ABSTRACT
The Colab project was conceived as an experiment in computer support for meetings. The brainstorming stage is intended to foster the free-flowing contribution of ideas. The order of items for the presentation is established in Cognoter by incremental and local steps. Computer media change some of the basic parameters of conversation and enable profound changes in the shape of the conversations. The possibility of simultaneous communications relaxes many constraints. It increases the possible bandwidth of communication in meetings. During the brainstorming phase of Cognoter, the parallel action in proposing ideas reduces the usual verbal communication to coordinate turn-taking and synchronization. A participant can enter an idea whenever it comes to mind. Oral conversation tends to drop off radically, since so much of the communication load shifts from ears to eyes. Work life in an organization is filled with conversations and to this end, seam-lessness may turn out to be a key to the adoption of technology.
