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Re: [Air-L] using wikipedia articles in academic paper
by Thomas Coles 07 May '09

07 May '09

Hi everyone, thought I'd jump in, Wikipedia is a great resource, I like to think of it as representing the 'state of the art' in the original sense, an ideal Wikipedia article would be a explanation of a subject as it is understood and verified at any one time. Its very close to a CVS in this way; we are downloading the curent accepted form of the article. However this is where problems in referencing arise, its more of a philosophical/process problem. If Wikipedia is attempting an aggregation of human knowledge (as all encyclopedias are) then it is at best a mild abstraction from primary sources and original research and at worse one-sided or incorrect. Wikipedia's standards state a fact or statement it is in a wiki article then it should be supported by a reference (that this is often not the case is one of the great problems). When there is a reference it is that which should be cited (and read!), when there are no references you can't rely on the information. Wikipedia is not a voice or an opinion, it is an aggregation. So back to Stefano's problem, I suspect that your reviewer has a well-developed suspicion of Wikipedia, possibly irrational, but probably for good reason. The line is that academia is built on verifiability, and many people take the view that what is being created is a grand project along the lines of the Principa Mathematica, or a Unified Theory of Everything, and don't wish to allow any opinion or fuzzy thinking into criticism. All rather delightful Englightment thinking isn't it? Wikipedia becomes a major fault line in these sorts of projects if we begin to rely on it. On purely pragmatic lines, it is only 8 years old after all and I suspect the worry that many have is this: despite the fact you can reference static versions of pages, what happens if the site disappear? Will the structures of criticism built upon it goes down with it? The traditional methods still seem to function, i.e. there are hundreds of big buildings full of dead books spread over the globe, and the chances are in a few hundred years a few copies of texts you have referenced might still be around. I'm not advocating putting hard copies of Wikipedia in libraries (as a German version has done), the exciting features of Wikipedia are the same as its troubling features; it changes constantly. Proof and verification is conservative, I'm not sure how this will change. Even if you think this aggregation function is useful, surely it risks becoming a method of hiding all manner of sins. A sort of intellectual 'collatorized debt obligation'. As others have said, Wikipedia is a tool, not a foundation. So in response to giving definitions to terms or impenetrable acronyms, well as Christophe said, leave it to the grown up reader to inform themselves. They may well go straight to Wikipedia anyway, as it is currently arguably the best way to get informed quickly; but that may not be true in 5, 10, 20 years. Hopefully any article has a longer period of relevance than that. This isn't to say that all digital content is worthless. There are more digital depositories, distributed around safe data-centres around the world (a library is surely just a data bank) so that there is a reliable source for non-dead tree work. I think retention is one of the biggest problems that will face the archivers of the 21st Century, and a lot more work needs to be done here. In the meantime the groupthink where I am seems to be that wikipedia is yet to prove itself and shouldn't be referenced. I said that Wikipedia is a encyclopedia, but maybe it isn't, maybe it is trying to be something completely new? Anyway, thats my take on it, Tom Coles University of Glasgow

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Kindle For iPhone App Released
by McKiernan, Gerard [LIB] 07 May '09

07 May '09

Kindle For iPhone App Released Colleagues/ Is This The Future Of Reading? /Gerry Amazon Kindle is a software and hardware platform for reading electronic books (e-books), developed by Amazon.com subsidiary Lab126, first launched in the United States on November 19, 2007. Two hardware devices, known as "Kindle" and "Kindle 2," support this platform, as does an iPhone application called "Kindle for iPhone." >>What is Kindle for iPhone? Kindle for iPhone is a free application that lets you read more than 240,000 Kindle books on your iPhone or iPod touch-no Kindle required. Amazon's new Whispersync functionality automatically synchronizes your last page read so you can easily switch between devices and pick up reading from where you last left off. >>Which iPhones and iPod touches are compatible with Kindle for iPhone? Kindle for iPhone can be used on any iPhone, iPhone 3G, or iPod touch with Firmware 2.0 or higher installed. [snip] >>What can I read on Kindle for iPhone? The entire selection of books available for reading on Amazon Kindle can also be read on Kindle for iPhone. The Kindle Store contains many of the best sellers from leading publishers around the world. You can also download free book samples from the Kindle store and read the first chapter of a book before you decide to buy. If you already have a Kindle and Kindle book library, you can access the Kindle books you already own, even if you don't have your Kindle with you. Periodicals such as newspapers, magazines, and blogs, and personal documents cannot be viewed on Kindle for iPhone. >>Can I view my Kindle bookmarks and annotations on Kindle for iPhone? Whispersync automatically synchronizes your bookmarks and your reading location among devices registered to the same Amazon.com account. [snip] >>>How do I download and install Kindle for iPhone? Kindle for iPhone can be downloaded for free in Apple's App store. [snip] >>>Additional Information Using Kindle for iPhone / You Tube Video / Non-Exhaustive Selection of Sources For Kindle Content / News Coverage Related/UnRelated WSJ : Amazon to Launch Kindle for Textbooks NYTimes: Looking to Big-Screen E-Readers to Help Save the Daily Press Links And Additional Information Available At [ http://tinyurl.com/dzcck4 ] As Always, Any And All Comments/Observations Are Most Welcome As Comments On The Blog Entry. Enjoy! /Gerry Gerry McKiernan Associate Professor Science and Technology Librarian Iowa State University Library Ames IA 50011 gerrymck(a)iastate.edu There is Nothing More Powerful Than An Idea Whose Time Has Come / Victor Hugo [ http://www.blogger.com/profile/09093368136660604490 ] Iowa: Where the Tall Corn Flows and the (North)West Wind Blows [ http://alternativeenergyblogs.blogspot.com/ ]

