- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Queer online
by Steven Doran 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

Hi there, Venturing into a new area hear and was just wondering if anyone can make suggestions on good reading in the world of online queer indentity, especially Bear culture. Anything from chat rooms to message boards to online personal ads. All comments are welcome. Thanks, Steven Doran Institute for Communications Research University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign sedoran2(a)uiuc.edu

6 5

tenured/tenure track position available at Temple University
by Jan Fernback 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

Job announcement from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA Position Announcement Department of Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media Temple University The department of Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media (BTMM) at Temple University invites applications for an Assistant or Associate Professor beginning fall 2008. This is a tenured/tenure-track faculty position in a department of approximately 800 majors who study audio, video and electronic media production; management of media institutions; and social and psychological functions, processes and effects of media. The department offers a master's degree and contributes to an inter-departmental doctoral program in Mass Media and Communication. BTMM is one of six departments in a large, diverse and dynamic School of Communications and Theater. We seek an individual who combines scholarly and creative work in ways that address the new challenges and opportunities in digital media environments. Candidates should be qualified to teach introductory and core courses in media institutions and contemporary issues in media, as well as courses related to the candidate's specialty. Expertise and interest in teaching graduate courses in theory or methods will be a plus. Scholars who have experience with multimedia production are particularly encouraged to apply. Evidence of excellence in teaching and a promising record of scholarship are highly desirable. A Ph.D. is required, and qualifications must be commensurate with rank. Temple University is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the fourth largest media and telecommunications market in the nation. The University community at large includes more than 34,000 students in the region and at several international campuses; the School of Communications and Theater includes 3,900 undergraduate and graduate students. For more information about the department, school, and Temple University, please visit http://www.temple.edu/btmm and http://www.temple.edu/sct . To apply, please send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, the names of three references, and other support materials to: Search Committee Dept of Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media Temple University Annenberg Hall (011-00) 2020 North 13th Street Philadelphia, PA 19122 Applications will be reviewed beginning November 15, 2007. Temple University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and educator where diversity is an essential source of vitality and strength. The University is committed to nondiscrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, age and disability. ________________________________________________________ Jan Fernback, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Director of the Master of Arts Program Dept. of Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media Temple University 2020 N. 13th Street Philadelphia, PA 19122 215-204-3041 fernback(a)temple.edu ________________________________________________________

4 3

Strategy Planning Workshop of the Feminist Network on Gender, Development and Information Society Policies - October 5th - 7th, 2007
by Jeremy Hunsinger 04 Oct '07

04 Oct '07

saw this elsewhere, thought some might be interested http://gdispwiki.itforchange.net/index.php/Main_Page Strategy Planning Workshop of the Feminist Network on Gender, Development and Information Society Policies - October 5th - 7th, 2007, Bangalore A Strategy Planning Workshop of the Feminist Network on Gender, Development and Information Society Policies will be held on October 5-7, 2007 in Bangalore, India. The workshop is being co-organised by IT for Change, the Association for Progressive Communications, the International Women's Tribune Centre, ISIS International, and Gloria Bonder, the General Coordinator of the Regional UNESCO Chair Women, Science and Technology in Latin America. The goal of the meeting will be to a) conduct a gender analysis of the policy ecology of the information society and the approaches of critical institutional players b) evolve an action plan for research and advocacy and c) develop the structure and processes that facilitate and strengthen the work of the network. This workshop is by invitation only. jeremy hunsinger Information Ethics Fellow, Center for Information Policy Research, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (www.cipr.uwm.edu) wiki.tmttlt.com www.tmttlt.com () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.stswiki.org/ sts wiki http://cfp.learning-inquiry.info/ Learning Inquiry-the journal http://transdisciplinarystudies.tmttlt.com/ Transdisciplinary Studies:the book series

