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

FOAF and privacy
by Rowin Young 20 Feb '06

20 Feb '06

Hello all, I wondered if anyone had any opinions or could recommend good material on the FOAF (friend of a friend) project, particularly in relation to the privacy of the people who are listed on (so called!) friends' foaf files without their knowledge or permission. I did find one very interesting article at http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/Europe/events/foaf-galway/papers/fp/technical_and_ privacy_challenges/, but one thing that struck me was the quite aggressive tone (I felt) it took in the discussion of privacy, stressing that the data owner has the right to do what they want with their data, and the data subject has no rights over information about them. I'd be interested to know if this is the case in UK law as well as US. Many thanks for any thoughts or insights on this! Dr Rowin Young University of Strathclyde

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social networking websites research/grad student questions
by Maciej Kos 19 Feb '06

19 Feb '06

Dear All, Last year I graduated from Master's program in economics with minor in e-business. I wrote my thesis on "virtual communities as a new channel of Internet marketing communications". I wanted to pursue (I still do) a career in research so it was clear to me, I should apply to PhD program in economics, especially that I was offered a faculty position at my home economics/e-business department. My research interests are: virtual communities, WEB 2.0, Internet marketing. My Ph D's preliminary working title is "Social networking websites (Web 2.0) as a new way of organizing and evaluating information on the web. What is a lesson to learnt for on line marketeers?". I would like to describe what Web 2.0 is, how it is affecting the way we look for information, evaluate it and how it's affecting our buying behaviors. I spent last few months on digging through research papers related to this topic. I was also trying to find a thesis supervisor. These two things led me to a belief that perhaps my interests are more of information studies, rather than business ones. I have a really hard time finding anyone at my university with expertise in virtual communities, etc. 1) If you were in my shoes, would you choose: a) Information studies program or b) Marketing program? 2) Which program is easier to get it: a) Information studies program or b) Marketing program? 3) Do you know of anybody, whose expertise would benefit my research? I am considering going to a different university for some time as a visiting scholar (Europe/USA). 4) Which places (universities/programs) would you recommend as best ones to do an interdisciplinary research into the Internet? 5) Do Information and Business PhDs' salaries differ significantly: a) inside academia b) outside of academia There is nobody at my university to mentor me or to supervise my dissertation, so I feel a little lost. Your help would be very much appreciated. Best Regards, M.K.

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Studying Wikipedia, studying humans?
by Jeremy Hunsinger 17 Feb '06

17 Feb '06

I was reading over some wikipedia policies and related things this morning and once again the perennial question arose... at what point is studying wikipedia... studying humans? granted that wikipedia is much larger than the human content, with both its technical infrastructures and bots. However, this wouldn't be a question for studying the Britannica as a 'book', though it might be a an issue in studying the production of the encyclopedia in situ via ethnography or other workplace studies methods. So where would you mark the difference in wikipedia? When are you studying an object, vs a human subject in wikipedia, or... is the distinction not clear enough to differentiate because of the interaction collapses the distinction? Thoughts? Jeremy Hunsinger Center for Digital Discourse and Culture () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.aoir.org The Association of Internet Researchers http://www.stswiki.org/ stswiki

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social networking sites on ... the daily show
by david silver 17 Feb '06

17 Feb '06

folks, for those interested in social networking sites like facebook and myspace, check out a brilliant clip, featuring Siva Vaidhyanathan, on The Daily Show here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4698898666405139932 david

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Event: plusminusITV
by Niels Hendriks 17 Feb '06

17 Feb '06

Dear all, I would like to inform you about an event which will be held on the 9th of March in Genk (Belgium). www.plusminusitv.be "The (Belgian) iTV debate has become a boring story in which interactivity is nothing more than an empty buzzword. A bold statement, we agree, but listen: In December 2005, C-md (Communication and MultimediaDesign) kicked off its Experimental Media course. The aim for the students was to develop a prototype for a cross media programme for children. They came up with experimental concepts that go beyond iTV as we know it. PLUS MINUS iTV is the outcome of this experimental media course. In his talk keynote speaker René Lansink (Utrecht School of Arts) will probe beyond the limitations of contemporary interactive concepts and show that already today cross media applications can offer a valuable alternative to the iTV story as we know it. How shall this event look like: * Students shall present two prototype concepts * Keynote talk by René Lansink * An expert panel will give feedback on the feasibility of these concepts * The debate on plus minus iTV is open * Endless smalltalk on iTV and beyond + refreshments Tags: interactive, viewers participation, television set, cross media, mobile, experimental, engaging narratives. So you should book this event in your agenda: March 9th 2006. >> Find out more on www.plusminusitv.be." The initial aim is to prove that no major technical backbone, nor a complex revenue model is needed to work out engaging cross-media programs. Hope to see you over there or hear about your comments via mail. Kind regards, Niels Hendriks _________________________________________ e-mail: niels.hendriks(a)mda.khlim.be Skype: nielshendriks Communication & MultimediaDesign (C-md) Media & Design Academy KHLIM (University of Leuven) http://c-md.khlim.be Weg naar As 50, 3600 Genk, Belgium __________________________________________

