October 2008 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

AoL Search Data Redux
by Alex Halavais 24 Oct '08

24 Oct '08

With eye to nostalgia, I (re)raise the following question: are the data that were provided by the ill-fated AoL data release fair game for research? I could *really* use them for a current project; enough so that I will do the research. I may just never actually tell anyone about it. Which strikes me as somehow deeply wrong. For those new to the story, Eszter Hargittai tackled some of the issues here: http://crookedtimber.org/2006/08/07/the-aol-data-mess/ I did a bit here: http://alex.halavais.net/aol-data/ A piece by Nate Anderson appeared in Ars Technica: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060823-7578.html And there were about three dozen messages to AIR-L soon after the release. Now a couple of years have passed, and I have a part of research question that can be effectively answered through these data, and without these data (or similar), answering the question is prohibitively expensive and makes use of an approach less likely to yield valid information. Although the data was used, in part, during a presentation I saw in Copenhagen, I haven't seen any published articles making use of the released data, with the exception of articles that are related to detecting inferences in data, or the privacy concerns of search engines. My personal view is that this is widely publicly available data, and has already done its harm. My use of the data would yield no personally identifiable results. Given that my research does no harm to the subjects, I think a case may be made that it is therefore a reasonable target of investigation. Please tell me why I am wrong, and why my IRB will say I am wrong. Alex -- -- // // This email is // [X] assumed public and may be blogged / forwarded. // [ ] assumed to be private, please ask before redistributing. // // Alexander C. Halavais, cyberflâneur // http://alex.halavais.net //

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Announcing IR.10 - Internet: Critical (Milwaukee)
by Michael Zimmer 24 Oct '08

24 Oct '08

** Save the Date ** IR.10 Internet: Critical The 10th annual conference of the Association of Internet Researchers 7-11 October 2009 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA Venue: Milwaukee Hilton City Center Themes: critical moments, elements, practices critical theories, methods, constructs critical voices, histories, texts critical networks, junctures, spaces critical technologies, artifacts, failures critical ethics, interventions, alternatives Programming: Susanna Paasonen, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki Local Committee: Elizabeth Buchanan and Michael Zimmer, UW-Milwaukee; Steve Jones , UI- Chicago Sponsors: School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee UWM Center for Information Policy Research University of Illinois-Chicago, Department of Communication ** Full call for papers to follow in November ** -- Michael Zimmer, PhD Assistant Professor, School of Information Studies Associate, Center for Information Policy Research University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee e: zimmerm(a)uwm.edu w: www.michaelzimmer.org

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Conferencing software for next year
by Alex Halavais 24 Oct '08

24 Oct '08

Hello, IR9.0 attendees! I hope you all enjoyed Copenhagen as much as I did. As mentioned at the AGM, one part of the conference folks may not has as much fun with is our conference management system. We are currently in the process of evaluating various solutions for next year's conference, and hope to make a decision shortly. If any of you have direct experience with a conferencing system used in another organization, I would love to hear from you. Thanks! Alex Halavais -- -- // // This email is // [X] assumed public and may be blogged / forwarded. // [ ] assumed to be private, please ask before redistributing. // // Alexander C. Halavais, cyberflâneur // http://alex.halavais.net //

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undergrad internet & society courses in comm depts in US?
by holly-kruse＠utulsa.edu 24 Oct '08

24 Oct '08

I'm trying to collect information about undergraduate courses in communication departments in the U.S. that focus on the internet/networked technologies and society. Online information about such courses in medium-sized private universities would be most helpful, but I'll take anything. I have been teaching such a course as a special topic in my department for what will be in the spring the third year in a row, and I'm trying to convince members of my department that a course like this would be a reasonable addition to the curriculum and deserves a course number. Thus, I'm particularly interested in URLs that point to course descriptions or catalogs that I can include in materials to give to my colleagues. Thanks in advance for any help with this! ----- Holly Kruse Faculty of Communication The University of Tulsa 800 S. Tucker Drive Tulsa, OK 74104 918-631-3845 holly-kruse(a)utulsa.edu or holly.kruse(a)gmail.com

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job posting
by qCentral/Mary L. Gray 23 Oct '08

