April 2009 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Papers and Videos Going Up for "YouTube and the 2008 Election Cycle in the United States"
by Stuart Shulman 09 Apr '09

09 Apr '09

All, While the site is still filling some content in and will become more interactive over time, I thought Air-L readers would enjoy an early glimpse of the papers and the YouTube videos prepared for our conference next week "YouTube and the 2008 Election Cycle in the United States": http://youtubeandthe2008election.jitp2.net/frontpage All of the presentations will be recoded next week and you will be able to watch them online. Also, we will be inviting people to use the Diigo toolbar to annotate the papers, posters & slides. Every effort will be made to get the content out for your consumption and importantly, to get the authors diverse forms of feedback. More to come... ~Stu

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Re: [Air-L] Facebook posts used to fire people in Australia
by Murray Turoff 09 Apr '09

09 Apr '09

I am sure some companies go looking for comments about themsevles that they don't appreciate. Some have sued yahoo, hotmail, and other web services that give out pen-name id's to get them to release the actual user of an account when that user has said somehting negative about the company. I believe the cases that went to court so far were all defeated with the help of ACLU supporting the web service (I may not be aware of all such cases nor is it clear if some companies might just turn over the information). I am not sure there is any law to force a company to not fire someone making negative remarks about it unless the comments and accompanying evidence would classify the person a whistle blower under the federal law. Many companies monitor email and what is on employee computers to seek out people misusing company resources. The social network systems should do a better job of warning users of such dangers. I note also that some companies that allow workers to work at home also install video cams in the homes of the employees to actually be able to monitor them when they want to. I suspect they are even concerned about who might really be doing the work!!! All of a sudden the home is not a private place. In the early days of email there was a wall street journal articel (becuase of the daft and lengels classic article on the "inadquacy" of text communications) that managers should never use email or should be seen typing. I wish i had saved a copy of htat one. After they got email sone managers decided it iwas a good way to assign unpleasent tasks or to fire people rather than meet with them face to face. Distinguished Professor Emeritus Information Systems, NJIT homepage: http://is.njit.edu/turoff

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Re: [Air-L] German Summer School on Virtual Worlds Research
by Christopher Wong 08 Apr '09

08 Apr '09

All, For those of you interested in this, also consider checking out this year's State of Play conference, happening at the same time. The formal announcement is attached, but in short, there will be a range of interesting people speaking, and we will have birds of feather panel sessions on a range of topics, such as law, economics, security, quantitive vs qualitative methodologies in VWs, kids and games, mixed reality (aka ARGS and PMOGs), inter alia. There will also be a graduate students symposium the day before (June 18), with a number of scholarships available to get PhD students to NYC for serious conversation. For details on this, please contact: Dan Hunter Professor of Law & Director, Institute for Information Law & Policy, New York Law School Adjunct Associate Professor of Legal Studies, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Research: http://ssrn.com/author=243354 dhunter(a)nyls.edu Hope to see you in at our place in June. Kind regards, Chris - Christopher Wong Project Manager, Peer-to-Patent Fellow, Center for Patent Innovations @ New York Law School e: christopher.wong(a)law.nyls.edu - --------------------------------------------------------- From: Kerstin Radde <kerstin.radde(a)zegk.uni-heidelberg.de> Date: Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 3:47 PM Subject: [Air-L] German Summer School on Virtual Worlds Research To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org HOW VIRTUAL IS REALITY? We would like to call your attention to this year's Summer School "How Virtual is reality?" (http://how-virtual-is-reality.eu/) held in Bremen (Germany) from July 10 to July 19. The course is mainly addressed to graduate and postgraduate students like Master students and PhD candidates, but undergraduates with experience in the field are also very welcome to apply! As a cooperation of the University of Bremen, the University of Oldenburg and the Jacobs-University (Bremen) the Summer course will broach the issue of the relevance of new environments like "Second Life" or "World of Warcraft" for nowadays culture and social life with special focus on rituals and religions. Instructed by more than 15 international teachers, the participants of the Summer School will engage into the interdisciplinary study of practical methods and theoretical approaches for the scientific handling of ritual and media. The media will not only be subject to methodological, theoretical and practical research and discussion but will also serve as platform for academic exchange and teaching. After this Summer School participants will be able to design and perform research projects on religion in and within Virtual Worlds. Please forward this information to everyone who might be interested in the course! A banner and a poster will soon be available on the "Media" section of the website. We are looking forward to many interesting applications! The organizers Kerstin Radde-Antweiler Simone Heidbrink -- <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Dr. phil. Dipl. Theol. Kerstin Radde-Antweiler Universität Bremen - FB 9 - Institut für Religions- wissenschaft und-pädagogik Badgasteiner Str. 1/SPT D-28359 Bremen T. +49 (0)421 218 67911 F. +49 (0)421 218 7491

