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Reminder: CFP WORKSHOP ON CREATIVITY AND ATTENTION IN THE AGE OF THE WEB
by Claudia Roda 20 Mar '13

20 Mar '13

CALL FOR PAPERS WORKSHOP ON CREATIVITY AND ATTENTION IN THE AGE OF THE WEB http://ac.aup.fr/croda/tclab/creativity&attentionWorkshop2013.html AT ACM WEB SCIENCE 2013 PARIS, MAY 1 2013 OBJECTIVES Many researchers have highlighted the connection between attention and creativity. The Web environment significantly affects the manner in which we allocate attention to information, tasks, and people. This workshop addresses the question of what impact this has on creative pursuits. We look at creativity at many levels, from personal creativity (e.g. the different ways in which a student may solve a problem) to big-C creativity that generates new high impact findings. We concentrate on the effects that the Web environment has on on human attention and on all these types of creativity. In particular, we will focus on empirical/experimental as well as conceptual research connecting topics such as: new types of creativity enabled by the web; the influence of Web-based environments on human attention; cognitive offload and its consequences; group creativity; creativity outsourcing. INTRODUCTION We are living in the age defined by innovation driven economy. The ubiquity of the web in our lives (work and leisure time) forces us to reconsider our fundamental preconceptions regarding the creative and innovation processes. The complexity and the requirements of this new environment tell us that the age of the lone asocial romanticist genius is gone. Collaboration and collective creation is a must. Does the web facilitates these processes? And, if so,then in what way? What can we do to take advantage of what the web offers? How does it affect individuals? What are the consequences for education? All these questions have prompted an unprecedented academic interest on creativity that is well represented by several academic meeting such as the International ACM Conference on Creativity and Cognition 2013 in Sydney, the AAAI 2013 Spring Symposium on Creativity and Cognitive Development in Stanford, the Mobile Learning and Creativity Workshop in Saarbrücken (September 2012), and the Creative Web Symposium: Computational Creativity as a Web-Service in South Corea (December 2012). Our workshop, while aligning with the meetings above, aims at exploring more specific issues of creativity that are immediately related to the particular environment created by the Web. Every new medium introduces new creative opportunities and shortens the path from the creator to the consumer: from the invention of writing, the printing process, photography, movies, to the radio and TV, the telephone, digital computer to the current era of hyper connectivity, always-on, instant messaging, instant content producing and sharing. Unprecedented amount of all humane knowledge becomes easily available for many and our expectations of others (individuals and institutions) in terms of reactivity, productivity and efficiency is raised. Some researchers believe that the more constraints we have to overcome, the easier it becomes to create. Would then democratization of access to information and cheap communication actually lessen creativity, or reduce it to trivial creations? On the other hand, creative behaviour has been connected with breath of attention (e.g. Kasof 1997, Friedman et al. 2003) and in general, wide attention deployment and defocused attention are considered to lead to greater creativity. Several researchers share the view that creativity requires variations in the field of attention (Gabora 2007, Vartanian 2009) and some experimental results hint that distractions improve creativity (Baird et al. 2012; Gallate et al. 2012). Based on these considerations one could expect that forced changes in attention focus such as those generated by many Web 2.0 applications, may actually improve creativity. However, previous research also tells us of other related factors that may intervene with a possible negative effect. For example it has been observed that stress or arousal, generated for example by time pressure or evaluation apprehension, may reduce breadth of attention and therefore hinder creativity (Karau and Kelly 1992; Smith, Michael, and Hocevar 1990); that interruptions are more likely to hinder, rather than improve, creativity, and that different types of interruptions may have varying degree of impact on different creative activities (Roda et al. 2013). CALL FOR PAPERS AND DEMONSTRATIONS In this half-day workshop we invite researchers and practitioners for an exploration of the influence of the Web environment on human attention and creativity. We welcome short papers reporting empirical/experimental as well as conceptual research connecting topics such as: New types of creativity enabled by the web The influence of Web based environments on human attention Cognitive offload and its consequences Group creativity Creativity outsourcing We invite full papers (8 pages), short / position papers (2-4 pages), and/or demonstrations to be submitted to gstojanov(a)aup.edu<mailto:gstojanov@aup.edu> by March 21 Demonstrations should be available online and be accompanied by a short description (no more than 2 pages). All submissions will be reviewed by three members of the Program Committee. We will pursue the possibility of publishing a selected number of papers in the special issue of a journal. IMPORTANT DATES Papers/Demo due March 21 2013 Review feedback March 29 2013 Workshop May 2 2013 ORGANISATION Organising committee Georgi Stojanov - The American University of Paris (France) Claudia Roda - The American University of Paris (France) Bipin Indurkhya - International Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (India) and AGH University of Science and Technology, Cracow (Poland) Program committee Sandra Bruno, Université de Cergy-Pontoise Jayson P. Harsin, The American University of Paris Thomas Kirste, University of Rostock Mohammad Majid al-Rifaie, Goldsmiths' College, University of London Amitash Ohja International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad Sebastian Pannasch, Technische Universitaet Dresden Goran Trajkovski, Virginia International University Giovanni Vincenti, Towson University Sharon Wood, University of Sussex -- Claudia Roda Professor of Computer Science American University of Paris 147, rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris +33(0)1.40.62.07.01 croda(a)aup.fr<mailto:croda@aup.fr> http://ac.aup.fr/roda

