- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

the growth of some groups and not others
by Murray Turoff 02 Jan '09

02 Jan '09

The standard design philosophy currently being used in many social network systems is to encourage the user to sign into the site and duplicate functions like exchanging messages in different formats. For many users this is too much a waste of time in that most important things are carried out by the user in their current message environment. The addition of groups that social networks finally recognized (they existed in some systems in the 70's) as a key valuable addition to communication systems will spread and be better integrated in message services. I also note that some social networks are making it easier to handle social network functions without signing in and leaving your normal environment. Like many of you I currently am in 4 different network social systems and within groups within those. It gets to be a real mess when one cannot easily move through the different environments by being able to do the same function in one way in one place. > > Distinguished Professor Emeritus Information Systems, NJIT homepage: http://is.njit.edu/turoff

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Re: [Air-L] the growth of some groups and not others (Murray Turoff)
by Larry Press 01 Jan '09

01 Jan '09

Murray Turoff wrote: > The standard design philosophy currently being used in many social network > systems is to encourage the user to sign into the site and duplicate > functions like exchanging messages in different formats. The duplication goes beyond message formats and exchange -- one may have different image or video collections, identities/profiles, reputations (formal and informal), etc. in each system. Perhaps we will see standards that let us abstract this sort of thing and associate it with a user independent of the system being used. > The addition of > groups that social networks finally recognized (they existed in some systems > in the 70's) as a key valuable addition to communication systems will spread > and be better integrated in message services. I used EIES in the 1970s -- a group of around a dozen people conducted a "Teleconference on Teleconferencing" over a period of several months, but, as I recall, EIES was a "walled garden." In what ways did it interoperate with other BBS or messaging systems? (There weren't many things to interoperate with in those days :-). Larry Press

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Re: [Air-L] Air-L Digest, Vol 53, Issue 27
by Murray Turoff 31 Dec '08

31 Dec '08

Thanks William, it has been some time since we talked and it is good to hear from you. Groups in EMASARI was very weak, and it was really EIES the electronic Information Exchange System that had groups as a fully integrated structure including group messaging as in 1976 we had to buil EIES with its own internal message system. As an R&D system we could tailor individual interfaces wiht unique cababilites for each user group. We could transfer prividledges or access rights by distributing them to teh group. Any content could be references in any communication with a type of html we had in the system to provide hypertext linkages that could either be displayed wihtin the text or left to be triggered by teh user. It also had a full chat cabablity as did EMIASARI in 1971. The Network nation was reprinted in 1993 by MIT press and is still available from MIT press or Amazon. We established in the past few years on the NJIT libaray an archive for all our early research reports including controlled expeirments and field trails evaluations as well as user manuals for the many altenraive subsystems we built. A complete EMISARI manual is there too. This will get you there http://library.njit.edu/archives/cccc-materials/ if you dont record this go to the library at njit and lookd at service and collections and one of them will be the archive of the Computer Conferencing and Communications Center from 1975 though 1999 if you look at some of the evaluation studies these reports contain all the scales used and the procedures and represent some interesting resources for phd students. Besides the scientific networks that used eies there were a lot of social network type things going on at the same time between teh different communties. Things like poetry writing conferences, collaborative story writing using eies pen names, and discussions of a lot of popular subjects. The first real public social sysetms which evolved from EIES by Staurt Brand who wrote teh whole earth software catablog using groups on eies to collaborate on material, was the Well which he developed commerically and had the many social network groups inlcuding a number of bands and their follers like the Grateful Dead. The Well still exists i believe. Since 2003 i have been going back to my EMISARI work and doing Emergency Management Information Systems. The government has no organizational memory about what it once could do very well and how it was done back in OEP in the 60s and early 70s. The paper on DERMIS on my website (in JITTA also) tells why i went back to this area to try and show what can be done with the right approach the emergency management problem. On my website is a recent report roxanne and i did for NLM on the information overload that the emergency management community is facing on the Web. That full report of 169 pages (a one round delphi) is on my website and make interesting reading for some of you i am sure. We could not suggest solutions in the report as that was not allowed by the sponosors but I just gave a paper at WEB2008 during the ICIS meeting in paris and it has a suggested solutions in terms of user controlled recommender systems of a specific nature. If anyone is interested I will send it to you. Springer is publishing it in teh near future. A group of us started a professional community of practice in this area called ISCRAM, check out iscram.org for four years of proceedings and it is now an affilated AIS conference as well. Roxanne and i are sort of amazed about how little many current researchers know about anyof this early work and many findings that are still relevant for current reserach issues. Message: 3 > Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:55:30 +0000 > From: William Dutton <william.dutton(a)oii.ox.ac.uk> > Subject: Re: [Air-L] the growth of some groups and not others > To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org > Message-ID: <153BFE27-DF1F-439F-A488-B03EBC11794C(a)oii.ox.ac.uk> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed > > I think Murray Turoff is referring to the system that he pioneered, > called the Emergency Management Information Systems And Reference > Index (EMISARI). See: Hiltz and Turoff, (1978), The Network Nation: > Human Communication via Computer (Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley), > also see: http://www.livinginternet.com/r/ri_emisari.htm Murray > Turoff and Roxanne Hiltz had a vision that was decades ahead of the > times. > > Bill > > Distinguished Professor Emeritus Information Systems, NJIT homepage: http://is.njit.edu/turoff