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Re: [Air-L] using wikipedia articles in academic paper
by Sylvie Noel 07 May '09

07 May '09

I agree with Stephan. Because of its particular history and the type of writer it attracts, Wikipedia is a very good source for computer-related definitions and I have used it in my writing whenever I've wanted to give a quick definition of a technical term. However, I keep that kind of quoting to a minimum (I think I've used a Wikipedia definition at most once or twice in publications), nor would I trust Wikipedia on anything outside of the geek realm. Sylvie At 12:23 PM 5/7/2009 +0200, you wrote: >Hello everybody. > >I think that Wikipedia is great for explaining technical details or >information like "GSM" or "Atari", but not as a discussible source like >primary literature. (With one exception: if Wikipedia is the object >of investigation itself ;-) For people who know how to distinguish details >Wikipedia can be a great help: If you know that the explanation of e.g. GSM >is correct, so you can trust the Wikipedia article, why should you cite a >user manual? My opinion is that the citation of a user manual looks quite >strange in this context when you can use Wikipedia as well. Where should be >the benefit of using the manual then? > >And, of course, this whole topic still seems to be a question of socialization >and misunderstanding. I suspect that old school researchers tend to use old >school methods and sources too often. > >Best > >-- >Dr. Stephan G. Humer >Research Director, Digital Class, University of the Arts Berlin >Senior Fellow, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam > >For detailed contact information see www.humer.tel > > > Hi everybody, > > > > recently I got the following comment from a reviewer of a paper of > > mine: > > > > " *There is considerable use made of wikipedia and in an academic > > paper this is disappointing. *" > > > > I was thinking, what is the general practice in using wikipedia in > > academic paper writing? > > and are there limits/rules/good practices that you follow, both in > > writing and in review processes? > > > > If for example I am writing a paper on the peer review process in Open > > Source development, I often use wikipedia articles as references for > > technical terms, like "Diff", "CVS" or "Conditional Programming". > > > > Not being a Computer Scientist myself and thinking that the audience > > of my writings won't be composed of Computer Scientists as well, I > > feel that it is good to provide some basic references for complex, > > technical and often obscure terms. > > In this cases I prefer to use wikipedia articles, rather than Computer > > Programming or Operating Systems manuals, because I think that those > > articles are better and can be easily reached by anybody. > > > > On the contrary I never use wikipedia articles as references for > > sustaining an academic argument or as references for authors (e.g. I > > do not use the wikipedia article fo Harold Garfinkel, but I use the > > book Studies in Ethnomethodology; I never use the wikipedia article > > for referencing the "situated action" concept, but I use Lucy Suchman > > book). > > > > So, any thoughts? comments? > > > > S. > > > > -- > > Italian Conference on Free Software 2009 > > http://www.confsl.org/confsl09/ > > > > Stop the numbers game > > http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/1300000/1297815/p19- > > parnas.html?key1=1297815&key2=1569876321&coll=GUIDE&dl=GUIDE&CFID=25586 > > 362&CFTOKEN=14513600 > > > > My institutional page > > http://www.nuim.ie/nirsa/people/postdocs/stefano_de_paoli.shtml > > _______________________________________________ > > 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/ Sylvie Noël, Ph.D. (psychologie), M.Sc. (ergonomie) Chercheure scientifique | Research scientist Centre de recherches sur les communications Canada | Communications Research Centre Canada 3701, avenue Carling | 3701, Carling Ave. CP 11490, succursale H | PO Box 11490, Station H Ottawa (Ontario) K2H 8S2 | Ottawa, Ontario K2H 8S2 (613) 990-4675 | sylvie.noel(a)crc.ca | téléc./fax (613) 998-9648 Site Web/Web site: www.crc.ca Gouvernement du Canada | Government of Canada Blog: http://www.sylvienoel.ca/blog

