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

FreeOpenSourceSoftware.org -- New Wiki
by Wm. Stewart 28 Jun '08

28 Jun '08

Hi Folks, I'm the author of the Internet reference site http://www.livinginternet.com/ , and was lucky enough to get the FreeOpenSourceSoftware.* domains. As you probably know, much of the Internet was originally built on varieties of free software. I have donated this domain to the community and set up a wiki. The purpose is to provide a home for documentation of pure FOSS, free in all versions, as separate from Commercial Open Source with proprietary versions. I've seeded it with starting information. Hope it becomes useful to you. Feel free to add information, and please spread the word to let others know of the launch! http://freeopensourcesoftware.org/ Cheers, Bill --

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artists working on on-line dating project
by Giuliana Racco 27 Jun '08

27 Jun '08

hello We are two artists working on an on-line dating project for a workshop in Luxembourg. We already have a bibliography of philosophical and cultural studies texts, but we are interested in finding other information regarding this theme, for example research statistics, sociology papers etc.. Any information would be appreciated and credited to whoever gives us an indication. Thank you Giuliana racco

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Please Post: Call for Papers -- LSI and New Technologies
by Teresa M Harrison 26 Jun '08

26 Jun '08

Electronic Journal of Communication (EJC) Special Issue: New Technologies and Interaction: Contradiction or Symbiosis? Most studies of technology have been written by media scholars (for obvious reasons). However, this special issue is designed instead to come from the viewpoint of language and social interaction scholars. LSI scholars take for granted the use of audio and video recording of behavior as tools but rarely stop to discuss what they are doing and the logic underlying specific choices. The central question guiding this special issue is this: how do LSI scholars use various new technologies? It is, of course, uniquely appropriate that discussion of this topic should appear in an electronic journal, where examples of such technologies can be linked to the articles. A wide variety of technologies permitting more than the obvious audio and video recording of behavior are now available for the study of LSI. Some scholars use technology in their own research, while others use it in teaching students how to conduct research, or for moving beyond text-based presentations of research results. DVDs, CDs, the internet, digital video cameras, iPods, Wikis, PowerPoint and integrated presentation software are among the growing list of tools used to enhance the work of interaction scholars. It is time to pause and evaluate what we already know works in particular contexts, and determine what else we need to learn. Because interaction scholars not only conduct research, but also teach, and present their research results (whether to students or peers), this special issue will include any and all of these topics. Introductions to the use of specific technologies are appropriate, as are case studies of best practices (and worst practices, so we all can learn what did NOT work for someone else). The special issue is scheduled for publication in Fall 2009. Deadline for completed manuscripts is August 1, 2008. Submissions should be electronic (.doc or .rtf format) and must conform to the specifications of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. Place author's contact information in an email to the editor only, not on the title page of the submission. Issue Editor: Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz University of Wisconsin-Parkside Send inquiries and submissions to: wendy.leeds.hurwitz(a)gmail.com

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cfp: Communication networks on the Web
by Gregor Petrič 26 Jun '08