23 Oct '08

Please distribute (sorry for cross-postings) Faculty Positions in Social Informatics at Indiana University http://informatics.indiana.edu/hiring The Indiana University School of Informatics seeks to fill one junior and one senior position in Social Informatics starting in August 2009. We define Social Informatics as study of the ways in which social dynamics and contemporary information and communications technologies (ICTs) mutually shape each other. We wish to hire scholars who are excellent researchers and teachers and who will provide substantial leadership in furthering the work we have already begun in developing our new interdisciplinary field. The School of Informatics at Indiana University is the first of its kind and among the largest in the country, with a faculty of more than 80 full-time members<http://www.informatics.indiana.edu/people/ faculty.asp>, 182 doctoral students<http:// www.informatics.indiana.edu/people/phd.asp>, 312 master’s students<http://www.informatics.indiana.edu/people/grads.asp>, and nearly 400 undergraduates majoring in either Informatics<http:// www.informatics.indiana.edu/academics/undergrad.asp> or Computer Science<http://www.cs.indiana.edu/Academics/undergraduate/programs/> on the Bloomington campus. Indiana University is home to the Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics<http://rkcsi.indiana.edu/>, a campus-wide center that supports social informatics research across multiple disciplines. IU offers a vibrant environment for innovative work in research and teaching. Successful candidates will hold a Ph.D. in a relevant field and will build on or complement our current areas of interest, which include: collaborative and community knowledge practices (e.g., free/libre and open source software projects); comparative methodologies for social informatics; ICTs and development; gender and technology; history of ICTs; political dimensions of ICTs; privacy and security in pervasive technologies (especially health-related applications); scientific work practices; science, technology, and society (STS); technology and social change; and technology and culture. We encourage applicants that link to other areas of strength within the School of Informatics, including Complex Systems, Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction and Design, Life Sciences, Music, and Security Informatics. The School of Informatics offers excellent work conditions including low teaching loads, attractive salaries, and world-class computing<http://www.iub.edu/compute/>, networking, and library facilities<http://www.libraries.iub.edu/>. Located on the wooded, rolling hills of southern Indiana, Bloomington is a culturally thriving college town with moderate cost of living. It is renowned for its top-ranked music school<http://music.indiana.edu/>, performing and fine arts<http://iub.edu/arts/>, historic campus<http://www.iub.edu/tour/>, food tourism<http:// www.visitbloomington.com/listings/index.cfm? catID=5&notify=1&ContentID=44>, cycling traditions<http:// www.iusf.indiana.edu/Events_Programs/Little_500.html>, active lifestyle<http://bloomington.in.gov/parks/>, and natural beauty<http://www.visitbloomington.com/listings/index.cfm? catID=4&notify=1&ContentID=42>. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a statement of research and teaching, and the names of three references (six for associate and full professors) using the online application form<http:// www.informatics.indiana.edu/hiring/apply.asp>. Supporting materials can also be sent to: Chair, Faculty Search Committee School of Informatics 919 E. 10th Street Bloomington, IN 47408 E-mail: hiring(a)informatics.indiana.edu<mailto:hiring@informatics.indiana.edu> Review of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Indiana University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Applications from women and minorities are strongly encouraged. ________________________ Mary L. Gray, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Communication and Culture Affiliate Faculty Gender Studies Department and American Studies Program Indiana University 800 East 3rd Street Bloomington, IN 47405 ph. 812/855.4379 fx. 812/855.6014 email: mLg(a)indiana.edu http://www.indiana.edu/~qcentral

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Social Networking On Campus : ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2008
by McKiernan, Gerard [LIB] 23 Oct '08

23 Oct '08

Colleagues/ The 2008 edition of the _ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology_ that was released this week includes extensive data and analyses on the use of Social Networking Sites and Services by Higher Ed Citizens. /Gerry The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2008 (ID: ERS0808) Gail Salaway (EDUCAUSE) and Judith Borreson Caruso (University of Wisconsin-Madison) /With: Mark R. Nelson (NACS) / Introduction by: Nicole Ellison (Michigan State University) Documents Contributed by ECAR, Research Studies (10/21/2008) Abstract: This 2008 ECAR research study is a longitudinal extension of the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 ECAR studies of students and information technology. The study is based on quantitative data from a spring 2008 survey of 27,317 freshmen and seniors at 90 four-year institutions and eight two-year institutions; student focus groups that included input from 75 students at four institutions; and analysis of qualitative data from 5,877 written responses to open-ended questions. In addition to studying student ownership, experience, behaviors, preferences, and skills with respect to information technologies, the 2008 study also includes A Special Focus on Student Participation in Social Networking Sites [INTRODUCTION & CHAPTER 6] I have profiled the report with Table of Contents / Appendices / Extras and Associated Links at [ http://tinyurl.com/2mxohr ] Enjoy! /Gerry Gerry McKiernan Associate Professor Science and Technology Librarian Iowa State University Library Ames IA 50011 gerrymck(a)iastate.edu There is Nothing More Powerful Than An Idea Whose Time Has Come / Victor Hugo [ http://www.blogger.com/profile/09093368136660604490 ] Iowa: Where the Tall Corn Flows and the (North)West Wind Blows [http://alternativeenergyblogs.blogspot.com/ ]