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SIGDOC 2013 Call for Papers
by Liza Potts 20 Mar '13

20 Mar '13

Hi, I am pleased to announce the CFP for SIGDOC's 2013 Annual Conference! As the vice chair of SIGDOC and an AOIR member, I am especially interested in having greater representation from the AOIR community. Please consider joining us this year! SIGDOC 2013: Simplifying Complexity http://sigdoc.acm.org/2013/ The ACM Special Interest Group on the Design of Communication (ACM SIGDOC) invites you to submit a project report, research paper, or poster session on the design of communication for interactive systems in industry, education, recreation, scientific research, and social exchange. SIGDOC conferences address issues of interest to people in interaction design, content strategy, information architecture, user experience, and technical communication. Ideas for topics • How do you identify complexity in an interactive system and simplify it for the people who use it? • How do you capture complexity in a domain and simplify people’s understanding of it? • How do you simplify complex person-to-person interactions? • How social media and new media (rss feeds, analytics, streaming, user-contributed content, mashups, wikis, and blogs) simplify or increase complexity, and social implications of using these media. • Simplifying the design, development, and delivery of interactive instructional media, including content management, website development and use, e-instruction and e-learning, and technical communication. • Using responsive design methods and tools to simplify multi-platform issues. • User research in all of these areas. Submission types • Research and technical papers. These papers describe completed research projects, and include the questions that prompted the research, the investigative methods, the results, and ideas for future study. Typically, researchers in academia submit research and technical papers. You present your paper during a conference session, and publish the paper in the conference proceedings. • Project reports. These papers describe work completed for a product release, and include the problem that prompted the project, the development methods, the results, and ideas for future work. Typically, people in industry submit project reports. You present your paper during a conference session, and publish the paper in the conference proceedings. • Poster sessions. A poster session is a less formal presentation of work in progess, theories, experimental work, new concepts, late-breaking research results. You present your poster during an informal session. • Workshops. These are half- or full-day tutorials on a practical topic of relevance to conference attendees. Submission schedule • May 15: Manuscripts are due. • June 30: Acceptance notices go out. If your submission is accepted as-is, you can upload it for publication in the proceedings. Work begins on your conference presentation. • July 20: If your submission was accepted pending revisions, the revisions are due. • Aug 7: Your final date to upload your manuscript to Sheridan Printing for inclusion in the proceedings. Questions? Please contact our conference chairs Michael Albers (albersm(a)ecu.edu) and Nina Wishbow (nina.wishbow(a)gmail.com) Take care, Liza Potts Vice Chair of SIGDOC _________________________________________ Liza Potts, Ph.D. Michigan State University Director of User Experience Projects, WIDE @ MATRIX Assistant Professor Department of Writing, Rhetoric, & American Cultures 434 Farm Lane (Bessey Hall)Room 291, East Lansing, MI 48824 Gtalk: LKPotts | AIM: LizaPotts | Skype: LKPotts

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CFP: Social Media, the fourth Transforming Audiences conference, London Sep 2013
by Graham Meikle 19 Mar '13