26 Jun '08

CALL FOR PAPERS FOR PhD-STUDENTS AND JUNIOR RESEARCHERS IN THE EU QMSS-2 2008 Workshop »Communication Networks on the Web« Sponsored by the European Science Foundation Date: 18 – 19 December 2008 Location: University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam School of Communications Research, Kloveniersburgwal 48, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Goal: The intensive use of new information and communication technologies, especially the web, by individuals and social actors generally has tremendously increased the availability of data and opportunities for data processing and analysis. This seminar will stress the value of taking appropriate theoretical perspectives and using appropriate analytic strategies in the study of (computer mediated) communication networks. The seminar will bring together leading researchers and young scientists from a range of disciplines to share knowledge and produce synergies that will define the research field. Themes: Main topics of the workshop 1. Communication networks on the web as a theoretical and methodological challenge - conceptualization of communication processes on the web - possibilities and problems of theoretically informed social network analysis 2. Social structures on the web - emergence of social structures in communication networks on the web - interactional and community dynamics - social roles, collective action 3. Dynamics of communication on the web - structure of citation and collaboration ties - structure of content - combination of two approaches 4. Measuring and collecting data for communication networks on the web - methodologies for analyzing communication networks on the web - collecting, parsing, coding data - identification of actors and identification of content Format: The workshop is organized as follows. For each of the main topics, a prominent researcher delivers an invited lecture. The junior participants present their papers, which are commented upon by the invited speakers, followed by a discussion with the other participants. The papers will be distributed to the participants before the start of the workshop. Altogether, the workshop will host 4 invited speakers and a maximum of 20 junior presenters. Invited speakers Prof. Noshir Contractor, Northwestern University, USA. Prof. Loet Leydesdorff, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Prof. Mike Thelwall, University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. Howard Welser PhD, Ohio University, USA. Submission: Papers specifying a research design or presenting (preliminary) results by postgraduate students or junior researchers addressing the above topics are invited. In addition to a presentation, active participation in the discussions is expected. An extended abstract of the paper is required for submission. All papers should be prepared in electronic form. Detailed submission directions will be available at QMSS-2 web site http://www.ccsr.ac.uk/qmss/seminars/2008-social/index.shtml. Extended abstracts must be written in English and should be between 1,000 – 1,500 words. Notification of acceptance will be given by October 15. Important dates: September 1: Deadline for submission of the extended abstracts October 15: Authors of accepted papers are notified December 1: Submission of full papers (app. 4000 words) Please send your abstract to Wouter de Nooy (w.denooy(a)uva.nl) and Gregor Petrič (gregor.petric(a)fdv.uni-lj.si) Travel and accommodation: Participants' travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the QMSS 2 programme, provided that they come from or are working in one of the 17 countries who support QMSS 2. To check eligibility, see http://www.ccsr.ac.uk/qmss/countries/. Language: The official language of the workshop will be English. Organizers: Dr. Gregor Petrič, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Dr. Wouter de Nooy, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The European Science Foundation (ESF) provides a platform for its Member Organisations to advance European research and explore new directions for research at the European level. Established in 1974 as an independent non-governmental organisation, the ESF currently serves 75 Member Organisations across 30 countries.

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Important information regarding your IR 9.0 conference presentation
by Brian Loader 26 Jun '08

26 Jun '08

Dear Presenters at the Internet Research 9.0 We look very much forward to meeting you and hearing your paper presentations at the Internet Research 9.0 conference in October! This mail, as the first in what will likely a small stream of emails from us, outlines some urgent information you as presenter need to pay attention to. Please read this mail carefully. 1) Please REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if you have not already done it. Brian Loader, the program chair, will not be able to outline the final programme, before you have registered and thus have confirmed that you will be present at the conference! Please note that you need to pay immediately, when you register; our system cannot handle payments at a later point in time. If you have problems regarding payment, please contact conference coordinator Thomas Jeppesen: petal(a)itu.dk. 2) Deadline for SUBMISSION OF FINAL PAPERS is 31st August 2008. No papers are required for Roundtables. There is no single format style for the papers which reflects the variety of disciplines covered by the proposals. They should however be no more than 7,000 words in length and no less than 2,500. For panels, please provide minimum 2.500 words per panelist collected into one paper with the title of the panel. 3) You can UPLOAD your final paper by logging into the OCS with the user profile and password, you created when you submitted your abstract. 1. Log in to the conference system at this link: http://conferences.aoir.org 2. Click on "Author" 3. Click on "Archive" 4. Click the title of your paper. 5. Click "Paper Review" (in menu right above "submission") 6. At the bottom of the page, upload your paper under "Upload Author Version." 4) If you are a STUDENT, don't forget that you can submit your paper to be considered for the Association of Internet Researchers ANNUAL STUDENT PAPER AWARD. Deadline for submission is 1st September 2008.Your paper should be solo authored, and you need to be either a) a student NOW or b) have been a student at the time of writing the paper to be eligible for the award. Papers should be submitted directly to program chair Brian Loader: bl506(a)york.ac.uk. 5) Regarding your PRESENTATION: at the conference you will have MAX. 15 minutes for your presentation plus a short time at the end of your allotted session to answer questions. There will projectors and a computer from which you can present in each room. Further information about presentations, technical equipment etc will follow when we approach the actual conference date. 6) Once you registered please make sure that your title, abstract (250 words max), and short biography (Two sentences) as as you would like them to appear in the conference programme booklet. On behalf of Program Chair Brian D. Loader and Conference Chair Lisbeth Klastrup Brian D. Loader Co-Director, Social Informatics Research Unit (SIRU), Department of Sociology, Wentworth College, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD Email bl506(a)york.ac.uk Tel: +44(0) 1904 432639 Fax: +44(0) 1904 433043

