Flaming among first-time group support system users

Numerous benefits, including increases in efficiency, effectiveness, and participant satisfaction, have been noted in the literature when electronic meetings are used in place of traditional, oral meetings. However, several costs, or process losses, have also been observed, including an increase in 'flaming' characterized by insults or even obscenities. This paper describes how flaming may be correlated with numerous task and group member characteristics. Results of a case study show that a large number of flames are unrelated to the topic and that a small minority of those writing comments are responsible for the majority of flames. No variables were found to be significant predictors, but its incidence was exclusively among males. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.