19 Mar '13

CALL FOR PAPERS Social Media The fourth international transforming audiences conference making connections | creative cultures | open everything Date: 2 – 3 September 2013 Venue: University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5LS The previous Transforming Audiences conferences, in 2007, 2009 and 2011, have seen this event become Europe’s major international conference series for audience/user studies, bringing together researchers from all over the world. Now we are delighted to invite you to Social Media, the fourth in the Transforming Audiences series, in central London in September 2013. The Social Media conference is organised by the Centre for Social Media Research at the University of Westminster’s Communication and Media Research Institute. The event will present a rich set of analyses of the current situation and raise important questions about the future. We strongly encourage papers from new scholars as well as more established researchers. Keynote speakers include Stuart Allan (author Citizen Witnessing), Megan Boler (co-editor DIY Citizenship and Critical Making), Larissa Hjorth (co-author Understanding Social Media) and D.E. Wittkower (editor Facebook and Philosophy). We particularly invite papers that connect with the themes making connections, creative cultures and open everything. Making connections — friends | followers | connections | networks | communities | tags | favourites | playlists | channels | emotions | affect | information | knowledge | circulation | movement | share Creative cultures — critical making | memes | do-it-yourself | do-it-with-others | collaboration | participation | read-write | edit | hacking | modding | coding | creativity Open everything — Big Data | data journalism | visualisation | mapping | activism | commons | business models | access | education | MOOCs | private | public | surveillance | visibility SUBMISSION GUIDELINES You can submit proposals for individual papers or for themed panels. Individual papers will each have 15 minutes plus discussion time. Panels should consist of three presentations of 15 minutes each, to be followed by fifteen minutes of discussion for a total session of one hour. For individual papers, please send a 300-word abstract and brief biographical note of up to 70 words. Abstracts should highlight the original theoretical or empirical contribution. They should also include the presenter’s name, institutional affiliation, title of paper, email and work address. Proposals for panels or alternative formats should include a 300-word overview as well as individual abstracts following the guidelines above. All proposals should be sent by 12 April 2013 to TA4(a)westminster.ac.uk Electronic submissions only. Successful applicants will be notified by mid-May. REGISTRATION The registration fee for the two days will be £285, for one day will be £180. ICA, AoIR, IAMCR and ECREA members will be given a preferential rate of £245 for the two day event. The special rate for students will be £130 for the two days, or £75 for one day. This covers all conference documentation, refreshments, lunches, wine reception and administration costs. Registration will open mid-May. http://www.transformingaudiences.org.uk http://www.westminster.ac.uk/research/a-z/camri/events/camri-events-calenda… ----------------------- Professor Graham Meikle Communication and Media Research Institute, School of Media, Arts and Design, University of Westminster, HA1 3TP, UK Twitter: @graham_meikle Phone: +44 (0)20 7911 5000 ext 4755 http://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/directory/meikle-graham The University of Westminster is a charity and a company limited by guarantee. Registration number: 977818 England. Registered Office: 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW.

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Twitter and Microblogging conference 10-12 April Lancaster University - registration closes 22 March
by Gillen, Julia 19 Mar '13

19 Mar '13

Our conference on Twitter and Microblogging: Political, Professional and Personal Practices will be held at Lancaster University from 10-12 April. Plenary speakers include: Nathan Jurgenson, Rebekka Kill, Greg Myers, Ruth Page and Lee Salter. Registration closes 22 March. Please see our website<http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/events/twitter_and_microblogging/index.htm> and Lanyrd entry<http://lanyrd.com/2013/lutwit13/> for further details. Dr Julia Gillen Senior Lecturer in Digital Literacies Department of Linguistics and English Language Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YL UK Tel: +44 (0) 1524 510830 Email: j.gillen(a)lancaster.ac.uk http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/profiles/Julia-Gillen

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Job opening Research Fellow Sustaining networked knowledge: expertise, feminist media production, art and activism
by Aristea Fotopoulou 19 Mar '13

19 Mar '13

We invite applications for a Research Fellow to work in the network project Sustaining networked knowledge: expertise, feminist media production, art and activism, in the School of Media, Film and Music at the University of Sussex. The position is at 20% FTE and will run for 9 months from April 2013, funded by a Digital Economy ‘Communities and Culture’ Network+ grant. The network brings together feminist cultural production, art and activist practices and enables exchanges between different researchers, activists, artists and dimensions of community. It aims to produce a sustainable co-created platform for critical and creative conversations about digital engagement in a mixed format including digital media and face-to-face meetings. We’re looking for an organised administrator with media production and postproduction skills who can edit video, design web pages and use social media; manage digital assets and data visualisation and support scholarly and public events. The post holder will edit, maintain and write content for the project web site including working with video, work on design and publicity, liaise with network participants and help keep track of the project budget. We are looking for good media production and administration skills with a good knowledge or interest in feminist and queer issues. For more information, please see: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/aboutus/jobs/052 ------------------------------------- Dr Aristea Fotopoulou Research fellow EPINET Centre for Material Digital Culture University of Sussex Falmer, BN1 9RG Arts B337 Tel: 01273 678634 http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/206365

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Fwd: Global Digital Download - March 11 - 17
by gene loeb 18 Mar '13