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Re: [Air-L] artists working on on-line dating project
by Rhiannon Bury 26 Jun '08

26 Jun '08

You should also look at Monica Whitty and Adrian Carr's "Cyberspace Romance: The Pyschology of Online Relationships", published by Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Rhiannon Bury

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CfP: Ubiquitous Sustainability: Citizen Science & Activism
by Marcus Foth 26 Jun '08

26 Jun '08

Submission deadline has been extended to Mon 7th July 2008. Call for Papers Ubiquitous Sustainability: Citizen Science & Activism Workshop at the 10th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp 2008) 21 September 2008, Seoul, South Korea In this workshop we want to explore new approaches to bring about real environmental change by looking at the success of empowering technologies that enable grassroots activism and bottom up community participation. Ubiquitous computing is transforming from being mostly about professional communication and social interaction to a sensor rich personal measurement platform that can empower individuals and groups to gain an awareness of their surroundings, engage in grassroots activism to promote environmental change, and enable a new social paradigm - citizen science. This workshop brings together fresh ideas and approaches to help elevate individuals to have a powerful voice in society, to act as citizen scientists, and collectively learn and lobby for change worldwide. Full call for papers and the accepted workshop proposal submission: http://www.urban-atmospheres.net/Ubicomp2008/ Key Dates: 7 July: EXTENDED submission deadline for workshop position papers (2-4 pages) 25 July: Notification for position papers 21 Sept: Day of workshop If you are on facebook, please join the Urban Informatics group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2493830797 and rsvp for the workshop at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=22061180539 Organizers: Eric Paulos Intel Research Berkeley, USA Marcus Foth Queensland University of Technology, Australia Christine Satchell QUT and The University of Melbourne, Australia Younghui Kim Hongik University, South Korea Paul Dourish University of California, Irvine, USA Jaz Hee-jeong Choi Queensland University of Technology, Australia -- Dr Marcus Foth Australian Postdoctoral Fellow Institute for Creative Industries and Innovation Queensland University of Technology (CRICOS No. 00213J) Creative Industries Precinct, Brisbane QLD 4059, Australia Phone +61 7 313 x88772 - Fax x88195 - Office Z6-511 m.foth(a)qut.edu.au - http://www.vrolik.de/publications/

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article on Internet Studies lexicon
by John Postill 25 Jun '08

25 Jun '08

Dear colleagues Some of you may remember that a couple of years ago we had an exchange on this list on the conceptual lexicon of Internet Studies, see archived thread http://listserv.aoir.org/htdig.cgi/air-l-aoir.org/2006-July/010274.html Well, I'm very glad to report that a descendant of the draft I was working on at the time dealing with this question has now been published as Postill, J. 2008 Localizing the internet beyond communities and networks, New Media and Society 10 (3), 413-431 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1461444808089416 Many thanks to those of you who participated in that interesting discussion and I welcome comments or queries about this piece via email or blogged at http://johnpostill.wordpress.com/2008/06/24/anthill-cobwebs-and-internet-st… John Dr John Postill Senior Lecturer in Media Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield S11 8UZ United Kingdom j.postill(a)shu.ac.uk http://johnpostill.wordpress.com/

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ASIST> 4th Annual Social Informatics Research Symposium (SIG SI)
by Howard Rosenbaum 25 Jun '08

