January 2006 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Re: [Air-l] Reminder - IAMCR Cairo 2006 CP&T Call
by Ursula.MAIER-RABLER＠sbg.ac.at 16 Jan '06

16 Jan '06

Ooooooooops! Sorry for posting back to the list. Ursula _________________________________________________ Dr. Ursula Maier-Rabler, ICT&S Center, Universität Salzburg _________________________________________________

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Re: [Air-l] Reminder - IAMCR Cairo 2006 CP&T Call
by Ursula.MAIER-RABLER＠sbg.ac.at 16 Jan '06

16 Jan '06

Hi Jo, just a short note that I actually plan to go to Cairo and that I also plan to participate more actively in one of the CP&T sessions. I have a paper on a dynamic policy models for culurally senstive ICT policy in the pipeline and a plan to send the abstract within the next few days. Sorry for not meeting the deadline. Together with my assistant Christiana Hartwig I am doing a study on Internet and (political) Participation of young people in Salzburg. I plan to submitt a paper together with Christiana too. I hope to send the abstracts tomorrow or on Wednesday. More late, hope you are fine. Ursula _________________________________________________ Dr. Ursula Maier-Rabler, ICT&S Center, Universität Salzburg _________________________________________________

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4th OII Summer Doctoral Programme
by Vicki Nash 13 Jan '06

13 Jan '06

The OII is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 4th OII Summer Doctoral Programme, which will be held in Oxford from the 15th to the 29th July 2006. Applications are welcomed from students in any discipline who are currently undertaking doctoral research on social, political, legal and economic issues relating to the Internet. Further information about the Programme and details of how to apply can be found at <http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/teaching/?rq=sdp&year=2006> http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/teaching/?rq=sdp&year=2006 . The deadline for applications is 20th February 2006. Dr Victoria Nash Policy and Research Officer 01865 287231 Oxford Internet Institute University of Oxford 1, St Giles OX1 3JS www.oii.ox.ac.uk <http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/>

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iCS Call for Papers
by bl506＠york.ac.uk 13 Jan '06

13 Jan '06

I hope members we will be interested in the following CfP. CALL FOR PAPERS Journal of Information, Communication, Society 10th Anniversary International Symposium University of York,UK. 20th 22nd September 2006 Supported by: Social Informatics Research Unit (SIRU), Department of Sociology, University of York In association with Oxford Internet Institute (OII) Taylor & Francis Publishers Conference Chairs: Brian Loader, Co-Director of SIRU Professor William Dutton, Director of the OII Powerful new convergences of digital technologies together with rising adoption of information and communications technologies (ICTs) into everyday commercial, political and social life has led to pronouncements of a second generation of information society development. But what evidence exists to support this idea of a significant step change in the development and social, economic and political diffusion of ICTs? This symposium seeks to take forward this debate by critically analysing key issues emerging from new inter-relationships between information, communication and society. It aims to: explore the robustness of claims about the transformative effects and potential of information and communication technologies; identify and discuss the methodologies that could be used to test such claims; assess the current state of empirical research and highlight important gaps for future research; and provide an international forum for the exchange of ideas, data and analysis. Symposium Themes The symposium is multidisciplinary and original papers are sought from researchers in all relevant subject areas. Papers submitted should address at least one of the seven broad areas around which the proceedings will be organised: e-health; spatial informatics; e-commerce & economics; young and older generations; privacy, trust and surveillance; e-governance; and, policy issues cutting across all these themes. Submission of papers Proposals for papers should be submitted as abstracts of no more than 500 words, and should include details of the proposers name, position, affiliation and contact details. Proposals should be submitted electronically to bl506(a)york.ac.uk . Submissions are welcome from established scholars and post-graduates alike. Deadline for proposals: 1st April 2006 Authors of accepted papers notified by: 2ndMay 2006 -- Brian D. Loader, Editor, Information, Communication & Society, Department of Sociology, Wentworth College, University of York, Heslington, YORK YO1 5DD. United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0) 1904 432639 Fax: +44 (0) 1904 433043 email: bl506(a)york.ac.uk www.infosoc.co.uk