18 Mar '13

I think this might be interesting to some. Thanks, Gene Gene Loebg, Ph.D. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: gene loeb <geneloeb(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Mar 18, 2013 at 2:25 PM Subject: Fwd: Global Digital Download - March 11 - 17 To: michael gurstein <gurstein(a)gmail.com> Mike, For you, although I don't think for the list. Gene ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Global Digital Download <globaldigitaldownload(a)internews.org> Date: Mon, Mar 18, 2013 at 2:03 PM Subject: Global Digital Download - March 11 - 17 To: geneloeb(a)gmail.com If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may see it online<http://e2ma.net/map/view:CampaignPublic/id:1411202.13036109467/rid=27320d02…>. Share This: <http://social.e2ma.net/next/e/1411202/7ffe28654f11e9629ab597c3f55fd4cf/1303…> [image: Internews. Global Digital Download]<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110875/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> The Global Digital Download<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110876/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL2Uy…>is an aggregate of resources on Internet freedom, highlighting trends in digital and social media that intersect with freedom of expression, policy, privacy, censorship and new technologies. The Download, available weekly by email<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110877/1411202/b64/aHR0cHM6Ly9h…>and always online<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110878/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL2Uy…>, includes curated news and relevant events and research for the international development and policy communities. March 11 - 17, 2013 Global <#13d7ef6a483818ce_13d7ee7b2cb06d83_global> | Africa<#13d7ef6a483818ce_13d7ee7b2cb06d83_africa>| Asia <#13d7ef6a483818ce_13d7ee7b2cb06d83_asia> | Eurasia<#13d7ef6a483818ce_13d7ee7b2cb06d83_eurasia>| Europe <#13d7ef6a483818ce_13d7ee7b2cb06d83_europe> | Middle East & North Africa <#13d7ef6a483818ce_13d7ee7b2cb06d83_mena> | North America<#13d7ef6a483818ce_13d7ee7b2cb06d83_na> Research <#13d7ef6a483818ce_13d7ee7b2cb06d83_research> | Upcoming Events<#13d7ef6a483818ce_13d7ee7b2cb06d83_events> News Global The Internet Is A Surveillance State <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110879/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3Vz…>The Internet is a surveillance state. Whether we admit it to ourselves or not, and whether we like it or not, we're being tracked all the time. Google tracks us, both on its pages and on other pages it has access to. Facebook does the same; it even tracks non-Facebook users. Apple tracks us on our iPhones and iPads. One reporter used a tool called Collusion to track who was tracking him; 105 companies tracked his Internet use during one 36-hour period. (CNN, 3/16) Special Report on Internet Surveillance: Focusing On Internet Surveillance, Focusing On 5 Governments and 5 Companies "Enemies Of The Internet" <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110880/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL2Vu…>On March 12, World Day Against Cyber-Censorship, Reporters Without Borders is releasing a Special report on Internet surveillance, available at surveillance.rsf.org/en. It looks at the way governments are increasingly using technology that monitors online activity and intercepts electronic communication in order to arrest journalists, citizen-journalists and dissidents. Around 180 netizens worldwide are currently in prison for providing news and information online. (Reporters Without Borders, 3/15) Researchers Find 25 Countries Using Surveillance Software <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110881/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL2Jp…>Last May, two security researchers volunteered to look at a few suspicious e-mails sent to some Bahraini activists. Almost one year later, the two have uncovered evidence that some 25 governments, many with questionable records on human rights, may be using off-the-shelf surveillance software to spy on their own citizens. Morgan Marquis-Boire, a security researcher at Citizen Lab, at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, and Bill Marczak, a computer science doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley, found that the e-mails contained surveillance software that could grab images off computer screens, record Skype chats, turn on cameras and microphones and log keystrokes. (The New York Times, 3/13) Gathering Clouds Over Digital Freedom? <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110882/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>Threats to digital freedom are growing just as the number of people accessing the internet is taking off, with millions more likely to join the digital world through mobiles and smartphones in the coming years. The range of challenges is wide: from state censorship, including firewalls and the imposition of network or country-wide filters, to increasing numbers of takedown requests from governments, companies and individuals, corporate hoovering up of private data, growing surveillance of electronic communications, and criminalisation of speech on social media. (Open Democracy, 3/12) Collaborating On Telecommunications And Human Rights <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110883/1411202/b64/aHR0cHM6Ly93…>Information and communications technology (ICT) companies—from search engines and software providers to network operators and equipment vendors—enable access to information and the exchange of ideas around the world. But the more we depend on technology in every part of our lives, the more that company business decisions can impact human rights, particularly free expression and privacy. (Center for Democracy and Technology, 3/12) *More Global News*<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110884/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> Africa Internet Corporation President: “Africa Will Not Wait” <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110885/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>The President of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) said he is moving ahead immediately with plans to have six new ICANN representatives on the African continent. “ICANN