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E-Democracy.Org needs your advice in DC on Mar. 6
by Steven Clift 17 Feb '06

17 Feb '06

*** Democracies Online Newswire - http://dowire.org *** *** Headlines from top blogs: http://dowire.org/feeds *** --- Forward to others ---> A gazillion embedded links at: http://www.dowire.org/notes/?p=117 E-Democracy.Org Seeking Advice - Monday, March 6 at 5 p.m. in Washington, DC E-Democracy.Org is at a crossroads. We need to grow now or implode based a rapid string of successes over the last 18 months. In our first decade, we've focused on low cost sustainability. Now that we've achieved that, we need to work on scalability. I'll have some open time in Washington, DC on March 6 and 7th before flying to Bristol in the UK for an online advocacy conference. So on Monday, March 6, at 5 p.m. for about an hour supplemented with pizza, I invite you to the first informal E-Democracy.Org Advisory Council meeting. We will adjourn to a local establishment after the meeting. For the secret location coordinates just blocks from the White House, please RSVP by Thursday, March 2nd to: clift(a)publicus.net After a 30 minute presentation, we will open for discussion. We need practical advice on how to essentially move from an all volunteer- based organization with local forums mostly in one state to a staff- led, volunteer-rich chapter-based organization with local forums in many countries. The presentation will highlight: 1. The very successful Local Issues Forum expansion in the UK funded by the UK Local E-Democracy National Project of the Office of Deputy Prime Minister. Outputs included a 60 page guidebook, multimedia presentation, a new online groups software platform, and various articles. Our current forums in Brighton & Hove and Newham are humming along and were evaluated by Prof. Stephen Coleman then with the Oxford Internet Institute. Last year Issues Forums were given an honorable mention by the prestigious Prix Ars Electronica and named as a top 20 finalist for the Top 10 Who are Changing the World of Internet and Politics 2005. 2. Use and future development of the new GPL open source "killer ap" for integrated e-mail lists/web forums called GroupServer. This included moving the Minneapolis and St. Paul Issues Forums to the new platform in the second part of 2005. We also want to explore using MySociety's Gaze service with GroupServer for a meetup-like "I want a local issues forum in my town" recruitment and forum development application. 3. Ideas for use of the new E-Democracy.Org wiki for our U.S. election 2008 directory efforts and a campaign to "tag p2008" across the blogosphere. 4. Creation of the first official E-Democracy.Org "chapter" in St. Paul and extension of the local concept with a planning grant received to explore Neighborhood Forums in Minneapolis. We humbly believe we can be the Rotary or Lions clubs of the 21st Century where thousands of citizen groups build Issues Forums for their communities. Some will be part of our official chapter network and hopefully many more will take our model and adapt for their own independent activities. 5. Our pending Board reconfiguration, possible staff requirements, grant writing needs, member donation possibilities, and requests for help starting more local issues forums in the U.S., Canada, the UK and from places as far flung as New Zealand. In short, we'd like to tell you what we've been up to and invite you to offer you advice, contacts, and energy. We've become too popular for our own good and need your help to keep us moving forward without tripping up. So join us on Monday, March 6. If you can't make it, consider joining our new E-Democracy.Org Advisory Council online group. We only ask that you agree to donate something tangible to our efforts as a condition of membership: http://forums.e-democracy.org/factory/groups/advisors See you in Washington, DC. Steven Clift Board Chair http://E-Democracy.Org P.S. This post has lots of embedded links at: http://www.dowire.org/notes/?p=117 ^ ^ ^ ^ Steven L. Clift - - - W: http://publicus.net Minneapolis - - - - E: clift(a)publicus.net Minnesota - - - - - - T: +1.612.822.8667 USA - - - - Skype/MSN/Y!/AIM: netclift Join Democracies Online: http://dowire.org Start an Issues Forum: http://e-democracy.org/if *** Past Messages, to Subscribe: http://dowire.org *** *** To subscribe, e-mail: listserv(a)lists.umn.edu *** *** Message body: SUB DO-WIRE *** *** To UNSUBSCRIBE instead, write: UNSUB DO-WIRE *** *** Please send submissions to: clift(a)publicus.net *** *** New RSS XML Feed Available: *** http://www.mail-archive.com/do-wire@lists.umn.edu/maillist.xml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steven Clift - clift(a)publicus.net Web: http://publicus.net Blog: http://dowire.org/notes NGO: http://e-democracy.org Replies to slc@ may be missed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Re: [Air-l] Studying Wikipedia, studying humans?
by Jonas Holmström 17 Feb '06

