- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

AoIR panel on SNSs?
by Nancy Baym 24 Jan '08

24 Jan '08

If anyone planning to submit an empirical paper about social network sites to our 2008 Copenhagen conference is interested in collaborating on a panel proposal, please contact me offlist. Thx, Nancy

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CFP: 2008 ASIST Social Computing Summit
by Fred Stutzman 24 Jan '08

24 Jan '08

ASIST is sponsoring a Social Computing Summit this April in Miami. CFP Date is February 25, 2008. Please feel free to redistribute. -Fred ---------------------------------------- ASIS&T Social Computing Summit April 10-11, 2008 Hyatt Regency, Miami, Fl Website: http://www.asis.org/Conferences/SCS08/SCS08.html About the Summit The First Annual ASIS&T Social Computing Summit will bring together researchers and practitioners of social computing for two days of discussion and exploration in Miami, Florida. The event will directly precede the 2008 Information Architecture Summit, providing attendees a complimentary opportunity to learn about and discuss emergent areas of social computing and software. The Social Computing Summit will feature a keynote address from Thomas Vander Wal, principal consultant at InfoCloud Solutions. Social software and computing drives Web 2.0 technology, enabling global connections and providing rich social experiences. Social networking services challenge established notions of privacy, identity and relationship management. Beyond the browser, mobile devices promise new forms of ubiquitous connectivity and presence, offering unprecedented research and business opportunities. To understand the successful applications of tomorrow, we come together today to share research and insight. This summit aims to bring together thought leaders, developers, and scholars working in this rapidly changing area, facilitating the conversations required for tomorrow?s innovations. Complementing the keynote addresses will be panels exploring the following topical areas: Social networking services, data portability/open social networks, mobile services, social computing and politics, global voices, social computing and the enterprise, and youth social computing. The summit will feature interactive sessions, as well as a poster session for sharing information about services and recent research. In bringing together a blend of experts from different disciplines, as well as enabling conversation, the ASIS&T Social Computing Summit offers something for everyone interested in this fascinating, fast-changing space. Preliminary Speaker Lineup Thomas Vander Wal, InfoCloud Solutions Mary Madden, Pew Internet and American Life Project Brian Oberkirch Jevon MacDonald, SocialWrite.com Micah Sifry, Personal Democracy Forum Ramesh Srinivansan, UCLA Fred Stutzman, UNC-Chapel Hill Many more speakers to be announced as they confirm! Call For Posters The program committee invites submission of posters to be showcased at the 2008 ASIS&T Social Computing Summit. To be considered, authors should submit a 500-800 word poster abstract by Monday, February 25, 2008. Notification will be made on a rolling basis, with final notifications by Monday, March 11, 2008. Send submissions in PDF, DOC or TXT format to socialcomputing2008(a)gmail.com. Registration information Member Full Conf. $300 Nonmember Full Conf. $450 Hotel Hyatt Regency Miami 400 South East Second Avenue Miami, Florida, USA 33131-2197 Tel: +1 305 358 1234 Rates: $179 single or double (conference rate: mention ASIS&T Summit) -- Fred Stutzman 919-260-8508 ibiblio.org/fred fred(a)metalab.unc.edu Co-Founder and Developer, ClaimID.com Ph.D. Student, Teaching and Research Fellow, SILS UNC-Chapel Hill

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have I discovered a new disease?
by Barry Wellman 24 Jan '08

24 Jan '08

I've been writing more than my share of "papers", etc in the past month. On my IBM Thinkpad T42. Recently I have noticed that both heels of my outer palms have become uncomfortably irritated -- the result I am sure of having them on the keyboard's palm rests for 10 hours at a time. The solution: I am trying to lift my wrists up so that only my fingers touch the keyboard. And I will be taking a break at the Social Network conference, this Tuesday thru Sunday. But I am wondering if this is a new phenomenon, or others on this list have experienced it. I do like Thinkpads for reliability and keyboard feel, but I notice that their palm rests are a bit rough. Barry Wellman _______________________________________________________________________ S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC NetLab Director Centre for Urban & Community Studies University of Toronto 455 Spadina Avenue Room 418 Toronto Canada M5S 2G8 http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman fax:+1-416-978-7162 Updating history: http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php Elvis wouldn't be singing "Return to Sender" these days _______________________________________________________________________