1 0

Re: [Air-L] Queer online
by qCentral/Mary L. Gray 03 Oct '07

03 Oct '07

I'd also recommend (as background): Berry, Chris, Fran Martin and Audrey Yue (2003). Mobile cultures: new media in queer Asia. Durham, Duke University Press. but, the other 2 references mentioned are also great resources/must reads. best, mary ________________________ Mary L. Gray, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Communication and Culture Affiliate Faculty Gender Studies Department and American Studies Program Indiana University 800 East 3rd Street Bloomington, IN 47405 ph. 812/855.4379 fx. 812/855.6014 email: mLg(a)indiana.edu http://www.indiana.edu/~qcentral On Oct 3, 2007, at 3:51 PM, air-l-request(a)listserv.aoir.org wrote: > Message: 14 > Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 13:02:58 -0500 (CDT) > From: Steven Doran <sedoran2(a)uiuc.edu> > Subject: [Air-L] Queer online > To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org > Message-ID: <20071003130258.AWK44646(a)expms5.cites.uiuc.edu> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Hi there, > > Venturing into a new area hear and was just wondering if anyone can > make suggestions on good reading in the world of online queer > indentity, especially Bear culture. Anything from chat rooms to > message boards to online personal ads. All comments are welcome. > > Thanks, > > Steven Doran > Institute for Communications Research > University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign > sedoran2(a)uiuc.edu

1 0

ICA Pre-conference on "Bridging Scholar/Activist Divides in the Field of Communications" May 22, 2008, Montreal
by Rik Panganiban 03 Oct '07

