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

Some new online papers on blogs
by Mike Thelwall 08 May '06

08 May '06

There is a blog workshop at the WWW2006 conference with all papers online at http://www.blogpulse.com/www2006-workshop/program.html These are mainly quantitative approaches to blog analysis and some are only of interest to system developers but there are some interesting ones - Iranian and Chinese bloggers are both covered, and some papers show clear trends, for example about the relationship between social ties and continued blogging. My contribution is "Blogs During the London Attacks: Top Information Sources and Topics" Mike Thelwall Head, Statistical Cybermetrics Research Group University of Wolverhampton, UK http://cybermetrics.wlv.ac.uk/ *Now funding good PhD proposals*

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studies on Local community strength by internet access
by Peter Timusk 03 May '06

03 May '06

Are there any studies showing that internet access increases local community strength? I think I came across this thesis on this list. Can someone point this out to me? thanks. Peter Timusk B.Math(2002) BA (2006) Carleton University running MacOSX, Debian 3.0 & 3.1, WinXP &Win2K & Fedora Core 3 Community activist, statistics worker. member IWW IU 620, CUPE 4600, USWA 9597 Nothing I write is intended to be representative of my employer, or our clients. Nor do I alone speak for my unions. Feel free to learn more about me at www.crystalcomputing.net Computer ethics studies at www.webpagex.org blogs http://logbook.crystalcomputing.net <- computers http://notebook.webpagex.org <- school work

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Investigación en TIC para el desarrollo en América Latina contribuyendo a las metas del milenio
by Erick Iriarte Ahon 01 May '06

