One more aspect to consider when discussing hypertext and what it will do to the peer tutorial is the online conference. Since hypertext can only be viewed on the computer during a conference, and since it presents such an interactive environment, it is plausible to wonder whether a face-to-face meeting is really necessary at all. As Gail Hawisher says in her article, Electronic Meetings of the Minds: Research, Electronic Conferences, and Composition Studies, "as a result of our work with computers over the past decade, we can begin to imagine teaching and writing in a virtual age where a meeting of the minds might well occur without the physical presence of students and teachers" (82). Some feel that because readers respond to hypertext on the computer then maybe tutors should approach it in this fashion as well. Is there anything lost in an online conference that is ultimately valuable to the writer?

It is helpful to consider the advantages and disadvantages in an electronic conference before determining its worth in a tutorial. One advantage is that it gets the tutor and the writer to focus only on the written word. The distractions created in face-to-face conferences, such as how the peers read one another’s body language and the possible intimidation that a writer might feel, disappears. Hawisher notes that "they [the peers] are totally immersed in writing" (84), emphasizing that concentration can be increased while the transfer of ideas takes place. There is also the notion that the entire exchange can be printed out word for word, so that no part of the conversation "slips through the cracks." This not only helps the writer to remember ideas that arose and could be developed in the writing, but it can also show the writer that his or her contributions to the discussion were just as important as the tutors'.

Another advantage to the online conference is that it promotes more of an equal exchange of words between a tutor and a writer. Too often during a face-to-face conference the tutor unintentionally takes the role of a lecturer. The writer may not feel comfortable contributing and instead just nod and agree with the tutor’s suggestions. This often occurs with ESL students who feel that a tutor automatically has all of the answers to writing an American essay (For more information on tutoring ESL students and the computer see Christine Abrahamsen's final project). A point brought up in Hawisher’s article is that, "because electronic conferences obviate the need for taking turns, those who in face-to-face discussions wait patiently for their chance to speak no longer need to hesitate and can contribute frequently to the discussion" (89).

Despite all of these productive reasons for considering the use of the electronic peer conference, many feel that something will be lost when peers no longer meet in person. There is a sense of animosity in the online discussion. A writer doesn’t get a sense of who the person is that is evaluating his or her writing. The feelings of sympathy and understanding that a concerned tutor shows to a troubled writer can not very well be conveyed over the Internet. Whether the project in discussion is a linear paper or a hypertext project, someone who is on their side can put a student at ease. The vast audience of the Internet does not give the personal connections that may be helpful to a struggling writer.

Also when hypertext is being viewed in a face-to-face peer conference, the participants have the ability to specify what area of the project is being considered. They can point at the screen and move to the same areas in the hypertext together. Hawisher mentions that electronic conferences can cause "sensory overload" (92). She says, "In addition to great quantity, there are many different strand or threads of discussion for participants to hold in their minds at the same time" (92). It is easy for topics to switch back and forth in an online conference before one of the participates is ready to move away from the topic at hand. The students may have to continually move from the hypertext project to the conference environment in order to see the elements of the project being discussed.

I think the personal feel of the face-to-face tutorial will be missed if the electronic conference takes center stage. There is a connection between peers collaborating on a paper that words or a computer screen just cannot capture. However, this is not to say that online conferences are not productive. Since this form of communication is fairly new, we still have not fully developed the format for an electronic peer tutorial. As Hawisher explains, "Over time, as members participate in an electronic conference, linguistic norms and conventions come to be established by conference members" (94). Improvements in the online tutorial may be made, and it may provide a refreshing alternative for writers when all of the writing center appointments are full or when they would merely prefer a change.

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