of synchronous conversations and occasional asynchronous exchanges. The content was primarily focused on work tasks, and negotiating availability, with a smattering of non-work topics and humor. Nearly all groups were remarkably similar in the content of their group chat, although the research group chatted far more frequently than the others. We conclude with suggestions for future research, and a discussion of the place of team-oriented synchronous messaging tools in the workplace.
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