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looking for mailing list statistics tools
by goldenberg anne 23 Oct '08

23 Oct '08

Hi I'm looking for a free software that is doing mailing list statistics. I've tried mailliststat but it seems to be a bit old/not working very well. Does any one here has any experience with mailing list analysis tools ? Thank you for your help, Anne Goldenberg

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CFP: 5th International Conference on e-Social Science
by Yuwei Lin 23 Oct '08

23 Oct '08

Apologies for Cross Posting +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 5th International Conference on e-Social Science 24 - 26 June 2009 Maternushaus, Cologne. CALL FOR PAPERS The aim of the annual international conference on e-Social Science is to bring together leading representatives of the social science, e-Infrastructure, cyberinfrastructure and e-Research communities in order to improve mutual awareness and promote coordinated activities to accelerate research, development and deployment of powerful, new methods and tools for the social sciences and beyond. We invite contributions from members of the social science, e-Infrastructure, cyberinfrastructure and e-Research communities with experience of, or interests in exploring, developing, and applying new methods, practices, and tools afforded by new infrastructure technologies - such as the Grid and Web 2.0, in order to further social science research; and studying issues impacting on the wider take-up of e-Research. Contributions from professionals working in and with data services to support research and teaching in the social sciences are especially welcome. Submission categories include: full and short papers, posters, demos, workshops, tutorials and panels. Topics of interest include, but are not restricted to, the following: - Case studies of the application of e-Social Science methods to substantive social science research problems - Case studies of e-Research, including benefits and problems in collaboration across organisational, disciplinary and geographical boundaries - Case studies of 'Open Access Science', social networking and 'Science 2.0' - Best practice examples of social research data infrastructure, including virtual distributed databases, open access repositories, self-archiving - Advances in tools and services for data discovery, harmonization, integration, management, annotation, curation and sharing - Challenges of exploiting new sources of administrative, transactional and observational data, including security, legal and ethical issues in the use of personal and sensitive data - Advances in analytical tools and techniques for quantitative and qualitative social science, including statistical modelling and simulation, data mining, text mining, content analysis, socio-linguistic analysis, social network analysis, data visualisation - Case studies of collaborative research environments, including user engagement, development and use - User experiences of e-Research infrastructure, services and tools - Factors influencing the adoption of e-Research, including technical standards, user engagement and outreach, training, sustainability of digital artefacts, IPR and ethics - New methods, metrics and tools for measuring the adoption and impact of e-Research and for informing policy-making - The evolving research infrastructure technology roadmap, including grids, cloud computing and web 2.0 - National e-Infrastructure development programmes, international cooperation in e-Infrastructure development Authors are requested to submit an abstract of approximately 1000 words. Workshop, tutorial and panel organisers are requested to submit a one page outline of the topic, format, likely audience, special requirements. _Deadlines and submission instructions_: Paper abstracts: 26 January 2009. Workshop, tutorial and panel outlines: 23 February 2009. Poster and demo abstracts: 23 March 2009. For full submission details and more information, please visit http://www.ncess.ac.uk/conference-09/

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New ECAR student survey released - focus on SNSs
by Nicole Ellison 23 Oct '08

23 Oct '08

Hi, There was some interest from the list when I mentioned the 2008 ECAR report a few weeks ago. This year's report focuses on social network sites and was just officially released: http://tinyurl.com/6dztlm Here's the abstract: This 2008 ECAR research study is a longitudinal extension of the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 ECAR studies of students and information technology. The study is based on quantitative data from a spring 2008 survey of 27,317 freshmen and seniors at 90 four-year institutions and eight two-year institutions; student focus groups that included input from 75 students at four institutions; and analysis of qualitative data from 5,877 written responses to open-ended questions. In addition to studying student ownership, experience, behaviors, preferences, and skills with respect to information technologies, the 2008 study also includes a special focus on student participation in social networking sites. I wrote the introduction, which discusses educational uses of SNSs among other topics. Thanks, N. * * * Nicole Ellison, PhD nellison(a)msu.edu

