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

anti-spam law
by Laura Gurak 08 Jan '02

08 Jan '02

Thanks to everyone who wrote back regarding my spam question. Anecdotally, almost everyone who wrote back indicated that they had in fact noticed a rise in porn spam (should we coin a new term: pornspam?) Anyway, one of our graduate students here, Mark Stewart, suggested that perhaps this rise is a last-ditch effort of pornspammers to get their message out before the California court heard this case. See below, excerpted from the January 7 Edupage (for fair use purposes, of course). Others of you suggested that the general rise in spam around the holiday season (thanks to my colleage Dr. Andrew Odlyzko, director of our Digital Technology Center, for his information on this) might be to blame. Still others noted that perhaps there has been a rise in "adult content" since 9/11. Anyway, all of this is anecdotal. Anyone out there in the Internet research world interested in doing something more scientific?? LG --------------------- APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS ANTI-SPAM LAW Commercial e-mails, or spam, must contain valid return addresses and other identifiers that make it easier for consumers to remove themselves from mailing lists, according to a ruling upheld recently by a California appeals court. The defendants in that case, two Palo Alto-based companies, had argued that the previous ruling violated the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. Because Congress has yet to settle on any comprehensive anti-spam law, consumers must rely on state law. But that could result in a hodgepodge of restrictions on legitimate Web-based businesses. The California ruling requires that commercial e-mailers also mark their messages with an "ADV:" in the subject heading, and a special "ADV:ADLT" for messages linked to adult content. The Supreme Court in October refused to hear a challenge to a Washington state law that stringently regulates spam in that state. (Cnet, 7 January 2002) ---------------- 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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your posts on air-l
by Eszter Hargittai 08 Jan '02

08 Jan '02

Dear Fellow List Members, This is yet another plea that you take some care when you post a message to the list. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not copy in the entire message from a previous list. Please understand that for those of us (about 70% of subscribers, it seems) who read the digest version, it makes reading the list extremely difficult. It is very hard to see where your post of the copied lengthy message ends and where a new post begins. This means that anyone who posts after you on the list has a smaller chance of getting their message read. That seems like a very inconsiderate thing to do. Moreover, this also makes the archives extremely hard to use because there is so much repetition, and again, it's very hard to see where new posts begin. Another thought: if you could not send HTML messages that would also make messages easier to read for those of us with text mailers and that would make the archives more manageable as well. Finally, as a follow-up to spam problems, when you forward messages from someone, please remove - or ask the original poster for their preference- the email address of the message originator to reduce chances of being added to spam lists. Thanks for considering. Eszter --- Eszter's List: http://www.eszter.com/elist

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Re: spam
by Eszter Hargittai 08 Jan '02

08 Jan '02

Hi, The following two links went out on my list yesterday that I thought may be of interest to people curious about spam: Spam feeding anger on Internet (w/some tips on how to handle email) http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0201070115jan07.story?coll=chi… Essays on junk email http://www.templetons.com/brad/spume/ Yes, I think Michel Menou is right, responding to spam can only worsen the situation because you confirm that yours is an active account. (This is relevant because spammers often just generate email addresses hoping they work (suzyq(a)hotmail.com, suzyq(a)yahoo.com) and if you respond they'll know it worked.) I'll try restating Valdis' suggestion for tracking down spam, although I do believe it would take a full time job to respond to all messages. Here's an example from a spam message header: >Received: from dougfir([128.32.179.166]) by btamail.net.cn(JetMail >2.5.3.0) > with SMTP id jm213c392c2e; Mon, 7 Jan 2002 05:00:37 -0000 >X-Mailer: FoxMail 3.5 Release [cn] It looks like the message is from China (.cn), but if you put 128.32.179.166 into a reverse IP lookup engine, you'll soon find out that the message travelled via a server at Berkeley. I figured that was worth pursuing. So I sent a note to abuse(a)berkeley.edu with that part of the header. (As extra precaution, I don't send the whole header that includes my email address that was spammed and I send the abuse note from my Yahoo account.) Within a day I had gotten two follow-ups. It turned out that the machine had a worm which led to the problems and they fixed it. Of course, the spammers will find other avenues to your mailbox, but it seems that this could be a small step to clean things up, and if more people followed up on it... but then again, who has time... Eszter --- Eszter's List: http://www.eszter.com/elist

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Sources for characteristics of online students
by Caroline Haythornthwaite 08 Jan '02

