April 2016 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Book Announcement: Off-Track and Online - The Networked Spaces of Horse Racing
by Holly Kruse 13 Apr '16

13 Apr '16

I would ordinarily not want to post an announcement promoting my own book, but the Association of Internet Researchers was crucial to me as I was writing it (over the course of many years) and so many AoIRers were terribly important to me throughout the process, that I can't help myself. I wrote this in the preface: "The Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) has given me a scholarly home, a source of inspiration, a system of support, and an outlet for ideas for many years. AoIR and its brilliant people have kept me going and kept me thinking." So, thank you! Here's the book description from https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/track-and-online (the book is also available at: http://www.amazon.com/Off-Track-Online-Networked-Spaces-Racing/dp/0262034417) Holly ----- Off-Track and Online The Networked Spaces of Horse Racing By Holly Kruse Overview The horse racing industry has been a pioneer in interactive media, information networks, and their deployment. The race track and the off-track betting parlor offer interactive media environments that reconfigure the relationships among private and public space and presence and copresence. In this book, Holly Kruse explores how horse racing has used media over the last several decades, arguing that examining the history and context of horse racing and gambling gives us a clearer understanding of the development of data networks, media complexes, public entertainment, and media publics. Kruse describes an enormous industry that depends on global information and communication flows made possible by a network linking racetracks, homes, off-track betting, farms, and auction sites. Racetrack architecture now allows for the presence of screens, most showing races from other locations. Online betting sites enable bettors to wager from home. Off-track betting facilities collect wagers on races from all over the country. Odds are set interactively through the pari-mutuel market system. Kruse considers the uses of public space, and its redefinition by public screens; the effect of interactive media on the racing industry, including networked, in-home betting; the “technopanic” over online poker and the popularity of in-home pari-mutuel wagering; and the use of social media by racing fans to share information and creative work with no financial payoff. Holly Kruse is Associate Professor of Communications at Rogers State University Endorsements “The seemingly low-tech world of horse racing, we learn in this fascinating book, has long served as a test bed—and, sometimes, a hotbed—for innovations in communication and information technology. Moving from Victorian racetracks to off-track betting shops, contemporary ‘racinos,’ and the living rooms of online gamblers, Kruse approaches each site as an experiment with the new media of the day—from the telegraph to the telephone, mechanical ‘totalizers’ to computerized wagering software, simulcast screens to at-home interactive television. Off-Track and Online offers a novel and timely vantage on the ways in which digital media are reorganizing public and private life today.” —Natasha Dow Schüll, author of Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas “This carefully researched study explores how horse racing has adapted to new media technologies, placing its recent evolution into a rich historical context. Kruse is to be applauded for giving racing the attention it deserves as it transitions to the social media age and for providing valuable insights to those interested in gambling, media, and technology.” —David G. Schwartz, Director, Center for Gaming Research, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; author of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling

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Re: [Air-L] Gender and surveys
by Umar Ruhi 13 Apr '16

13 Apr '16

Thanks for bringing this up Sky and thanks to everyone else for a very useful discussion on this important issue. I have to admit that in the past, I have experimented with several variations on the gender question including providing the “other” and/or the “prefer not to say” options. I have also used a text field which resulted in some rather rowdy data being entered in that field – which while fun to read through, made us doubt the seriousness of responses on the rest of the survey. We took a rather more traditional/conservative approach this time, but I do like the suggestion about non-binary male/female with prefer not to say. Will certainly give this more thought for our next survey. Thanks, Umar Ruhi umar.ruhi(a)uottawa.ca University of Ottawa

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Gender and surveys
by sky c 13 Apr '16

13 Apr '16

I seem to be sending a similar email quite often lately, so I thought it might be worth sending out a version to the list more generally. Many of the surveys I see sent out over this list still include a 'gender' option that offers users the choice of only 'male' or 'female'. If you're developing a survey to send out, it might be worth considering: * Whether gender is relevant to your research question/topic? (If not, you may consider leaving out a question about gender) * Offering more options for gender. Gender is complex, and many people don't identify as either male or female. Offering an option for a text field is a useful way to allow people to answer the question honestly: http://www.sarahmei.com/blog/2010/11/26/disalienation/ I'm also curious how people who are already addressing the gender spectrum in research surveys are approaching this: do you use a text field, 'male'/'female'/'other', or something else? Thanks, sky.