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Peer-to-Patent Research Fellowship Available
by Christopher Wong 08 Apr '09

08 Apr '09

Hi All, I just wanted to share this paid research opportunity available with Peer-to-Patent. It is likely something that many of you will find interesting and for which you will likely know a number of well qualified candidates. Thanks in advance for your time and consideration! Kind regards, Chris - Christopher Wong Project Manager, Peer-to-Patent Fellow, Center for Patent Innovations @ New York Law School e: christopher.wong(a)law.nyls.edu - [Please feel free to repost] Peer to Patent Summer Research Fellowship New York Law School Summer 2009 Background Peer to Patent is the groundbreaking program developed by New York Law School and run in cooperation with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office, along with the assistance of a number of private stakeholders. It harnesses the power of citizen-experts to assist patent examiners by searching for, identifying, and annotating prior art relevant to pending patent applications. A first Peer to Patent pilot was launched in June 2007. During the first year the project participants (peer reviewers) assisted in the prior art searches on 40 patent applications, generating 173 items of prior art. These items of prior art were the basis of rejection in over ten of the patent applications considered. In June 2008 the pilot was continued for a second year, and was recently extended to encompass a pilot program in the United Kingdom. Research Issue Although Peer to Patent has attracted over 350 active peer reviewers, the project team has little or no idea as to the motivations that cause these individuals voluntarily to contribute their substantial time to the project. The average reviewer spent approximately six hours searching and annotating individual patent applications. The project team also does not fully understand the best means for attracting additional peer reviewers to the project. In order for the project to scale to larger volumes of applications, both of these points need to be understood and addressed. More generally and theoretically, the motivations of citizens in producing material for governmental use are not well-understood. This fellowship seeks to provide an account of this sort of activity, as well as generate a design for a controlled study of incentive mechanisms for these sorts of activities. Research Activity The selected fellow will conduct interviews among a meaningful number of currently active peer reviewers to elicit their motivations for participating in the project and contributing their time. The fellow will review the non-profit motivation literature to provide a number of alternative methods of reward to determine whether any or all of them would induce the participants to continue their participation, increase their participation, encourage others to participate, or cease their participation altogether. Potential rewards may include: (a) basic recognition; (b) monetary interest; (c) cash awards; (d) prominent public recognition; (e) some other form of reward; or (f) no reward whatsoever. The fellow will develop a survey to be conducted among a wider segment of active and potential peer reviewers to test for validation of the data gathered in the initial sampling. From the results of the initial sampling, literature review, and survey, the fellow will develop findings on which to base an incentive program to attract and retain peer reviewers. The fellow will develop an experimental design to test the efficacy of each of these incentive possibilities. Term The fellowship will commence on or about June 1, 2009 and will continue until on or about August 31, 2009. The fellowship is a full time position for the three months stipulated; but this is open to negotiation for an exceptional candidate. Compensation The fellow will receive a monthly stipend of $3,000 (based on full time work status). Job Qualification It is expected that the fellow will be pursuing (ABD) or have completed a PhD in psychology, economics, policy, or communications; or some other relevant field involving the motivation of content producers. Application Deadline April 30, 2009. Application Procedure Applicants should send (1) a letter of application detailing their qualification for the position, (2) a resumé, and (3) a list of three referees, to: Ms Naomi Allen Administrator, Institute for Information Law & Policy New York Law School 57 Worth Street New York NY 10013 Naomi.Allen(a)nyls.edu Questions relating to the scope and nature of the fellowship can be directed to: Prof. Mark Webbink, Director, Center for Patent Innovations New York Law School mhwebbink(a)yahoo.com Prof. Dan Hunter Director, Institute for Information Law & Policy New York Law School dhunter(a)nyls.edu New York Law School is an equal opportunity employer that encourages excellence through diversity. Women and minority candidates are encouraged to apply.