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CfP on Instant Messaging, real-time communication, awareness etc.
by Kai Riemer 24 Jan '08

24 Jan '08

Dear colleagues, Enclosed please find a call for papers on real-time communication (instant messaging, synchronous communication etc.) and distributed work. The International Journal of e-Collaboration is an academic, scholarly peer-reviewed journal published by the International Resource Management Association (IRMA). Please consider submitting your work to our special issue by March 15, 2008. Should you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me. With best regards Kai Riemer ********************************** CALL FOR PAPERS Special Issue on "Real-time Collaboration (RTC) and Distributed Work" International Journal of e-Collaboration (IJEC) ISSN: 1548-3681 (online) 1548-3673 (print) http://www.idea-group.com/journals/details.asp?id=4297 Submission deadline: March 15, 2008 Scheduled Publication date: Beginning of 2009 Guest editors: Kai Riemer, The University of Muenster (Germany) Volker Wulf, The University of Siegen (Germany) IJeC editor: Ned Kock, Texas A&M International University The full call for papers can be downloaded here: http://www.e-collaboration.net/cfp-rtc TOPIC OUTLINE Today's work practices are undergoing significant changes due to trends of virtualization and the emergence of new communication technologies. Distributed settings are increasingly common in organizations. While virtualization offers benefits (e.g. remote and flexible interaction), the resulting work environments present a number of challenges such as a lack of awareness of co-workers' activities and locations. At the same time, with the number of available communication channels and devices growing, the communicative complexity increases likewise. People are faced with an increase in communication volume, more work interruptions, and at the same time with a poor availability of co-workers. The latter typically impedes information access and the free flow of knowledge. Real-Time Collaboration (RTC) technologies are supposed to present an answer to these challenges. The idea of RTC technologies is to lessen the aforementioned problems through enabling instant (real-time) collaboration between people using various media and devices and by enabling the creation of awareness. RTC technologies comprise Voice-over-IP telephony, video conferencing and Instant Messaging with its text chat feature and presence information. Integrated RTC systems are the result of media convergence, device integration, and unified communications. By providing active presence management and rule-based message filtering, RTC systems try to re-empower users to be in control of their communication. Moreover, RTC systems show significant potential for integration with other software systems in order to enable contextual real-time collaboration in work processes (e.g. integration with other groupware systems, office software, and enterprise systems). We are pleased to invite scholars from any methodological background to contribute papers that advance our knowledge of the design, diffusion, appropriation, usage and impact of RTC systems, particularly in the context of distributed work. We welcome theoretical, conceptual, design-oriented and especially empirical contributions using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Research efforts might focus on different organization levels such as individuals, teams, corporations, networks, and informal communities and on different RTC technologies such as Instant Messaging tools, Voice-over-IP telephony, Video conferencing, Unified communications, Mobile RTC systems, or integrated RTC systems suites. Typical RTC systems are: - Small RTC tools: Skype, AIM, ICQ etc.; i.e. Instant Messaging and Voice-Call tools - Integrated RTC systems: IBM Sametime, Siemens Hipath Openscape, Oracle Collaboration Suite etc. - Related technologies: Video and web conferencing systems TOPICS Papers in this special issue might be concerned with any or all of the above mentioned RTC technologies (Instant Messaging, VoIP, Unified Communication systems, etc.) and might address, but are not limited to one or more of the following areas: Usage, impact and effects of RTC technologies - Presence and awareness in distributed work - RTC and typical coordination problems in distributed work - The time dimension in real-time collaboration - Diffusion and adoption of RTC technologies in the market place - Emerging new work practices based on the appropriation of RTC - Inter-organizational support with RTC technologies - Effects of RTC on social networks in and across organizations - Effects of RTC on organizational culture - Effects of RTC in bridging barriers created by virtualization - Group level effects of RTC (e.g. reachability, visibility, identity building etc.) - Individual level effects of RTC (e.g. control, interruptions and disturbance) - Changing communication behaviors through RTC usage - Shifts in media usage through introduction of RTC technologies - Privacy and control issues of increased awareness of peoples' actions RTC design and systems development - User interfaces design challenges in RTC systems - Development, application, and evaluation of RTC prototypes - Design of presence signaling mechanisms - Challenges of integrating different media in RTC infrastructures - Case studies reporting on the integration of RTC with business processes - Case studies reporting on the integration of RTC with other software systems - Experimental research to explore user perceptions of RTC features PLEASE NOTE: For specific topics and the submission guidelines please download the full CfP at http://www.e-collaboration.net/cfp-rtc ************************************ Dr. Kai Riemer Research group on Collaborative systems and cooperation management (CSCM) University of Münster European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS) Institut für Wirtschaftsinformatik (Information Systems) Leonardo-Campus 3 D-48149 Münster ph: +49-251-8338123 fx: +49-251-8328032 eMail: kai.riemer(a)ercis.de