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Re: [Air-L] Gender and surveys
by Deller, Ruth A 13 Apr '16

13 Apr '16

Thanks for that - yes, non-binary is probably better than other, thinking about it. ________________________________________ From: Kinloch, Karen [k.kinloch(a)lancaster.ac.uk] Sent: 13 April 2016 14:11 To: Sarah Merry; Deller, Ruth A Cc: Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org Subject: RE: [Air-L] Gender and surveys I use male/female/prefer not to say and then rather than other use non-binary and that seemed to be agreeable to the students who took the survey. Karen Kinloch Department of English Language and Linguistics Lancaster University @Karrie_Don ________________________________________ From: Air-L [air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org] on behalf of Sarah Merry [skmerry(a)gmail.com] Sent: 13 April 2016 14:03 To: Deller, Ruth A Cc: Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org Subject: Re: [Air-L] Gender and surveys I'm cautious of using 'other', since it can be offensive to some people. Though it is difficult to know what to use in its place. I used 'trans*' with an asterisk because my reading at the time suggested it was the best option. I wouldn't use it now, because I think it is (or rather can be) problematic in itself. I tried to find some clear and straightforward guidance to the best way of asking for gender in research and couldn't. (My supervisors weren't much help because they couldn't really see past the binary.) Some students in my research methods classes have also mentioned it as a difficult issue, so it looks as though that this question is going to run and run. On 13 April 2016 at 13:46, Deller, Ruth A <R.A.Deller(a)shu.ac.uk> wrote: > I mainly use male, female, other and sometimes 'prefer not to say' > depending on how important gender is to the research. With 'other', I > usually have a text box for people to write in. I don't tend to use 'trans' > as a separate term because many trans people identify as either male or > female rather than 'other' or non-binary, and there are people who are > non-binary but wouldn't necessarily call themselves trans. It depends on > what your research involves-if you are working with trans or genderqueer > communities specifically, you might want to have a selection of different > identity options around that. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Air-L [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Sarah > Merry > Sent: 13 April 2016 11:28 > To: sky c; Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org > Subject: Re: [Air-L] Gender and surveys > > In my PhD three/four years ago I used radio buttons (male / female / > trans*) plus a text box for anyone who felt they could not click one of > the buttons. This was successful, in that some (about 2% IIRC) respondents > used the text box. > > Now I mostly just use a text box, or don't ask for gender at all. > > Sarah Merry > > On 13 April 2016 at 02:43, sky c <skyc(a)riseup.net> wrote: > > > I seem to be sending a similar email quite often lately, so I thought > > it might be worth sending out a version to the list more generally. > > > > Many of the surveys I see sent out over this list still include a > > 'gender' option that offers users the choice of only 'male' or 'female'. > > If you're developing a survey to send out, it might be worth > > considering: > > * Whether gender is relevant to your research question/topic? (If not, > > you may consider leaving out a question about gender) > > * Offering more options for gender. Gender is complex, and many people > > don't identify as either male or female. Offering an option for a text > > field is a useful way to allow people to answer the question honestly: > > http://www.sarahmei.com/blog/2010/11/26/disalienation/ > > > > I'm also curious how people who are already addressing the gender > > spectrum in research surveys are approaching this: do you use a text > > field, 'male'/'female'/'other', or something else? > > > > Thanks, > > sky. > > > > _______________________________________________ > > The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the > > Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change > > options or unsubscribe at: > > http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > > > > Join the Association of Internet Researchers: > > http://www.aoir.org/ > _______________________________________________ > The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association > of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or > unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > > Join the Association of Internet Researchers: > http://www.aoir.org/ > _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

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WEBCAST WEDS: The Internet at a Crossroads w/ Laura DeNardis, Kathy Brown, + Fiona Alexander
by Joly MacFie 13 Apr '16