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phd thesis on photosharing, everyday life and affect
by smork＠itu.dk 08 Apr '09

08 Apr '09

Hi All, This mail just to let you know that I have put my PhD thesis online, if anyone should be interested. It deals with photosharing, everyday life and the affective character of media and produsage cultures. It can be downloaded here: http://drop.io/commonbanality . abstract below Cheers, Søren Mørk Petersen Abstract: Common Banality: The Affective Character of Photo Sharing, Everyday Life and Produsage Cultures This dissertation investigates the emergent new media practice of mobile blogging (moblogging) and photo sharing online, specifically focusing on how this practice has evolved within a specific community in Copenhagen. Through a 3.5 year long ethnographic fieldwork among everyday photographers in Copenhagen and 14 individual interviews with Flickr.com users, the dissertation both examines how individuals and collectives integrate technology into their everyday lives, especially what constitutes the process of becoming a moblogger. Compared to related research this dissertation deals explicitly with everyday photographers who document all the mundane and banal situations and contexts of their daily life. It is primarily analytic rather than theoretical in its approach. The analysis is centered on two main questions approached differently throughout the chapters: 1. How user generated media reconfigure the spectacle through changes in the production-consumption circuit. 2. How everyday photography enables a creative practice relating it to the affective character of everyday life and the urban environment. These two aspects are approached with a combination of fieldwork data and theory (primarily Henri Lefebvre, Guy Debord, Brian Massumi, Gilles Deleuze, Roland Barthes, Stuart Hall, Gregory Seigworth and the Situationist International). The dissertation commences with a review of existing literature on camera phone usage, moblogging and photo sharing. Chapter two deals with different methodological issues related to my fieldwork, my interviews and the development of a new research method. This method dubbed the GRID was employed in group interviews with Flickr users in which they talked on the basis of their own pictures about how everyday photography, moblogging and photo sharing have been integrated into their everyday life. The thesis does not have a specific theoretical chapter; different theories are introduced throughout the analysis when considered relevant. In chapter three the analysis begins with a mapping of how my informants became mobloggers. This chapter will also describe what characterizes photo sharing, everyday photography and moblogging as a photographic practice. Along with this we will see why they have chosen Flickr as the site to share their photos on, and we will also see how their style developed. At this point it will already be evident that their community is important for many of the practices that they participate in so in chapter four we will look into community aspects. In chapters five and six everyday life will be related to their practice. Chapter five primarily deals with different theories of everyday life, in that it tries to explain what it is about everyday life and its mundane character that makes them want to document it. In explaining this we will witness how capitalism and everyday life, with its mundane habits and routines, foster a creative form of play when documenting our everyday life. We will also identify how the practice of everyday photography and photo sharing mediates between Lefebvres triadic structure of everyday life. Especially the affective character of everydayness provides an argument for developing an explanation of why they document the most mundane and banal aspects of everyday life. This chapter also identifies a new form of aesthetic living through a reconfiguration of Mike Featherstones theory. In chapter six we focus on how everyday photography, moblogging and photo sharing are integrated into the structures and different practices of everyday life. We will view their practice as a form of rhythmanalysis in which a new rhythm is created by specific relations between time, space and agency, resulting in a reconfiguration of the concepts of presence and present. This will lead us into chapter seven in which we will focus on various collaborative practices related to the way in which value is generated for the users of Flickr, and also look into how the creation of meaning and signification becomes collective and thus restructures the spectacle. Chapter eight deals with the relations between the city, moblogging and photo sharing, illustrating how these practices enable an electronic form of psycho-geography and dérive, techniques important for the revolution of everyday life as it was put into practice by the Situationist and Debord. Chapter nine will identify how user generated content can become enclosed within capitalistic structures, thus transforming their practice into relations that resemble work. In mapping how this happens, new places for a Marxist critique in contemporary society characterized by new means of production will be identified. In chapter ten the conclusion will summarize some parts of the dissertation by mapping the different reconfigurations that have been identified throughout the thesis.