used to say if you want to participate in Internet governance come to ICANN,” said Fadi Chehadé. “We’ve changed that, now ICANN is coming to the stakeholders. We’re not waiting for you to come. We’re coming to you.” Chehadé made his comments during a two-day Africa Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance meeting of Internet leaders from across the continent, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (IT News Africa, 3/13) *More Africa News*<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110886/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> Asia The Great Firewall Of China <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110887/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>You may not actually be able to see the Great Wall of China from space but you can certainly see the Great Firewall of China in action anywhere in the country. With the largest population of web users in the world, China also has one of the most restricted internets, with a host of measures employed to make sure that netizens cannot read about sensitive issues nor themselves post - or at least for very long - information the government deems threatening. (Open Democracy, 3/15) A Rare Glimpse Of North Korea’s Version Of Facebook <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110888/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>Most North Koreans can’t access the Internet, and only foreigners can use the country’s brand-new 3G cellular network. But the country has still developed its own rudimentary social network — which you can now see for yourself, thanks to a SXSW panel the Associated Press’s Jean Lee gave this weekend. Lee shared this screenshot from the unnamed social network, which is more of an intranet bulletin board and is used largely to post birthday messages, especially among university students and professors.(The Washington Post, 3/13) 4 Signs The Vietnamese Government Is Crushing The Country's 'Social Media Revolution' <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110889/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>After more than a year in pre-trial detention, five independent bloggers amid other activists stood in a Vietnamese court for two days in January to hear they would live behind bars for up to 13 more years. They join a growing cohort of bloggers imprisoned for "activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration," "undermining of national unity" and committing "propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam." Vietnamese bloggers tasted internet freedom over the last decade as online access grew, but social media is no game changer in a paranoid state. (The Atlantic, 3/11) *More Asia News*<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110890/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> Eurasia Banned In Russia <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110891/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>On 15 March, a Russian court holds preliminary hearings for YouTube’s case against Rospotrebnadzor – the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare. YouTube is the first organisation to take one of the most controversial laws passed by the State Duma - one which imposes internet censorship - to court. (Open Democracy, 3/15) *More Eurasia News*<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110892/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> Europe France Proposes New Rules For Internet Equal Access <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110893/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>The French government on Tuesday called for a law requiring Internet service providers to give all the traffic on their networks equal priority, saying existing rules were insufficient for protecting free speech online and ensuring fair competition among Web publishers. The proposal would mark a big shift in French policy and a break with existing European Union practice on the thorny issue of so-called net neutrality. And though almost certain to meet resistance from some Internet service providers, it could fuel calls for similar rules throughout the 27-country European Union. (The New York Times, 3/12) *More Europe News*<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110894/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> Middle East and North Africa One Year Later: EFF Honors Jailed Syrian Blogger Bassel Khartabil <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110895/1411202/b64/aHR0cHM6Ly93…>In March of 2012, Palestinian-Syrian software developer and open source advocate Bassel (Safadi) Khartabil went silent. When we had not heard from him online for a few weeks, his friends—myself included—began to worry. It was unlike Bassel, an active member of the Creative Commons community, to vanish from online discussions. There were rumours that he may have been detained. His last Facebook post, marked “friends only,” is dated March 14, 2012. (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 3/15) Iran: Unintentional Interfaces, Google Reader’s Censorship-Busting Power Will Be Hard To Replicate <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110896/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>Journalists and other professional nerds are angry that Google is snuffing out its moribund RSS software, Reader. But as Quartz’s Zach Seward points out, plain old normal folks in Iran used Reader quite a bit to get around internet censorship. And those users won’t be helped by the Reader clones popping up in its wake, because Google Reader’s unintended power as an anti-censorship interface flows from its “Google” pedigree, not its “Reader” functionality. (MIT Technology Review, 3/14) Iran Blocks Way To Bypass Internet Filtering System <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110897/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>Iran’s powerful Ministry of Information and Communications Technology has blocked the most popular software used by millions of Iranians to bypass an elaborate official Internet filtering system, stepping up a campaign to gain more control over the way Iranians use the Internet. As of Thursday, a collection of illegal virtual private networks, or VPNs, was successfully closed off by the ministry, making visits to Web