July 2012 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Wikimedia Award paper submission: deadline extension
by Rémi Bachelet 31 Jul '12

31 Jul '12

(apologies for cross-posting) The deadline for Wikimedia Award paper submission is extended to the 7th of August If you consider a paper has been particularly important in the field of free knowledge/Wikipedia studies please submit it now! http://goo.gl/FYvFb We already have 22 submitted papers: - - 1.2 Wikipedia: A Key Tool for Global Public Health Promotion<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.3 Semantic Wikipedia<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.4 DBpedia: A Nucleus for a Web of Open Data<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.5 Wikipedia as Participatory Journalism: Reliable Sources?<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.6 Governance in Social Media: A case study of the Wikipedia promotion process<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.7 He says, she says: conflict and coordination in Wikipedia<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.8 Creating, destroying, and restoring value in Wikipedia<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.9 Readers are not free-riders: Reading as a form of participation on Wikipedia<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.10 Foucault@wiki: First steps towards a conceptual framework for the analysis of wiki discourses<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.11 Community, consensus, coercion, control: CS*W or how policy mediates mass participation<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.12 Don't look now, but we've created a bureaucracy: The nature and roles of policies and rules in Wikipedia<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.13 Talk Before You Type: Coordination in Wikipedia<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.14 Us vs. Them: Understanding Social Dynamics in Wikipedia with Revert Graph Visualizations<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.15 Computing semantic relatedness using Wikipedia-based explicit semantic analysis<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.16 Measuring wikipedia<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.17 Large-scale named entity disambiguation based on Wikipedia data<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.18 A Content-Driven Reputation System for the Wikipedia<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.19 Harnessing the wisdom of crowds in wikipedia: quality through coordination<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.20 Viable wikis: struggle for life in the wikisphere<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.21 Can history be open source? Wikipedia and the future of the past<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.22 Extracting Lexical Semantic Knowledge from Wikipedia and Wiktionary<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…> - 1.23 Becoming Wikipedian: transformation of participation in a collaborative online encyclopedia.<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap….> 2012/7/25 Rémi Bachelet <remi.bachelet(a)ec-lille.fr> > (apologies for cross-posting) > > Hi all, > > > Wikimédia France, a non-profit organization supporting Wikimedia projects > in France, is launching an international research prize to reward the most > influential research work on Wikimedia projects and free knowledge projects > in general. > > What is quite new about this award is that everyone can participate: > > 1. by ranking nominated papers to elect the winner (ranking is shared > with the award jury). > 2. by submitting important articles in this field of research for the > Award. > > Regarding the latter, we are now in the process of proposing papers and > we'd appreciate if some of you can lend a hand. If you consider a paper > has been particularly important in the field of free knowledge/Wikipedia > studies and must be taken into account, do not hesitate to submit it now! > > Please use this form: > http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award/pap…. > Deadline for paper suggestion is August 1st. > > > After that, the next phase is shortlisting nominated papers. The Wikimedia > Award Jury will study all proposed papers to submit 5 papers to the final > vote in September. The announcement of the winner is planned in November. > > Please find all details here: > http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award > > > If you have any questions, please use the project talk page: > http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research_talk:Wikimedia_France_Research_Award > > Thanks! >

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Extended Deadline - The Critical Power of Free Software
by Maurizio 31 Jul '12