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ALA Connect: Not Just Another Social Network
by McKiernan, Gerard [LIB] 07 Apr '09

07 Apr '09

Colleagues/ It's Here / It's Here / It's Here > ALA Connect /Gerry ALA Connect: Not Just Another Social Network It's like Facebook-but for librarians," we've said, all-too-simply (and inaccurately) in categorizing ALA Connect, ALA's new centralized virtual space. That's a facile comparison to make, but really Connect is more than that. Not just another social network, ALA Connect will help members engage in ALA business and network with others. It's a single virtual location in which ALA members can collaborate and work on division, round table, and committee projects with an impressive spread of tools: blog-like posts, online documents, group calendars, surveys and polls, chat rooms, discussion forums, and RSS/email alerts to track progress. [snip] But ALA Connect effectively reins in all the would-be unofficial online channels and tools and puts them under one roof, officiating them under the ALA brand. [snip] ALA Connect FAQ ALA Connect replaces the existing Online Communities service that ALA currently offers as a virtual, collaborative, workspace online. [snip] [snip] Every active ALA group already has a space in Connect automatically, because we've pre-populated it with data from our membership database (iMIS), and we synchronize member data nightly, so we'll always know which committees you're on and which other official ALA groups you're part of. Both ALA groups and communities use the same types of tools. By default, each one has blog posts, online documents (like wiki pages), a calendar, polls, a chat room, a discussion board, and images (logos, pictures, etc.). The group can use whichever of the tools it finds valuable. Non-members will be able to register in Connect to create a free account, but they will only be able to view and add to public content. [snip] >>More And Links>> [ http://tinyurl.com/dzqfq7 ] 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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CFP: Chapters on the Internet and Apocalyptic Belief
by RGH 06 Apr '09

06 Apr '09

DEADLINE May 1, 2009 CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTER PROPOSALS (Please distribute widely, and my apologies for any cross-posting.) Network Apocalypse: Visions of the End in an Age of Internet Media This edited collection of work by international scholars would document how Internet communication is creating, adapting, and recreating beliefs about an imminent mass transformation resulting in the end of human history. How are ancient prophetic beliefs faring in our everyday lives as they have become technologized by network communication? How do religious communities sharing these beliefs use the Internet? Are everyday religious believers empowered or disempowered by Internet technologies? Are gender, ethic, and racial divisions being broken down or reinforced? How are text-based prophetic traditions adapting to the more dynamic and fluid understanding of the Word in our digital age? The answers to these questions are important for scholars from a wide range of disciplines working on questions about how the Internet is changing some of our most powerful and recurring religious beliefs. Each chapter of this book will focus on a specific sample of discourse that features apocalyptic beliefs. Comparative and theoretical chapters are also welcomed. Methods may be quantitative, qualitative, or a combination of both. Chapter topics might include by are not limited to: Christian, Islamic, Jewish, or other traditional apocalyptic expression online; specific apocalyptic groups using the Internet; online prophecy and/or prayer practices; apocalyptic games, gamers, or gaming; apocalyptic expression in virtual worlds; apocalyptic communication via mobile communication technologies; new apocalyptic religious movements using the Internet; apocalyptic ideas or discourses that rely on theories of technology including concepts of “Gaia-mind,” “singularity,” and etc. Please submit the following documents via email to Rob Howard (rgh(a)rghoward.com) by May 1, 2009: 1) a preliminary title for the proposed chapter 2) a 100-250 word abstract of the proposed chapter 3) a current CV The successful abstracts will form part of a book proposal submitted in response to a request from Sheffield Phoenix Press for a series titled “The Apocalypse in Popular Culture.” Full texts will be requested at a later date. Sheffield Phoenix Press is an academic press specializing in topics of religion that is seeking to expand its catalog on apocalyptic belief in contemporary society. Robert Glenn Howard http://rghoward.com _______________________________ University of Wisconsin -- Madison Associate Professor, Department of Communication Arts Associate Chair, Folklore Program Affiliated Faculty, Religious Studies and the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Culture Editor, Western Folklore

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Advice on ripping a twitter feed
by Anstead Nicholas Mr (PSI) 06 Apr '09

06 Apr '09

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone had any experience of taking a twitter feed and downloading the context of it, so as it could be turned into a text file for analysis? Using either an individual's twitter page or twitter search you can generate an RSS feed (for example: http://search.twitter.com/search.atom?q=%23barackobama is the feed for #BarackObama). But I can't find a way to download it in a usable form. I did try Stu Shulman's excellent blog capture tool (https://surveyweb2.ucsur.pitt.edu/qblog/page_login.php) but it didn't seem to be able to see the feeds. Does anyone have any suggestions? Many thanks, Nick -- Nick Anstead Lecturer in Politics, School of Political, Social and International Studies, University of East Anglia [r] Arts 3.59 [e] n.anstead(a)uea.ac.uk [p] 01603 59 2888 [m] 07788 413 443 [b] www.nickanstead.com/blog