sites deemed immoral or politically dangerous — like Facebook and Whitehouse.gov — nearly impossible. Popular mobile applications like Viber, for free phone calls, and WhatsApp, for free text messaging service, have also been experiencing problems. (The New York Times, 3/11) *More MENA News*<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110898/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> North America Exit Interview: Alec Ross On Internet Freedom, Innovation And Digital Diplomacy <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110899/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>Given the increasing penetration of technology into the lives of billions of people around the world, context for how we think about intersection of diplomacy and civil society is shifting. No one has been more central to that discussion than Alec J. Ross, the senior advisor for innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who in many ways defined the practice of "digital diplomacy" in the 21st century. Almost three years ago, I talked with Ross about his role and goals, like supporting "Internet freedom" through funding technology. (The Huffington Post, 3/12) Playing Fair: New FTC Chair Pledges Increased Enforcement To Protect User Data <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110900/1411202/b64/aHR0cHM6Ly93…>Last week, Edith Ramirez, the newly named chair of the Federal Trade Commission, participated in her first public appearance as chairwoman at the International Association of Privacy Professionals conference. Her comments there bode well for the future of domestic privacy protection, especially when paired with the FTC’s recent settlement with HTC concerning the mobile device maker’s unfair and deceptive trade practices. (Center for Democracy and Technology, 3/11) *More North America News*<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110901/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> Research The Enemies of the Internet: Special Edition - Surveillance <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110902/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3N1…>“My computer was arrested before I was.” This perceptive comment was made by a Syrian activist who had been arrested and tortured by the Assad regime. Caught by means of online surveillance, Karim Taymour told a Bloomberg[1] journalist that, during interrogation, he was shown a stack of hundreds of pages of printouts of his Skype chats and files downloaded remotely from his computer hard drive. His torturers clearly knew as much as if they had been with him in his room, or more precisely, in his computer. Fights, Adapts, Accepts: Archetypes Of Iranian Internet Use <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110903/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>The narrowing space for dissent and free exchange of ideas in the Iranian public sphere and in public space has been one of the driving forces behind Iranians’ use of cyberspace as a mechanism for expression. The Internet is one of the few remaining platforms where Iranians can practice some level of open debate, less susceptible to social and political limitations. Research on Internet use in Iran sheds light on a large online community engaged in a diversity of activities and expanding at a significant pace. This study seeks to complement standard online research techniques by providing a richer picture of Iranian Internet users. Challenged In China <http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110904/1411202/b64/aHR0cHM6Ly93…>As Xi Jinping takes office as president of China, the citizenry he governs is more sophisticated and interconnected than any before, largely because of the Internet. A complex digital censorship system--combined with a more traditional approach to media control, such as jailing journalists--keeps free expression in check. Repressive regimes worldwide look to China as a model, but Beijing's system of control is increasingly endangered. * More Research<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110905/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> * Upcoming Events Cyber Dialogue Forum 2013<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110906/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…>, March 17-18, Toronto, Canada Institute for New Economic Thinking's Fourth Annual Plenary Conference<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110907/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL2lu…>, April 4-7, Hong Kong, China * See Full Events Calendar<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110908/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> * PHONE: +1 707 826‐2030 TOLL FREE: +1 877 247‐8819 FAX: +1 707 826‐2136 WEBSITE: internews.org<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110909/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> [image: Facebook]<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110910/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> [image: Twitter]<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110911/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3R3…> [image: Youtube]<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110912/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> [image: RSS]<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110913/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> Banner Photo: PDA survey, Dadaab, Kenya (Meridith Kohut / Internews) *We respect your desire for privacy and will not make your email address available to third parties.* PO Box 4448 | Arcata, CA 95518 US This email was sent to *geneloeb(a)gmail.com*. To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list. *manage*<http://e2ma.net/app/view:Manage/signupId:1423724/id:1411202.13036109467/rid…>your preferences | *opt out*<http://e2ma.net/app/view:OptOut/ID:1411202.13036109467/signupId:1423724/rid…>using *TrueRemove™* Got this as a forward? *Sign up*<http://e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:1423724/acctId:1411202/mailingId:214…>to receive our future emails. [image: Network for Good] *EmailNow* powered by Emma<http://e2ma.net/go/13036109467/214277416/240110914/1411202/b64/aHR0cDovL3d3…> -- With Sincerest Best Wishes , Gene Gene Loeb, Ph.D. -- With Sincerest Best Wishes , Gene Gene Loeb, Ph.D.