31 Jul '12

Dear all, we received a good number of requests to postpone the deadline for abstract submission to the Journal of Peer Production <http://peerproduction.net/>special issue titled "The Critical Power of Free Software<http://peerproduction.net/the-critical-power-of-free-software-from-intellec…>" and we decided to agree, due to the coincidence with the vacation period. Therefore, the abstract submission new deadline is August 31st. Below you will find more details on the special issue, and the updated important dates. Apologies for cross-posting Maurizio --- The Critical Power of Free Software: from Intellectual Property to Epistemologies? *Edited by: Maurizio Teli and Vincenzo D’Andrea * >From the perspective of social organization, Free Software can be conceived as a form of critique by adaptability and modifiability, as pointed out by anthropologist Christopher Kelty [Two Bits, 2008], standing outside institutionalized forms of power and providing working alternatives as critical tools. Starting from this kind of understanding, Free Software has been interpreted as a form of critique toward consolidated and contemporary capitalistic forms, such as the extension of Intellectual Property over any kind of common pool resources, or the forms of organization of labour of distributed developers. Nevertheless, the increasing adoption of Free Software by multi-national corporations points to increasing domestication of free software practices by contemporary global capitalism and to the expansion of hierarchical forms of social organization. This is particularly apparent in the form of the Open Source dialect, through the extensive overlapping of open source discourse with capitalistic discourses, such as that on legitimate hybrid business models, combining open source and proprietary licensing. Such perspective requires that the critical power of Free Software be brought under scrutiny, moving from the undermining of the discourses of Intellectual Property, organization of work or hierarchy, to the understanding of the epistemological implications for computer science and software engineering. From this point of view, arguments that see the epistemology of computing as the locus of production and reproduction of long-standing inequalities in power relationships, are suggesting new areas of enquiry. Is Free Software a form of critique of the epistemological basis of computing? Is it possible to connect its critique of Intellectual Property and organizational forms to the critique of software development premises as a professional and research practice? Those are the questions this special issue is trying to answer. To promote an interdisciplinary debate, we encourage submissions of theoretical and empirical papers authored both by social scientists, in a broad sense, and by computer scientists (joint papers are most welcome). We expect the authors to envision the potential for Free Software of being a form of cultural, practical, and material critique. *Call: 500-word abstract* *Important Dates: * New Date - August 31st, 2012: Abstract Submission (max 500 words) New Date - September 15th, 2012: Abstract Evaluation and Communication December 15th, 2012: Full Paper Submission February 15th, 2012: First Review Completion May 15th, 2013: Final Submission June 2013: Signalling and Publication *Submissions: * Through contact form <http://peerproduction.net/contact/> or straight to the editors, via email at maurizio(a)ahref.eu and vincenzo.dandrea(a)unitn.it The Journal of Peer Production (JoPP) is a new open access, online journal that focuses on the implications of peer production for social change.

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MA/MSc in Creating Social Media at Goldsmiths University, London
by Nishant Shah 31 Jul '12

31 Jul '12

I've been thinking a lot about what cross computing interdisciplinary courses around social media could be like, when I came across this recommended by a friend. I was quite pleasantly surprised at how fantastic it sounds - almost makes me want to go back to school and be a student again, to be able to have this as an option. I thought this might be of interest to many on this list. Here is the Call for Applications. Apologies if you have already looked at it. *What does social media look like in the future? What will you create? *At Goldsmiths, University of London, we offer an MA/MSc in Creating Social Media <http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-creating-social-media/> that provides students with practical and critical skills to shape the future of social media. The MA/MSc is a collaborative theory/practice programme across the Centre for Cultural Studies <http://www.gold.ac.uk/cultural-studies/> and the Department of Computing <http://www.gold.ac.uk/computing/>. Based on global examples, we explore the technological and intellectual questions that have risen to prominence with the social web. We critique existing approaches and tools, and plan, develop, hack and implement new applications and campaigns. We not only analyse: we create. New social media platforms, at their best, develop new online forms of connecting, relating, sharing and organising. Effective and innovative social media creation, therefore, involves deep theoretical and practical knowledge of both software development and social processes. Participants in the MA/MSc will become proficient in · Computing skills in software development for new social media platforms, mashups, apps, and tools. This includes both coding and data skills, and a hacker approach (students with non technical background are brought up to speed with a specially developed bootcamp) · Theories of social processes and methods to research them. Adapting social media to a variety of technological contexts and to the needs of specific communities. Creating social media interventions that address social processes in new ways. · Surfacing the assumptions and limitations embedded in software. Critically assessing contemporary discourses about social media and social change. Building software tools that enable different forms of social practice, and launching them successfully. The course draws together students from all around the globe, and from a wide spectrum, some with a technical background, and others whose main focus has been communications, culture, society or politics. We accept applicants until August 31 – but best apply as soon as possible. Start: Sep 2012 (for those without technical background) or Oct 2012 (with) Apply by: August 30 2012 latest Duration: 1 Year full-time or 2 years part-time Final Degree: MA or MSc (depends on focus of the thesis) Website: http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-creating-social-media/ Contact: g.bachmann(a)gold.ac.uk -- Nishant Shah Director (Research), Centre for Internet and Society,( www.cis-india.org ) Asia Awards Fellow, 2008-09 # 00-91-9740074884 http://www.facebook.com/nishant.shah http://cis-india.academia.edu/NishantShah