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Digital Natives with a Cause?
by Nishant Shah 07 May '09

07 May '09

Dear All, We, at the Centre for Internet and Society, are currently working on a Scouting project on Digital Natives with a Cause, exploring the potentials and possibilities of social transformation and political participation in the realm of youth and technology. The project is interested in mapping the scholarship, policy and legislation in this area to look at what are the knowledge gaps and which spaces need more research and intervention. In the process of documenting the different ways in which the youth relate to digital technologies, we are also examining what constitutes a Digital Native identity and what are the ways in which the youth is changing the landscape of politics and social engagement. As a part of this study, there is one section that we are grappling with on youth and hatred. The general imagination of a digital native is that of a secular, pro-left, 'enlightened' young person who is in the pursuit of those much heralded Internet Ideals of free speech, justice, inclusion etc. However, we have gotten hints from various studies, that a lot of right-wing, fundamentalist, and violent groups around the world are also using the same tools and technologies to create the 'other' digital native identity which is not focussed upon in regular discourse. I was wondering if anybody in this list could specifically point me towards documented cases, anecdotes or scholarly work done on this particular phenomenon of the youth being mobilised by religious/political/cultural groups towards acts of violence (sometimes dubbed as terrorism), hatred, upholding of fundamentalist ideologies, discrimination et al. Any pointers would be well appreciated. If there is somebody who is working in this area, could you please introduce me to them, because I would like to include their work as a part of this scouting project and hopefully also look at some long term collaborations in the future. Thanks for your time Nishant -- Nishant Shah Director (Research), Centre for Internet and Society,( www.cis-india.org ) Asia Awards Fellow in Shanghai, 2008-09 # 00-86-21-66130376

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CfP: CSCW 2010, Workshops
by Scott Counts 06 May '09

06 May '09

Call for Participation: CSCW 2010, Workshops Deadlines * July 3rd, 2009: Workshop Proposals due * Sept 6th 2009: Notification of acceptance * Sept 20th, 2009: Revised 150 word Workshop Abstract for web * Nov 20th, 2009: Suggested deadline for workshop position papers Submissions: workshops(a)cscw2010.org Workshops provide an opportunity to discuss and explore emerging areas of CSCW research with a group of like-minded researchers and practitioners from industry and academia. Workshops may focus on any aspect of CSCW theory or practice, established concerns or new ideas. However, radical new ideas expected to draw a sufficient number of participants are very much encouraged! The goal of a workshop is to share understandings and experiences, to foster research communities, to learn from each other and to envision future directions. For a sample of workshop topics from the last conference, please look at the CSCW 2008 Workshop Program (http://www.cscw2008.org/workshops_program.html) Workshop proposals should consist of an abstract and a detailed proposal. The abstract should be no more than 150 words. The body of the proposal should be no more than 3000 words, and should include a description of the theme(s) of the workshop, the workshop activities and goals, the duration of the workshop (one or two full days), the background of the organizer(s), the maximum number of participants, and the means of recruiting and selecting participants. Workshops are intended as small group discussions. Therefore, they receive minimal technology support which is reflected in the low fee for workshops. Organizers should plan to bring their own equipment (e.g., projector and laptops) and will be responsible for the security of their own equipment. We encourage workshop organizers to create web-based resources for their workshops so that advertising, submission and organization can be handled online. Questions concerning workshop proposals should be directed to the CSCW 2010 Workshop Co-Chairs via email: workshops(a)cscw2010.org. Workshop proposals should be e-mailed to the Workshop Co-Chairs at workshops(a)cscw2010.org by 5:00pm (17:00) Pacific Time on Friday, July 3rd, 2009. Submissions will be acknowledged via email. Accepted workshops will need to provide a short description of the workshop for publication on the conference web site containing the workshop title, names and affiliations of organizers, 150-word abstract, workshop web site, and position paper submission or other participation requirements. The due date for the web description is Sept 20th, 2009. Workshops Co-Chairs * Kenton O'Hara CSIRO * David Pinelle National Research Council of Canada * workshops(a)cscw2010.org