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Fwd: Call for papers-10th ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON WORLD WIDE WEB APPLICATIONS
by Steve Jones 23 Jan '08

23 Jan '08

> CALL FOR PAPERS > > 10th ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON WORLD WIDE WEB APPLICATIONS > (ZA-WWW2008) > > VENUE 1: > > Cape Town (South Africa) > Wednesday 3 to Friday 5 September 2008 > > Hosted by > __ Cape Peninsula University of Technology > __ University of Cape Town > __ University of the Western Cape > > VENUE 2: > > Nairobi (Kenya) > Wednesday 10 to Friday 12 September 2008 > > Hosted by > __ African eDevelopment > __ Cape Peninsula University of Technology > __ University of Cape Town > __ University of the Western Cape > > The year 2008 sees the 10th consecutive World Wide Web Applications > Conference. To highlight this > milestone anniversary, the event will be celebrated in two places. > The programme will kick-off in Cape Town > and then continues the week after in Nairobi - reinforcing the > Conference's engagement with African Web > developments as a whole. > > Although papers will not be duplicated, both conferences will > reflect the same features and themes: > > __ Prominent keynote speakers from abroad as well as from the local > scene > __ Various appropriate and applicable programme tracks > __ Peer-reviewed scientific papers as well as invited presentations > __ Poster presentations > __ Proceedings published in electronic format > __ Selected papers published in a special 10th anniversary > conference issue of The Electronic Library: > International Journal for the Application of Technology in > Information Environments > > The Conference Programme Committee invites authors to submit > proposals of ±500 words for papers or > posters (±250 words) of their original and unpublished work, > research results innovations, ideas, and > problems or issues that require solutions from any field in which > the World Wide Web is applied or used as a > tool or system. > > Submit your abstracts at http://www.zaw3.co.za > (follow the Call for Papers link) > > Topics might relate to trends and developments over the last ten > years; for example the growing number of > "foreign" language sites; the politics of the Web; censorship and > legal issues; new methods of access and > device and network convergence; search engines and search > techniques; emerging Web technologies, > developments and trends; Web 2.0; and e-anything (government, > commerce, marketing, learning, society, > entertainment). > > Target dates: > > Peer-reviewed papers > > __ Submission of abstracts (±500 words): 31 March 2008 > __ Notification of abstract acceptance: 15 April 2008 > __ Submission of full text papers for peer-reviewing: 31 May 2008 > __ Notification of acceptance of papers: 31 July 2008 > __ Submission of updated version of accepted papers: 25 August 2008 > > Posters > > __ Submission of abstracts (±250 words): 10 August 2008 > __ Notification of acceptance: 15 August 2008 > > Further enquiries: > > Cape Town: > > Prof Pieter van Brakel > Conference Chair > Cape Peninsula University of Technology > Cape Town > > vanbrakelp(a)cput.ac.za > +21 82 966 0789 (mobile) > +27 21 469 1015 (office) > http://www.zaw3.co.za > > Nairobi: > > Mr Harry Hare > Mr Andrew Karania > Directors: African eDevelopment > Nairobi > > harry(a)africanedevelopment.org > + 254 72565004 (mobile) > andrew@ africanedevelopment.org > +254 72 270 2187 (mobile) > http://www.africanedevelopment.org/ > > Conference Secretariat: > > Elizabeth Danckwerts > Conference Secretariat > PO Box 2760 > Clareinch > 7740 > South Africa > aecon.e(a)mweb.co.za > Phone +27 21 683-5522 > Mobile +27 82 468 7504 > Fax +27 21 674 3269 > www.aecon.co.za > > > > > www.iw3c2.org > > > > > > > http://www.uwc.ac. > za/portal/public/ho > me/index.htm > http://www.uct.ac.za/ > > http://www.cput.ac.za/ >

