January 2002 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

bram's idea
by Jonathan Sterne 11 Jan '02

11 Jan '02

At 12:01 PM 1/11/02 -0500, air-l-request(a)aoir.org wrote: >From: Bram Dov Abramson <bda(a)bazu.org> >Subject: [Air-l] Re: netiquette needs a new command >Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > > >What's needed is for listservs to have a different sort of Reply command, > >You know, a halfway solutiojn wouldn't be that hard to write. > >Small script which reads incoming listserv messages. Counts the >number of lines that begin with ">". Counts the number of lines that >don't. If the former is, say, at least double the latter, then >refuse the message with an automated response mailed back to the >sender. Hi All, Just a note to endorse Bram's idea and to add that it works on another list I use (the Bottom Line, a list for bassists). In fact, they say that if the quoted material is longer than the original message, the message gets bounced. They also don't allow "subject" headers with the last digest number in them, so people actually have to type in the subject. If your message gets bounced, you get a polite note with it explaining what to do so that it won't be bounced next time. Highly recommended. Best, --J

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Re: [Air-l] list of lists: VR mapping
by noci 11 Jan '02

11 Jan '02

hello all. following david silver's request, i'd like to point out three interesting mailing lists: http://www.cybergeography.org/register.html (cyber geography research bulletin by Martin Dodge, internet mapping specialist at the CASA, London.) http://www.cybergeography.org/discussion.html (the corresponding discussion list, moderated, low volume) http://www.infovis.net/MainPage.htm (newsletter on information visualization) have a nice day. max doelling

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list of lists: a new A(o)IR project
by david silver 11 Jan '02

11 Jan '02

Members of A(o)IR, INTERNET RESEARCH LIST OF LISTS As a service to members of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) and to the members of the greater Internet and cyberculture community, Matthew Allen, Ulla Bunz, and David Silver are compiling a 'list of lists' for listserves, mailing lists, and discussion boards devoted to the study of the Internet and new media. This project, sponsored by the AoIR Executive Board, is by definition dynamic and participatory. We strongly encourage your suggestions, as the diversity and quality of our archive can only grow out of our combined efforts. The purpose of the project is to provide a comprehensive index of mailing lists and online forums. Contributions from all academic or non-academic origins and from all over the world are welcome, as long as the content of the list is devoted to the study of the Internet and new media. The 'list of lists' will include the name of the list, the list moderator/s (if any), and instructions on how to subscribe to the list. Further, we will include a more in-depth annotation that describes, if available: nature of the list (community driven discussion or moderator driven information service); dominant discipline content relates to (if any); main issues of Internet research the list addresses itself to. Further, when available, we will include additional details such as frequency of posts, digest and archive options, and moderation strategies. Admittedly, this is a big project. Ideally, it will be *member-generated* and for that reason we wish to ask all AIR-L members to take a brief moment and look over the following questions. Help us out by emailing your responses to David Silver <dsilver(a)u.washington.edu>. (a) Do you run or help to run any lists that are relevant to studying and researching the Internet? (b) Please list listserves to which you subscribe that are relevant to studying and researching the Internet. (c) Out of the ones listed above and aside from air-l, which list or lists would you recommend as the most important ones to be subscribed to for studying and researching the Internet? Please provide a very brief statement about why it/they is/are the most important. Upon collecting your responses, we will compile the information and create a Web site for the larger community. This will be an ongoing project, so please continue to contribute new lists as you become aware of them. We thank you for your time and interest. Matthew Allen, Internet Studies, Curtin University of Technology Ulla Bunz, Communication Studies, University of Kansas David Silver, School of Communications, University of Washington

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Presentations from the "Digital Frontier" Conference
by Alexander C Halavais 11 Jan '02

11 Jan '02

Streaming video of the presentations from "Digital Frontier: The Buffalo Summit," which occurred at the end of last year, are available at http://www.research.buffalo.edu/events/digital%20frontier/schedule.htm Presenters included Brenda Laurel, Jaron Lanier, Clifford Stoll, Steve Mann, Michael Paige, Michael Heim, and others. Thought some of you might be interested or might find the presentations interesting for classes you are teaching. Thanks, Alex Halavais

