- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Community "Critical Mass"?
by Chris Modzelewski 25 Dec '06

25 Dec '06

Hello Everybody, I've got a (hopefully) quick question: is anyone familiar with research into when an online community attains a "critical mass" and becomes self-sustaining? In terms of community, I'm thinking of online communities such as wikipedia, YouTube, MySpace, etc. that specifically require participatory involvement. In terms of "critical mass" I'm thinking of audience size / reach, ratio of "posters" to lurkers, etc. Does anyone know of research into this area? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. All the best, Chris Modzelewski -- Chris Modzelewski Emerging Analysis Corporation

9 16

Games and Culture CFP
by Larissa Hjorth 23 Dec '06

23 Dec '06

Apologies for cross posting. ^^ Call for papers Games and Culture: A Journal of Interactive Media Special issue: Gaming in the Asia-Pacific As a region, the Asia-Pacific is marked by diverse penetration rates of gaming, mobile and broadband technologies, subject to local cultural and socio-economic nuances. Two defining locations – Seoul (South Korea) and Tokyo (Japan) – are seen as both “mobile centres” and “gaming centres” to which the world looks towards as examples of the future-in-the-present. Unlike Japan, which pioneered the keitai (mobile) IT revolution and mobile consoles such as playstation2, South Korea – the most broadbanded country in the world – has become a centre for MMOs (online massively multiplayer) games and convergent mobile DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadband i.e. TU mobile). Adorned with over 20,000 PC bangs (PC rooms) in Seoul alone and with professional players (Pro-leagues) making over a million US per year, locations such as South Korea have been lauded as an example of gaming as a mainstream social activity. In a period marked by convergent technologies, South Korea and Japan represent two opposing directions for gaming – Korea emphasizes online MMOs games played on stationary PCs in public spaces (PC bangs) whilst Japan pioneers the mobile (privatized) convergent devices. These two distinct examples, with histories embroiled in conflict and imperialism, clearly demonstrate the importance of locality in the uptake of specific games and game play. This issue seeks to explore the politics of game play and cultural context by focusing on the burgeoning Asia-Pacific region. Housing sites for global gaming production and consumption such as China, Japan and South Korea, the region provides a wealth of divergent examples of the role of gaming as a socio-cultural phenomenon. Drawing from micro ethnographic studies to macro political economy analysis of techno-nationalisms and trans-cultural flows of cultural capital, this issue will provide an interdisciplinary model for thinking through the politics of gaming production, representation and consumption in the region. Topics of papers will discuss the region in terms of one of the following areas: - Case study analysis of specific games and game play - Is there such thing as a culturally specific aesthetic to the production and consumption of certain games? - What is the “future” of gaming? - Emerging and re-occurring productions of techno-nationalism in the region - New media and experimental gaming in the region - Convergent technologies and the impact on established modes of game play - Gendered consumption and production of games - Government regulations and types of game play - Pervasive gaming and the role of co-presence Deadline for this special issue of Games and Culture: 15th March 2007. Authors should submit all inquiries, expressions of interest and papers to Larissa Hjorth (RMIT University) larissa.hjorth(a)rmit.edu.au. Games and Culture: A Journal of Interactive Media invites academics, designers and developers, and researchers interested in the growing field of game studies to submit articles, reviews, or special issues proposals to the editor. Games and Culture is an interdisciplinary publication, and therefore it welcomes submissions by those working in fields such as Communication, Anthropology, Computer Science, English, Sociology, Media Studies, Cinema/Television Studies, Education, Art History, and Visual Arts. All submissions are peer reviewed by two or more members of the distinguished, multi-disciplinary editorial board. Games and Culture aims to have all papers go through their initial review within three months of receipt. Manuscripts should be submitted with four paper copies and electronically in Word or Word Perfect format and conform to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Fifth Edition) and should not exceed 10,000 words in length. Papers that do not conform to these guidelines will be returned to the author(s).