03 Oct '07

Bridging Scholar/Activist Divides in the Field of Communications ICA Half-Day Pre-Conference Call for Participants Thursday, May 22, 2008 Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Montreal, Canada Organized by: Becky Lentz, Visiting Scholar, New York University and Senior Ford Foundation Fellow Philip M. Napoli, Director, Donald McGannon Communication Research Center Milton Mueller, Professor, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University Joe Karaganis, Social Science Research Council and Director of the Necessary Knowledge for a Democratic Sphere Program Deadline for submissions: 5pm EST on November 1st "Communicating social impacts" requires deliberate attention to the role that scholarship plays in affecting social change. This pre-conference for the annual meeting of the International Communication Association addresses divides between research and advocacy in the field of communications in issue areas such as public health, media diversity, communications policy, global communications and Internet governance, journalism, technology usage and diffusion, and political communication. When it comes to connecting research and advocacy, the field of communications often seems riven by contradictory impulses. On the one hand, the field has long lamented its historically marginalized position in the academy and in policymaking relative to economics, sociology, political science, and other established disciplines. Yet communications scholars often share a hesitancy to engage with policymakers or policy advocates out of fear of sacrificing academic objectivity, or out of a desire to avoid "applied" scholarship, though foundational scholars in the field, ranging from Harold Lasswell to James Carey, have consistently advocated more public engagement by communications researchers - particularly in relation to policy issues. And in communications policy, the size and diversity of the issue advocacy community in the U.S. and internationally has increased considerably in recent years, as have the needs of this community for high quality research to ground their claims for a more democratic and just media. The intensification of activism around communication-information policy issues suggests that scholars conducting research on those issues have exciting opportunities to link up with advocacy communities or to directly engage with journalists, government and industry policymakers with research that proposes or supports particular policy solutions. There are, however, a range of practical and institutional impediments that prevent such linkages and discourage scholars from advocating policy positions derived from their work. These impediments include institutional disincentives within academia (particularly within the social sciences) for "applied" or "engaged" scholarship; a dearth of fora and communication channels linking advocacy and academic communities; and sometimes divergent perspectives among scholars, advocates, and policymakers, on the appropriate role and function of research in policymaking. This pre-conference -- which is part of the annual meeting of the International Communication Association in Montreal (www.icahdq.org) -- seeks to build upon recent successes forging tighter linkages between researchers and advocates (see, for example, Robert McChesney's work via Free Press; the National Consortium for Media Policy Studies [COMPASS], the Necessary Knowledge for a Democratic Public Sphere project at the Social Science Research Council; the Global Internet Governance Academic Network, or GigaNet; the Collective Behavior and Social Movements division of the American Sociological Association; Sociologists Without Borders, the Civil Society Practitioner Program at the Oxford Internet Institute, the post-graduate diploma in Media Advocacy being offered by the Centre for Culture, Media and Governance in New Delhi, and other organized forms of engaged scholarship), with an eye toward developing concrete solutions that could contribute to an environment in which researchers and advocates are better able to engage in mutually beneficial collaborations, and in which, ideally, the traditional distinctions that have existed between scholars and advocates can be diminished. We encourage participation from individuals or groups in academe, journalism, industry, government, and civil society who are engaged with advocacy issues or conducting research on those issues. The goal is to coalesce a set of concrete proposals for institutional change that can lead to tighter linkages between research and issue advocacy. The tentative plan is for the meeting to be organized along three tracks: Track 1: Bridging Organizational Cultures What aspects of the cultures of advocacy groups and academic researchers inhibit stronger linkages between research and advocacy? What specific institutional changes are needed to facilitate changes in these organizational cultures? Are there lessons to be derived from specific disciplines, or from specific national contexts, that can illuminate possible approaches to bridging research and advocacy? Can the overlaps and distinctions between "applied," "engaged," and "public" scholarship as they relate to communications research be clarified in ways that could reduce scholars' inhibitions related to engaging in advocacy-related work? Can graduate programs be implemented in ways that better incentivize and acculturate researchers on how their research can have social impact? Are there other forms of training/certification that could be implemented to nurture scholar/advocate hybrids? Findings from the SSRC's Collaborative Grants project and other systematic efforts at bridging research and advocacy will be shared. Track 2: Mapping Research Needed for Social Impacts What are the key policy questions (local, national, regional, global) being addressed by advocates and movement leaders that would be helped by research attention? What mechanisms currently in place have successfully facilitated the kind of information exchanges, networking and coordination that would create a strategic complementarity between research scholars and advocacy communities? When has this relationship failed to work properly and why? Are there new types of bridging organizations that are - or that should be - in place to facilitate this exchange? Track 3: Engaging in Public Scholarship: Communicating Social Impacts What strategies and tactics can best move the results of scholarship out of the academy and into the hands of decision makers? What are the key barriers to communicating scholarship to various constituencies (the press, policymakers, NGOs, industry, funders/donors, the specific constituencies, etc.) that need to be overcome? Are there particular exemplars in terms of institutional structures or programs that can inform and guide efforts in the communications research field? * * * * Those interested in participating in this pre-conference are asked to submit an abstract of no more than 500 words addressing one of the three tracks outlined above that includes how the participant intends to address one or more of the questions outlined in one of the three track descriptions. Included with this abstract should be a background statement of no more than 300 words about the participant that includes a brief summary of any recent or ongoing activities/research by the participant that address the subject matter of the relevant track. Scholars researching social movements in the field of communications are encouraged to submit abstracts. This half-day pre-conference will take a workshop format, with selected participants asked to give very brief, informal presentations that trigger active conversation and informed discussion related both to their presentation and to the presentations of the other conference participants across all three tracks. Participants will also be asked to contribute to a process of issue mapping and sharing of models and ideas ahead of the meeting, via a wiki and/or other tools such as the SSRC's Media Research Hub (http://mediaresearchhub.ssrc.org) This will be hosted by the SSRC, as part of its 'Necessary Knowledge for a Democratic Public Sphere' program. If there is independent interest in continuing these conversations, these services can be maintained (or spun off). Deadline for submission is 5pm EST on November 1st. Abstracts should be submitted electronically (as a Word attachment) to Jessica Crowell of the Donald McGannon Communication Research Center at Fordham University at mcgctr(a)fordham.edu. Please include "ICA Pre-Conference Submission" in the subject line. * * * * About the Pre-Conference Organizers Becky Lentz is a Visiting Scholar at New York University and a Senior Ford Foundation Fellow. She was the founding program officer of the Ford Foundation's Electronic Media Policy portfolio, which has sought to forge tighter linkages between researchers and advocates in the communications policy arena. (rgl241(a)nyu.edu) Philip M. Napoli is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Business and Director of the Donald McGannon Communication Research Center at Fordham University. The McGannon Center has long-served as a research partner and resource for the public interest and advocacy communities. (pnapoli(a)fordham.edu) Joe Karaganis is a Program Officer in the Social Science Research Council and Director of the Necessary Knowledge for a Democratic Public Sphere program, which is dedicated to enhancing the role that research plays in a wide range of issue areas related to communications, culture, and the democratic process. (karaganis(a)ssrc.org) Milton Mueller is a Professor in the School of Information and Co-Director and Founder of the Convergence Center at Syracuse University. He is a partner in the Internet Governance Project, an interdisciplinary consortium of academics that conducts research and advocacy work in the areas of international governance and Internet policy. (mueller(a)syr.edu)

