Dear Laura,
Interesting topic about boundaries in e-learning, including the e-globe. "Boundaries, Barriers and Walls" is a workshop, that my husband, Gary Meiers, (Psychologist in Alberta now) used to run in California and then in Canada.
I have come across the term boundaries in psychology a lot -- and people have a wide variety of experience, but clarified boundaries usually help between two communicators. It get confusing when they are too undefined -- but loose can be okay if there is a sense of networking. I think the general guidelines of netettiquette help with some understood structures, but even that is not understood in the same way be everyone.
On the other hand -- barriers happen when I can't get a message to someone -- but they say for what ever reason -- on an e-mail that bounces back continuously. Walls happen if this happens too much. However I have always believed in going over, under or around the walls if I am determined to communicate.
I'm really not sure how to get the emotional intelligence of openness and trust to work when online we do not have as many body language "cues" or voice tone cues -- unless we are on elluminate (or another videoconference) or Skpye (or another VoiP). Jo Ann