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Couch Award deadline approaches
by Mark D. Johns 05 May '09

05 May '09

CALL FOR AWARD APPLICATIONS Carl J. Couch Internet Research Award 2009 DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2009! Sponsored by the Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet Research http://www.cccsir.org/ The Carl Couch Center issues an annual call for student-authored papers to be considered for Carl J. Couch Internet Research Award. The Couch Center welcomes both theoretical and empirical papers that (1) apply symbolic interactionist approaches to Internet studies, (2) demonstrate interactive relationships between social interaction and communication technologies as advocated by Couch, and/or (3) develop symbolic interactionist concepts in new directions. Papers will be evaluated based on the quality of (1) mastery of Symbolic Interactionist approaches and concepts and Couch's theses, (2) originality, (3) organization, (4) presentation, and (5) advancement of knowledge. Evaluation will be administered by a Review Committee of four: Dr. Mark D. Johns, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa Dr. Lori Kendall, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Dr. Annette Markham, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Dr. Dennis Waskul, Minnesota State University, Mankato Competition is open to graduate or undergraduate students of all disciplines. Works that are published or accepted for publication are not eligible for award consideration. Entries should not exceed 30 pages (approximately 7500 words) in length, including references and appendices. Limit of one entry per student per year. The top three papers will receive Couch Awards to be presented at the 2009 meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers (aoir.org) at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. The top paper will be awarded a certificate and a cash prize of $500 US, runner up will receive a certificate and a cash prize of $300 US, and a third paper will receive a certificate and a cash prize of $100 US. All three authors will be invited to present their work at a session of the AoIR conference, October 7-11, 2009 in Milwaukee. Those interested should send a copy of their paper, with a 100-word abstract, electronically to Mark D. Johns at mjohns at luther.edu Application deadline is May 15, 2009. Notification of award will be sent by June 15. Those with questions or comments about Couch Award application, please contact: Mark D. Johns Dept. of Communication Studies Luther College, Decorah, IA 52101 USA Tel: (563) 387-1347 E-mail: mjohns at luther.edu

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CFP: The EURO mGOV 2009, Mobile Government Conference, Barcelona
by I Kushchu 05 May '09

05 May '09

The EURO mGOV 2009, as part of mLife 2009 Conferences and Exhibitions ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2 - 3 - 4 September 2009, Barcelona, Spain, Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona ----------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.m4life.org conf(a)mlife.org Research Submission deadline: 1st of June The Conference aims to explore the opportunities of the public sector in enhancing services to citizens, and transforming themselves via the use of mobile Internet and the relevant mobile technologies. The Fourth EURO mGOV conference is a platform for effective interaction and dissemination of knowledge among public and private sector professionals, and researchers. Research paper submission deadline is the 1st of June 2009 and proposals for practice talks, workshops, tutorials, special sessions, are open and ongoing. Proposals for exhibiting demos, mobile devices, applications and services for mobile government are also welcome. The umbrella platform, Mobile LIfe 2009 explores and disseminates knowledge, applications and services aiming to convert the impact of mobile technologies to economical and social welfare for individuals, societies, governments, businesses and economies. mLIfe 2009 hosts two other conferences this year. -- mSOCIETY 2009: The 2nd International Conference on Mobile Society -- mDEVELOPMENT 2009: The 1st Int. Conference on Mobile Development The conference is organized by the Mobile Government Consortium Int. (www.mgovernment.org ) in cooperation with the Barcelona City Council. For more on submissions, participation, exhibitions of demos and applications, please visit http://www.m4life.org or send email to conf(a)mlife.org ------- IBRAHIM KUSHCHU, MBA, MSC., PHD Associate Professor and Founding Director, Mobile Government Consortium International, UK http://www.mgovernment.org ik(a)mgovernment.org +44 1273 777853

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mDEVELOPMENT 2009, The 1st Int. Conference on Mobile Development, Barcelona
by I Kushchu 05 May '09

