Online Rhetoric Online Collaboration Software

Online Rhetoric Online collaboration software such as Cisco's Web Ex, Microsoft Office Live, Google documents, and dimdim.com are changing the nature of rhetoric. Online collaboration software enables asynchronous as well as real-time conversation, expanding the range of possibilities for individual and group communicators. The language of online discourse also differs from that of traditional rhetoric even though most of the core elements of classical rhetoric remain the same. Aristotlean rhetoric, the fundamental elements of pathos, ethos, and logos, are still core components to any discourse whether online or face-to-face.

Similarly, the five main canons of rhetoric: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery are present within online communications. Online collaboration software has made rhetoric less formal, more universally accessible, and more egalitarian. The technological tools used in online collaboration projects have also changed the nature of the workplace and the meaning of management. No longer tied down to an office or even to a city, members of an organization can communicate and collaborate on projects at any time, in any time zone, and from anywhere on the planet.

The possibilities for freelancers to participate in organizational projects increase through the use of online collaboration tools like Cisco's Web Ex and Microsoft Office Live. Web meetings and "webinars" mimic traditional social settings but expand the range of potential participants, enabling persons with inflexible schedules to participate fully. Online collaboration software eliminates the closed-door atmosphere of traditional meetings and seminars, thereby imparting a more democratic ambiance to any project. Traditional rhetorical tools must still be used, however, to communicate new ideas and persuade group members to adopt novel points-of-view.

The decision-making process also depends on how well group members use and respond to rhetoric. Of the five canons of traditional rhetoric, the one most drastically affected by online collaboration software is delivery. Technology makes an infinite array of delivery options possible, including those that contain video or audio content. Emerging technology and next-generation infrastructure enable live online meetings and seminars that allow for traditional speeches and lectures, but those methods can be combined with hypertext and multimedia content.

Style, however, is also impacted by the use of online communication software. The nature of email and instant messaging has transformed the language of business into one that is less cumbersome and less formal. Abbreviations, shorthand, and even slang occasionally make their way into what would otherwise be formal business meetings. Dress codes are all but eliminated when online collaboration software is used, as the individuals participating might as well be at home in night clothes as in a business suit.

At the same time, appropriate language is a part of the rhetorical process: a way to earn respect and share ideas in socially appropriate ways. Just as in face-to-face meetings, insults and slurs are intolerable in online communications. The arrangement of an argument into a compelling and organized format can be enhanced via office software including presentation applications. Users can create their own methods of communicating ideas, choosing the software tools that most suit their needs.

For example, a graphic design studio would want to use a robust image editing and layout program in their virtual office environment. A news agency would rely more on shared calendars for meeting deadlines and streamlining content. Because of the plethora of applications available in a collaborative, interactive online environment, rhetoric has become more creative and less focused on logos. Words are still important in online collaborations but so too are visual images that support or supplement written information.

Group members are persuaded as much by multimedia content and the inclusion of Web references as they are by the communicator's carefully chosen words. Logos in online communications changes because diction has changed such as in the use of slang. Words can be copied, pasted, and inserted into related documents that are then shared with the group via the online collaboration software and so words have become less sacrosanct, more a part of the common domain. Online collaboration tools aid communication and make at-a-distance meetings possible.

However, online communication has drawbacks. One major drawback with online communication is the potential for misunderstanding because of the lack of nonverbal communication cues. Unless the speaker uses video conferencing tools, his or her emotions are difficult to read. The use of emoticons does not make up for slight twitches in facial muscles, eye contact, or posture in helping viewers read the speaker. Therefore, online communication tools make the pathos part of the rhetorical equation more difficult to execute.

Group members need to use creative means to convey emotions, such as images or music. Written text needs to be imbued with emotion as well as multimedia content to be effective. The ethos of group members is in many ways easier to construe with online collaboration software. Group members can easily perform quick background checks, logging into their virtual office environment and browsing their coworkers' profiles and backgrounds. Participants in online collaboration projects may upload portfolios of their work or link to Web sites detailing their experience.

Online collaboration tools make the rhetorical process more accessible to all members of a group. Not needing to go through the shivers of stage fright when delivering a speech will help shier members of an organization shine. The memory aspect of the rhetorical canon is not as important because online collaboration tools include clipboards and other tools that aid a speaker in organizing his or her material. Searching the web for ancillary information or external support is easy and can be accomplished instantaneously and simultaneously with other group members.

Group members need not worry about audience biases related to gender, race, class, or cultural background because online collaboration can be double blind. The Internet has made new rhetoric possible. Online job.