The study investigates interactions between 29 tandem partners from a German and a North
American university who met twice a week in a text-based online environment that allowed them
to communicate with each other in real time via a computer keyboard. The analysis focuses on
learners' codeswitching negotiation of meaning error correction and the use of specific
spellings and punctuation. The data suggest that most partners complied with the principle of
reciprocity and that the non-threatening atmosphere of the MOO encouraged them to test their
hypotheses about their L2. Moreover the analysis revealed a noticeable increase in learners'
awareness of the target language. All students frequently engaged in negotiation of meaning
but there was a conspicuous absence of corrective feedback.
