As more off-line groups are using the internet to communicate internally, we are encountering varied expectations about how to use the tools. Groups that were built online probably don’t have the same problems, but since all this is so new, we do have lots of cross-currents.

For those of us looking for guidance, the Center for the Digital Future does a very good annual study of how people are using the internet and what the typical user is doing. It’s very helpful.

Link: Center for the Digital Future’s 2004 Trends Announcement.

One of the more interesting findings in the Digital Future Project is that we may be seeing the first hints that the most experienced users are not going to answer e-mail as often as they used to: new users think e-mail needs to be answered faster than do the experienced users. While e-mail is used regularly by practically everyone, a “common etiquette” for its use has not yet emerged. Thus far, no commonly accepted conventions about dealing with e-mail: how quickly should users respond? What types of correspondence should be handled electronically? Do users need to respond to every e-mail?

It’s still impossible to predict what an individual group member expects, but at least you have a baseline to proceed from.