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Call for book chapters — REMINDER
by Brügger Niels 06 Apr '09

06 Apr '09

***REMINDER --- DEADLINE 17 April*** CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTERS ***Please distribute widely - apologies for cross-posting*** Public Service Broadcasting Online This edited collection of work by international scholars analyses how broadcasters have used the world wide web to further their public service goals. How did broadcasters such as the BBC, ABC, ARD, DR, NRK and even the US Public Broadcasting Service translate their public service remits for this global digital platform? What were the differences and similarities between different broadcasters? What can these histories tell us about a future for public service in broadcasting? These questions are highly significant for those who value public service in broadcasting, and who hope that it will continue in a globalised digitalised communications environment. A number of public service broadcasters implemented web services amid dire predictions about the death, not only of public service broadcasting, but of broadcasting itself. Despite these circumstances, the websites were (and are) often extremely successful. In July 2008 BBC Online was the 27th most popular English Language website in the world, the ABC is consistently among the top ten websites in Australia, and DR Online has for a number of years been among the top three in Denmark. Perhaps these histories of success can take public service broadcasting more optimistically into the future. Each chapter of this book will focus on a broadcaster from a different country. Comparative chapters are also welcome. We welcome chapters that focus on: • policy and strategy; • regulation, media organisation; • web content; • users; • cross-media technology; • local and global relations. We are inviting you to submit via email to Maureen Burns (m.burns2(a)uq.edu.au ) or Niels Brugger (nb(a)imv.au.dk) by 17 April 2009: • a 500 word abstract of a proposed chapter; and • a preliminary outline of the proposed chapter. The successful abstracts will form part of a book proposal to be offered to academic publishers. Niels Brugger, University of Aarhus, Denmark and Maureen Burns, University of Queensland, Australia. ------------------------------------------------------------ LATEST PUBLICATIONS AND PAPERS March 2009 Website history and the website as an object of study, New Media & Society, 11/1-2, Sage, London 2009, 115-132 [ get an electronic copy at: http://nms.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/1-2/115?etoc ] February 2009 Forstå Facebook [in Danish]. www.kommunikationsforum.dk. Copenhagen: 5 pages, 2009 [ read the article: http://www.kommunikationsforum.dk/artikler/forstaa-facebook ] November 2008 The Archived Website and Website Philology. A new Type of Historical Document?, Nordicom Review, 29/2, Göteborg 2008: 155-175 [ get an electronic copy at: http://www.nordicom.gu.se/common/publ_pdf/269_brugger.pdf ] Strukturalismus (with O. Vigsø), Hans Fink Verlag, München: 104 pages, 2008 [ read about the publication: http://www.utb.de/katalog_suchen_detailseite.jsp?buchid=1942 ] INTERESTED IN WEB HISTORY? You may want to join the mailing list webhistory(a)imv.au.dk at http://mail.imv.au.dk/mailman/listinfo/webhistory INTERESTED IN THE HISTORY OF DR.DK? You may want to join the Facebook group "dr.dk's historie" [in Danish] at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=61000607153 NIELS BRÜGGER, Associate Professor, PhD Institute of Information and Media Studies University of Aarhus Helsingforsgade 14 8200 Aarhus N Denmark Phone (switchboard) +45 8942 1111 Phone (direct) +45 8942 9226 Telefax + 45 8942 5950 E-mail nb(a)imv.au.dk Webpage http://imv.au.dk/~nb Profile at LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/1/50a/555 Profile at Kommunikationsforum [in Danish]: www.kommunikationsforum.dk/Niels-Brugger The Centre for Internet Research http://cfi.imv.au.dk The history of dr.dk, 1996-2006 http://drdk.dk

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free sage journals until April 30
by jeremy hunsinger 03 Apr '09

03 Apr '09

A free access to all the SAGE journals with content from 1999-current until April 30, 2009 The SAGE Journals Online provides users with access to one of the largest and most powerful collections of social science, humanities, and science, technical, and medical content in the world. SAGE is also the world’s leading publisher of research methods and during the trial you will be able to search more than 25 research methods journals from qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods to evaluation. https://online.sagepub.com/cgi/register?registration=FTApr2009-16 <-- register here Jeremy Hunsinger Center for Digital Discourse and Culture Virginia Tech Information Ethics Fellow Center for Information Policy Research Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality. -Jules de Gaultier () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments

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