1 0

Fwd: Networks, Collective Action and Social Movements Call for Papers
by Moses Boudourides 23 Dec '06

23 Dec '06

FYI, --Moses ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Tindall <tindall(a)interchange.ubc.ca> Date: Dec 23, 2006 2:41 AM Subject: Networks, Collective Action and Social Movements Call for Papers To: mcadam(a)stanford.edu, ct135(a)columbia.edu, cansell(a)uclink4.berkeley.edu, broad001(a)umn.edu, mische(a)rci.rutgers.edu, wcarroll(a)uvic.ca, mario.diani(a)soc.unitn.it, oliver(a)ssc.wisc.edu, plloyd(a)ucla.edu, C.Baerveldt(a)fss.uu.nl, m-osa(a)northwestern.edu, psb17(a)columbia.edu, kitts(a)u.washington.edu, pg.klandermans(a)fsw.vu.nl, malinick(a)interchange.ubc.ca, jcormie4(a)uwo.ca, rsratner(a)interchange.ubc.ca, knoke(a)atlas.socsci.umn.edu, mgranovetter(a)stanford.edu, khampton(a)asc.upenn.edu, wellman(a)chass.utoronto.ca, gartrell(a)uvic.ca, Myers.33(a)nd.edu, tindall(a)interchange.ubc.ca, joannalrobinson(a)yahoo.com, hsampark(a)pitt.edu, pitpat(a)pitt.edu, moses.boudourides(a)gmail.com, c.a.rootes(a)kent.ac.uk, iosif(a)aegean.gr, annaliisa.aunio(a)gmail.com Cc: tindall(a)interchange.ubc.ca As many of you may know, this year's International Sunbelt Social Network Conference is being held from May 1st - 6th, 2007 in Corfu, Greece. The URL for the conference is: http://www.insna.org/2007/Sunbelt%202007.html or http://nicomedia.math.upatras.gr/conf/Sunbelt2007/ On this webpage there are links for submitting an abstract, registering for the conference, and reserving a hotel room. FYI -- David Tindall, Christopher Rootes, and Mario Diani are organizing sessions on "Collective Action and Social Movements" and we would like to invite you to present a paper. If you are interested in presenting a paper in this session, please send an e-mail to David Tindall, Christopher Rootes, or Mario Diani (addresses given below) with the title of your paper, and your abstract by January 30th, 2007. You will also need to complete the abstract submission form at: https://cgi.sfu.ca/~insna/confpapers/ When registering online, you should also mention that you intend that your paper be submitted for our session. Sincerely, David Tindall Associate Professor Department of Sociology University of British Columbia E-mail: tindall(a)interchange.ubc.ca Christopher Rootes Professor of Environmental Politics and Political Sociology Director, Centre for the Study of Social and Political Movements School of Social Policy, Sociology & Social Research, University of Kent, E-mail: c.a.rootes(a)kent.ac.uk Mario Diani Professor and Dean Faculty of Sociology University of Trento Email: mario.diani(a)unitn.it