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Prix Ars Electronica 2006 - Digital Communities
by Iris Mayr 13 Jan '06

13 Jan '06

Prix Ars Electronica 2006 International Competition for Cyberarts The Prix Ars Electronica - International Competition for Cyberarts is being conducted for the 19th time in 2006. In addition to the classic categories-Interactive Art, Net Vision, Computer Animation / Visual Effects and Digital Musics-Digital Communities and [the next idea] Art and Technology Grant competition that debuted last year will be reprised. Prix Ars Electronica 2006 Start of Online Submissions: January 10, 2006 Online Submission Deadline: March 17, 2006 Details about entering are available online only at http://prixars.aec.at Total Prize Money: 117,500 Euro 6 Golden Nicas 12 Awards of Distinction Up to 12 Honorary Mentions in each category For further information please contact Iris Mayr: info(a)prixars.aec.at DIGITAL COMMUNITIES This category focuses attention on the wide-ranging social impact of the Internet as well as on the latest developments in the fields of social software, mobile communications and wireless networks. "Digital Communities" spotlights bold and inspired innovations impacting human coexistence, bridging the geographical as well as gender-based digital divide, or creating outstanding social software and enhancing accessibility of technological-social infrastructure. This category showcases the political potential of digital and networked systems and is thus designed as a forum for the consideration of a broad spectrum of projects, programs, initiatives and phenomena in which social innovation is taking place, as it were, in real time. A Golden Nica, two Awards of Distinction and up to 12 Honorary Mentions will be awarded in the Digital Communities category in 2006. Iris Mayr Prix Ars Electronica | Project Manager Ars Electronica Center Linz Hauptstraße 2 A-4040 Linz Code: Prix Tel. ++43.732.7272-74 Fax ++43.732.7272-676 info(a)prixars.aec.at http://prixars.aec.at

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Reminder - IAMCR Cairo 2006 CP&T Call
by Jo Pierson 11 Jan '06