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Re: [Air-L] have I discovered a new disease?
by nsenga＠mediom.qc.ca 23 Jan '08

23 Jan '08

Dear Dominic and list On one side, "office design and ergonomic work guides" ("seating height and geomtery right", etc.) are all experts prescriptions to end users on how to interact with internet (computer) hardware. On the other side, there are those, apparently more and more among us now that the Internet use has become ubiquitous and (almost) universal, who utilize those kinds of equipments and, as one of the unintended and undesired outcome, experience physiological (and psychological!!) malaise, harm, "disease", ... My question then is: how come there isn't, among the Internet researchers, any interest to conduct also research on this phenomenon of fitness of internet hardware with end users, with the aim to alleviate or find a cure to the "disease" that has or is becoming a real public health menace to many currently suffering in silence? Instead of dwelling in the usual complacency of always blaming the victims (ourselves!) who do not comply with the experts prescriptions, and/or who adopt "bad" or "inappropriate" work posture and habits? Are those software on physical exercises, like the two already suggested on the list, really THE only solution? As users that we all are and for whom those equipments are made after all, shouldn't we rather be more knowledgeable in all levels of harm and threat of those equipments to our health, to our entire body and mind, and not only to arms wrists, eyes and spine? What, for example, about harm actually being caused to those in China and elsewhere dismantling electronic equipments to recuperate precious metals therein contained? Etc. Etc. With such knowledge, we (Aoir researchers and laypersons, respectively each in one's own capacity) would thus be in a position to make explicit to manufacturers and to procurement officers our requirements for ONLY those equipments that are less detrimental to our health. Regards Francois Montreal -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web.com Enhanced email for the mobile individual based on Microsoft® Exchange - http://link.mail2web.com/Personal/EnhancedEmail

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47TH FITCE CONGRESS Liverpool September 2008
by Dominic Pinto 23 Jan '08

23 Jan '08

Come together with communications professionals from across Europe and the wider world at the 47th European FITCE Congress in Liverpool, European Capital of Culture, 2008. Echo Arena & BT Convention Centre September 3rd - 6th 2008, Liverpool, UK The Magical Mystery Tour: Next Stop...True Convergence? Themes for the Congress: transforming lives transforming services transforming networks For more information and details of the Call for Papers see http://www.fitce08.eu/index.asp Early sponsors and partners: BT, ITP, Liverpool 08 FITCE: THE FORUM FOR EUROPEAN ICT PROFESSIONALS http://www.fitce.org

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2nd CPF: CALL FOR BOOK VOLUME PROPOSAL
by Hakikur Rahman 23 Jan '08

