De vrouwenbeweging online

This is an in-depth study of 12 organizations: six grass-roots organizations, three umbrella organizations and three service organizations within the Dutch women's movement. Also, six 'virtual organizations' (three portal sites, a platform site and two web organizations) were investigated. Apart from the service organizations, the uses of the Internet are almost limited to three communicative functions: information dissemi-nation and retrieval, recruitment and communication between the leaderships of organizations. Most organizations are leaving the 'homepage phase' of site development, but their current new ambitions seem to be more directed at applying network technology for purposes of internal communication than at interaction with the organization's environment. Until now, Internet uses had indeed some effects on the mobilization of resources, the relations with the environment and the 'management of frames', but these effects are almost limited to greater effectiveness and efficiency of existing action patterns. All organizations are now facing a situation in which the internal communication has to proceed along two speeds: only a part of the membership (individual members or member organizations) is online. The virtual organizations are more representative for the innovative potential of Internet. Together, they shape the contours of an information- and communication infrastructure for the women's movement in the information age.