Dear Colleagues

As the new semester begins I'd like to bring your attention to a new
website: http://www.ifsm.umbc.edu/onlinecommunities/, which contains many
useful links and resources for those teaching Online Communities, HCI,
Social Informatics and classes about CyberCulture.  The site is developed
to support Jenny Preece's new book: 'Online Communities: Designing
usability, supporting sociability', which is published by John Wiley and
Sons, and is available via Amazon.com, Barnsandnoble.com and regular book
retail outlets.

The first chapter of this book can be viewed on the Online Communities web
site, where there is also a table of contents. The book introduces the
reader to a variety of Online communities, reviews research in Psychology
and Sociology that underpins our understanding of social interaction in
cyberspace. The second half of the book provides a methodology for
developing online communities that students will find useful, together with
examples and guidelines. The book ends with a look towards the future in
which likely directions for future research are examined.

Gaynor Redvers-Mutton
Computer Science Editor
John Wiley & Sons