1 0

Job Opportunity, Youth Digital Media Use Survey Project
by Jason Gallo 03 Oct '07

03 Oct '07

Job Opportunity Research Associate, Youth Digital Media Use Survey Project, Northwestern University The Youth Digital Media Use Survey Project at Northwestern University is looking for a Research Associate for a project funded by the MacArthur Foundation. The Research Associate will work closely with Professors Eszter Hargittai and Peter Miller to collect and archive information on surveys of youth digital media use. In addition, the Associate will organize and document several in-person and on-line meetings of youth digital media researchers. The end product of the project, which the Research Associate will help to draft, is a report making recommendations to the MacArthur Foundation on survey design options for the study of youth digital media use. *Responsibilities: Collect and archive published and "grey" literature on youth digital media use; collect and archive information on survey projects that have been or could be employed for the study of youth digital media use; work with the principal investigators, organize and document several meetings of researchers in this field; help to synthesize the information from these various sources for a project report. Depending on skills and interests, serve as a co-author on scholarly articles resulting from the project. *Qualifications: Master's degree in social science (e.g., communication, sociology, political science, economics, psychology, human development, learning sciences, library and information science); 1-3 years of work experience; strong organizational skills; strong written and verbal communication skills; excellent interpersonal skills; strong problem solving and analytical skills; ability to work in a professional manner as both a self-starter and a team member; intermediate-advanced skills in Microsoft Office (particularly Word and Excel); and intermediate-advanced skills in using Web interfaces. *Desired Qualifications: Terminal degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., J.D.) in quantitative social science with experience in survey research; project management experience; archival experience. advanced skills in Microsoft Office (particularly Word and Excel); experience with analysis of quantitative data, especially in the use of Stata. *Salary: $3,125 per month for 30 hours/week. *The position starts immediately and will last eight months. *Northwestern University is an EEO/AA employer. *Please send cover letter, resume and reference contact information to Jason Gallo, Project Coordinator (Web Use Project) at job-ydmus(a)webuse.org -- Jason Gallo PhD Candidate Media, Technology and Society Program School of Communication Northwestern University Project Coordinator WebUse Project http://www.webuse.northwestern.edu/

1 0

a paper on sociology and Web 2.0
by davidgbeer＠aol.com 03 Oct '07

03 Oct '07

Dear list members, You might be interested in this paper titled 'Sociology and, of and in Web 2.0: some initial considerations' that has just been published (see link below). http://www.socresonline.org.uk/12/5/17.html I hope its of interest. David Beer York St John University ________________________________________________________________________ Get a FREE AOL Email account with unlimited storage. Plus, share and store photos and experience exclusively recorded live music Sessions from your favourite artists. Find out more at http://info.aol.co.uk/joinnow/?ncid=548.