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MA/MSc in Creating Social Media at Goldsmiths
by dan mcquillan 18 Mar '13

18 Mar '13

hi all apologies for any cross-posting. it may be of interest to some to be reminded that applications are now open for the unique theory and practice MA/MSc in Creating Social Media at Goldsmiths, which is now in its third year. http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-creating-social-media/ i'm also pleased to report that we are part of the new Digital Culture Unit http://www.gold.ac.uk/cultural-studies/ccsdigitalcultureunit/. if anyone is interested in knowing more, feel free to pass on my college address: d.mcquillan(a)gold.ac.uk cheers dan ---- Dr. Dan McQuillan Lecturer in Creative & Social Computing, Goldsmiths, University of London http://www.gold.ac.uk/computing/staff/d-mcquillan/

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Registration: The Tablet Symposium, Sussex, 10th April
by Ryan Burns 18 Mar '13

18 Mar '13

The Tablet Symposium University of Sussex 10th April 2013, 10am-6pm Hosted by the Centre for Material Digital Culture www.sussex.ac.uk/rcmdc/projects/tablet<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/rcmdc/projects/tablet> REGISTRATION NOW OPEN - see website for details. This event is free to attend. When registering, please include your name, affiliation and dietary or any other requirements. Please register by Thursday 28th March to ensure your catering needs can be met. The aim of the symposium is twofold. On the one hand it aims to examine questions about the take up of tablets, readers and ipads across many walks of life including academic, artistic, pedagogical, medical, corporate, activist and everyday contexts. On the other hand it aims to create a space of dialogue, discussion and research community across this area. Please see the website for a list of contributors and abstracts: www.sussex.ac.uk/rcmdc/projects/tablet<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/rcmdc/projects/tablet> Please email Ryan [ r.burns(a)sussex.ac.uk ] with any queries, or to register. Many thanks, Ryan Burns, Russell Pearce and Kate O'Riordan www.sussex.ac.uk/rcmdc<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/rcmdc>

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Systematic review of evaluated cyberbullying prevention programs aimed at young people
by Van Cleemput Katrien 18 Mar '13

18 Mar '13

Dear colleagues, We are currently conducting a systematic review of evaluated cyberbullying prevention programs aimed at young people (age 6-18). We are aware that there are cyberbullying prevention programs that have been evaluated, but have not been reported on (yet) in academic journals or other reports that are easily traceable online. Therefore, if you are or were involved in the creation or evaluation of such a program, please contact us. Please also contact us in case a report was only published in your mother language. Our review will consist of two phases; a broad mapping stage and an in-depth review stage with meta-analysis (if enough studies fit our inclusion criteria for this stage). For the first stage, we are looking or all types of cyberbullying prevention programs aimed at young people that were evaluated quantitatively or qualitatively. This could be cyberbullying prevention programs, but also traditional bullying programs to which a component on cyberbullying was added, or traditional bullying programs that have also included outcome measures on cyberbullying, or internet safety programs that contain a component on cyberbullying... We would be pleased if you could answer within the next two weeks. Feel free to contact us in case you have questions about the research design. Thank you in advance Katrien Van Cleemput and Heidi Vandebosch University of Antwerp, Belgium Katrien.vancleemput(a)ua.ac.be<mailto:Katrien.vancleemput@ua.ac.be> More information on our project: www.friendlyattac.be<http://www.friendlyattac.be>

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2013 Digital Societies and Social Technologies Summer Institute - Call for Applications
by Brian Butler 18 Mar '13