11 Jan '06

CALL FOR PAPERS - Reminder Dear all, The Communications Policy & Technology (CP&T) section of the 'International Association for Media and Communication Research' (IAMCR) invites submission of abstracts for original, research-based papers to be presented in person at the forthcoming IAMCR Cairo Conference, July 23-28, 2006. The focus of the Section’s work is on Communication Policies and their link to the socio-economic and political aspects of technological change. CP&T welcomes work that bridges the theoretical and empirical spheres as well as research offering guidelines for policy action at the community, national, regional or global levels. The Section does not adhere to any single philosophical or theoretical school and actively encourages research that is critical and counter-intuitive. Abstracts for the Cairo Conference should be original research studies, which ideally provide scientific and analytical data and analysis on a topic of your own choosing, but linked to the Conference Theme and especially to our own sectional focus. The theme of the IAMCR Cairo conference is ‘Knowledge Societies for All: Media & Communication Strategies’. This theme reflects the core of the CP&T Section’s own theoretical emphases and research activities. We therefore welcome abstracts on the main theme itself, reflected through the following sub-topics: Sub-theme 1 - Beyond Tunis: Policy and Technology after WSIS Many IAMCR and other academic researchers and policy advisors across several of the Association’s Sections and Working Groups joined thousands of governmental, corporate and NGO leaders who participated in the Tunis Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society and related events, held in Tunisia in November 2005. WSIS participants as well as other specialists from the CP&T and other IAMCR Sections and particularly from the Digital Divide and Global Media Policy Working Groups are invited to share research-based perspectives and prognoses of policy and technology development after WSIS. Research and Analysis are being especially encouraged on issues of Financing ‘Information For All’, and on the newly formed Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the future of ICANN, the role of ITU and related Technology, Policy and Governance issues post Tunis. Sub-theme 2 – People, Globalisation and Emerging Technologies The Section aims to establish new insights into the multiple dimensions of policies related to the Digital Divide and strategies designed for the inclusion of a wide cross section of people in the development process. It invites examination of barriers and opportunities for growth, for innovation, adaptation and use of information and communication technologies and for the deployment of the media systems and policies for development. We welcome papers that emphasise innovative approaches and new policy initiatives towards a more globally inclusive knowledge society, aimed at participation at the social, political, technological, economic and cultural spheres. Sub-theme 3 – New Policy Interfaces: Culture and Technology Expansion of communication systems and emerging technology networks continue to give rise to new interfaces. Many traditional, religious and political cultures are coming face to face with emerging technologies that challenge their conventional lifestyles and social practices, whether at the community, or national levels. What are some of the policy issues that arise in these contexts and how are these challenges being addressed? How do differing cultures and societies use communication technologies to bridge the policy and practice divides? What kind of methods can be applied to identify these techno-cultural differences and their possible consequences for policy? Papers are invited that address these issues of technology and intercultural communication, cultural diversity interfaces and the impact of new digital media and communication technologies on governance and policy-making. Sub-theme 4 - People-Centered System Design and Innovation Industrial policy and government initiatives on innovation often influence the manner in which technologies and services are designed. But what is the extent to which these designs are people-centered? User-centered system design may help to enable greater e-inclusion by deploying media and communication technologies that better fit the needs, knowledge, possibilities and everyday life of people. The Section invites abstracts and eventually papers that address this issue of user-oriented system design and people-focused innovation policy, both generally and specifically in a north/south context. Sub-theme 5 – ICT and Telecom Policies in the Mediterranean Region In the Mediterranean area, Europe meets Africa. This makes it an interesting zone for the study of the possibilities and challenges of developing a knowledge society for the developed and well as the developing societies. This area was also the venue of the second Phase of the WSIS. Papers are invited from contributors from within or outside of the Mediterranean area, reflecting the potential and obstacles of telecom and ICT policies within the Mediterranean region. We particularly welcome abstracts, and subsequently, full papers that critically address policy developments in telecommunications within the region. Criteria for Selection of Abstracts: The CP&T welcomes abstracts from the global research community. Both well-established scholars and younger researchers from all regions are encouraged to submit abstracts for evaluation. The CP&T will maintain its tradition of only accepting papers of a high academic and research standard. Abstracts and research papers are evaluated on the following criteria: 1.The scientific or policy relevance of the research problem 2. Relevance to the declared Conference Theme and Sub-themes 3. Clarity in the formulation of the central research issues 4. Clarity of the objectives, as well as in the analytical methods used in the paper 5.The consistency and documented support of the central argument advanced 6.The appropriateness of theories and/or methodologies used 7.The nature of the empirical evidence presented. Abstracts of about 500 words should be sent to CP& T Section and addressed to Hopeton S. Dunn (hdunn(a)cwjamaica.com) AND to Jo Pierson (IAMCR-CPT-Cairo(a)telenet.be ) no later than January 30, 2006. The abstract should include title, name(s), institutional address and email address of author(s). All prospective presenters will be advised by March 1, 2006 of the outcome of their applications. The full text of accepted papers will be required for submission no later than June 15, 2006. Please visit http://www.aucegypt.edu/conferences/iamcr/ for more information about the conference, programme, registration, accommodation etc.

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Collaborative Tagging workshop at WWW2006
by Golder, Scott A. 10 Jan '06