1 0

Re: [Air-L] BFF
by NANCY MCDONALD-KNWRTHY 03 Oct '07

03 Oct '07

"Best Friends Forever" from a South Park tv show episode: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_Friends_Forever Nancy McDonald-Kenworthy, GA CSTW Writing Center Tutor www.cstw.org Cultural Studies, Coll. of ED, OSU. ----- Original Message ----- From: Nancy Baym <nbaym(a)ku.edu> Date: Saturday, September 29, 2007 9:13 pm Subject: [Air-L] BFF > Does anyone on here know the origin of the term BFF? A scholar who > studies friendship has asked me and I don't know. > > Nancy > > -- > Nancy Baym http://www.ku.edu/home/nbaym > Communication Studies, University of Kansas > Bailey Hall, 1440 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 102, Lawrence, KS 66045- > 7574, USA > Blog: http://www.onlinefandom.com > _______________________________________________ > 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/ >

4 3

"unsubscribing" from a social networking site
by Christopher Lueg 03 Oct '07

03 Oct '07

Dear all There is something I find quite interesting. Someone created an account with one of the biggest social networking sites around using one of my email addresses (without my permission; probably a typo only causing a problem because the social networking site does not seem to verify email addresses). I noticed the unauthorized use of my email address because I received a "new friend" message belonging to that account. Nothing unusual as the respective address is with a popular "freemail" provider and is (ab)used fairly frequently. I merely keep the address as a way to learn how many sites (still) don't use confirmed-opt-in and how sites respond to abuse notifications (some of the sites owned by big media companies are the worst). The interesting bit is the approach the social networking site recommends to solve the abuse problem: > If you are the owner of the email account, you can delete the profile > that is using it. First, from [site], click on the "forgot my > password" link, to have the password sent to the email address > associated with the account. > Then, return to [site], click on 'Account Settings' and then click > on 'Cancel Account'. An email will be sent to the email address used as > the login name to verify Account Deletion. This is a fairly common response actually. Over the years the respective address has been (ab)used to subscribe to quite a few newsletters, join online communities etc. When complaining, most sites suggest I "unsubscribe" by clicking certain unsubscribe links or follow certain "unsubscribe" procedures similar to above. Usually, they are surprised when I tell them I can't unsubscribe something I never subscribed to... after all, it's not my subscription! Just like the above social networking site account is not my account (verified). My impression is the sites just try to off-load inconvenient administration work but by doing so they put third parties not associated with their business dealings in an awkward position. Any thoughts? Best regards christopher -- Dr. Christopher Lueg Professor of Computing University of Tasmania Private Bag 100 Hobart TAS 7001, Australia christopher.lueg(a)utas.edu.au http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~lueg/ CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B

2 1

AoIR: new executive for 2007-2009
by Matthew Allen 02 Oct '07

02 Oct '07

Dear all It is with great pleasure that I can now announce the executive for the period of 2007-2009. President - Charles Ess Vice-President - Mia Consalvo Treasurer - Monica Murero Secretary - Sabyrna Cornish Graduate Student - Asa Rosenberg Open Seats - Axel Bruns, Heidi Campbell, Marcus Foth Past-President - Matthew Allen Holly Kruse and Alex Halavais will for the time being continue as our trusted and hardworking systems and list managers. The new executive will take over at the AGM on Friday night at the AoIR conference in Vancouver. My thanks to all those voted: commiserations to those who failed to get elected and my congratulations to the winners. Thanks, too, to Jenny Stromer-Galley who acted as the Vote counter. Matt Dr Matthew Allen Associate Professor Internet Studies Curtin University of Technology, CRICOS 00301J Australia m.allen(a)curtin.edu.au http://smi.curtin.edu.au/netstudies/allen.htm <https://email.curtin.edu.au/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://smi.curtin.edu…> +61 8 92663511 (v) +61 8 9266 3166 (f) President, Association of Internet Researchers http://www.aoir.org <https://email.curtin.edu.au/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.aoir.org/>

1 0