13 Apr '16

This is just kicking off. A preview of the book is at http://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781137533265 joly posted: "On Wednesday April 13 2016 at 10am The Internet Governance Lab at American University (AU) and the Internet Policy Forum of the Greater Washington DC Chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC-DC) will host a book launch of The Turn to Infrastructure in Intern" [image: Livestream] <https://livestream.com/internetsociety/crossroads/>On *Wednesday April 13 2016* at *10am* The *Internet Governance Lab* at *American University <http://www.american.edu/> *(AU) and the *Internet Policy Forum* of the *Greater Washington DC Chapter of the Internet Society <http://isoc-dc.org> *(ISOC-DC) will host a book launch <https://www.isoc-dc.org/next-event/> of *The Turn to Infrastructure in Internet Governance <http://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781137533265>* in Washington DC. Authors *Derrick Cogburn*, *Laura DeNardis*, *Nanette Levinson*, will be joined by *Dean James Goldgeier* of the AU School of International Service, *Jeffrey Rutenbeck* of the AU School of Communication, plus special guests *Kathy Brown* of the Internet Society and *Fiona Alexander* from the NTIA, to discuss the book. A live webcast from the AU a/v team will be mirrored on the *Internet Society Livestream Channel*. <https://livestream.com/internetsociety/crossroads/> *What: Book launch: The Turn to Infrastructure in Internet Governance <https://www.isoc-dc.org/next-event/> Where: American University, Washington DC When: Wednesday April 13 2016 10am-11:30am EDT | 14:00-15:30 UTC Webcast: https://livestream.com/internetsociety/crossroads <https://livestream.com/internetsociety/crossroads> Twitter: #isocdc http://twitter.com/hashtag/isocdc <http://twitter.com/hashtag/isocdc>* Comment <http://isoc-ny.org/p2/8420#respond> See all comments <http://isoc-ny.org/p2/8420#comments> <https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=febb059bada75fe9efc44db6c269a480&email…> *Permalink* http://isoc-ny.org/p2/8420 -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast -------------------------------------------------------------- -

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CFP: Historicizing the Digital, University of Leicester
by Caroline.Tagg 13 Apr '16

13 Apr '16

With apologies for cross-posting, please see below for details of our seminar. Historicizing the Digital: language practices in new and old media Mon 27th - Tues 28th June 2016 University of Leicester, UK CALL FOR PAPERS: deadline 18th April 2016 REGISTRATION: opening soon Language and new media is a rapidly emerging area of applied linguistics which considers how the affordances of digital technologies promote new linguistic strategies for identity work by individuals and communities (Seargeant and Tagg 2013). Research suggests that language use in digital spaces is highly innovative (in forms, functions, ideologies and cultural norms), and especially so for written language, such as online spelling variation, code-switching, multimodality, and sharing (Georgakoupoulou and Spilioti 2015). Our seminar, 'Historicizing the Digital', provides a space in which researchers are encouraged to re-evaluate assumptions and claims of digital communication research. The event explores the extent to which digital practices really are "new". What precedents might be found in earlier periods? What practices show continuity between the pre- and post-digital age? What practices constitute genuine innovation within digital spaces? The event invites speakers working within different historical periods who may not otherwise join in conversation to promote fresh discussions from a trans-historical perspective. Proposals should be submitted to the Conference Organisers (histthedig(a)gmail.com) as a Word document, containing the following information: * Title of proposal in bold * Name of presenter * Name and address of institution, telephone and email * Abstract text max. 300 words * 12pt, left-aligned, single-spaced Please visit our website for more details: www.histthedig.blogspot.co.uk<https://mail.bham.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?REF=wO1TlPlwFPYBiM2oGJSHYAFzFUT4XtFo…>

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Online Survey on Social Media Security & Privacy Practices
by Umar Ruhi 12 Apr '16

12 Apr '16

Dear fellow AoIRists, My graduate students and I are conducting an online survey examining security and privacy practices among various types of social media users. We would like to get some responses from Internet experts, and what better venue to ask for help than here! We would appreciate if you participated in the survey and also circulated the call to your colleagues and friends. We’re really looking forward to analyzing the data we collect and I would be happy to share our results with the list once we’ve completed the analysis. I’m also interested in any feedback you might have after you complete the survey. Survey Link: http://bit.ly/1T2iWZS Thanks, Umar Ruhi umar.ruhi(a)uottawa.ca University of Ottawa

