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II.1. Referencing (linking) |
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Due to collaboration via Internet, information is often available online and can be connected by referencing (linking) forming so-called hypertexts. This form corresponds to the nature of the Internet, a network of connected servers, as opposed to linear texts known from print media. Complex, dynamicly changing content can be connected in a way that redundancies are avoided and associative structures, similar to human thinking, develop.
A decisive factor is the dealing with written information: On paper, written information (letters, articles) is still forwarded at a rather late stage. This is particularly true for research projects. A text in written form usually represents the end of a long thinking and wording process.
When it comes to using digital media, a change can be observed: While writing an e-mail, which corresponds best to a letter on paper, common requirements towards form, spelling, structure or argumentation become less important. This is even more true for communication forms such as SMS, chat and online forums.
On the one hand, this may signify a decrease in value of information in the eyes of the recipient. On the other hand, new opportunities for collaborative knowledge work arise due to the direct, process-oriented approach.
Thoughts, text modules and arguments are made accessible, and thus commentable, extensible and improvable, at a very early stage. This kind of online work, which takes place in written form, integrates information which is usally part of oral communication and allows insightful documentation of the work process at a later time.
At the same time, there is the opportunity of linking single pieces to a meaningful whole. For instance: A comment criticizes a text which includes relevant fragments of an online-discussion which in turn refers to an invitation to a panel discussion about a similar topic as well as to the profiles of the participants etc.
In order to be able to link content to a meaningful whole, the high dynamic of online content, in other words its constant changes, needs to be taken into consideration. When creating a link, authors need to be able to decide: Do I want to direct the reader to the most current version of the project plan or to the initial version of the plan as devised in the course of the project start? The possibility to create such dynamic links provides the precondition for efficiently referencing online content.
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