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here's the story...
by Laura Gurak 11 Jan '02

11 Jan '02

Here is the story in the Chicago Tribune that I was interview for regarding porn spam... http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/printedition/chi-0201100043jan10.story ---------------- Laura J. Gurak, Ph.D. Associate Professor Rhetoric Department, University of Minnesota 1994 Buford Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108 v 612-624-3773 also--Director, Internet Studies Center -- www.isc.umn.edu Faculty Fellow, Law School gurakL(a)tc.umn.edu http://www.rhetoric.umn.edu/faculty/LGurak/

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Re: Air-l digest, Vol 1 #265 - 10 msgs
by Cristian Berrio 11 Jan '02

11 Jan '02

You are right barry, I am also a confessed repplier... Regarding flamewars, I did not get the idea. My mother language is spanish so be patient with me! Also, I am Psychologist finishing a degree in technology; if I can collaborate with you on the topic of mastrich and papers well, at your command! Cristian Berrio _________________________________________________________________ Hable con sus amigos en línea, pruebe MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.es

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Re: netiquette needs a new command
by Bram Dov Abramson 11 Jan '02

11 Jan '02

>What's needed is for listservs to have a different sort of Reply command, You know, a halfway solutiojn wouldn't be that hard to write. Small script which reads incoming listserv messages. Counts the number of lines that begin with ">". Counts the number of lines that don't. If the former is, say, at least double the latter, then refuse the message with an automated response mailed back to the sender. Nope, doesn't take care of those whose e-mail programs don't insert quote marks. Which surely needs fancier stuff. cheers Bram --

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[Fwd: RFI for MEPS]
by John B. White 10 Jan '02

10 Jan '02

FYI, The federal government is looking for some help on gather statistical data. --JW -------- Original Message -------- Subject: RFI for MEPS Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2002 16:24:02 -0500 From: MEPSPD(a)AHRQ.GOV To: john.white(a)wku.edu The Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) is currently seeking information on the possibility of re-programming the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) instrument, currently in a DOS operating system, into a Windows operating system. Responses are welcome from and open to any member of an agency or organization who could directly or indirectly support this effort. Responses are also welcome from the general public. This Request for Information (RFI) is for planning purposes only. Responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The AHRQ intends to issue a subsequent solicitation for the purpose of reprogramming the MEPS Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) instrument. CAPI is a software program that allows for the administration of the MEPS interview on a laptop computer. The RFI describes the background of the MEPS and its current computerized interview schedule. Your input is invited for information purposes in the areas of systems design and selection, promoting industry competition, time frames for feasible completion and the overall concept of the design. Specific questions and instructions for responding are provided in the RFI, which is available at the following URL: http://www.ahrq.gov/data/mepsix.htm This message was sent to subscribers on the MEPS mailing list. To unsubscribe or change your preferences, please visit http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/maillist/password.htm. The e-mail address used for this message was: john.white(a)wku.edu

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Fwd: New CME Teens Online Study
by Nancy Baym 10 Jan '02