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request for studies concerning Senior's use of the net and Happy New Year
by Peter Timusk 31 Dec '08

31 Dec '08

happy new year, now or when you celebrate this. I am not asking you to do my work and hopefully this is sharing that will help others. I am trying to find studies concerning senior's use of the Internet. I am doing this for my new job in the information society statistics section of Statistics Canada. I have read a lot about e-inclusion and so forth but am really looking for the opposite about seniors. One, in terms predicting who uses the net, age is inversely related. The older you are the less likely you are to surf the net. Of course this generation gap may be closing. Has anyone found it closed? I am interested in any studies using logistic regression models predicting Internet use/access or even better a more refined definition of use with age as one predictor variable. My employer has published a number of studies like this. Also we know now that use/access of the net is not where it stops, so I am interested in other studies looking at broadening this idea of access or use as long as these involve seniors and preferably are statistical studies. I would like to look for comparable studies in term of hours on line, or intensity of use, or activities online. Somethings that look possible are "More seniors use pharmacies online than other age groups" but is there anything else out there. Lots of game playing? Some seniors it was found in the past spent long hours online and the explanation suggested was that they had free time. We want to learn more about these seniors who use the net a lot. Or can you simply suggest alternative keywords for "intensity of internet use" so I can better search journals and google scholar.

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tripleC 6 (2): Special issue on "ICTs and society: PhD Students' Transdisciplinary Research Projects" published
by Christian Fuchs 31 Dec '08

31 Dec '08

tripleC 6 (2): Special issue on "ICTs and society: PhD Students' Transdisciplinary Research Projects" published http://triplec.at/index.php/tripleC/issue/current This special issue, edited by Christian Fuchs, documents selected papers that were presented at the doctoral students conference "ICTs and society" that took place at the University of Salzburg on June 20-21, 2008 (see http://www.icts.sbg.ac.at/content.php?m_id=1012&id=1012&newsdetail=555&ch_i…) tripleC (Cognition, Communication, Co-operation) is an open access journal that focuses on transdisciplinary research in information science and communication studies. Contents tripleC (Cognition, Communication, Co-operation) -- Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society 6 (2): http://triplec.at Christian Fuchs Introduction to the special issue on "ICTs and Society: PhD Students' Transdisciplinary Research Projects" i-viii http://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/80/74 Muhammad M. Abdul-Mageed: Online News Sites and Journalism 2.0: Reader Comments on Al Jazeera Arabic 59-76 http://triplec.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/78 Robert M. Bichler: The dawn of the information age in least developed countries (LDCs): lessons learned from four case studies 77-87 http://triplec.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/79 Randall B. Kemp Public participatory GIS in community-based disaster risk reduction 88-104 http://triplec.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/81 Alice Mattoni ICTs in national and transnational mobilizations 105-124 http://triplec.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/82 Pedro Pereira Neto Internet-driven changes in environmental NGO action 125-133 http://triplec.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/83 Alberto Pepe Socio-epistemic analysis of scientific knowledge production in little science research 134-145 http://triplec.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/84 Andraž Petrovc(ic( Reconfiguring socialities: The personal networks of ICT users and Social Cohesion 146-166 http://triplec.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/85 -- --------------- Christian Fuchs Associate Professor eTheory Research Group ICT&S Center - Advanced Studies and Research in Information and Communication Technologies & Society University of Salzburg Sigmund Haffner Gasse 18 5020 Salzburg Austria christian.fuchs(a)sbg.ac.at Phone +43 662 8044 4823 Fax +43 662 6389 4800 http://fuchs.icts.sbg.ac.at http://www.icts.uni-salzburg.at/fuchs/ Blog: http://christianfuchs.wordpress.com Co-Editor of tripleC - open access online journal on cognition, communication and cooperation for a global sustainable information society http://triple-c.at New Book: Fuchs, Christian. 2008. Internet and Society: Social Theory in the Information Age. New York: Routledge. 408 Pages. http://fuchs.icts.sbg.ac.at/i&s.html

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One Million Community Builders Facebook Group
by Steven Clift 30 Dec '08

30 Dec '08

I'm experimenting on ways to pull people from the "private life" dominated Facebook experience into "public life" exchange. Check it out from: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=121232780528 Have others here researched how people actually *use* Facebook groups? Why some groups take off and grow and other serve as virtual lapel pins? My sense is that with limited functionality and no notification/e-mail alert option, they are mostly pseudo-petitions. Cheers, Steven Clift E-Democracy.Org

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"Final Impact: What Factors Really Matter?" / Columbia University Libraries Program
by McKiernan, Gerard [LIB] 29 Dec '08