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social change?
by André Brock 31 Jul '12

31 Jul '12

via Radhika: I find many usability surveys that test for how the interface is usable or not - but they dont necessarily test for the effectiveness of content in relation to conveying the social change and advocacy part … This describes information science in a nutshell. Can i steal? André

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CFP: Computer Games and Technical Communication
by deWinter, Jennifer 30 Jul '12

30 Jul '12

I know that some of us on this list work with games or in tech-comm, so I thought that I would include the cfp here: CFP: Computer Games and Technical Communication: Critical Methods & Applications at the Intersection (Edited Collection) This book collection of essays investigates the multiple intersections between the study of computer games and the discipline of Technical and Professional Writing for both research and pedagogical purposes. At the most basic level of this intersection is the simple observation that games are both technical and symbolic. The gaming industry pushes technological innovation through complex dialectics amongst large and small game developers, hardware developers, distributors, consumers, hackers, congress people, journalists, ESRB raters, parents, IP lawyers, and many others besides. Further, computer games are symbolically communicative, relying on written, verbal, visual, algorithmic, audio, and kinesthetic information to convey information. Technical and Professional Writing scholars are uniquely poised to investigate this intersection between the technical and symbolic aspects of the computer game complex. To add to this observation is recent research in the ways in which computer games proceduralize learning and processes. In his book Persuasive Games, Ian Bogost writes “Procedurality refers to a way of creating, explaining, or understanding processes. And Processes define the way things work: the methods, techniques, and logics that drive the operation of systems from mechanical systems like engines to organizational systems like high schools to conceptual systems like religious faith. Rhetoric refers to the effective and persuasive expression. Procedural rhetoric, then, is a practice of using processes persuasively” (2-3). The idea that processes are rhetorical is nothing new in the field of technical and professional writing. However, with this emphasis on procedurality in games studies comes an ethical critique as articulated by Sicart’s “Against Procedurality.” Sicart’s argument calls attention to the formalist understanding of games as oppressive systems, and game studies as a whole would be better served by remembering players as heterogeneous interlocutors in complex processes. At this intersection, we see a struggle between the ideology of rules (static expressions) and play (free expressions). In addition to these primary intersections, there are a number of other intersections that this book will explore, including the following: * Games are database-driven: they collect massive amounts of data from players and their interactions. * Games are procedural: they are rule-based systems that encourage players to test their boundaries. This testing behavior encourages hacking culture and provides insight into mobile and ubiquitous computing, user experience design, and usability. * Games are used to train workers and students. * Games are technically produced; they go through a rigorous development process that relies on specialized documentation and testing. * Gaming cultures provide avenues for community and identity formation for technical and professional communicators to research and participate in. * Gamification, or the process of turning everyday activities into games in order to compare worker productivity, student learning, or similar, is fast becoming big business. Questions that authors might consider: Production and Pedagogy * What types of documentation support computer games as technical artifacts? * What do the documentation practices in the computer games industry have something to instruct Technical and Professional Writing as a field? * Who are the actors in game-based documentation (technical writers, fans, game developers, etc.) and how do they shape the intersection of games and technical writing? * How might race, gender, age, and sexual orientation play out in the computer game complex as they particularly intersect with documentation? * How does the increasingly globalized production and circulation of computer games affect documentation practices? How might national markets and globalized markets work in conjunction or against one another complicate the types of communication that occur? What might professional writers in this field need to do to navigate the dynamic workplaces engendered by these tensions? Pedagogy * How are computer games used to teach technical writing? What are the strengths of the medium for teaching? What are the weaknesses of the medium for teaching technical and professional writing in particular? * Several scholars and game developers advocate gamification as an inherently advantageous pedagogy. What happens when gamification fails? When is it not advantageous? * How can games be used to teach procedural approaches to complex activities (in lieu of manuals, for example)? User Testing and Playtesting * What are the similarities and differences between usability testing and playtesting? * What can Technical and Professional Writing as a field learn from playtesting? Research Methods & Ethics * What methodologies can researchers employ at the intersection of games studies and technical writing? How might these methodologies account for the complexities of production, global circulation, and participatory consumption? * What are the ethical considerations concerning ownership, power, participatory culture, and content that researchers in technical writing should consider in game studies? Please provide the editors with a 250-word abstract of your proposal by September 12th, 2012. Full drafts of accepted articles will be required by March 15th, 2013. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the editors: Jennifer deWinter at jdewinter(a)wpi.edu<mailto:jdewinter@wpi.edu> and Ryan Moeller at rylish.moeller(a)usu.edu<mailto:rylish.moeller@usu.edu>. ---------------------------------------------------------- Jennifer deWinter, PhD Assistant Professor of Rhetoric Co-Director, Professional Writing Interactive Media and Game Development, Associated Faculty Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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Ignite-IR 13.0 Deadline Extended to 15 August 2012
by Alexander Halavais 30 Jul '12

