This paper presents how both classical conversation analysis studies and recent, applied CA-oriented works conceive the link between conversational organization and technology. First, we discuss the role of the telephone in classic CA Studies and in more recent debates on mobile phone conversations. Through a discussion of a recent CA-inspired study of mobile instant messaging, we stress the relevance of CA for the understanding of practical orientations to technological features in mediated conversations. Finally we argue that the development of CA-inspired research in the evaluative process of new communication technologies design is an opportunity for identifying generic features of the interactional organization, while they permit to deepen our understanding of sequential environments. We develop this idea through a presentation of a study focused on interacting exchanges.

This study compares the interactional consequences of two different openings in calls to a financial services organization: the traditional opening that offers service (e.g., "How may I help you") and the power call opening that immediately launches a security check (e.g., "May I have your social security number please"). We present an analysis that explains why a higher percentage of customers fail the security check when service representatives use the powercall. Our study finds that often the strict security check is not necessary given the customer's request. Also, our analysis shows how the powercall has detrimental effect on customer service when customers are denied service before they have been given an opportunity to say why they called. Moreover, the efficiency argument for using the powercall is undermined by customer's design of their initial requests as a gloss.

The paper offers a concise introduction to the conversation-analytic study of medical encounters. The basic perspective is that medical personnel and patients constitute the encounter together as being a medical one. The paper discusses some of the major findings from the CA literature in this area, detailing some generic resources and their local applications as used by the parties involved. Fragments from one consultation, recorded in the Netherlands in the late 1970s, are quoted for illustrative purposes.

Interest in Conversation Analysis (CA) and its possible applications in the fields of language learning and language teaching has grown considerably over the last five years. The article therefore attempts to synthesise the current state of the research and identify the issues and problems that have arisen and those areas which are suitable for further research. This article focuses on language classroom interaction and on teaching languages for specific purposes. It also discusses the relationship between CA and Applied Linguistics and examines the complex issue of what CA can contribute to the study of 'learning'. The issues are illustrated by an example of a CA analysis of language learning processes. The article concludes by considering possible future directions for research.