Collaborative Networked Communication: MUDs as Systems Tools

A systems administration group is only as effective as its internal communication mechanisms. On-line communication has traditionally been managed via electronic mail or news, which are neither real-time nor truly collaborative. Communication tools which let multiple parties work together in real-time have become widespread on the Internet in the last several years.

In an effort to keep a physically disjoint systems staff working together effectively, we have explored the use of MUDs as communications tools. By allowing many people to interact in an extensible environment, MUDs have solved many of the problems that we had with on-line communication, and provided many unexpected benefits as well.