10 Jan '02

>CENTER FOR MEDIA EDUCATION > >FOR RELEASE: December 12, 2001 >Report available at: http://www.cme.org/teenstudy/ >CONTACT: Ellen O'Brien or Sharon Flynn - CME >(202) 331-7833 > >From Sales Pitches to Civics Lessons: Something for Everyone Online > >New CME Study Explores the Online World of Teens > >Washington, D.C. -- The Center for Media Education (CME) today released >a new study that surveys the burgeoning new-media culture directed >at--and in some cases created by--teens. TeenSites.com-A Field Guide to >the New Digital Landscape examines the uniquely interactive nature of >the new media, and explores the ways in which teens are at once shaping >and being shaped by the electronic culture that surrounds them. > >With nearly three-quarters of 12- to 17-year-olds online, the Internet >is having a profound and far-reaching impact on the lives of today's >youth. "Young people are as comfortable growing up with digital media >as their parents' generation was with the telephone and TV," explained >Kathryn Montgomery, Ph.D., president of the Center for Media Education. >The book-length report examines this online teen world, from the glitzy >commercial sites designed by marketers to capture the lucrative online >teen demographic, to civic youth sites that promote political, cultural, >and community engagement. And with an eye toward the future of the new >media, the report also looks at some of the next-generation technology >that is transforming the digital landscape. > >But for the teens themselves, the impact of the new technology is often >much more immediate. As they grappled with the September 11 attacks, >for example, many teens turned to the Internet as a forum in which to >sort out the facts--and to share their feelings. "For many teens the >Web surpassed television as the medium of choice in dealing with this >crisis," Montgomery pointed out. "Within this unfiltered space, young >people could speak out in their own online communities and join with >others in their struggle to make sense of the suddenness and severity of >this national tragedy." > >In many ways young people are the defining users of this new digital >media culture. "Teenagers have embraced the new online world with great >enthusiasm," Montgomery explained, "responding eagerly to its invitation >to share ideas, contribute content, and otherwise place their stamp on a >media system that they themselves create and manage. However, even as >this new medium is becoming a pervasive presence in teens' lives, it >remains largely under the radar of parents, scholars, and policymakers." > > >Thus Teensites.com is designed to shed light on the new digital media >culture, which is often overshadowed by sensational stories about the >alleged dangers of cyberspace, or about the rise and fall of various >dot-com empires. But Internet usage continues to grow, and young people >are at the center of that revolution. "How today's young people consume >and participate in new media," explained Montgomery, "will help >determine the future shape and direction of the media system." > >Among its findings, the study highlights the following aspects of the >new media culture: > >* The economic underpinnings of the teen Web sites--advertising, >e-commerce, market research, and data collection. >* The prospects for a teen "civic culture" that subordinates profits to >public service. >* An assessment of future directions in the new media as the Internet >reaches further into everyone's life through a variety of wired and >wireless devices. > >"Conducting a study of such a volatile industry was not without its >challenges," Montgomery explained. "During the period when we were >researching the online marketplace, the dot-com crash claimed a number >of casualties, including some of the teen sites we were examining. Even >as the final report was in production, several of the sites we wrote >about closed, and there were further consolidations in the online teen >market," she added. "But these stops and starts in the dot-com business >should not divert our attention from the inexorable movement of digital >media into the lives of teens." > >In its new study CME calls for academic researchers to look more closely >at the impact of new media on youth. "Much of what is known about how >teens are interacting with the new digital media," the report notes, "is >confined to the proprietary domain of market research, which is either >completely off-limits to outsiders or priced so prohibitively as to be >inaccessible to the public." CME also points to a combination of >government policy, responsible industry self-regulation, public >education, and citizen activism as the best means of realizing the full >potential of the digital revolution. > >The study makes a number of recommendations for policymakers, industry, >scholars, health professionals, and parents, including calls for the >following: > >* Research on new media and teens, especially policy-relevant, focused >research that addresses specific issues and needs, and which is broadly >disseminated in a much more timely fashion than is the norm for most >academic studies. > >* Consumer protection policies ensuring that teens are not taken unfair >advantage of in the new-media marketplace, either through deceptive >marketing or exploitative advertising practices. > >* Policies that ensure equitable access, not simply to the most basic >Internet services, but also to the emerging broadband environment that >will bring increasing amounts of multimedia resources into homes and >schools. > >Support for a quality civic media culture, one that serves teens not >simply as consumers, but also as citizens, with a robust array of civic >content and opportunities for teens themselves to contribute to a new >"electronic commons." > >The full study, Teensites.com-A Field Guide to the New Digital >Landscape, is available at http://www.cme.org/teenstudy/ >----------------------------------------------- >The Center for Media Education (CME) is a national nonprofit, >nonpartisan organization dedicated to creating a quality electronic >media culture for children and youth. CME's cutting-edge studies on the >new-media marketplace have had major impacts on a number of key public >policy decisions during the past decade. Its documentation of online >marketing and data collection practices targeted at children established >the groundwork for the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). >CME's Research and Public Education Initiative on New Media, Children >and Youth is designed to stimulate research on digital media and serve >as a clearinghouse of research and policy developments for academics, >industry, the public, and policymakers. The organization's current >research and public education project, "Youth as E-Citizens: The >Internet and Youth Civic Engagement," will help ensure that the Internet >serves young people as a bridge to community and civic engagement. > >########################################## >_______________________________________________________________________ >Ellen O'Brien eobrien(a)CME.org >Communications Director http://www.CME.org >Center for Media Education (CME) >2120 L St., NW, Suite 200 202/331-7833, ext. 31 >Washington, DC 20037 fax: 202/331-7841 > _________________________________________________________ Nancy Baym nbaym(a)ku.edu http://www.ku.edu/home/nbaym Communication Studies, University of Kansas 102 Bailey, 1440 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045, USA Association of Internet Researchers: http://aoir.org