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Special Issue of CSMC on Queer Communication Technologies published
by Adrienne Shaw 12 Apr '16

12 Apr '16

A new special issue of Critical Studies in Media and Communication I co-edited with Katherine Sender is now available and the articles are potentially of interest to AoIR members (it also features the work of several AoIR members). Articles will be freely available for a limited time: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcsm20/33/1 Contents: Queer technologies: affordances, affect, ambivalence by Adrienne Shaw & Katherine Sender Queen don't compute: reading and casting shade on Facebook's real names policy by Maggie MacAulay & Marcos Daniel Moldes Making a name for yourself: tagging as transgender ontological practice on Tumblr by Avery Dame Aesthetics of queer becoming: Comrade Yue and Chinese community-based documentaries online by Jia Tan Lez takes time: designing lesbian contact in geosocial networking apps by Sarah Murray & Megan Sapnar Ankerson Trans(affective)mediation: feeling our way from paper to digitized zines and back again by Daniel C. Brouwer & Adela C. Licona The queer case of video games: orgasms, Heteronormativity, and video game narrative by Shira Chess Disorienting guitar practice: an alternative archive by Joshua Hochman “I Did It All Online:” Transgender identity and the management of everyday life by Andre Cavalcante Hacking Xena: Technological innovation and queer influence in the production of mainstream television by Elena Maris -- Adrienne Shaw Assistant Professor Temple University Department of Media Studies and Production School of Media and Communication 2020 N. 13th St. Annenberg Hall, room 203A Philadelphia, PA 19122 telephone: 215-204-6201 fax: 215-214-5402 email: adrienne.shaw(a)temple.edu smc.temple.edu/msp www.adrienneshaw.com Author of: Gaming at the Edge: Sexuality and Gender at the Margins of Gamer Culture, University of Minnesota Press, 2014 (http://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/gaming-at-the-edge) Office Hours: 5-6pm Tuesday-Thursday Email Hours (when I respond to emails): 10am-Noon, Monday-Friday

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First OpenData Fest in Sierra Leone
by nativebuddha 12 Apr '16

