A computer-based message system (CBMS) consists of computer facilities that expedite the creation, management, and nonreal time distribution of messages. These systems are increasingly being used for formal and informal communication, supporting the distribution of textual messages. However, nontext media such as voice and graphics are very important for human interaction, and are becoming more and more important in computer system applications. As a result, there is a growing need for the support of media other than text in CBMS. Before standards for multimedia CBMS can be implemented, there are many technical issues that must be addressed. These range from the design of new mechanisms for the distribution of multimedia mail, to the design of tools needed for editing nontext media. This panel will be discussing issues encountered in the development of multimedia CBMS and an outlook for standards for multimedia computer mail.