In times of globalization, virtual organizations, and online communities, groupware become increasingly important. The term Groupware describes computer-supported systems that support groups of users in performing a joint activity or task. Such systems are also known as Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) systems or environments, community support systems, shared editors, etc. The design and implementation of these systems is of yet less engineering discipline than art. Although much progress has been made in the past 20 years of CSCW research, design and implementation of groupware is still a hot topic in ongoing research. This special issue is dedicated to some advances in this field. The articles of this special issue are significantly extended versions of selected papers presented at the 13th International Workshop on Groupware (CRIWG 2007) held in Bariloche, Argentina in September 2007. The CRIWG workshops are annual events which have a single track of relatively few papers, providing ample time for lively and constructive discussions during and between sessions. From the 27 papers presented at CRIWG 2007, the best papers were invited to submit significantly extended versions to this special issue. After rigorous reviews, five articles were accepted to be part of this special issue.
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