Authoring Tools for Effective Societal Discourse

Abstract

Computer-mediated discussion processes play an important role in achieving sustainabl e development. However, when used in authoring complex documents, these discussions have so far not been very effective in consistently fostering social change. One reason is that in the design and application of the tools supporting these discussions, the social context is not sufficiently taken into acccount. The GRASS tool for group report authoring and the freeText tool for document review are authoring tools in which the social context is given more attention. A social context model for discussion processes is outlined. We show how the model can be used to construct information tool environments that help foster more effective discussions.