18 Mar '13

2013 Digital Societies and Social Technologies (DSST) Summer Institute (a joint effort of the Consortium for Science of Sociotechnical Systems (CSST) and the Summer Social Webshop) July 28 – August 1, 2013 University of Maryland College Park, Maryland USA MOOCs, Education and learning; personal health and well-being; open innovation, eScience, and citizen science; co-production, open source, and new forms of work; cultural heritage and information access; energy management and climate change; civic hacking, engagement and government; disaster response; cybersecurity and privacy – these are just a few problem domains where effective design and robust understanding of complex sociotechnical systems is critical. To meet these challenges a trans-disciplinary community of scholars has come together from fields as wide ranging as CSCW, HCI, social computing, organization studies, information visualization, social informatics, sociology, information systems, medical informatics, computer science, ICT for development, education, learning science, journalism, and political science. Through summer institutes (CSST), extended workshops (Social Webshop), preconference workshops at a wide variety of venues, and other activities (Digital Societies and Technology Research Coordination Network) this community of researchers from academia and industry has developed a strong focus on problems and opportunities arising from the interplay of social and technological systems which span individuals, groups, organizations, and societies. The 2013 Summer Institute builds on this tradition to strengthen and expand this diverse community by bringing together graduate students, post doctoral students, faculty, and other researchers in four groups at the University of Maryland, College Park on July 28-August 1: * Doctoral students, post doctoral students, and pre-tenure faculty – Through mentoring, peer networking, and skill-building tutorials, doctoral students, post doctoral students, pre-tenure faculty, and early career researchers will identify substantive ways that the theories, approaches, and tools within the larger community can advance their work with the design and study of sociotechnical systems. * Established researchers – Prior summer institute/workshop participants and established researchers will network with other researchers (senior and junior), explore ideas and new directions, shape emerging research agendas, articulate critical challenges, and share knowledge about practices, tools, and approaches which have the potential to advance the design and study of sociotechnical systems. * Emerging multi-disciplinary research teams – Nascent groups of researchers seeking to develop cross-disciplinary collaborations will work with peers and mentors to refine problem statements and research goals; connect with collaborators with complementary skills and interests; and create actionable research agendas and funding proposals. Preference will be given to groups interested in designing and studying sociotechnical systems that address societal grand challenges such as (but not limited to) healthcare; energy management and climate change; cybersecurity and privacy; education and learning; disaster response; technology development and innovation; economic development and work; and civic engagement and participation. * Research infrastructure development teams – Groups of researchers interested in creating computational or analytic tools, data resources, training materials or other infrastructure to support the design and study of sociotechnical systems will work with one another, other Summer institute participants, and local developers. These infrastructure “hackathon” sessions will result in the creation of use cases, prototypes, draft materials, and when possible deployable systems and resources. APPLYING FOR THE SUMMER INSTITUTE Applications are encouraged from academic, industry, NGO, and public sector organizations worldwide. Lodging, meals, and other onsite costs will be covered for all Summer Institute participants. Limited funding is also available to offset travel costs if needed. The number of participants will be determined by funding availability and the fit between applicants’ interests and goals. To be considered for the 2013 Summer Institute, select the group that best fits your needs and situation and send the appropriate materials to the Summer Institute co-coordinator (Brian Butler) at bsbutler(a)umd.edu<mailto:bsbutler@umd.edu> by April 5th, 2013: * Doctoral students, post doctoral students, pre-tenure faculty should send their CV and a short (~ 1 page) response to: “How does/will your work advance our ability to design and understand critical sociotechnical systems?” Several core references should be included to situate your work within the larger research community. Doctoral students should also provide a letter of recommendation from their advisor/department chair indicating their expected graduation date. * Established researchers should send their CV and a short (~ 1 page) response to: “What are the most interesting challenges and opportunities related to the design and study of critical sociotechnical systems? What activity (30 minutes to 4 hours long) could you run that would help the Summer Institute participants better engage these challenges and opportunities?” Proposed activities can be for any (or all) Summer Institute participants and might include, but are not limited to: focused presentations; brainstorming sessions; in-depth problem descriptions; method, tool, or data tutorials; or research agenda setting exercises. * Emerging multi-disciplinary research teams should apply as a group, sending their CVs and a short (~ 1 page) response to: “What is the research focus/problem domain? What types of activities/studies are needed to engage that domain? How will pursuing this agenda help advance our ability to design and understand critical sociotechnical systems?” References potential funding sources can be included, if known, to situate the proposal within the larger research community. Groups invited to the Summer Institute will have between 4-6 people. However, only 3 individuals need to be part of an application for it to be considered (assistance will be provided prior to the Summer Institute to help invited teams recruit additional participants as needed). Preference will be given to cross-institutional teams in which junior/mid-career researchers play significant leadership roles. * Research infrastructure development teams should apply as a group, sending their CVs and a short (~ 1 page) response to: “What is the problem you are seeking to address? What will you do to address that problem? How will creating these technologies, tools, materials or infrastructure improve our ability to design and understand critical sociotechnical systems?” References to examples from other domains can be included to situate your proposal. Teams invited for the Summer Institute will have between 4-6 people from multiple disciplines and institutions. However, only 3 individuals need to be part of an application to be considered (assistance will be provided prior to the Summer Institute to help invited teams recruit additional participants as needed). Applications will be reviewed by members of the Summer Institute Advisory Group (see http://casci.umd.edu/2013/03/dsst2013/ for a current list) beginning April 6th, 2013 using the following criteria: · Clear articulation of the hoped-for contribution to the theory, practice, or design of sociotechnical systems · Likelihood of Summer Institute participation providing significant practical benefit for the individual/team · Contribution to a balanced and diverse group of participants SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS Support for the 2013 Summer Institute is currently being provided by the National Science Foundation via Digital Societies and Technology Research Coordination Network, the Consortium for the Science of Sociotechnical Systems (CSST), Summer Social Webshop, and the Center for the Advanced Study of Communities and Information (CASCI) and Human Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL) at the University of Maryland. FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information about the Summer Institute, contact the Summer Institute co-coordinators, Brian Butler (bsbutler(a)umd.edu<mailto:bsbutler@umd.edu>) and Susan Winter (sjwinter(a)umd.edu<mailto:sjwinter@umd.edu>). For information about the broader community of researchers interested in design and study of sociotechnical systems, see: CSST (www.sociotech.net<http://www.sociotech.net>), Social Webshop (http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/webshop2012/) the "Researchers of the Socio-Technical" Facebook group, or the CSST listserv (csst(a)listserv.syr.edu<mailto:csst@listserv.syr.edu>).

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