05 May '09

mDEVELOPMENT 2009 as part of mLife 2009 Conferences and Exhibitions ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2 - 3 - 4 September 2009, Barcelona, Spain, Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona ----------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.m4life.org conf(a)mlife.org Research Submission deadline: 1st of June Mobile technologies have significant impact on not only individual life, societies and organizations but also on economies. This impact is clearly visible for the developing economies in Africa, Latin America and parts of the Asia. The First Conference on Mobile Development 2009 aims to explore the impact of the mobile technologies on economic and social development and invites all professionals from public, private, non-profit and third sector org organizations to create a prime platform for knowledge exchange and dissemination. Research paper submission deadline is the 1st of June 2009 and proposals for practice talks, workshops, tutorials, special sessions, are open and ongoing. Proposals for exhibiting demos, mobile devices, applications and services for mobile government are also welcome. The umbrella platform, Mobile LIfe 2009, explores and disseminates knowledge, applications and services aiming to convert the impact of mobile technologies to economical and social welfare for individuals, societies, governments, businesses and economies. mLIfe 2009 hosts two other conferences this year. -- EURO mGOV 2009: The 4th European Conference on Mobile Government -- mSOCIETY 2009: The Second Int. Conference on Mobile Society The conference is organized by the Mobile Government Consortium Int. (www.mgovernment.org ) in cooperation with the Barcelona City Council. It is a platform for effective interaction and dissemination of knowledge among public and private sector professionals, and researchers. For more on submissions, participation, exhibitions of demos and applications, please visit http://www.m4life.org or send email to conf(a)mlife.org ------- IBRAHIM KUSHCHU, MBA, MSC., PHD Associate Professor and Founding Director, Mobile Government Consortium International, UK http://www.mgovernment.org ik(a)mgovernment.org +44 1273 777853

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CFP: mSOCIETY 2009, The 2nd Int. Conference on Mobile Society, Barcelona
by I Kushchu 05 May '09

05 May '09

mSOCIETY 2009 as part of mLife 2009 Conferences and Exhibitions ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2 - 3 - 4 September 2009, Barcelona, Spain, Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona ----------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.m4life.org conf(a)mlife.org Research Submission deadline: 1st of June The Second Conference on Mobile Society aims to explore the negative and positive impact of mobile technologies, applications and services on individuals, primary relations and the societies. It covers issues related to how mobile technologies re-defines the way we interact with each other, with places we live, and the organizations we interact. Research paper submission deadline is the 1st of June 2009 and proposals for practice talks, workshops, tutorials, special sessions, are open and ongoing. Proposals for exhibiting demos, mobile devices, applications and services for mobile government are also welcome. The umbrella platform, Mobile LIfe 2009, explores and disseminates knowledge, applications and services aiming to convert the impact of mobile technologies to economical and social welfare for individuals, societies, governments, businesses and economies. mLIfe 2009 hosts two other conferences this year. -- EURO mGOV 2009: The 4th European Conference on Mobile Government -- mDEVELOPMENT 2009: The 1st Int. Conference on Mobile Development The conference is organized by the Mobile Government Consortium Int. (www.mgovernment.org ) in cooperation with the Barcelona City Council. It is a platform for effective interaction and dissemination of knowledge among public and private sector professionals, and researchers. For more on submissions, participation, exhibitions of demos and applications, please visit http://www.m4life.org or send email to conf(a)mlife.org ------- IBRAHIM KUSHCHU, MBA, MSC., PHD Associate Professor and Founding Director, Mobile Government Consortium International, UK http://www.mgovernment.org ik(a)mgovernment.org +44 1273 777853

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religious uses of social media?
by Charles Ess 05 May '09

05 May '09

Dear AoIR-ists, On behalf of a colleague who is seeking to help a monastic community - I'm trying to develop an inventory of (possible/actual) uses of social media such as SNS's, Twitter, etc. that either (a) fit within - rather than disrupt or distort - the disciplines and practices defining / constituting monastic life and contemplation, and/or (b) might foster one or more of those practices, e.g. _lectio divina_ and other forms of guided/disciplined contemplation of sacred texts, community prayer, etc. I have some interesting examples from my previous (very modest) work in these domains - but all of which emerged prior to the explosion of social media such as SNS's, Twitter, etc. So ... any suggestions for more contemporary examples, resources, contacts, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance, - charles ess President, Association of Internet Researchers Distinguished Research Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies Drury University, Springfield, Missouri 65802 USA Professor MSO (med særlige opgaver), Department of Information and Media Studies Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark Co-editor, International Journal of Internet Research Ethics <http://ijire.net/> Co-chair, CATaC conferences <www.catacconference.org> Exemplary persons seek harmony, not sameness. -- Analects 13.23

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