1 0

EGOV 2007 - Call for Papers
by Jochen Scholl 23 Dec '06

23 Dec '06

-- We kindly apologize for multiple postings -- ================================== Sixth International EGOV Conference 2007 (EGOV-7) within the DEXA conference cluster <http://www.dexa.org> Regensburg (Germany), September 3 - 7, 2007 Call for Papers For more details please see the website of the European EGOV Society: http://www.egov-society.org -> / -> Conferences -> EGVO 07 The international EGOV conference series gives annual state of the art overviews in eGovernment and eGovernance research, implementation and application. Thereby, the conferences provide important guidance for research and development in this fast-moving domain of study. The annual EGOV conferences bring together leading researchers and professionals from all over the globe and from many disciplines. Over the years, the interest has increased tremendously. The 2006 conference attracted about 130 participants from 28 countries all over the world including developing countries, with 30 contributions in outstanding research, 30 contributions in ongoing research, 15 projects contributions and 5 workshops. Hence the EGOV Conferences have become a reunion for academics and professionals as well as an important ground for networking. The EGOV Conference Series hosts four distinct formats of contributions: Scientific papers (distinguished between completed research and ongoing research); project presentations, and workshops. These formats encourage scientific rigor and discussions of state of the art in the study domain, but also welcome innovative research work in progress, and studies of practical eGovernment projects and systems implementation. The conference also includes a PhD student colloquium providing doctoral students with an international forum for presenting their work, networking opportunities and cross-disciplinary inspiration. Over the years, organizational and user-related issues long discussed among researchers have finally gained influence on practice. Conversely, eGovernment practice has influenced and inspired eGovernment research. A wide range of topics has received scholarly attention over the years. In recent years, the assessment of eGovernment efforts, the prospects of eGovernment as a research discipline, and the role of information and communication technology for development rank among the top topics on the research agenda. For the sixth series of EGOV conferences, hence, the list of topics includes the following: * Strategies and frameworks, motivators, contextual biases - Frameworks and guidelines for eGovernment and eGovernance - eGovernment policies, strategies and implementation - Legal, societal and cultural aspects of eGovernment - Public awareness of eServices availability * eDemocracy and eParticipation challenges - Research challenges and frameworks - eParticipation and eVoting tools and technologies - eParticipation socio-technical research concepts and solutions - Applications and cases of eParticipation solutions - Social networking and communities to foster political debates - The role of local communities in eParticipation * Assessment of eGovernment and eParticipation - Methods and tools for assessment - Experiences from assessment trials - Analysis of values for eGovernment stakeholders - Public value generation through eGovernment - Cross-national comparative studies * eGovernment and development (ICT4D) - Transnational eGovernment - International and regional projects, case studies and best practice - International dimensions: cooperation, comparisons, networks - The role of eGovenment in development (ICT4D) * eGovernment research - Methods and tools of eGovernment research - Inter- and multidisciplinary research issues and examples - Bridging single discipline research towards multidisciplinarity - Issues distinguishing the eGov domain of study. * Training courses and teaching eGovernment - Teaching eGovernment - eSkills development: training courses and eLearning solutions for public sector employees - eSkills development: how to train the citizens? - Syllabus for teaching and training eGovernment and eParticipation * Conceptual design and frames - Administrative process design and change, collaborative activities, legal interpretation - Knowledge management, public information, decision process support - eGovernment ontologies - Change management and new organisational arrangements: public-private- partnerships, virtual teams - Enterprise architectures and other whole-government approaches * Implementation aspects - One-stop government, electronic service delivery, mobile services - Interoperability and standards, semantic standardisation - Trust and security: provisions and instruments * mGovernment and emerging technologies for eGovernment and eParticipation - Mobile technologies - Mobile fieldwork in government: Challenges and promises - Media integration, media convergence, e.g. integration of VoIP and mobile phones with eGov services - Digital TV as a means to reach the citizen? - Semantic web technologies Submissions may qualify as follows: * Completed research papers * Ongoing research, projects, and general development issues * Workshops and panels on pertinent issues * PhD colloquium submissions We seek for innovative and rigorous contributions. Further details are available at the conference website: http://www.egov-society.org/ --------------------- Third PhD Colloquium General The 3rd EGOV PhD student colloquium will be held on 2nd and 3rd September in conjunction with the annual EGOV conference. The objective of the Colloquium is to bring together Ph.D. students working on any aspect of eGovernment (technical, organizational, informational, societal, socio- technical, research foundations, tools, and applications, or any combination) from a theoretical or empirical perspective and give them an opportunity to present and discuss their research in a constructive, and international atmosphere. The Colloquium will particularly provide an opportunity for student participants to interact with leading researchers in the field and with the eGovernment community as a whole. Both the diversity of research avenues and the interactive setting will provide a unique learning opportunity for all participants of the colloquium. A committee of PhD students guided by advice from two international faculty members will organize the PhD Colloquium. Submission guidelines Submissions to the PhD Colloquium should be sent to the PhD program chairs <http://www.uni-koblenz.de/%7Eegov/egov-s/egov2007/organising> by email. Paper submission shall follow the same guidelines as those for general EGOV07 research paper submissions. However, PhD Colloquium submissions should be marked as such. We will group the PhD submissions in a way that early-stage and close-to-defense contributions are grouped separately for presentation and discussion. This will allow for very focused discussion, comments, and support, which will meet the particular needs of the individual study phase. Plenary parts will also be organized to support networking among all students. PhD papers should be single-authored and should indicate the name and affiliation of proposer, abstract (max. 300 words), 3-5 keywords, introduction, research aim, theory, method, results achieved and/or prospective results, references. Since the number of participants is limited, the proposals will be critically reviewed by the organising committee for rigor, quality and relevance. Students may come from any discipline relevant to eGovernment research and practice. There will be a best contribution award. For further details please see : http://www.egov-society.org/ ----------------- Deadlines Submission of research papers, ongoing research, project and case papers): February 15, 2007 Submission of workshop/panel proposals: April 15, 2007 (to be sent to the organising committee via email) Submissions to PhD colloquium: April 15, 2007 (to be sent to the organising committee via email) Notification of acceptance for papers: April 1, 2007 Notification of acceptance for workshops/panels/PhD submissions: May 15, 2007 Camera-ready copies due: Papers in LNCS proceedings: May 31, 2007 Papers in Trauner Druck proceedings: June 15, 2007 General information for the EGOV conference can be found at www.egov-society.org <http://www.egov-society.org/> ; Info on the location and for further conferences at the DEXA conference cluster: see www.dexa.org Organising chairs of the conference * Maria A. Wimmer, University of Koblenz- Landau (DE) <wimmer(a)uni-koblenz.de> * Ake Grönlund, Orebro University (SE) <ake.gronlund(a)esi.oru.se> * Jochen Scholl, University of Washington (USA) <jscholl(a)u.washington.edu> Organising chairs of the PhD Colloquium * Kim V. Andersen Copenhagen Business School (DK) <kva.inf(a)cbs.dk> * Jochen Scholl, University of Washington (USA)<jscholl(a)u.washington.edu>