10 Jan '06

We have extended the deadline for this workshop until January 29th, and welcome submissions addressing any aspect of tagging. ------ WWW 2006, Edinburgh, Scotland May 22/23, 2006 Collaborative Web Tagging Workshop Call for Papers and Participation URL: http://www.rawsugar.com/www2006/cfp.html Contact: [frank AT rawsugar DOT com] Chairs: --------- Frank Smadja, RawSugar. Andrew Tomkins, Yahoo Research. Scott Golder, HP Labs. Program Committee: ----------------------------- Eytan Adar, University of Washington. Michael Cafarella, University of Washington Ed Cutrell, Microsoft Research Susan Dumais, Microsoft Research Jonathan Feinberg, IBM Research, Cambridge Evgeniy Gabrilovich, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology R. Guha, Google Yoelle Maarek, IBM Research, Haifa Israel. Vova Soroka, IBM Research, Haifa Israel Background ------------------ There has recently there been a great surge of interest in collaborative tagging as a means of facilitating knowledge sharing in social computing. Collaborative tagging refers to the process in which a community of users adds meta-information in the form of keywords or tags to Web content such as web pages, links, photographs and audio files on a centralized web server. While collaborative tagging is only starting to be researched in the research community, it seems to address a real need on the Web as demonstrated by the growing popularity of tagging and annotation sites (see del.icio.us, flickr, technorati, RawSugar, Shadows, etc.); the most popular sites already have a combined user base of several millions. The philosophy of what is called Web 2.0, the social Web or also the two-way Web is that users can and should be content creators as well as consumers and it suggests that there is a great deal of untapped potential for tagging to improve how web content is organized, navigated and experienced. Yet it is not yet clear how it will evolve and how it will scale, when, if at all, its usage base will go beyond early adopters. There are many open questions about what tagging can and cannot do, especially for a larger, mainstream web community and we would like to explore that in our workshop. Goal and Topics of Interests ----------------------------------------- The goal of this workshop is to bring researchers and practitioners together in order to explore both the social and technical issues and challenges involved in Web tagging. We plan to address not only the current state of collaborative tagging, and understand its attractiveness to early adopters but also discuss its future. Topics of interest for the workshop include: ------------------------------------------------------------- * Semantics and Vocabulary: How can collaborative tagging be used in the creation of ontologies and the semantic web? What are tagging's benefits and limitations in this domain? How can meaning be faithfully preserved when disparate tag sets are integrated? Is there a place in tagging for controlled vocabulary? Is it necessary to match synonymous tags, and if so, how can this be accomplished technically? Are there other mechanisms that can extend tagging to provide some of the capabilities of hierarchies without the drawbacks? * Measurement: What is the structure of tagspace? What behavioral patterns do users display when tagging, and how can the entire space of objects and tags be understood and visualized? * Standardization efforts: Although very little of this has been done currently, current services are somehow interoperable through the use of RSS or Atom feeds. What could be the benefits of tagging standards and what would they be? * Scalable architecture for tagging: What will happen when millions of users will tag, how about hundreds of millions? What kind of architecture can deal with billions of objects? Can current tagging concepts be applied to such scales? * Multimedia: Are there special considerations for tagging multimedia such as photos, videos and audio? Yahoo photos now already has over two billion photographs. * Search and Navigation: How can tagging improve internet search? How are tags used as a mechanism for navigation and discovery of content? * Discovery paradigms: How to search, browse a tagged universe? What is the use of faceted search, people search, etc.? * Blogging: What is the relationship between tagging and blogging?? How do these two methods of adding personalized organization to web content affect how that content is found, navigated, used and interpreted by others? * Interfaces: Using Boolean operators like AND, OR and NOT on sets of tags rapidly grows complex and confusing, especially for non technical users. How can good interface design simplify and clarify these complex operations? Workshop Presenter Selection Process: --------------------------------------------------------- We will solicit submissions to present work to the workshop, and submissions will be evaluated by the organizing committee. Because collaborative tagging on the web is relatively young and has received relatively little scholarly attention, we encourage contributions from a diversity of disciplinary backgrounds, including computer science and engineering, sociology, anthropology and linguistics, and communications and library science. Despite the novelty of collaborative tagging, we seek contributions with demonstrable results, as well as purely theoretical pieces. These results may consist of designs and prototypes for future tagging systems, quantitative or qualitative analyses of existing systems, or solutions for technical challenges facing tagging. Though speculative or theoretical contributions will be considered, we will require that they be well-grounded in previous research or practice. How to submit a paper/proposal for the workshop: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- For research in progress work, each candidate will email to [frank AT rawsugar DOT com] in PDF format: * A short bio (less than one half page) * A position paper or extended abstract (less than 5 pages) including references and figures. For system presentations/demos, each candidate will email to [frank AT rawsugar DOT com] in PDF format: * A short bio (less than one half page) * A description of the system to be demoed (less than 3 pages) * If available, a demo of the system in some format. Submissions will be reviewed by the organizing committee and invitations to present will be sent accordingly. Authors of accepted submissions will be requested to submit a longer version for inclusion in the Working Notes to be distributed during the workshop. Format: ----------- Papers should be emailed to [frank AT rawsugar DOT com] preferably in PDF format and alternatively in HTML or MS Word. Papers should be formatted according to the standard ACM templates available at http://www2006.org/cfp/submissions.php, for example the MS Word template is in http://www2006.org/cfp/www2006-submission.doc; and then converted to pdf. Open Office (http://www.openoffice.org/) can be used to export standard formats to PDF. Important Dates: ----------------------- Individual workshop submissions deadline: 29 January 2006 Acceptance notifications to authors of workshop papers: 1 February 2006 Final workshop program available: 15 February 2006 Workshop date: May 22 (Mon), 2006