30 Jul '12

Hello, everyone, It's great to see people registering for the conference and getting ready for Salford. Getting excited about meeting many of you there. For the second year, the Internet Research conference will offer the opportunity to present short, five minute talks in rapid succession. Presenters provide a deck of twenty slides, which will auto-advance each fifteen seconds. The deadline for proposals (which consist of a paragraph summarizing your presentation and answering a series of questions) is 15 August. Like pecha-kucha, Ignite is formed around a formalism: you must create a “deck” of 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds. This represents a radical departure from the traditional paper presentation, and is focused on telling an enlightening story, making an argument, and inciting an audience to come to your way of thinking and action. Keep the logos, but add pathos: humor, wit, rhetorical (and physical) stunts are encouraged. It’s academic stand-up. The Ignite format of talks started in Seattle, but by now there are thousands of people who have given them. Many of these can be found here: http://igniteshow.com/ You might also take a look at: http://www.speakerconfessions.com/2009/06/how-to-give-a-great-ignite-talk/ Some things to note: * You may propose an Ignite-IR talk even if you already have a paper accepted–it does not count against your presentation cap. * While it can be related to a later research talk, it should not be a “preview”–the Ignite-IR talk should stand on its own. To propose a session, please submit the form found here: http://bit.ly/igniteir13 If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at prez(a)aoir.org. Best, Alex -- -- // // This email is // [x] assumed public and may be blogged / forwarded. // [ ] assumed to be private, please ask before redistributing. // // Alexander C. Halavais, ciberflâneur // http://alex.halavais.net //

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Assistant Professor position in Communication at Lake Forest College
by Park, David 30 Jul '12

30 Jul '12

Air-ers: Hi. See below. Internet researchers are encouraged to apply. Thanks, Dave Lake Forest College Position: Assistant Professor of Communication, Tenure-track. The Department of Communication at Lake Forest College seeks applicants for a full-time, tenure-track position at Assistant Professor rank, to commence in August 2013. Ph.D. in communication expected by the time of appointment. The person hired to this position should both complement and deepen our course offerings, and will be expected to teach Introduction to Communication (which must introduce media studies and rhetoric) and either Rhetorical Criticism, or Communication Research Methods (which must cover quantitative and qualitative approaches). Beyond this, any contribution the candidate could make to the department's offerings in journalism and film studies should be noted. The successful candidate will be expected to teach beyond any single specialty and will also have an active research program. The Department of Communication at Lake Forest College is dedicated to two distinct areas in the field of communication: media studies and rhetoric. All teaching in the department is performed with these emphases (and their potential connections) in mind. Faculty members normally teach 3 courses per semester (introductory to advanced undergraduate). Other duties will include: advising and directing senior research projects. Preliminary interviews will be held at the NCA Convention in Orlando, FL. A highly selective liberal arts college located in a suburb of Chicago, Lake Forest College enrolls approximately 1,500 students from over 47 states and 78 countries. At Lake Forest College, the quality of a faculty member’s teaching is the most important criterion for evaluation. The College also expects peer-reviewed publication or creative works and active participation in the College community. Lake Forest College embraces diversity throughout all of its constituencies and encourages applications from women and members of historically underrepresented groups. Send letter of application, curriculum vitae, and evidence of teaching excellence to: commsearch(a)mx.lakeforest.edu<mailto:commsearch@mx.lakeforest.edu> . In addition, arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to this email address. The letter of application and letters of recommendation should be addressed to: David Park, Chair, Department of Communication, Lake Forest College, 555 N. Sheridan Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045. All materials must be received by October 15, 2012.