1 0

Quant analysis in AoIR
by Barry Wellman 23 Dec '06

23 Dec '06

I finally took the time to read _Internet Research Annual 2005_ (based on the 2003 conference. I was surprised that none of the 20 chapters used numbers (dare I say quantitative analysis): not even a frequency distribution or x-tab? Was this AoIR policy at the time? Is it now? Were no quant (or mixed-mode) chapters good enough? The volume basically sends an implicit message that only non-quant. analyses are welcomed in AoIR, despite pronouncements to the contrary. I hope that when the next Annual comes out, it will be a different story. Barry Wellman _____________________________________________________________________ Barry Wellman S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology NetLab Director Centre for Urban & Community Studies University of Toronto 455 Spadina Avenue Toronto Canada M5S 2G8 fax:+1-416-978-7162 wellman at chass.utoronto.ca http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman for fun: http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php _____________________________________________________________________

1 0

And a card with a difference
by Dominic Pinto 22 Dec '06

22 Dec '06

(and possibly a phenomenon worthy of research?) Happy Christmas. Make someone else's day and send a card like this: http://www.everyclick.com/uk/myeveryclick/christmascard Best wishes for a sober thrifty hardworking and prosperous Yule Dominic Dominic Pinto BA MIEEE MCMI MRi FRSA http://www.ecademy.com/user/dominicpinto e-m: dominic.pinto(a)ieee.org M: +44 780 302-8268 Ph: +44 207 379-8341 In the U.S. M/Cell: +1 215 667-3001

1 0

Location specific blogs
by Barry Wellman 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