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Studies on punctuation use in CMC.
by joshua raclaw 08 Jan '06

08 Jan '06

Dear all, I'm looking for articles focusing on the use of punctuation by speakers in computer-mediated communications, either synchronous or asynchronous. I'm mostly looking for work detailing their use as possible linguistic variables, but would appreciate any pieces that come from other frameworks that you think might be relevant. Best, Joshua

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Call For Papers - Extreme Culture/Extreme Bodies in Cyberspace
by Kosut, Mary 08 Jan '06

08 Jan '06

We are seeking proposals and completed articles that explore the relationship between embodiment, technology and/or cyberspace. The call for papers is below. Extreme Culture/ Extreme Bodies Call for Abstracts, Chapters, and Proposals Deadline Extended to February 15, 2006 Since the 1990s, extreme has become part of the mainstream cultural vocabulary. The American public eagerly consumes extreme cuisine, wears extreme deodorant (energy-scented), watches extreme television shows like Fear Factor, drives oversized extreme vehicles, practices extreme sports and signs up for extreme adventure vacations involving bungee jumping, high falls, and fire burns. Extreme body modification, both normative (as exemplified on the television shows Extreme Makeover and The Swan) and non-normative, has been subsumed into the mainstream media, as a form of entertainment and a marketing scheme. These carefully conceived mediated products effectively push boundaries, challenging our conceptions of beauty, deviancy, human pain thresholds, humiliation, entertainment, and leisure. Within this context, it appears that people who want to stand out have been driven to push the extreme to the extreme. Although the roots of extreme culture are counter-cultural, does the extreme body offer a way to resist the standardized, homogeneous, pre-packaged fakeness of consumer society? The editors of Extreme Culture/Extreme Bodies seek papers on all themes exploring the body, identity, and consumption within the context of extreme culture. Both theoretical and empirical studies are invited from sociological, cultural studies, media studies, and feminist perspectives. Suggested submission topics include, but are not limited to the following themes: The body and consumer culture Recent trends in cosmetic surgery The body within the context of extreme sports Non-normative or subcultural body modification practices The body as an artistic medium Expressions of the extreme body in advertising and popular media Embodiment within cyberspace Theoretical perspectives on postmodernity, identity, and the body DEADLINE: February 15, 2006. Chapters must be submitted in Microsoft Word format, 12 point font, double spaced. Essays should be in the range of 7500 9,000 words with references in ASA style. We will also consider abstracts and shorter proposals. Include a cv with your submission. Send submissions and inquires to mary.kosut(a)purchase.edu Mary Kosut, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Sociology and Media, Society, and the Arts School of Natural and Social Sciences Purchase College SUNY Purchase, NY 10577 Elizabeth C. Bachner, Ph.D. Instructor of Sociology The New School New York, New York Mary Kosut Assistant Professor of Sociology and Media, Society and the Arts School of Natural and Social Sciences Purchase College, SUNY Purchase, NY 10577 (914) 251-6626