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Re: [Air-L] Criteria for proving that online data (especially forum comments) are real?
by Maria Eronen 30 Jul '12

30 Jul '12

I want to thank you all for your helpful information about online data validity. Since I'm analyzing morality in celebrity forum discussions, I've been pondering a lot about the issues of trustworthiness in the digital space. My material involves very hostile commenting (even death threats to particular celebrities). A lot of that data is now omitted from the internet - I think because it is illegal to be accessed in public. Interestingly the issue of data trustworthiness touches both research (research ethics, reseach credibility - Michael dealt with these two issues very thoroughly) and the actual participation online. Who can you trust? What is the criteria of trustworthiness? Maybe this sounds like a science fiction thing, but I think Rushing and Frentz (1995: 180, "Projecting the Shadow: The Cyborg Hero in American Film") have described this phenomenon of untrustworthiness very well by introducing the problem of shadow. The "shadow" is not the real 'self' but an outcome of technological proximity in which the part of us that is projected onto the other is rejected. One may ask, where do we situate our trust in digital environments? One may also ask where do we situate our trust when internet research is concerned - in the mercurial digital space itself or in a researcher and her description? Maria

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CFP Reminder: Doctor Who Fan Phenomena (15 AUG)
by Paul Booth 30 Jul '12

30 Jul '12

Hi! Apologies for the cross-post. I just wanted to let everyone know that the deadline (15 AUG) is rapidly approaching for submitting abstracts for the Doctor Who Fan Phenomena title by Intellect Press. This series aims to explore and decode the fascination we have with what constitutes an iconic or cultish phenomenon and how a particular person, TV show or film character/film infiltrates their way into the public consciousness. The Doctor Who (Fan Phenomena) title will look at particular examples of Doctor Who fan culture and approach the subject in an accessible manner aimed at both fans and those interested in the cultural and social aspects of Doctor Who and fan culture. The editor is particularly interested in exploring the changing characteristics of Doctor Who fandom, from scholars and fans alike, over the fifty-year history of the programme. As such, we invite papers that address the nature of fandom, the unique attributes of Doctor Who fandom specifically, or the relationship between Doctor Who as a multi-generational text and its fans. Other topics could include (but are not limited to): • Fandom of specific Doctors • Changing norms of fandom • How one knows he/she is a fan • Aca-Fandom • The influence of other factors on Doctor Who fandom • Fandom of Doctor Who ancillary products, like the Big Finish audio or Virgin book titles • Specific fan practices (vidding, fanfic, cosplay, et al.) • Multi-generational fandom • Doctor Who conventions • Gender/Sexuality in Doctor Who fandom • New Who vs. Classic Who fandom • Fandom of Doctor Who DVD • Fan collecting • Learning through Doctor Who This book is aimed at both fans and those interested in the cultural and social aspects of Doctor Who. The book is intended to be entertaining, informative, and generally jargon-free (or at least jargon-lite). Abstracts should be 300 words long. Please also send a CV or resume with your abstract. Abstracts due 15 Aug 2012. Final chapters of 3000-3500 words will be due 01 Nov 2012. The final book will include ten chapters. Please direct all questions and submissions to Paul Booth, pbooth(a)depaul.edu. -- Paul Booth, PhD Assistant Professor of Media and Cinema Studies/Communication Technology College of Communication DePaul University 14 E. Jackson Chicago, IL 60604

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Learning, Media and Technology - call for proposals for 2014 guest edited special issue
by Rebecca Eynon 30 Jul '12

30 Jul '12

* Apologies for cross posting * We are currently inviting proposals from potential guest editors willing to produce a special issue of the Taylor & Francis journal Learning, Media and Technology. The issue will be published in 2014 (volume 39) on a theme of the guest editors’ choice. The team should consist of two (or more) guest editors. Applicants should have a clear vision of the purpose and content of their special issue – outlining the theme and rationale of their proposed special issue in no more than 500 words. The deadline for proposals is September 7th 2012 (the successful guest editorial team will be notified by October 1st 2012) Further details, and guidance on how to submit a proposal can be found here: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/cfp/cjemcfp.pdf Many thanks Rebecca Eynon and Neil Selwyn LMT Editorial team

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