25 Jun '08

[Apologies for cross-posting] First Call for Papers and Participation: 4th Annual Social Informatics Research Symposium (SIG SI) People, information and technology: The social analysis of computing Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology Saturday, October 25, 2008, 8:30-12:30 PM Hyatt Regency Columbus, Ohio The purpose of this ASIST preconference research symposium is to disseminate current research and research in progress that investigates the social aspects of information and communications technologies (ICT) across all areas of ASIST. The symposium includes members of many SIGs and defines "social" broadly to include critical and historical approaches and well as contemporary social analysis. It defines "technology" broadly to include traditional technologies (i.e., paper) as well as state of the art computer systems. This year's theme is "People, information and technology: The social analysis of computing” In keeping with the theme of the conference, the symposium is soliciting work that focuses on the relationships of mutual shaping between people and information as mediated by technology. According to Horton, Davenport, and Wood-Harper (2005; 52) “the impetus for researchers to consider both social and technical aspects as mutually constitutive as a means of understanding technology introduction and use has a growing audience.” This symposium will highlight research focusing on the social realities of ICT based information systems (broadly defined) in IS in order to better understand the following: ~ How are the design, implementation, use, disuse, and ongoing reconfiguration of information and ICTs influenced by social groups, organizations, politics, and culture? ~ How do information and ICTs shape those creating, implementing and using them? ~ What are the roles of information and ICT in ongoing social change at various levels of social analysis such as groups, organizational units, political entities or cultural systems? ~ What are the complex reciprocal relationships among information, ICT, people, social groups and the environments that surround and pervade them? ~ What are the variations in meanings or interpretations of information and ICT across social groups and organizations? ~ What are the moral or ethnical consequences of ICT system development and use? We are particularly interested in work that assumes a critical stance towards the notion of mutual shaping – what is involved in people transforming information and information transforming people? A critical analysis is useful because it “bring into question established social assumptions and values regarding information and communication technologies (ICTs) and established understandings of ‘information,’ particularly as they play themselves out and are institutionalized in social and professional discourses and professional training.” (Day, 2007; 575). We encourage all scholars, both beginning and established, interested in social aspects of ICT (broadly defined) to share their research and research in progress by submitting an extended abstract of their work and attending the symposium. This year, the SIG SI is partnering with SIG USE to offer a comprehensive full day program. The theme of this symposium fits well with the main themes of the SIG USE symposium meaning that there would be a full day of exploration of the question of the transformative relationships between people, information, and ICTs from two different but clearly related perspectives. The SIG SI symposium will take place on Saturday morning and the SIG USE symposium will be in the afternoon. Collectively, the two sessions can offer a comprehensive full day program, although each will work well as a stand-alone event. The two SIGs will co-sponsor a networking lunch that will take place in between the two events [Cost: Pay-on-your-own. Further details to be announced later]. There will be a discount for people who register for both symposia. Call for papers and posters: Submit a short paper (2000 words) or poster (500 words) by August 29, 2008 Submissions may include empirical, critical and theoretical work, as well as richly described practice cases and demonstrations. Acceptance announcements made by September 9, in time for conference early registration (ends Sept 12th). Tentative Schedule Paper presentations: 8:30-10:45 pm Break: 10:45-11:15 (with poster viewing) Closing Keynote Discussion: 11:15-12:30 pm Lunch with SIG-USE: 12:30-1:30 PM Fees Members $60 - $70 after Sept. 12 Non-members $70 - $80, after Sept. 12 If you register for the SI Symposium and the SIG-USE Symposium you will receive a $10 discount: Members $140 - $150 after Sept. 12 Non-members $150 - $160, after Sept. 14 Organizers: Howard Rosenbaum, School of Library and Information Science -Indiana University hrosenba(a)indiana.edu Elisabeth Davenport, School of Computing, Napier University e.davenport(a)napier.ac.uk Kalpana Shankar, School of Informatics -Indiana University shankark(a)indiana.edu Day, R. (2007). Kling and the “critical”: Social informatics and critical informatics. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. 58(4): 575–582. Horton, K., Davenport, E. and Wood-Harper, T. (2005). Exploring sociotechnical interaction with Rob Kling: five “big” ideas. Information Technology & People 18(1): 50-67

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CFP: Special issue: Culture of Virtual Worlds, Journal of Virtual Worlds Research
by Mia Consalvo 25 Jun '08