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CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTERS
by Hakikur Rahman 08 Jan '06

08 Jan '06

Please find a Call for Book Chapters and looking forward to your valued contributions. Best Regards. Hakik. CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTERS Proposals Submission Deadline: 02/28/2006 Full Chapters Due: 07/31/2006 Developing Successful ICT Strategies: Competitive Advantages in a Global Knowledge-Driven Society A book edited by Dr. Hakikur Rahman, SDNP Introduction The world is in the midst of an all-embracing technological revolution. Although this revolution has taken various names, there is little doubt that it is a revolution of information technology, or an innovative techno-economic paradigm, brought about by a set of neoteric information and communication technology (ICT). The ongoing ICT revolution combined with the forces of globalization, has provoked the aspirations and fears of countries at all levels of development, to leapfrog to the new economy. As a result many governments have formulated national ICT policies and strategies, where ICT is treated mainly as a thrust sector. However, in the current status quo while mainstream development practitioners continue to ignore the inherent roles of ICT poses serious jeopardy to development effectiveness. Therefore, the strategic significance of ICT for enabling national development and poverty reduction strategies must be clearly understood and operationalized by countries striving to gain global competency. The Overall Objective of the Book Maximizing the potential of ICT requires both promoting their use and addressing the inequality and dislocation they may cause. New technologies and the human and institutional capacity building in the public and private sectors, coupled with trends towards a greater emphasis on development initiatives at the state level, have resulted in a paradigm shift in the roles of the private sector and governments in ICT. Despite the massive prospects of ICT in assisting communities to increase their overall well-being through community development, there are relatively a very few examples of sustained community networks that have built around ICT. This book features these aspects in developing substantial national ICT strategies for their economies and makes use of their competitive advantages in a global knowledge driven society. The book also includes policies and perspectives of similar natures, including success cases around the world to synthesize and assist the reader in acquiring comprehensive knowledge from various analyses. The Target Audience Access to ICT requires education, infrastructure and institutions, three basic resources that many countries lack. Without them, it is increasingly likely that the poor may be on the trailing side of this revolution. This book will find its standpoint for its readers among multi-sectoral research bases. Apart from academics, researchers, and think tanks, the book will be extremely handy to the International Financial Institutions, National governments in LDCs, Non-Governmental Organizations, Donor agencies, Development partners and private sector entrepreneurs operating in ICT4D arena. Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following: * Emancipation of ICT Policies for Grass roots Outgrowth * Enactment of Autonomous ICT Policies in Developing Countries * Improved utilization of ICT policies for producing better products * Enhanced linkages between ICT and inequality across and within economies * Making ICT as a core competency for promoting competition and sustained development * Enabling mobility through wireless communication, tele-work, tele-services and e-learning * Focusing scarce resources as national priorities and help sequence complementary investments * Balancing market forces, enabling bottom up efforts, and ensuring shared learning and scaling up * Speeding up all types of transactions throughout the economy by reducing response time closer to zero * Preparing a rationale in designing national strategies for e-development (or e-enhanced development) * Complimenting needs and dynamics of promising ICT segments for export and economic competitiveness * Creating impact of ICT in social & economic development as enabling factor in national development strategies SUBMISSION PROCEDURE Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 28, 2006, a 2-5 page manuscript proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by March 31, 2006 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter organizational guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by July 31, 2006. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a blind review basis. The book is scheduled to be published by Idea Group, Inc., publisher of the Idea Group Publishing, Information Science Publishing, IRM Press, CyberTech Publishing, and Idea Group Reference imprints. Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) or by mail to: Dr. Hakikur Rahman SDNP Bangladesh (UNDP) BIDS, E-17 AGARGAON, DHAKA-1207, BANGLADESH Tel.: +880 2 8126204 FAX: +880 2 9118543 GSM: +880 189 228939 e-mail: <mailto:hakik@sdnbd.org>hakik(a)sdnbd.org

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