Introduction to the Collaboration Systems and Technology Track

The focus of the Collaboration Systems and Technology Track is information systems and technology support for interaction among groups of people in organizations. While this track examines one specific research area, there is a broad range of papers that consider both development and use, as well as the application of commercially available technology in organizations.This track began a number of years ago with the increased interest in both Group Support Systems and Negotiation Support Systems minitracks. Out of this interest, the Collaboration Systems and Technology Track was created. It consists of minitracks grouped into nine areas: Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALNs); Collaborative Engineering of Processes and Systems; Collaboration Technology-Theory and Methodology; Community Supported Platforms; Computer Network Management; Distributed Group Support Systems; Group Support Systems; Group Support Systems User Experiences; Negotiation Support Systems Frameworks, Implementations and Evaluations; Technology Supported Learning; Roles and Issues of Computational Media in Learning Communities.We wish to express out thanks and appreciation to all the people who have worked so hard to make this part of the conference a success and this compendium of formal papers a part of the literature. Each minitrack coordinator must exercise creativity, reliability, and dogged perseverance to bring all the loose ends together at the right time. What results from this process are papers that describe established research projects, as well as new developments in the field? The minitrack coordinators provide a brief summary and overview of the papers in their sections. I would also like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the reviewers who provided valuable insight and comments.I hope you enjoy reading the proceedings.