About this Issue

This is our first issue for the new academic year of Interface, the electronic journal of the Berglund Center for Internet Studies at Pacific University.

We begin this year of Interface with some familiar authors. Our Technology Editor, Mike Geraci, outlines a very useful tool to anyone working in small groups with "Implementing a WIKI as a Collaboration Tool for Small Group Projects" found at http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2007/04/geraci.php.

Dr. Sean Davis, our Medical Affairs Editor, offers the insightful "Internet-Based Tailored Health Communications: Application and Future Directions" found at: http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2007/04/davis.php

Our Legal Editor, Leonard D. DuBoff proffers useful advice to anyone in "The Importance of Properly Characterizing the Individual Who Works for Your Business," found at: http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2007/04/duboff.php. We are also pleased to announce that Leonard's firm, The DubBoff Law Group, has joined us as a Supporter of the Berglund Center. At the above link, the Duboff Law Group greatly expands our links to legal matters by making an extensive series of documents available on line.

We review two books, both directly related to writing and the Internet. Dawn Michelle Baude has written, in our opinion, the most useful guide to writing e-mail in a business environment with The Executive Guide to E-mail Correspondence, Including Model Letters for Every Situation. Our review can be found at http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2007/04/baude.php. We circulated a summary of some of her more important points on a Faculty-Staff listserv at Pacific University and have received many expressions of appreciation and it is now being used in training student workers as well. We think that any group that communicates internally via e-mail would find this work a time saver as well as one that might help them to avoid disruptive issues.

The second work, Judge Richard A. Posner's The Little Book of Plagiarism, found at http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2007/04/posner.php, is a witty, elegant, and incisive intellectual and legal tour of plagiarism in western culture. Any teacher or editor will find it both entertaining and thought-provoking. Posner's work served as the inspiration for this issue's Editorial Essay, "Plagiarism, Cheating and Culture," found at http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2007/04/posner.php.

We begin the year with the addition of several new members to our editorial board (See http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/editboard.php). Dr. Jerald Block, an old friend of Pacific University, has a psychiatric practice in Oregon and is an expert of some note on the issue of addiction and video gaming. His work on the connection between gaming and the Columbine high school shootings was much in the news recently. His report can be downloaded at his home page with much other material relevant to the impact of the Internet, at: http://www.jeraldjblock.medem.com/ypol/user/... Dr. Block will also present a Berglund Center Roundtable videocast on September 18; to view it begin at: http://bcis.pacificu.edu/roundtables/

Dr. Tom Cockburn from the Waikato Institute of Technology in New Zealand joins us as an expert on e-learning in the work place. His regular feature on this topic will begin appearing in our next issue.

We are also joined by a number of new staff members, including our Berglund Student Fellow for this academic year, Jennifer Hernandez, who brings great experience in working with photography and print publications to our staff. We will introduce our additional student staff in our next issue as well.

We are particularly pleased that graduates Matt Rose and Tara Fechter have joined us as professional staff, as Webmaster and Program Manager, respectively.

Veteran readers will also notice a new layout to our pages at the Berglund Center for Internet Studies. It was a difficult decision to alter our original designs which have served us so well, but as we have much expanded our activities we needed a more open and user friendly interface. We think you will find it intuitive and flexible, providing many more navigation routes to our content.

We expect a great year at the Berglund Center as we continue to make accessible to an internet audience the best writing covering the Impact of the Internet, adding new features regularly. We hope that you will join us regularly.

Jeffrey Barlow
Director, the Berglund Institute for Internet Studies
Pacific University