Dear CITSniks & AoIRians, Noted urban sociologist Sharon Zukin and grad student Valerie Trujillo are studying location-specific blogs -- those that identify/represent themselves as being from a certain place. (My suggested title: "A Blog Grows in Brooklyn"). Can you help them with lit? Their query is below. Please respond to VTrujillo(a)gc.cuny.edu Barry Wellman _____________________________________________________________________ Barry Wellman S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology NetLab Director Centre for Urban & Community Studies University of Toronto 455 Spadina Avenue Toronto Canada M5S 2G8 fax:+1-416-978-7162 wellman at chass.utoronto.ca http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman for fun: http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php _____________________________________________________________________ On Sun, 17 Dec 2006, Zukin, Sharon wrote: > Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 19:15:53 -0500 > From: "Zukin, Sharon" <SZukin(a)gc.cuny.edu> > To: wellman(a)chass.utoronto.ca > Cc: "Trujillo, Valerie" <VTrujillo(a)gc.cuny.edu> > Subject: Question for listserv > > > For work that I am doing with Prof. Sharon Zukin on creative cultural > producers in Brooklyn (New York), I are looking for studies of blogs > that originate in, and identify with, specific areas of cities. How > common are such blogs? How is it possible to identify blogs > geographically? And what is the sociological research out there on > such blogs? > > Please contact Valerie Trujillo vtrujillo(a)gc.cuny.edu >

7 6

faculty position: Master of Communication in Digital Media program
by Kirsten A. Foot 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

The University of Washington seeks a new faculty member to join its cutting-edge Master of Communication in Digital Media program. The position open is for an assistant professor or associate professor. This is a full-time non-tenure track position, with a twelve-month service period. Candidates should have an MA or PhD in a related field. The 45-credit Master of Communication in Digital Media program is designed for mid-career professionals. It teaches students how to best use the new tools to create engaging, relevant content and how to direct a team and do business in the new digital environment. Courses include digital medial content and management, digital media research, law, policy, history, economics and social implications. All classes are in the evening or on weekends. Faculty are expected to teach five or six courses during a three-quarter academic year, provide administrative leadership, and supervise graduate students in the Digital Media program, as well as serving on Department and University committees. Applicants must demonstrate a potential for excellence in teaching and the ability to contribute to the Department’s curriculum. Applicants should have some combination of the following competencies: the ability to articulate the impact of digital technology on mediated communication in both practical and theoretical terms; to exhibit concrete examples of digital media projects in which s/he played a role; to demonstrate experience managing media productions; to have a start-to-finish understanding of at least one digital media production process; to be familiar with national and international policy and regulatory issues. The successful candidate will be able to direct graduate student research and help the program’s curriculum evolve to accommodate new developments in digital communication. We would look favorably on candidates with administrative experience. Experience mentoring students of under-represented groups would be highly valued. The start date for this position is September 16, 2007. Applications will be reviewed beginning February 12, 2007, and until the position is filled. Candidates should send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, statement of research and teaching interests, copies of teaching evaluations, and three letters of recommendation. Send hard copy application material to: Professor Gerald Baldasty Chair, Department of Communication University of Washington Box 353740 Seattle, WA 98195-3740 The University of Washington is the largest and most active research institution in the northwest with several extensive libraries and substantial computing and support facilities. The Department of Communication is committed to building a culturally diverse faculty and strongly encourages applications from women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and covered veterans. The University of Washington is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer.

1 0

social isolation
by farooq wani 20 Dec '06

20 Dec '06

hello, I am a post graduate student at the university of sheffield,uk. i shall be thankful if you can provide some literature about how 'online communities' affects social life. i already have some data from ntia.doc.gov. regards f wani

3 3

Re: [Air-l] Location Specific Blogs
by Heath Row 20 Dec '06

20 Dec '06

I maintain a New York-specific blog called the New Yorkest at http://heath.vox.com/ -- and folks might also be interested in the project NYC Bloggers -- http://www.nycbloggers.com/ -- which maps blogs clustered by subway stop. The proprietor(s) would make for an interesting interview. Similarly, FeedMap -- http://www.feedmap.net/BlogMap/ -- might be worth checking out. Geocoding blogs and blog entries has yet to be widely adopted, but the moblogging movement offers directional evidence that it's more and more feasible. I'm not aware of any formal studies of location-based blogs, however. Would love to learn more. Warren Ellis credits me with coining the term "mapblogging," which is clumsy. At the 2006 South by Southwest Interactive conference, I moderated a panel that considered various approaches to digitally annotating physical space. Participants included representatives from Meetup, Dodgeball, Socialight, and the Yale School of Architecture. Heath -- Heath Row | mediadiet.net | heath.vox.com this email is: [ ] bloggable [ x ] ask first [ ] private

1 0