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flamewars, definitions and frequency
by Janne Bromseth 10 Jan '02

10 Jan '02

This is perhaps not what Robert asked for but maybe more of a follow-up to Franks comment: >Robert wrote: >> Has anyone out there participated in a flame war?(The more recent, the >> better.) If so, I'd been interested in hearing about it. > >I'd be interested to know normal an occurance a flamewar is. Sort of a >statistical thing: how many people experience being in a flamewar how often. Researching interaction norms on nordic discussion lists, my impression is that the occurance of flame wars is.. a) dependent on the general acceptance of flaming as an activity on the list b) dependent on if the list is moderated, and whether the moderator accept insulting behaviour or not, for how far a flame war can actually develop before participants are reprimanded or excluded from list. What I think is that flame wars was a more accepted part of earlier net-culture, and in any case where and how much it happens on a specific list is highly conextual, related to the lists purpose, the list administrator as well as the participants' cultural background, gender, age, relations to each other etc. I would guess that flame wars are 200% more likely to take place on an unmoderated usenet-group, where participants are unrelated in other parts of their life, international (north-american predominated),with f ex political subjects, and with young, internet-experienced, college-males than in a moderated distributionlist, where participants can be likely to meet in other mediated or un-mediated contexts (like in a small country, a professional context, or subcultures), with a more heterogenous group of participants concerning internet-experience, age, nationality and gender. Some usenet-lists are in themselves dedicated to the "art of flaming" as some of its participants characterize this acivity, but this then would signalize that activity of flaming would be considered more as a game and playing with words rather than an outburst of anger on a topic-oriented list. In the latter matter (wow..) the bottomline would be if the hegemonic discussion norms on the list include harassing other list members as an individual right - or if it on the contrary is considered to be an argumentation strategy that is unwanted on a group level. As mentioned this is related to why the people are at the list in the first place (social purposes like playing/wasting time as contrary to a very informative purpose for instance), the social interactional purpose (work-related interaction, social, political, related to private-life - or a mix) - and an important aspect; what is considered as proper behaviour in these different communicative genres by the majority of the participants (in many of my nordic lists f ex, with a social democratic cultural background valuing equality, face threatening behaviour like flaming is often negatively valued). My impression is that the traditional "flame-war" as a "fun" or time-wasting net-activity is becoming more and more marginalized as the group of net-users has become more and more diverse; most people don't have the time or interest to spend hours in front of the screen insulting other people. At the same time, to what degree personal harassment is accepted as an argumentation strategy - and what kinds - varies highly. I think making a statistical overview of this would be difficult without clearly defining what kinds of activities the term itself is referring to. Personal insults? Going on for how long? With the purpose of fun/entertainment? Experienced as fun/entertainment? With which parts of the group participating in these "wars"? With a moderator supporting and encouraging them or putting them off at an early stage? ...which again point towards the need for qualitative analysis to be able to answer the question... (even though more specified, a more statistical approach would be a helpful frame to use in the qualitative analyses) But I guess that's what Robert was after when he asked the question... Apologies for lenght... Janne Bromseth > Janne C.H. Bromseth University of Chicago at Illinois Department of Communication 1007 W Harrison Str Chicago IL 60607 Phone: 1-312-413-5497 (w) 1-773-929-0977 (h)

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