12 Apr '16

For those of you who follow IT and West Africa: Event Description The Right to Access Information Commission in collaboration with the Open Data Council and the Ministry of Information and Communication with support from the Open Aid Partnership of the World Bank and other partners are organising a two-day datafest to raise the awareness of Open Data and its importance to economic development through a multi stakeholder process on Thursday and Friday, April 21 - 22, 2016 at 10 a.m. As a Preamble to that event will be a symposium celebrating International Open Data Day on March 5, 2016 and an ideathon in the afternoon to kickstart the Hackathon process which ends on April 22. The Hackathon will encourage young developers and coders in Information Technology to develop their own "do-it-yourself" projects via hackathons over 6 weeks on specific topics to include: - Peacebuilding and State-Building - The Sustainable Development Goals - Exposing Gender-Based Violence - Land and Women’s Rights - Academia - Agriculture - Legal aid, the Judiciary and Freedom of Information Open Data Day <http://opendataday.org/> is a gathering of citizens in cities around the world to write applications, liberate data, create visualizations and publish analyses using open public data to show support for and encourage the adoption of open data policies by the world’s local, regional and national governments. The event is open to all, curious citizens, journalists, tech-geeks, students, scientists, graphic designers. Come by on the day to learn, hack, wrangle and just plain hangout. We emphasize that no specialist skills are needed - come along to learn and connect with other members of the community. You don’t need to know anything about (open) data or technology in advance – enthusiasm and interest is all that is needed and you’ll get support and advice from others! Events: The following are the events that would be held on the Open Data Day: - Launch of national awareness campaign on open data - Formal presentations on open data activities - Ideation workshops for brainstorming on projects related to open data - Scrap-a-thon workshops on creating web tools for collecting data from sources online - Sessions and talks from some of our amazing partners, such as Code for Africa and the World Bank! Learn more about how you can use tech to drive social impact for your own communities! Register for Training Before the Hackathon! Never been to a hackathon before? Want to get accustomed with how open data can be used for creating products that benefit the community? Sign up for our Data Fest Training in the link below! The training shall run from the 4th-5th of March. Register Now! Limited seats available! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nIEDvWO_Sh82hAmEYU5Ecj9HRBaSLRXqNADl0Jks3Z… FAQs: Q. Who is this event for? A. Everyone. If you have an idea for using open data, want to find an interesting project to contribute towards, learn about how to visualize or analyze data or simply want to see what's happening, then definitely come participate! No matter your skillset or interests, we shall be fostering opportunities for you to learn and help the global open data community grow. Developers: We need computer cowboys and cowgirls like yourself to wrangle data into something useful. That means visualization, notification, integration, etc., all in the name of doing something crazy and fantastic. Designers: We need people like you to make the everything look amazing, feel intuitive, and have a smooth user experience. Librarians: I heard you folks like books and eat catalogs of data for breakfast. You beautiful people are going to scour the earth for interesting data, help the rest of us figure out what’s important, and generally be useful. Statisticians: YES! YOU ARE SO NEEDED. Seriously. While we can find it, blow it up, calculate it, and make it look pretty, we needs us some mean number crunchin’ to present meaningful visualizations. Join up. Citizens: We need you the most. If it weren’t for you, this whole thing wouldn’t be happening. We need ideas, cheerleaders, and friends to spread the word. Q. What to Expect? A. A lot will be going on. So... expect to: - Learn more about open data. - Find out how your local and national government could do more to release open data. - Meet & network with tons of cool people in your city and around the world. - Voice your opinion & share your ideas with the people and media attending. - Find out about apps being created, and get to play around with them as well. - Help out with parts of the conceptualization, creation, design, advertisement and testing of apps. - Have lots and lots of fun! Q. Should I bring anything? A. We recommend bringing a device that will allow you to access and browse the internet (via wifi - wifi will be provided). A laptop or tablet would be perfect. If you plan to code, design or write quite bit of content we recommend bringing a laptop rather than just a tablet as it will be easier to write with. Q. Do I need specific skills to participate? A. No - you don’t need any special skills (technical, data or otherwise) to get involved. Interest and enthusiasm are recommended :-) Our Partners for the Event: - Open Data Council - Ministry of Information and Communication, Sierra Leone - The World Bank - Code for Africa WHENThursday, April 21, 2016 at 9:00 AM - Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 11:30 PM (GMT) - Add to Calendar <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-data-festival-sierra-leone-2016-registrat…> WHEREFreetown - Right to Access Information Commission Open Data Council and the Ministry of Information and Communication Miatta Conference Centre,Youyi Building, Brookfields, Freetown, Sierra Leone - View Map <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-data-festival-sierra-leone-2016-registrat…>

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Announcing AoIR's new Association Coordinator
by Jennifer Stromer-Galley 12 Apr '16

12 Apr '16

As many of you know, AoIR is almost entirely a volunteer-run organization, with one exception: the Association Coordinator. The AC helps make this organization run on a daily basis: answering your emails about membership issues, updating the website and social media, getting all of the conference proceedings up on SPIR, and a thousand other little things that are part of the work of an Association. This month we make a transition in our AC position. We are pleased to welcome Courtney Bennett as the new Association Coordinator for AoIR. Courtney holds a PhD in communication from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MSc in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has worked as a consultant for several years, for clients such as the Blue Shield of California Foundation and Children's Hospital Oakland, and currently has a contract with the University of California, Office of the President in the Office of Diversity and Engagement. Courtney is stepping in as Anna Hoffmann, who has served as our Coordinator for just over two years, takes her leave so that she can focus more actively on her academic career. Anna has been essential to making the Association go these past years, and I personally am grateful for her dedication, conscientiousness, and attention to the Association. We will miss Anna tremendously, and wish her luck and give her our eternal gratitude. ~Jenny Stromer-Galley President, AoIR

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