08 Jan '02

In our examination of the student experience in the "LEEP" program -- an online Master's degree program in library and information science -- we find the main reason people choose the program is so they do not have to leave work and home. As mature adults, they are deeply embedded in their local obligations and cannot leave their locality without major upheaval. Many would not even try to get the degree if it weren't offered at a distance. However, it should also be noted that in letting people into the program, they are selected by a committee that decides they are suitable for LEEP. Evidence that they are independent and self-motivated is perhaps the main criterion. So characteristics do not necessarily depend on the student's choice, but on the administration's choice. What we then find is that oncampus students want the online experience, and courses often now mix on and off campus students (although on campus students have to wait to see if there are slots available). Faculty now also mix on and offline technologies into their classes -- e.g., using webboard discussions even if the course in fully on-campus. Here are a few places where you can find out more about studies of this program and these students. /Caroline ------- Community Development Among Distance Learners: Temporal and Technological Dimensions, Caroline Haythornthwaite, Michelle M. Kazmer, Jennifer Robins & Susan Shoemaker, JCMC, http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue1/haythornthwaite.html Juggling Multiple Social Worlds: Distance Students Online and Offline Kazmer M.M.; Haythornthwaite C., American Behavioral Scientist, November 2001, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 510-529(20). Available online via ingenta: http://www.ingenta.com/ Michelle Kazmer, Coping in Distance Education, First Monday 5, no. 9 (September 2000). Available: http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue5_9/kazmer/index.html Linda C. Smith, Sarai Lastra, and Jennifer Robins, Teaching Online: Changing Models of Teaching and Learning in LEEP. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science 42, no. 4 air-l-request(a)aoir.org wrote: > --__--__-- > > Message: 1 > From: "Newberry, Brian Wayne" <bnewberry(a)ku.edu> > To: "'air-l(a)aoir.org'" <air-l(a)aoir.org> > Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 11:13:35 -0600 > Subject: [Air-l] Sources for characteristics of online students > Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > > Greetings fellow list members. I'm searching for any studies that describe > characteristics of online students. Some questions that I am pondering: > > Are students who take online classes self-selecting the online experience > because of some characteristic they share? If so, does the success of these > students in the current models of online learning lead to a greater > replication of the established models of learning online and reduce > exploration into new models that would better server students who are > currently self-selecting out of online learning? > > Are there students who don't like online classes because of a learning style > or personality characteristic? If so, are there ways to alter the online > class experience to better fit these people's needs/desires? > > Do designers of online classes need to alter online classes to better suit > an existing or perhaps a target population? > > Thanks in advance! > > Brian > > --- > Brian Newberry > University of Kansas > 785-864-0735 > ---

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Reading List on Org. Behavior and Ethnography in the New Economy
by Philip Howard 08 Jan '02

08 Jan '02

Dear AIR: Thanks for your advice last month in compiling a reading list on organizational behavior in the new economy and ethnographies of e-commerce firms. I have posted the results at: http://pubweb.nwu.edu/~pho442/newecon.html p. Philip Howard ph. (773) 274-6817 / c. (202) 271-7170 / p-howard(a)northwestern.edu Sociology, Northwestern University - http://pubweb.nwu.edu/~pho442/ Survey2001 Project - http://survey2001.nationalgeographic.com Pew Internet & American Life Project - http://www.pewinternet.org

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Re: Air-l digest, Vol 1 #261 - 7 msgs
by Cristian Berrio 08 Jan '02

