ABSTRACT
Tricia Shiland, owner of a maternity evening wear company in New York City, routinely gets messages at her office about teen pop stars, No. 2 pencils, and Beanie Babies. But it isn’t spam. Sitting in a sunlit office crammed with sparkling dresses and boxes of fabric samples, Shiland carries on a running high-tech conversation with her 10-year-old daughter after school, on the evenings that Shiland works late, and on the weekends Devon spends with her dad. Using fax, email, instant message and phone, they catch up on the day or on Devon’s current wish list, and make plans—sometimes just for a face-to-face talk later. “It’s become such a central part of our existence, the computers, the IM,” says Shiland. “It’s changed our lives.” 1