17 Feb '06

This is not a thought, but a reading recommendation: The Meaning of Everything : The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0198607024/104-0310953-7405565? v=glance&n=283155 /Jonas > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 11:07:42 -0500 > From: Jeremy Hunsinger <jhuns(a)vt.edu> > Subject: [Air-l] Studying Wikipedia, studying humans? > To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org > Message-ID: <F9CB6039-1621-4AAD-93DA-B52D57D8D2FB(a)vt.edu> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed > > I was reading over some wikipedia policies and related things this > morning and once again the perennial question arose... at what point > is studying wikipedia... studying humans? granted that wikipedia is > much larger than the human content, with both its technical > infrastructures and bots. However, this wouldn't be a question for > studying the Britannica as a 'book', though it might be a an issue in > studying the production of the encyclopedia in situ via ethnography > or other workplace studies methods. So where would you mark the > difference in wikipedia? When are you studying an object, vs a > human subject in wikipedia, or... is the distinction not clear enough > to differentiate because of the interaction collapses the > distinction? Thoughts? > > Jeremy Hunsinger > Center for Digital Discourse and Culture > () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail > /\ - against microsoft attachments > > http://www.aoir.org The Association of Internet Researchers > http://www.stswiki.org/ stswiki >

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Antw: air-l Digest, Vol 19, Issue 4 (Absence - Carl-Markus Piswanger)
by Carl-Markus Piswanger 15 Feb '06

15 Feb '06

I am out of office. I will be back on February 20, and will read my Emails betweenwhiles. Carl-Markus Piswanger

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(no subject)
by wrc＠tcfir.org 15 Feb '06

15 Feb '06

Dear Colleagues, I am troubled that I cannot email other members directly as I see fit. I joined the association because I wished to form collegial relationships with other researchers around the world. This is more than a simple "fear of spam" issue to me. It goes to a crucial use of the Internet. As the Cluetrain Manifesto so clearly articulates, the Internet is about unfettered conversations. This paranoia about abuse actually reflects a systemic misunderstanding of the subject we are attempting to study. Clearly you have an opinion about this subject. One way or another, please email me at my email address wrc(a)tcfir.org and state your opinion. I intend to submit the results to the AOIR leadership. I am trying to understand the policy and your opinion is important. You have my permission to communicate with me at will. I do not object to hundreds of emails from my new colleagues! Reid Cornwell ________________________________ W. Reid Cornwell Ph.D. The Center For Internet Research 720.212.0719 (voice) 970.485.5109 (mobile) 801.807.3130 wrc(a)tcfir.org http://tcfir.org

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Re: [Air-l] Studying Wikipedia, studying humans?
by Christopher J. Richter 15 Feb '06

15 Feb '06

I would argue that putting the emphasis on process makes the object/human subject dichotomy irrelevant. Or to restate in Giddens-esque terminology, the focus should be human practices, with the subject and object viewed as duality rather than dualism. Christopher J Richter, PhD Assoc. Prof. & Chair, Communication Studies Hollins University P.O. Box 9652 Roanoke, VA 24020 Tel. 5403626358 Fax 5403626286 e-mail crichter(a)hollins.edu www.hollins.edu -----Original Message----- From: air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Jeremy Hunsinger Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 11:08 AM To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org Subject: [Air-l] Studying Wikipedia, studying humans? I was reading over some wikipedia policies and related things this morning and once again the perennial question arose... at what point is studying wikipedia... studying humans? granted that wikipedia is much larger than the human content, with both its technical infrastructures and bots. However, this wouldn't be a question for studying the Britannica as a 'book', though it might be a an issue in studying the production of the encyclopedia in situ via ethnography or other workplace studies methods. So where would you mark the difference in wikipedia? When are you studying an object, vs a human subject in wikipedia, or... is the distinction not clear enough to differentiate because of the interaction collapses the distinction? Thoughts? Jeremy Hunsinger Center for Digital Discourse and Culture () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.aoir.org The Association of Internet Researchers http://www.stswiki.org/ stswiki _______________________________________________ The air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

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