08 Jan '02

I have received an e-amil both in Spanish and English, very short text refering to a girl with a camera into her house and inviting to voyeur with her. And yes, it has been during recent months via Yahoo. On the other hand, via hotmail, there is a service of something like forged diplomas and titles that has repeatitivelly come to me. Today I blocked it but, this is nuts to be so openly ofering criminal services! cbz ----Original Message Follows---- From: air-l-request(a)aoir.org Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org To: air-l(a)aoir.org Subject: Air-l digest, Vol 1 #261 - 7 msgs Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 12:01:01 -0500 (EST) Today's Topics: 1. Re: increase in SPAM (Valdis) 2. Porn spam ... (Ken Friedman) 3. e-government & e-advocacy (John McNutt) 4. Re: increase in spam (Alan Rea) 5. Re: Porn spam ... (jeremy hunsinger) 6. increase in spam (Derek McMillan) 7. ITUA 2002; 2nd CFP (Soraj Hongladarom) --__--__-- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 05 Jan 2002 12:18:02 -0500 From: Valdis <valdis(a)orgnet.com> To: air-l(a)aoir.org, gurakl(a)umn.edu Subject: [Air-l] Re: increase in SPAM Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org yes, I have noticed an increase in the last several months and just this morning [Saturday] 80% of the emails that arrived overnight were spam! IMHO the best thing to do is immediately forward the emails to: abuse@[lookup abuser's ISP from originating IP address using a WhoIs ]. As the first line on the Forwarded email I add: *** SPAM from your customer: 12.86.200.18 *** [the last one I received this AM] I'm sure many of us on this list receive the same SPAM. If everyone starts doing this maybe the guilty ISPs will start to police their own better. I have noticed a drop in the Yahoo mail from Nigeria attempting fraudulent money transfers... they have gone over to other ISPs but overall the volume has dropped tremendously. Valdis Krebs http://www.orgnet.com > > Message: 2 > Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2002 22:02:53 -0600 > From: Laura Gurak <gurakl(a)umn.edu> > To: AIR List <air-l(a)aoir.org> > Subject: [Air-l] increase in spam... > Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > > Has anyone else noticed a sudden increase in the amount of porn-type spam > they are getting? At least six people, including one journalist, have been > asking me what's up. I've heard from both academics and folks in the private > sector, and all seem to indicate a sudden (past 5-7 days) rise in this > stuff. I personally have noticed it as well. Anyone know what's going on? > > ---------------- > 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/ > --__--__-- Message: 2 Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 18:20:35 +0100 To: air-l(a)aoir.org From: Ken Friedman <ken.friedman(a)bi.no> Subject: [Air-l] Porn spam ... Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org Laura Gurak asks, "Has anyone else noticed a sudden increase in the amount of porn-type spam they are getting?" Yes, I have. I observe that much of this material seems to come via third-world nations, especially Russia. This means that European privacy laws -- and North American laws, when they are created -- will not be of much use in stopping the problem. A vast amount of the spam I am getting these days is HTML mail that has embedded links that do not work with my email program. I couldn't respond if I wanted to do so. -- Ken Friedman, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design Department of Technology and Knowledge Management Norwegian School of Management Visiting Professor Advanced Research Institute School of Art and Design Staffordshire University --__--__-- Message: 3 From: John McNutt <mcnutt(a)mail1.bc.edu> To: "'air-l(a)aoir.org'" <air-l(a)aoir.org> Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 11:40:19 -0500 Organization: Boston College Subject: [Air-l] e-government & e-advocacy Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org I'm in the process of designing a study of the relationship between e-government level in a state and the technology used by advocacy groups. I want to find out if the general level of e-government sophistication affects the kinds of technology that advocacy groups use. I'm looking for appropriate literature and ideas. Any feedback will be appreciated. John John G. McNutt Graduate School of Social Work Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 617.552.4036-Voice 617.552.1080-Fax www: http://www.geocities.com/john_g_mcnutt/ Be Ashamed to Die Until You Have Won Some Victory for Humanity-- Horace Mann Computing is not about computers anymore. Its about living --Nicholas Negroponte Abyssus abyssum invocat--C.S. Lewis --__--__-- Message: 4 Date: Sat, 05 Jan 2002 12:13:46 -0500 To: air-l(a)aoir.org From: Alan Rea <rea(a)wmich.edu> Subject: [Air-l] Re: increase in spam Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org --=====================_256747863==_.ALT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed On possible cause in an exploit in a very popular form processing CGI-Script called FormMail. Any Web server using a version older then 1.9 is open for SPAMmers to use the server via the processing script. It's been going on for a couple of months, but more servers are now getting hit since the word has spread. The easiest fix is either to remove the program or simply update it: http://www.worldwidemart.com/scripts/formmail.shtml Later... Alan At 12:01 PM 1/5/2002 -0500, you wrote: >-- __--__-- > >Message: 2 >Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2002 22:02:53 -0600 >From: Laura Gurak <gurakl(a)umn.edu> >To: AIR List <air-l(a)aoir.org> >Subject: [Air-l] increase in spam... >Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > >Has anyone else noticed a sudden increase in the amount of porn-type spam >they are getting? At least six people, including one journalist, have been >asking me what's up. I've heard from both academics and folks in the private >sector, and all seem to indicate a sudden (past 5-7 days) rise in this >stuff. I personally have noticed it as well. Anyone know what's going on? --=====================_256747863==_.ALT Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" <html> On possible cause in an exploit in a very popular form processing CGI-Script called FormMail. Any Web server using a version older then 1.9 is open for SPAMmers to use the server via the processing script. It's been going on for a couple of months, but more servers are now getting hit since the word has spread. The easiest fix is either to remove the program or simply update it: <a href="http://www.worldwidemart.com/scripts/formmail.shtml" eudora="autourl">http://www.worldwidemart.com/scripts/formmail.shtml</a> Later... Alan At 12:01 PM 1/5/2002 -0500, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>-- __--__-- Message: 2 Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2002 22:02:53 -0600 From: Laura Gurak <gurakl(a)umn.edu> To: AIR List <air-l(a)aoir.org> Subject: [Air-l] increase in spam... Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org Has anyone else noticed a sudden increase in the amount of porn-type spam they are getting? At least six people, including one journalist, have been asking me what's up. I've heard from both academics and folks in the private sector, and all seem to indicate a sudden (past 5-7 days) rise in this stuff. I personally have noticed it as well. Anyone know what's going on? </blockquote></html> --=====================_256747863==_.ALT-- --__--__-- Message: 5 Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 12:44:21 -0500 Subject: Re: [Air-l] Porn spam ... From: jeremy hunsinger <jhuns(a)vt.edu> To: air-l(a)aoir.org Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org I haven't noticed much in terms of porn based spam, I used to get some a few months ago, but I started routing them to autorepliers and they stopped. What I have been getting is more "nigerian scam" types and strange advertisements from south america and china, for instance i just received an offer for bottled water in argentina, very strange. There was an article on this a few weeks back on wired news about the increase in spam. I believe it tied it to the increase in search engines worldwide and the ease of harvesting e-mails, etc. along those lines, I'm seeing many more search engines hitting the servers here. one thing that seems to affect increases in spam is belonging to e-mail lists that archive but don't remove your e-mail. Air-l and all similar that i run replace the e-mail, though not in forwarded messages:( not much i can do about that without rewriting the archivers. however, an interesting test for such harvesting is to do a google search on your e-mail id, for instance jhuns generates 404 google records. I ran some other frequent posters and generalize that most people that post to lists generate numbers over 100. jeremy hunsinger jhuns(a)vt.edu on the ibook www.cddc.vt.edu www.cddc.vt.edu/jeremy www.dromocracy.com --__--__-- Message: 6 From: "Derek McMillan" <derekmcmillan(a)hotmail.com> To: air-l(a)aoir.org Date: Sun, 06 Jan 2002 05:21:52 Subject: [Air-l] increase in spam Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org What I have also noticed is that the spelling and grammar of the spam has deteriorated. This suggests to me that the ways and means of sending out spam have become very widely available to individuals and not just to commercial ventures. Spam messages offering the ability to "send out millions of free advertisements daily" have been arriving for some time. In fact the amount of spam which I personally receive has been drastically cut because I use an effective filter on hotmail only taking messages from people in my address book. >From: Laura Gurak <gurakl(a)umn.edu> >To: AIR List <air-l(a)aoir.org> >Subject: [Air-l] increase in spam... >Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > >Has anyone else noticed a sudden increase in the amount of porn-type spam >they are getting? At least six people, including one journalist, have been >asking me what's up. I've heard from both academics and folks in the >private >sector, and all seem to indicate a sudden (past 5-7 days) rise in this >stuff. I personally have noticed it as well. Anyone know what's going on? > >---------------- >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/ ---------------------------------------------- http://www.geocities.com/derekmcmillan1951 mirrored at http://derekmcmillan.tripod.com You can contact me using messenger or my email address. _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx --__--__-- Message: 7 Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 13:40:02 +0700 To: air-l(a)aoir.org From: Soraj Hongladarom <hsoraj(a)chula.ac.th> Subject: [Air-l] ITUA 2002; 2nd CFP Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org Please note that the deadline of submission to ITUA 2002 is now Feb. 15, 2002. Yours, Soraj +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS International Conference on "Information Technology and Universities in Asia" (ITUA 2002) April 3-5, 2002 Building One, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand The Faculty Senate, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, in cooperation with the Asia CALL Association, is organizing an international conference on "Information Technology and Universities in Asia" from April 3 to 5, 2002, at the campus of the university. The conference will be a place where teachers, researchers, administrators and others who are interested in how best to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) in realizing the missions of the university get together to share ideas, opinions and research findings. Of special interest are papers and presentations that explore the cultural aspects of using ICTs in universities, especially Asian cultures. However, though the focus of the conference is on the use of ICTs in Asian universities, participants from all corners of the world are very welcome to share their ideas and expertise. Paper proposals are called in three broad areas (these are meant only to be suggestive, and are not exclusive): 1. Distance Learning 2. ICTs in Classroom Teaching and/or Research 3. ICTs in University Administration Please send your abstracts (preferably by e-mail, max. 500 words) to: Soraj Hongladarom Faculty Senate Chulalongkorn University Bangkok 10330 Email: hsoraj(a)chula.ac.th Tel: +66-2-218-7024; Fax: +66-2-218-7036 Deadline of submission: February 15, 2002 Plans are being made with Chulalongkorn University Press to publish selected papers in a bound volume. Please include your abstracts in the body of the email and please do not send it as an attached file. Further information about the conference, including details about registration, can be found at: http://pioneer.chula.ac.th/~hsoraj/IT --__--__-- _______________________________________________ Air-l mailing list Air-l(a)aoir.org http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l End of Air-l Digest _________________________________________________________________ Hable con sus amigos en línea, pruebe MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.es