23 Jan '08

CALL FOR BOOK VOLUME PROPOSALS: ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITIES AND SOCIAL NETWORKS (AKCSN) BOOK SERIES <http://www.igi-pub.com/bookseries>http://www.igi-global.com/bookseries EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Hakikur Rahman PUBLISHER: IGI Global <<http://www.igi-pub.com/>http://www.igi-global.com> LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: The AKCSN is an international book series that publishes high-quality original research about knowledge communities and social networks. This book series calls for a knowledge based perspective adopting concepts belonging to advancement on information science, knowledge communication and knowledge management pertaining to multi-disciplinary aspects. This series will cover, but not limited to knowledge management, knowledge communications, knowledge economy, information society, information dynamics, information processing, information retrieval, digital divide, grass-roots communities, developing countries, mobile computing, e-governance, e-commerce, e-society and e-applications. To improvise the effects of information revolution and reach out to the general community, this book series will try to establish innovative model of approaches in understanding the dynamics of knowledge communication, drawing upon knowledge gains from the various branches of information science and the cognitive arena. The book series will try to provide an analytical approach to the holistic situation of the newly emerged knowledge perspectives featuring innovative models of technology transfer focusing upon the concepts of knowledge communication processes. When knowledge is a good to exchange through technological communication, then understanding of the dynamics influencing knowledge intelligibly become the premier issue to initiate high-end researches. In this context, the book series will aim to investigate which functions the knowledge-intensive services will form a major research area within the process of knowledge communication. It will also promote a systemic focus on the communication process underlying knowledge transmission, within the broader framework of the knowledge-based economy. By becoming a contributor to the Advances in Knowledge Communities and Social Networks (AKCSN) Book Series, you will be granted an opportunity that a few have ever gained. Your work will be showcased in a collection that finds wide acceptance by both libraries and international indexes, and a diverse international editorial advisory board will support it. As major audience of books under this book series will be comprised of academics, scientists, technologists, and policy makers, it is highly likely that your edited book will be used as guide in the national and regional development processes reinforcing different tiers of knowledge implementations. I welcome you to consider submitting your research to this series in hopes of providing the field of E-Government with collections of pivotal applications, methods and technologies. EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Advances in Knowledge Communities and Social Networks (AKCSN) Book Series Editor-in-Chief: Hakikur Rahman, ICMS, Bangladesh Associate Editors: Baanda A. Salim, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania A.V.Senthil Kumar, CMS College of Science and Commerce, India Yanbo J. Wang, The University of Liverpool, UK International Editorial Advisory Board: Anne-Marie Oostveen, Oxford Internet Institute, UK James Piecowye, Zayed University, Dubai Ali Serhan Koyuncugil, Capital Markets Board of Turkey, Turkey Robert A. Cropf, Saint Louis University, USA Arla Juntunen, Helsinki School of Economics, Finland Deborah L. Wheeler, United States Naval Academy, USA Vincenzo Ambriola, University of Pisa, Italy Tsegaye Tadesse, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA Alemayehu Molla, RMIT University, Australia Subhajit Basu, Queen's University, UK Claude Ghaoui, Liverpool John Moores University, UK Teresa Sancho Vinuesa, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain Lucas Walsh, Deakin University, Australia Agusti Cerrillo Martinez, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain NEXT SUBMISSION DUE DATE: FEBRUARY 15, 2008 MISSION OF AKCSN: The Advances in Knowledge Communities and Social Networks (AKCSN) Book Series is a multi-disciplinary international book series that aims to publish high-quality, original research about knowledge management. The AKCSN will provide an analytical approach to the holistic situation of the newly emerging knowledge dynamics featuring innovation in knowledge acquisition, knowledge communication and knowledge management focusing upon the concepts of the knowledge communities and social networks. COVERAGE of AKCSN: The coverage of AKCSN Book Series is international and focused on original research in knowledge communications, applications, management, policies and implications. