This paper outlines the findings of a research project studying the effects of task modification on learner interaction when using email. Taking as its starting point interactionalist theories of SLA, it argues that if those interactional features characteristic of negotiation of meaning which have been identified as promoting SLA are to be preserved when tasks are transferred from a face-to-face spoken environment to a computer-mediated written asynchronous environment, then modifications to the tasks need to be made.