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RE: [Air-l] increase in spam...
by Kris Gowen 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

I don't know what is going on, but it is happening to me... > -----Original Message----- > From: Laura Gurak [SMTP:gurakl@umn.edu] > Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 8:03 PM > To: AIR List > Subject: [Air-l] increase in spam... > > Has anyone else noticed a sudden increase in the amount of porn-type > spam > they are getting? At least six people, including one journalist, have > been > asking me what's up. I've heard from both academics and folks in the > private > sector, and all seem to indicate a sudden (past 5-7 days) rise in this > stuff. I personally have noticed it as well. Anyone know what's going > on? > > ---------------- > 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/ > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Air-l mailing list > Air-l(a)aoir.org > http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l

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RE: [Air-l] Re: increase in SPAM
by Jennifer Stromer-Galley 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

This conversation about spam resonates with me, particularly now as I try to conduct interviews with people who participate on message boards and news groups. I've found that my Usenet interviewees are quite weary of spam. Because they participate on newsgroups and their email address is publicly visible, they are often prime targets for spam. Since I've signed up to participate on Usenet and on message boards, the level of spam I've received has gone from 0 to approximately 5 a week, most of it porn. Many of the people I interview set up a seperate email account, with hotmail or yahoo, from their personal account so that they don't have to sift through spam. Others add things like "nospam" into their email address (e.g. john(a)smith.nospam.com) As a result of spam, people who receive my email request to be interviewed may view it as spam and disregard it. I've found that if I send my request twice, I get more responses, often with people apologizing for ignoring me the first time because they figured it was just more spam. ~Jenny Stromer-Galley Annenberg School for Communication University of Pennsylvania jstromer(a)asc.upenn.edu http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/jstromer

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Re: Spam Air-l digest, Vol 1 #261 - 7 msgs
by Michel J. Menou 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

Dear , Re Laura Gurak's question about recent increase in porn-type spam, the answer is definitely Yes on my side. However I am not sure the location of the ISP, e.g. 3rd world nations or Russia reflects the origin of the material which seems well designed at least for a North American public. Sorry I did not understood Valdis trick to "send the ball back". But I was told this, like the unsubscribe functions is likeley to increase the amount of spam one receives. Can the techies confirm? Since many of the porn sites ask for payment there should be a way for legal authorities to identify the owners. Michel

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Sources for characteristics of online students
by Newberry, Brian Wayne 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

Greetings fellow list members. I'm searching for any studies that describe characteristics of online students. Some questions that I am pondering: Are students who take online classes self-selecting the online experience because of some characteristic they share? If so, does the success of these students in the current models of online learning lead to a greater replication of the established models of learning online and reduce exploration into new models that would better server students who are currently self-selecting out of online learning? Are there students who don't like online classes because of a learning style or personality characteristic? If so, are there ways to alter the online class experience to better fit these people's needs/desires? Do designers of online classes need to alter online classes to better suit an existing or perhaps a target population? Thanks in advance! Brian --- Brian Newberry University of Kansas 785-864-0735 ---

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