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following: · Knowledge Management and Business Improvement · Knowledge as Capacity for Action · Knowledge as a Symbol/Model of Development · Knowledge as an Empirical Problem Solving Tool · Agent-mediated Knowledge Management · The Framework of a Pragmatic Conception of Knowledge · Knowledge as a Competitive Force · Flourishing Knowledge Creation Environments · Measuring and Evaluating Knowledge Assets · Technology Orientation and Capitalization of Knowledge · Current State and Future Development of the Institutional Knowledge Management · Knowledge Management Practices and Future Perspectives · Challenges of Knowledge Management · Methods, Measures and Instruments of Knowledge Management · Conceptual Role of ICTs in Knowledge Communication and Management · Organizational Knowledge Communication and Knowledge Transfer as the Focal Point of Knowledge Management · Distributed Knowledge Management Business Cases and Experiences · Knowledge Management System Architectures, Infrastructure and Middleware · Strategic Management and Business Process Analysis · Networks as Institutionalized Intermediaries of KC · Organizational Knowledge Communication · Communication of Knowledge in Organizations · Knowledge Communication and the Role of Communities and Social Networks · General Importance and Role of Knowledge Communities · Importance and Role of Knowledge Communities in R&D and Innovative Knowledge Creation · Supporting Virtual Communities of Practice and Interest Networks · Methodologies to Analyze, Design and Deploy Distributed Knowledge Management Solutions · Social Models to Design and Support Knowledge Intensive Collaborative Processes · Meta-data Representation and Management (e.g., semantic-based coordination mechanisms, use of ontologies, etc.) · Knowledge Acquisition Systems and Networks · Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking of Deployed Systems · Networks and Knowledge Communication in R&D Environments · Communication and Management of Knowledge in R&D Networks · Application of Social Network Analysis as a Knowledge Management Tool · Leveraging Knowledge Communication Networks Approaches to Interpretations and Interventions · Whole-Network Properties and Knowledge Communication · Knowledge Communication and Impact of Network Structures · Roles and Positional Models of Knowledge Communication Networks · Leveraging Knowledge Communication in Social Networks · Epistemology of Knowledge Society · Citizens eParticipation in Local Decision-Making Processes · eCapacity Building Programmes to Ensure Digital Cohesion and Improved eGovernment Performance at Local Level · Broadband Infrastructure and the New Wireless Network Solutions · Local eGovernment Interoperability and security · Generation of Municipal Services in Multi-Channel Environments · Introduction to Mobile Computing · Business Process Modeling · Information and Data Management · Communication and Agent Technology · Best Practices for Mobile Computing · Information Policy Overview · Communications and the Internet · Knowledge Chains · Community Practices · Learning Utilities · Advanced Researches in Knowledge Communities SUBMITTING TO AKCSN: Prospective authors should note that only original and previously unpublished manuscripts will be considered. Final decision regarding acceptance/revision/rejection will be based on the reviews and assessment of the publisher, IGI Global. All submissions must be forwarded electronically to <mailto:email@hakik.org>email(a)hakik.org by ****** NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 15, 2008 ****** PROSPECTUS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Your 5-10 page (not including your CV) book prospectus should contain the following information: 1. 3-5 SUGGESTED TITLES for your proposed publication 2. A SYNOPSIS of your proposed publication, including a concise DEFINITION of the subject area 3. INTRODUCTION TO THE SUBJECT AREA 4. 5-10 INDEXING KEYWORDS for your proposed subject area 5. Overall OBJECTIVES AND MISSION of your proposed publication 6. SCHOLARLY VALUE AND POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION to information science, technology and management literature 7. PURPOSE AND POTENTIAL IMPACT on your field of research 8. UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS of your proposed publication 9. PROSPECTIVE AUDIENCE for such a publication 10. POTENTIAL BENEFITS readers will gain from your proposed publication 11. EXISTING COMPETING PUBLICATIONS and their advantages and disadvantages in comparison to your proposed publication 12. TENTATIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS 13. PROJECTED TOTAL PAGE/WORD COUNT for proposed publication 14. TENTATIVE TIMETABLE for the entire project 15. POTENTIAL CHANNELS OF CALL DISTRIBUTION for the procurement of submissions and contacts (List-Servs, Universities, etc.) 16. COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESS, phone, fax and e-mail information FOR EACH EDITOR/AUTHOR 17. A COPY OF YOUR VITAE, listing education and publication records FOR EACH EDITOR/AUTHOR ABOUT THE PUBLISHER: The Advances in Knowledge Communities and Social Networks (AKCSN) Book Series is published by IGI Global, publisher of the IGI Publishing, Information Science Publishing, IRM Press, CyberTech Publishing and Information Science Reference imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com. All inquiries and submissions should be should be directed to the attention of: Please forward proposals and submission inquiries to: Hakikur Rahman Editor-in-Chief Advances in Knowledge Communities and Social Networks (AKCSN) Book Series <http://www.igi-pub.com/bookseries>http://www.igi-global.com/bookseries Direct link: <http://www.igi-global.com/akcsn>www.igi-global.com/akcsn Email: <mailto:email@hakik.org>email(a)hakik.org