01 May '06

Foro: Investigación en TIC para el desarrollo en América Latina contribuyendo a las metas del milenio En los últimos años son muchas las organizaciones que han estado investigando diversas maneras de que las TIC contribuyan efectivamente al desarrollo y permitan conformar una sociedad con equidad, con mejor acceso a la salud, con menos pobreza, con una educación de más calidad y con servicios públicos más eficientes. De igual manera el desarrollo de las politicas y regulacion de TICs resulta relevante en estos procesos. Por otro lado los gobiernos han estado preocupados por establecer metas concretas que alcanzar para llegar al desarrollo. En el marco de las Naciones Unidas, los gobiernos de todo el mundo acordaron establecer las Metas de Desarrollo del Milenio y se comprometieron a adoptar medidas para alcanzarlas. En paralelo, y en el marco de lo que fue la Cumbre para la Sociedad de la Información, muchos gobiernos de la región impulsaron programas nacionales para avanzar hacia la sociedad de la información. Asimismo los mismos gobiernos acordaron impulsar la Estrategia Latinoamericana para la sociedad de la Información: eLAC. Esos tres procesos: el de la investigación para el desarrollo, el establecimiento de metas globales de desarrollo, y el avance hacia a una agenda regional de sociedad de la información, han estado marchando en paralelo, con muy pocos puntos de encuentro. Hoy en día es muy claro para diversos actores de diferentes ámbitos, que hay que buscar el encuentro entre la apuesta global por un desarrollo sostenible y la apuesta por la sociedad de la información. La investigación, en sus múltiples facetas aparece como un eje articulador y es por esa razón que entre el 8, 9 y 10 de noviembre, Alfa-Redi y CONDESAN-InfoAndina, con el apoyo de RITS, Funredes, Sulá Batsú, entre otros, están organizando en Lima, Perú, un encuentro de investigadores enfocados en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en América Latina. El encuentro busca fundamentalmente propiciar la socialización de la investigación que desde diferentes organizaciones de desarrollo, académicas, privadas y gubernamentales se viene haciendo en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo. Proponemos evaluar colectivamente en que medida estas investigaciones están respondiendo a las necesidades de los países de América Latina para cumplir con las metas del milenio y asimismo cómo se engarzan con la ELAC. Será fundamental identificar también cuáles son los vacíos de investigación que pueden ser cubiertos por la acción colaborativa de los investigadores. El encuentro busca también socializar los diferentes recursos de investigación con los que cuenta la región de manera que se generen sinergias entre los investigadores y sus organizaciones. Esa sinergia debería concretarse a futuro en líneas de investigación común que puedan regularmente ser socializadas en eventos futuros de los investigadores. El encuentro reunirá 40 investigadores seleccionados por un grupo de especialistas en función de las ponencias que se presenten y que deben responder a los criterios establecidos en la convocatoria adjunta. Si bien será un encuentro cerrado, los organizadores y auspiciadores del Encuentro haremos los esfuerzos necesarios para la amplia difusión de los resultados. Si esta interesado en contribuir a este evento sirvase contactar con Miguel Saravia o con Erick Iriarte Convocatoria de Ponencias: Investigación en TIC para el desarrollo en América Latina contribuyendo a las metas del milenio Fecha Límite Abstracts: 15 de Agosto de 2006, a las 17:00 horas de Perú. Fecha Límite ponencia completa: 15 de Octubre de 2006 En los últimos años son muchas las organizaciones que han estado investigando diversas maneras de que las TIC contribuyan efectivamente al desarrollo y permitan conformar una sociedad con equidad, con mejor acceso a la salud, con menos pobreza, con una educación de más calidad y con servicios públicos más eficientes. Por otro lado los gobiernos han estado preocupados por establecer metas concretas que alcanzar para llegar al desarrollo. En el marco de las Naciones Unidas, los gobiernos de todo el mundo acordaron establecer las Metas de Desarrollo del Milenio y se comprometieron a adoptar medidas para alcanzarlas. En paralelo, y en el marco de lo que fue la Cumbre para la Sociedad de la Información, muchos gobiernos de la región impulsaron programas nacionales para avanzar hacia la sociedad de la información. Asimismo los mismos gobiernos acordaron impulsar la Estrategia Latinoamericana para la sociedad de la Información: ELAC. Esos tres procesos: el de la investigación para el desarrollo, el establecimiento de metas globales de desarrollo, y el avance hacia a una agenda regional de sociedad de la información, han estado marchando en paralelo, con muy pocos puntos de encuentro. Hoy en día es muy claro para diversos actores de diferentes ámbitos, que hay que buscar el encuentro entre la apuesta global por un desarrollo sostenible y la apuesta por la sociedad de la información. La investigación, en sus múltiples facetas aparece como un eje articulador y es por esa razón que entre el 8, 9 y 10 de noviembre, Alfa-Redi y CONDESAN-InfoAndina, con el apoyo de (lista de organizaciones que apoyarán) están organizando en Lima, Perú, un encuentro de investigadores enfocados en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en América Latina y para el cuál estamos realizando esta convocatoria de ponencias. La convocatoria esta abierta a investigadores(as) de todo el mundo, enfocados en el tema de las TIC para el Desarrollo en América Latina y asociados a alguna ONG, Empresa, Organismo público, organismo internacional o institución académica. Los(as) investigadores(as) independientes deben ser presentados(as) por alguna organización de las mencionadas antes. Además de presentar en detalle su investigación, se espera que las ponencias se enfoquen en responder las siguientes preguntas: a. ¿Cómo la investigación esta contribuyendo a las metas del milenio en América Latina? b. ¿Cómo se alinea su investigación con el marco propuesto por ELAC? c. ¿Cómo espera colaborar con otros investigadores de la región? Abstract Los investigadores interesados en participar del encuentro deben ser presentados por su organización a través de una carta. La carta debe adjuntar un abstract de no más de 500 palabras, además de una biodata del investigador. Si fuera una investigación con más de un autor, se solicita que la biodata sea del investigador principal. La fecha límite para el envío del abstract es el 15 de Agosto de 2006, a las 17 horas de Perú a la dirección: contacto(a)alfa-redi.org o infoandina(a)cgiar.org con el subject: Abstract Noviembre. Los documentos serán revisados por un panel de expertos designados por las instituciones involucradas en la organización del Encuentro. Ponencia final Los investigadores seleccionados serán contactados por el Comité organizador con recomendaciones específicas para que desarrollen la ponencia final hasta el 15 de Octubre de 2006. Más Información Alfa-Redi: contacto(a)alfa-redi.org Infoandina: infoandina(a)cgiar.org

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Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(3)
by herring 30 Apr '06

30 Apr '06

The JOURNAL OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION is pleased to announce its latest issue: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue3/ --------- Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication Volume 11, Issue 3, April 2006 --------- >From Statistical Panic to Moral Panic: The Metadiscursive Construction and Popular Exaggeration of New Media Language in the Print Media - Crispin Thurlow "Rzeczpospolita blog" [Republic of Blog]: Examining the Motivations of Polish Bloggers through Content Analysis - Kaye D. Trammell, Alek Tarkowski, Justyna Hofmokl, and Amanda M. Sapp Predicting Continued Participation in Newsgroups - Elisabeth Joyce and Robert E. Kraut Fostering Civic Engagement by Building a Virtual City - Marina Umaschi Bers and Clement Chau Portrayals of Information and Communication Technology on World Wide Web Sites for Girls - Chad Raphael, Christine Bachan, Kathleen-M. Lynn, Jessica Baldwin-Philippi, and Kristin A. McKee Trouble in a Geographically Distributed Virtual Network Organization: Organizing Tensions in Continental Direct Action Network - Michelle Shumate and Jon Pike The Contact Hypothesis Reconsidered: Interacting via the Internet - Yair Amichai-Hamburger and Katelyn Y. A. McKenna Do Internet Users Have More Social Ties? A Call for Differentiated Analyses of Internet Use - Shanyang Zhao Traditional and Online Support Networks in the Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Chinese International Students in the United States - Jiali Ye Research Brief: The Effect of Communication Medium on Research Participation Decisions - Thomas Chesney --------- The contents of this issue and all back issues of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication are openly accessible at http://jcmc.indiana.edu/ ---------

