1. #WVUCommMOOCCMC: WHAT IS IT? Peter Steiner, 5 July 1993 for The New Yorker

2. TODAYS OBJECTIVES (backwards) working definition of CMC as computer mediated communication Why this (might?) matter 3. COMMUNICATION Process by which we stimulate meaning in the minds of othersusing both verbal and non-verbal messages (McCroskey & Richmond,1996) Its a process Its both verbal and non-verbal Its a goal-driven pursuit 4. MEDIATED (MEDIATION) A medium is any vessel thatcan contain a message For us, medium = channel 5. MEDIATED (MEDIATION) 6. COMPUTER Computer = digital technology Technology = tools Tools = devices to achieve goals Digital: information that is notrestricted to space or time 7. WHAT IS CMC? Basically, the sharing ofinformation throughdigital technology Communication Technology =Tools for Sharing But, all tools are not equal! 8. WHAT IS CMC?ITS NOT YOU,ITS ME MESSAGERECEIVER SENDERCHANNEL 9. WHY CMC MATTERS 10. ENGAGE! Question: Do different channels1. fight entropy better than others? Likely, as some channels are more permanent than others, resulting in more persistent information in our social networks. But, do we always want permanence with social information? 11. ENGAGE! Question: Do different channels2. increase message redundancies?Not so much through one channel, butthrough a combination of channels. One cansent single messages through several channelsat once. However, might the medium itselfbe a message? 12. ENGAGE! Question: Do different channels3. remove or introduce noise?Of course! But, in addition to physical andpsychological noise we might even think ofsocial noise when we share online, weusually share with a wider audience than weconsider. 13. ENGAGE! Question: Do different channels4. vary in their capacity for communication? The most apparent and least understood aspect of social media is that each channel is able to share more or less information; we refer to this capacity in terms of social cues, and we can understand medium as being rich or lean in these social cues. 14. ITS NOTENGAGE!YOU, ITS ME! Which is better?ITS NOT YOU, ITS ME! 15. ENGAGE Lets chat more! Share your answers and bringyour own questions and commentary: @bowmanspartan with #WVUCommMOOC WVUCommMOOC discussion forum 5 February 2013: We are all Media!