29 Dec '08

Colleagues/ I have discovered a Most Important A/V of the "Final Impact: What Factors Really Matter?" presentations delivered as part of the Research without Borders: The Changing World of Scholarly Communication series sponsored by Scholarly Communication Program of the Columbia University Libraries / Information Services division "Final Impact: What Factors Really Matter?" A panel discussion on the debate about the best way to rank the importance and influence of scholarly publications Panelists: * Marian Hollingsworth, director of Publisher Relations at Thomson Reuters and former assistant director of the National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services [Start: 4:15] * Jevin West, an Achievement Awards for College Scientists Fellow at the University of Washington's Biology Department and head developer for Eigenfactor.org [Start: 20:10] * Johan Bollen, a staff researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the principal investigator of the MESUR project [Start: 61:45] Columbia University Librarian Jim Neal introduces the talk [Start: 00:00] Links to appropriate background information sources and The A/V are available at [ http://tinyurl.com/8oxg97 ] NOTE: Each Presentation Is Exceptional / I Believe That The Third (By Johan Bollen) Will Be Of Great Value To Those Interested In Online Social Networks ; Social Network Analysis ; Bibliometrics ; Scientometrics ; Metrics ; Etc. May I Recommend That You Listen To Each At Least Three (3) Times ... May All Have a Healthy and Prosperous New Year! Regards, /Gerry Gerry McKiernan Associate Professor Science and Technology Librarian Iowa State University Library Ames IA 50011 gerrymck(a)iastate.edu <mailto:gerrymck@iastate.edu> There is Nothing More Powerful Than An Idea Whose Time Has Come / Victor Hugo [ http://www.blogger.com/profile/09093368136660604490 <http://www.blogger.com/profile/09093368136660604490> ] Iowa: Where the Tall Corn Flows and the (North)West Wind Blows [ http://alternativeenergyblogs.blogspot.com/ <http://alternativeenergyblogs.blogspot.com/> ]

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Call for Panelists: Video Gaming, Citizenship, and Civic Engagement in the United States
by David M Silver 26 Dec '08

26 Dec '08

(for more information, please contact the panel's organizer, Carly Kocurek <carlykocurek(a)mail.utexas.edu> ) Call for Panelists: Video Gaming, Citizenship, and Civic Engagement in the United States DEADLINE: January 10 "Video Gaming, Citizenship, and Civic Engagement in the United States," panel for the American Studies Association Annual Meeting, Washington D.C., November 5-8, 2009 The Pew Internet and American Life Project has found that 97 percent of children and 53 percent of adults in the United States play video games. These numbers suggest that gaming is quickly becoming ubiquitous. As video games have become a key part of mainstream popular culture in the United States, they have also become key texts through which notions of national identity are developed and deployed. This panel will look at games as sites of articulation for civic engagement, citizenship, cultural values and identity, asking panelists to consider how "American-ness" and "American values" are articulated through and around video games. All disciplinary approaches are welcome. Potential topics might include: —America's Army and U.S. military recruiting and training as gameplay. —Guitar Hero as it relates to American popular music —The Sims' ambivalent capitalist ethic —Urban planning and gaming (Sim City, Scalable City, PlastiCity, etc.) —The transnational nature of online economies and virtual wealth in MUDs and MMORPGs and the complexity of state intervention —American-made video games in global culture —Virtual and real-life crime as it relates to gaming Other topics are encouraged, as these are included only as a non-exclusive jumping off point. Those interested in participating should contact Carly Kocurek at carlykocurek(a)mail.utexas.edu with a brief vita and an abstract of 250-500 words by January 10. Queries are also welcome. *** david silver http://silverinsf.blogspot.com

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PhD position at Eindhoven University
by Holly Kruse 24 Dec '08

24 Dec '08

Forwarded on request. Holly ------ (Apologies for cross-postings.) The Section of Philosophy and Ethics of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology seeks a candidate for the following position: A PhD (1.0 fte) in Philosophy and Ethics of Technology (V39.473) On Ethical Aspects of Modelling in Engineering Sponsored by the 3TU Centre of Excellence for Ethics and Technology http://w3.tm.tue.nl/en/subdepartments/aw/research/philosophyethics_of_techno logy/vacancies/v39473/ Application Please send a written (printed) application letter with a recent, detailed Curriculum Vitae, names and contact details of (at least) two referees, and a sample of written work to: Eindhoven University of Technology Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences Personnel Department, Pav R.1.23. PO Box 513 5600 MB Eindhoven The Netherlands Applications should be received by January 31st, 2009. Please include the job vacancy code: V39.473.

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Philadelphians on the list?
by Julia Pellicciaro 23 Dec '08

23 Dec '08

Happy Holidays everyone: Are there any other Philadelphians on the list? And if so, who of you would be interested in a meet-up sometime in January? Kind regards, Julia Pellicciaro -- blog.telluricaesthetic.net /* Passion. Purpose. Integrity. */ Only the curious will learn, only the resolute overcome the obstacles to learning. The Quest Quotient has always excited me more than the Intelligence Quotient. —Eugene S. Wilson

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