Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my Principal Supervisor, Dr Donald Joyce, and my Associate Supervisor, Dr Stuart Young, for their support and the confidence that they have given to me in preparing this dissertation. Without the organisation and structure provided by the programme and by these two supervisors, I would never have been able to develop my ideas as far as I have.

Aaron Morris, the current owner of the BEE-L distribution list, assisted me to obtain the data required in a convenient form. He and the other moderators of the list have also been kind enough to give me an idea of what the list looks like “behind the scenes” to promote my understanding of the moderation process.

I’d like to thank Scott, Vanessa, Louis and Fatima for their assistance and contributions during my stays in Auckland.

Finally, and most importantly, I want to give a special thanks to my family – Averil, Sophia and Fern – who have encouraged and supported me throughout the time of my study. They have allowed me the time, quiet and computer use I have needed throughout two long years. Without my family's cooperation and assistance, not only would I not have done so well, I would not have even wanted to try. Thank you, all three.

Declaration

I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment on the programme of study leading to the award of Master of Computing, is entirely my own work and has not been taken from the work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work.