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networking via these devices. Examples of such

mobile social software (MoSoSo) services include

Dodgeball (www.dodgeball.com), which connects

people to their friends on the basis of physical

proximity, and Morca (www.common.net), which

helps people discover common interests from

each others profiles, indexed by their email

addresses. Jones and Grandhis framework begins

to address the complexities inherent in making

judgments about our availability by bringing

into focus the fact that desire for contact is mod-

erated by who is contacting us and where we are

at the time.

C

entral to SNA is the interplay between the

activities of nodes and the dynamics of the

networks theyre part of. The Internet has made

us aware of peoples desires and abilities to net-

work socially beyond the confines of geographi-

cal proximity.

The articles in this special issue attempt to

honor the actions of the nodes (the individuals)

while keeping in mind the bigger picture of col-

lective behavioral patterns. Although the tools

described here are all intended for individuals,

each article highlights how new technologies and

technical competencies will further push our

understanding of human social-networking dri-

ves and desires. Specifically, socially adaptive

location-aware technologies, large-screen dis-

plays, and visualization methods for quickly rep-

resenting group dynamics and socio- (rather than

bio-) feedback will surely highlight even more

about how people establish, manage, and main-

tain their social networks in mediated and face-

to-face communication situations and, for that

matter, manage their identities and relationships

as there are more and more ways to connect and

be connected to.

Although we cant do full justice to the theme

topic in terms of sociological analysis, communi-

cation-tool development, personal experience, or

business analysis and applications, we hope this

special issue proves provocative.

References

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Sage Publications, 1991.

2. M. Granovetter, The Strength of Weak Ties, Am. J. Soci-

ology, vol. 78, no. 6, May 1973, pp. 13601380.

3. M. Granovetter, Getting a Job. A Study of Contacts and

Careers, Harvard Univ. Press, 1974.

4. B. Wellman and M. Gulia, Virtual Communities as Com-

munities: Net Surfers Dont Ride Alone, Networks in the

Global Village: Life in Contemporary Communities, B. Well-

man, ed., Westview, 1999, pp. 331366.

5. H. Rheingold, The Virtual Community: Homesteading on

the Electronic Frontier, Addison-Wesley, 1993.

6. L. Cherny, Conversation and Community: Discourse in a

Virtual World, CSLI Publications, 1999.

7. E.F. Churchill and S. Bly, Virtual Environments at Work:

Ongoing Use of MUDs in the Workplace, Proc. Intl Joint

Conf. Work Activities Coordination and Collaboration, ACM

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Social Ties Online, Comm. ACM, vol. 45, no. 7, 2002, pp.

103108.

9. K. Hampton and B. Wellman, Neighboring in Netville:

How the Internet Supports Community and Social Capital

in a Wired Suburb, City and Community, vol. 2, no. 4,

2003, pp. 277311.

10. J. Sunden, Material Virtualities: Approaching Online Tex-

tual Embodiment, Peter Lang Publishing, 2003.

11. M. Castells, The Rise of the Network Society The Infor-

mation Age: Economy, Society and Culture, vol. 1, Black-

well, 1996.

12. M. Castells, The Internet Galaxy: Reections on the Inter-

net, Business, and Society, Oxford Univ. Press, 2001.

13. R. Cross, N. Nohria, and A. Parker, Six Myths about Infor-

mal Networks and How To Overcome Them, Sloan Man-

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14. R. Cross, A. Parker, and S. Borgatti, Making Invisible Work

Visible: Using Social Network Analysis To Support Strate-

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2002, pp. 2546.

Elizabeth F. Churchill is a research scientist at Palo Alto

Research Center (PARC). Originally a psychologist by train-

ing, her research interests center on designing and evalu-

ating technologies, tools, and smart environments to

facilitate content sharing and communication. Churchill

has a PhD in cognitive science from the University of Cam-

bridge. She has authored numerous publications and

coedited several books concerned with peoples interactions

in physical and digital spaces. Contact her at churchill@

acm.org.

Christine A. Halverson is a research staff member at IBM. Her

interests include aspects of social interaction, whether in

complex work places, online communities, or daily life.

Halverson has a PhD in cognitive science from the Univer-

sity of California, San Diego. She is coeditor of

Resources, Co-Evolution, and Artifacts: Theory in CSCW

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