Validation, evaluation and virtual enterprise research

Evaluation in the study of collaborative computing systems is a tender plant. Part of the problem lies in the multiplicity of paradigms and research cultures brought to bear upon CSCW, and part lies in the relative weakness of evaluators, compared with others, in the overall struggle for project resources. The paper illustrates these problems from three personal case studies, and argues for theoretically mediated evaluation as a goal towards which all CSCW evaluators should strive. Mediated evaluation will enhance the standing of evaluators by increasing their effectiveness as well as their knowledge.