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Re: [Air-l] network neutrality and digital divide
by Gail Taylor 30 Apr '06

30 Apr '06

Discriminatory practices are implicit to the conversation on network neutrality. As opposed to only being concerned about the network providers, current practices of organizations and individuals should also be taken into consideration. These practices are also drivers of the current movement to regulate Internet activities. As an Internet researcher, I continue to use a dial-up Internet service to access the Internet to have the same experience as millions of others around the world who do not have access to affordable broadband services. I am finding this experience has changed dramatically in the last several years as web site developers build and maintain sites that capitalize on broadband capabilities, including higher education institutions. I can usually get a 46K connect speed when using the dial-up service. I am not able to access web sites that require the user to use a particular software program to view the site, even if the software is available for download from the site. Using the dial-up service, I do not have the necessary data transfer speeds to download the necessary software. The web site developers tend to not offer users an option to contact them to get a copy of the software on a CD-ROM/DVD. Email requests to webmasters for this courtesy tend to be ignored. Other web sites are very slow to load to the browser screen as sites become larger in size data-wise. I also do not have access to many of the PDF files that are being made available for download to a file or printer due to the large file size. Downloading a podcasting is out of the question! Music? Games? Out of the question! Downloading a 1M PDF file has the potential to bring a person to tears. Until such time dial-up service is no longer available, I will continue to use this service as an Internet researcher to have the same experience as the millions of others around the world who do not have the financial resources to purchase this service, or live in a part of the world that does not the necessary infrastructure to support this service. How is it possible to talk advocate for change on behalf of others without also living the experience?? -- Gail ***************************** Gail D. Taylor, M.Ed. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Human Resource Education Ph.D. Student Educational Psychology Teaching Assistant "The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take that away from you." -- B.B. King, Blues Musician

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Citation Generator for Blogs
by Christy Dena 29 Apr '06

29 Apr '06

Hello All, I cannot recall if I've sent this on of not, so here are the details of a plugin for Wordpress that generates an academic citation for every post: =============== Blogs for your bibliography. A new citation plugin for the popular blogging system Wordpress, is now available thanks to <http://writerresponsetheory.org/> WriterResponseTheory (WRT) blogger Jeremy Douglass and Julie Meloni, technical director for <http://www.i2ii.com/> i2i interactive, a grad student in English at <http://www.sjsu.edu/> San Jose State University , and the author of a multitude of <http://www.thickbook.com/> technical books on Blogging, Plone, PHP/Apache/MySQL, The plugin automatically generates citations at the foot of every blog post in five common formats: AMA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, and MLA. Details about the plugin are here: <http://wrt.ucr.edu/wordpress/2006/03/30/academic-citations/> http://wrt.ucr.edu/wordpress/2006/03/30/academic-citations/ Best, Christy Web: http://www.Cross-MediaEntertainment.com Web: http://www.StarofDena.com Web: http://www.WriterResponseTheory.org Web: http://www.PolymorphicNarrative.org

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FW: Scientific Internet Research; Courses & Books?
by R.Mabry-Hubbard (UMC Student) 29 Apr '06