25 Jun '08

FYI... please email me offlist if you have questions about submitting, and feel free to forward as appropriate. Thanks! CALL FOR PAPERS Journal of Virtual Worlds Research Special Issue: Culture of Virtual Worlds Deadline: September 30, 2008 Publication Date: November 20, 2008 Guest Editors Mark Bell, Indiana University Mia Consalvo, Ohio University * jvwresearch.org * Early users of virtual worlds trumpeted their potential to bring together like-minded groups to create community, to encourage social activism, and to explore facets of identity. Over the past 20 years, we have seen virtual worlds develop from text-based to graphical, and from 2D to 3D interactive spaces. Some spaces have focused primarily on game-related activities, from MUD through Ultima Online and World of Warcraft, while others have concentrated on social aspects of being, allowing users to define their own goals, and often create many parts of the spaces they inhabit--from LambdaMoo to The Palace and Second Life. Virtual worlds have also become big business at the same time as some worlds remain resolutely tied to different goals. Yet what of the cultures that have grown up in, around, and through virtual worlds in this same time period? What do we know about that culture, or more accurately, those cultures and how to define them? Individuals, groups, and corporations are exploring the potentials of virtual worlds, and what is created in that process says as much about our everyday lives as it does about our times spent online. But what do we know? Because of their richly detailed spaces, virtual worlds tend to encourage specific sorts of participants and players, along with expectations about behavior and culture. Yet at the same time, we cannot know how participants will create a livable space, develop a unique culture, until it happens. How is that process occurring in today's virtual worlds? What do we know about past virtual worlds to guide us? We are slowly learning about how identity shifts and mutates online, yet isn't as free-floating as early theorists claimed. What of users who are in game-centric versus non-game centric places--how does game versus non-game make a difference in who uses the space, how, and why? Likewise, we now see virtual worlds with transnational user bases. How does that impact the culture, the creation, and the experience of virtual worlds. What happens when virtual worlds emerge, when they expand quickly, and when they die, either slowly or suddenly? What happens to users and how do they make sense of those experiences? How do developers play a role in managing all those expectations, and how much *can* they actually control? These questions are only the tip of iceberg, just as today's virtual worlds are at the forefront of emergent design of 3D spaces. This special issue of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is dedicated to exploring the issue of culture in virtual worlds. We welcome articles from academic researchers and practitioners in areas such as communications, sociology, psychology, anthropology, information systems, political science, game studies and cultural studies. Topics of interest include (but not limited to): • Definitions of Virtual Cultures • Ethnographies of Virtual Worlds • Social mechanics and networking in Virtual worlds • Historical development of Virtual Worlds • Identity • Differing goals of play versus non-play centric spaces • Emergent practices, player-generated content, activities • Dynamics of economies • "Serious" uses of Virtual Worlds • Transnational game spaces, player groups Guidelines and Deadlines We welcome submissions in the form of essays, papers, original research, interactive online exhibits with accompanying detailed descriptions, and other forms of scholarship. For specific submission instructions visit: http://jvwresearch.org. Deadline for Submission: September 30, 2008 Publication: November 29, 2008 For further information contact: Mark Bell, Indiana U, typewriter(a)gmail.com Mia Consalvo, Ohio U, consalvo(a)ohio.edu About the Journal The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is an online, open access academic journal that adheres to the highest standards of peer review and engages established and emerging scholars from around the world. The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is a transdisciplinary journal that engages a wide spectrum of scholarship and welcomes contributions from the many disciplines and approaches that intersect virtual worlds research. Editorial Board Edward Castronova, Indiana University, United States James Paul Gee, Arizona State University, United States Steve Jones, University of Illinois at Chicago, United States Jorge Peña, University of Texas at Austin, United States Joseph Straubhaar, University of Texas at Austin, United States Kathleen Tyner, University of Texas at Austin, United States Natalie Wood, Saint Joseph's University, United States Editor Jeremiah Spence, University of Texas at Austin, United States Associate Editors Mark W. Bell, Indiana University, United States Sun Sun LIM, National U. of Singapore, Singapore Suely Fragoso, Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos/Unisinos, Brazil Joe Sanchez, University of Texas at Austin, United States Amanda Salomon, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia Henry Segerman, University of Texas at Austin, United States Yesha Y. Sivan, Shenkar College & Metaverse Labs, Israel Stephanie Smith, NASA JSC Learning Technologies, United States Caja Thimm, University of Bonn, Germany ******************************************* -- Mia Consalvo, Ph.D. School of Media Arts & Studies (formerly the School of Telecommunications) Ohio University 9 South College Street Athens, Ohio 45701 USA 740.597.1521

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