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CFP: Call for authors on book(s) about digital culture
by Karen Sichler 23 Jan '08

23 Jan '08

Please distribute. If interested, please contact Dr. Kavoori listed below. CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THREE EDITED BOOKS (Edited by Andy Kavoori, Grady College, University of Georgia, Athens, GA) Book 1: Gaming: An International Communication Perspective This edited book will address Gaming (video, on-line, single/multiple player) by examining its sociological relevance from a global perspective (most current books have an American focus). Papers should examine one or more of the following topics: (a) History: Growth of gaming as a global industry, discourse and media product (b) Representation: How gaming environments construct the world (this could be for example, a textual/content analysis of games that are international in content) (c) Politics: The political universe of Games. Of special interest to the editor are case studies of Gaming and War/Terrorism (especially games like America's Army and Islamogames) (d) Theory: Stand-alone theoretical essays that frame the field of Gaming using international communication theory (for example, political economy, cultural studies, post- colonial studies, globalization theory). Please send abstracts by March 30th to akavoori(a)yahoo.com and put in the subject line "abstract for international gaming book." Book 2: The Digital Culture Reader This edited book will examine the discursive content of on-line mass mediated digital culture. Essays are invited for four sections of the book which will be focused on (a) Stand alone theoretical essays on the subject of "digital culture" defined within the fields of digital cultural studies, technology studies, sociology/anthropology, and media studies. Essays examining institutional development, historical context, and international import are especially welcome. (b) Essays on the "texts" of You Tube (b) Essays on the "texts" of My Space and Facebook and (c) Essays on the "texts" of Second Life. The methodological approach may include content, textual, rhetorical, discursive, ethnographic and other methods commonly used in digital cultural studies. Some specific questions that the textual analysis essays might address include: (1) What happens to questions of identity politics (race, class, gender and sexuality) in the constructs of Youtube, Facebook/MySpace and Second Life? Does digital culture move the debate about identity politics beyond the big four (race, gender, etc) and construct new hybrid/virtual/idiosyncratic vocabularies for the presentation of identity politics? (2) Does the digital imagination (the process of creating consumer generated content) reconfigure questions of democracy, citizenship, entertainment and representation? (3) What are the ranges of discursive constructs across cultural / national and global contexts? Studies that examine non-western digital content on the above websites are especially welcome. Please send an abstract by March 30th to akavoori(a)gmail.com and put in the subject line "abstract for digital culture book." Book 3: Journalism/Gaming: Mapping the Intersection This edited book seeks to bring together two of the most important contemporary industry trends—the rapidly changing nature of digital journalism and the world of Gaming, both centered on youth culture, practices and politics. The two industries have historically been seen as separate —with traditional mass media journalism, positioned as a place where the serious work of citizenship takes place and Gaming seen as a vehicle for consumption—and for its critics, a discursive dead end focused on violence and pleasure. Both industries have a very specific orientation youth culture—Gaming is at the heart of youth culture; traditional journalism appears to have little resonance with young people. This book takes as its goal the articulation of a theoretical, empirical and political vision that argues that Journalism and Gaming need to be engaged – that new genres, modes of participatory culture, political action and ideas about citizenship need to be strategized in order to make such a connection possible. To that end, the collection seeks essays that (a) articulate the terms, conditions and theoretical frameworks that may be usefully applied in "mapping the intersection" between Journalism and Gaming. The editor is especially interested in essays that apply theories of one field onto the other, i.e. theorists of Journalism writing essays about Gaming and theorists of Gaming examining Journalism. (b) Case studies of Games (video, on-line, single, multiplayer) where "Journalism" broadly defined is taking place—this may include studies of the use games that build on contemporary news events or use of games such as "Palestine" (c) cross-cultural and global trends in the use of Journalism/Gaming, especially as they relate to issues of media and war/Terrorism. (d) Media education projects that emphasize the connections between these two industries. Please send an abstract by March 30th to akavoori(a)hotmail.com and put in the subject line "abstract for journalism/gaming book". TIME LINE: Once abstracts have been collected, a formal proposal will be submitted to leading scholarly publishers (the editor has long-standing relations with a number of publishers and has initiated negotiations). Full papers will be sought from selected contributors once contracts have been signed (approximately, mid fall, 2008). EDITOR BIO: Anandam (Andy) Kavoori is an Associate Professor in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA. His co-edited books include The Cell Phone Reader (Peter Lang), Media, Terrorism, Theory (Rowman and Littlefield), The Global Dynamics of News (Ablex) and Global Bollywood (New York University Press). He is the author of Thinking Television (Peter Lang). Andy Kavoori, Ph.D Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication The University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602 akavoori(a)uga.edu Andy Kavoori, Ph.D Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication The University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602 akavoori(a)uga.edu

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cfp panel: science learning/education in virtual worlds
by Jeremy Hunsinger 23 Jan '08

23 Jan '08

This is one of the ideas that I've been working on for copenhagen, as it seems to be gathering a good bit of steam and funding. My perspective will be to look at the organizational and funding structures for science learning in virtual worlds, likely a network/ political economy analysis. If other people have papers or proposals, I'd love to see them so i could write up a panel. Jeremy Hunsinger Information Ethics Fellow, Center for Information Policy Research, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (www.cipr.uwm.edu ) Words are things; and a small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. --Byron

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