29 Apr '06

Until their NSF funding ran out in 2002, the University of Maryland sponsored a summer workshop called Scientific Research on the Internet (WEBuse Workshop at http://www.webuse.umd.edu/) I am a graduate student looking to find a similar professional-development (or graduate credit) research methods seminar as coursework towards my area of specialization technology and rural communities. I talked to the former director of the WEBuse; but he was not aware of any similar credentialed opportunities and he acknowledged, there is still demand based on requests they still receive. I have several questions: (1) Is anyone on the listserv aware of courses in the United States or online graduate courses in an English-speaking country dealing with Internet research methods? (2) I am also developing a basic e-research course for beginning undergraduate students and the professor I am working with (at another college), he and I have not had much luck finding a good primer for the course need not be a textbook. I have even reviewed some e-commerce marketing books without much success. I would be interested in any suggestions. The focus of the class will be using the library (electronic resources) to do a basic social science undergraduate research paper. The first time the course is offered, it will be delivered in a blended learning environment with the intention of porting most of the future sections completely online, the fastest growing source of their new students. (3) Im putting together a summer reading list; I would be interested in any suggestions for myself regarding Internet research especially -- qualitative methods for studying online discussion groups; studying online socio-emotional support groups; and cybersociology. In advance, thank you. R ------ Robin Y. Mabry Hubbard, MBA, EdS Rural Sociology Doctoral Student - Community Informatics Email: ryh352(a)mizzou.edu My Homepage: http://www.rrchubbard.org Murphy's Law: There is never enough time to do it right; but there is always time to do it over ~ Our Future arrived Yesterday! ~ [I am not inviting any postmodernist to my party!]

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CFP: Flow Conference 2006
by Nick Muntean 28 Apr '06

28 Apr '06

CFP: Flow Conference 2006 The Flow Conference (Oct. 26 -29, 2006; Austin, TX) -- a series of roundtable discussions with topics created by Flow columnists organized around the future of television and media culture -- is now accepting submissions to join a roundtable. Deadline for submission is: June 15, 2006. The goal of the Flow Conference is conversation. There are no plenary sessions, and participants are asked to submit short position papers (not full-length essays). We want to promote discussion amongst scholars, members of the media industries, media activists, fans, and policy-makers over crucial issues related to television and media. For the list of roundtable topics, please visit the conference website at: www.flowconference.org. To join a roundtable, submit a 250 word abstract identifying the roundtable in which you want to participate and detailing your response to the topic statement, and a short bio, to: flowconference(a)utlists.utexas.edu. Roundtable organizers include: Chris Anderson, Tim Anderson, Patricia Aufderheide, Aniko Bodroghkozy, Will Brooker, Faye Ginsburg, Jonathan Gray, Mary Beth Haralovich, John Hartley, James Hay, Heather Hendershot, Henry Jenkins, Douglas Kellner, L.S. Kim, Derek Kompare, Shanti Kumar, Dan Leopard, Daniel Marcus, Vicki Mayer, Allison McCracken, John McMurria, Tara McPherson, Walter Metz, Jason Mittell, Megan Mullen, Horace Newcomb, Laurie Ouellette, Thomas Schatz, Joe Straubhaar, Sharon Strover, Frederick Wasser. For more information, please visit our website, http://www.flowconference.org, or email us at flowconference(a)utlists.utexas.edu. Michael Kackman, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Radio-TV-Film University of Texas at Austin mkackman(a)mail.utexas.edu

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Re: [Air-l] net neutrality
by Janna Anderson 27 Apr '06

27 Apr '06

The following "Save the Internet" site is also interesting. It is in favor of "network neutrality." It is also a good example of a grassroots political site with highly formatted responses, etc. http://www.savetheinternet.com/=coalition Janna Anderson On 4/27/06 11:33 AM, "Nancy Baym" <nbaym(a)ku.edu> wrote: > Can someone with greater expertise than mine offer a quick primer on > the net neutrality debate and bills now before the US > congress/senate, including how, if at all, it would have > ramifications outside the US? I know there are many people on here > who pay a lot of attention to these kinds of issues, and I would > really like to hear what you see going on here, > > Thanks, > Nancy > _______________________________________________ > 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/ -- Janna Quitney Anderson Assistant Professor of Communications Director of Internet Projects School of Communications Elon University andersj(a)elon.edu (336) 278-5733 (o) (336) 446-0486 (h)

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Re: [Air-l] network neutrality
by Bram Dov Abramson 27 Apr '06

27 Apr '06

One more thing. To respond to the question of international impact, I would think that the main impact will be in leading-by-example and impact-on-industry terms. I don't imagine it will have too direct an impact on Internet provision in other countries. Backbone connectivity is unlikely to be affected, I should think. Much Web content and other applications content is hosted in the U.S. but that's, again, backbone stuff -- the access providers in other countries are, well, in other countries. On the other hand, elaborate tie-ups between commercial logical- and applications-layer enterprises that extend into packet-level discrimination are just not that common. Their level of acceptance in the U.S. environment, business models that get spun around them, and governance response that shape how it all happens -- or doesn't -- will be watched closely and perhaps emulated or resisted. Content providers who won packet-preferencing deals in the U.S., if that catches on, would certainly take their model contracts and try to negotiate similar things with large providers in other jurisdictions. So folks in other jurisdictions will be thinking about this, too. cheers Bram

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