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CFP - Playful Experiences Seminar
by Olli Sotamaa 23 Oct '08

23 Oct '08

Hi all, once more thanks to all the people involved for putting on a terrific conference in Copenhagen. Those of you who now have a soft spot for Nordic countries should consider the following seminar we're organizing in April 2009 in Tampere, Finland. The two-day event is fifth in the annual series of game studies working paper seminars organised by the Games Research Lab in the University of Tampere, this time co-organised with Nokia Research Center. See the details below. Best, Olli Olli Sotamaa // Researcher Hypermedia Lab // University of Tampere olli.sotamaa(a)uta.fi // www.uta.fi/~olli.sotamaa/ ****************************************************** Call for Papers: Playful Experiences Seminar, Tampere 2-3 April, 2009 More information in: http://playfulexperiences.wordpress.com/ What does it involve to enter the state of play? How games and other playful phenomena stand out among other everyday experiences, and can playful experiences be designed? Is there a way we can learn to understand games better by looking at phenomena that are not games, but where playful behaviours are common? How are play and function intertwined in Facebook, iPhone, Habbo Hotel and the other topical interactive products and services? As, on the one hand, so-called gamer generations are spreading understanding of play and games literacy into society, and, on the other, digital information and communication technologies are having an impact on various use contexts and in different social processes, there will be increasing needs for understanding playfulness that is not restricted to games in the classic sense. Play as an attitude and mode of engagement is appearing in social Internet services, and also working life is becoming increasingly open towards playful and creative modes of thought and activity. ‘Playful Experiences’ seminar invites presentations from multiple points of view, promoting wider interdisciplinary dialogue around player studies and games research, and in related fields. The co-organisers, University of Tampere Games Research Lab and Nokia Research Center invite both theoretical as well as empirically based studies into 'playfulness'. Particular fields of study include, but are not limited to: • theories and methods for understanding play experiences; • the social and cultural construction of play experiences; • the nature of playful phenomena and playful attitude; • the social character of games and playful experiences; • the role of technology for playful experiences, e.g. play in mobile user contexts; • user interface and usability issues related to playful interaction; • play experiences beyond games. The seminar is fifth in the annual series of game studies working paper seminars organised by the Games Research Lab in the University of Tampere, this time co-organised with Nokia Research Center. Due to the work-in-progress emphasis, we strongly encourage submitting late breaking results, working papers and/or submissions from graduate students. Early considerations from projects currently in progress are most welcome, as the purpose of the seminar is to have peer-to-peer discussions and thereby provide support in refining and improving research work in this area. After the seminar, separate consideration will be given to various options of publishing the seminar papers. The papers to be presented will be chosen based on extended abstract review. Full papers are distributed prior the event to all participants, in order to facilitate discussion. The two-day event consists of themed sessions that aim to introduce current research projects and discuss ongoing work in studies of games, play and their relation to surrounding phenomena. The seminar will be chaired by professor Frans Mäyrä (Hypermedia Laboratory, University of Tampere). There will be also invited paper commentators (to be announced later). The seminar will be held in Tampere, Finland and will be free of charge; the number of participants will be restricted. Important Dates • Abstract Deadline: January 15, 2009 • Notification of Acceptance: January 30, 2009 • Full Paper deadline: March 6, 2009 • Seminar dates: April 2-3, 2009 Submission Guidelines The extended abstract submissions should be between 500-1000 words (excluding references). Abstracts should be sent to <playfulexp(a)gmail.com> as plain text only (no attachments). Guidelines for submitting a full seminar paper will be provided with the notification of acceptance. Our aim is that everyone participating has been able to read materials submitted to the seminar, therefore the maximum length for a full paper is set to 6000 words (excluding references). Note also that the presentations held at the seminar should also encourage discussion, instead of only repeating the information presented in the papers. Tentatively, every paper will be presented for 10 minutes and discussed for 20 minutes. Seminar web site: http://playfulexperiences.wordpress.com/ Co-organised by: http://gamelab.uta.fi & http://research.nokia.com/ University of Tampere / Hypermedia Laboratory / Games Research Lab Nokia Research Center / Media Laboratory / Human Practices and Design

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