- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Social Networking Web Site Permissions...
by kuehlm＠ou.edu 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

> Hello Listmates- > > I am a geography master's student, just starting out in the world of > internet research and have a question: > > Has anyone conducted research on Myspace.com and been forced (by IRBs or > other parties) to obtain permission from myspace (or any other social > networking website) before conducting the research? > > How have you gone about this? > > Or > > Does anyone know of a way to prove that the information on myspace.com is > public information and thus permission from the owners is not necessary? > > Any help would be great! > Thanks! > Marcie > > ________ > Marcie Kuehl > Department of Geography > M104 Sarkeys Energy Center > University of Oklahoma > 405.325.7468 > kuehlm(a)ou.edu

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Re: [Air-l] Brisbane accomodation needed
by Sarah Stewart 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

there's plenty of backpackers about but they are pretty scungy. Sarah Sarah Stewart PhD Candidate Senior Lecturer School of Midwifery Otago Polytechnic Forth St Private Bag 1910 Dunedin New Zealand Tel: 0800 762786 sarahs(a)tekotago.ac.nz >>> smith(a)sfu.ca 09/10/06 3:07 AM >>> I realize this isn't likely the appropriate place for it, but I am getting a bit concerned that I can't find a reasonably priced room near the conference hotel. I left it too late to get the discounted rooms (shame on me), so I am now facing either a very pricey room in the Hilton or somewhere else... Does anyone have a suggestion for a room nearby that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? I am not fussy - would take just about anything. I arrive Tuesday, Sept 26, leave Sunday, Oct 1. -- Richard Smith, Associate Professor School of Communication Simon Fraser University, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, CANADA V6B 5K3 Phone: 604 291 5116 Web: http://www.sfu.ca/~smith/ New book!: http://arago.cprost.sfu.ca/smith/mawc _______________________________________________ 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/

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Re: [Air-l] Fwd: RE: Facebook Protest and other things you raised.
by Sarah Brooke Robbins 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

Sal: I'm SO glad you made the connection from social networks on Facebook-like sites and MMOGs. I've been pining to do it here but sat back to watch the arguments first. Your comparison is especially insightful to me because it stresses the point that in MMORPGs and networking sites alike, the real commodity is a user base. Whether that user number is used to justify advertising investment or monthly subscription costs, the number of people using the site/network is what attracts money into the system. Thus, as the main commodity of a site, users tend to begin to feel some sense of ownership in that community (as the sites encourage them to do). One of the most interesting ideas to me regarding the Facebook situation is that the students I've spoken to felt that the site was "for students" in a way that made it feel like a closed community which I think made them feel safer. They trusted that their profiles would only be viewed by people "like them." I think this sense of a membership went a long way in causing the feelings of violation and creepiness that contributed to the protests. On another tack, your ideas about what the users have contributed to the community in their "one way" relationship makes me think about SecondLife where the stakes seem even higher. Users hold the copyright on anything they create in the environment and can make real money from their creations (search for Slingo to see an example) thus when the creators of SecondLife make a system change people feel not only their comfort threatened but also their money-making potential and we all know that money makes the world go round :) Sarah "Intellagirl" Robbins On 9/10/06, Nancy Baym <nbaym(a)ku.edu> wrote: > > Sal Humphries was having trouble sending this to the list, so sent it > to me. With his permission I pass it on to the list. > > > > >Nancy Baym wrote: > > > >>What I find interesting, and frankly rather upsetting, and cannot yet > >>fully articulate (help fellow listers!) is that we (speaking here as > >>a user) get invested in these sites. We use them to build identities, > >>to create connections, to network, for whatever purposes. We spend a > >>lot of time there and we get invested through time, social > >>connections, and affect. And then the developers get a new idea and > >>suddenly we all have to live with it or leave. To use the front lawn > >>metaphor, it's as though they decide that actually the streets > >>shouldn't be on a grid pattern, they should all be cul-de-sacs and if > >>you didn't want to live on a cul-de-sac, well, move to a new town. > >>Who were you to think you had any say in city planning? > >> > >>As these sites become more and more integral to everyday experience, > >>it seems the developers have more and more of an obligation to > >>understand and their users, and to incorporate their concerns into > >>the design before making big changes, and to give people options for > >>managing problematic elements of the changes they decide to make > >>anyhow (in the facebook case, turning off the minifeed for your own > >>profile). > >> > >>There seems to be a real difference between the ethical and practical > >>obligations to users in these "web2" sites and the way that > >>businesses have related to their customers in the past. As I say, > >>this is not something I've worked through, but design and > >>development, customer service, public relations, and community > >>relations all seem to merge in new ways. > >> > >>Does anyone have more thought-through ways to think about what I'm > >>trying to get at here? > >> > > > >I think you raise some very interesting points about the ways we > >lose control (to some extent) of our communities and identities > >through conducting parts of our social life in proprietary spaces. > >I've been thinking about this in relation to mulitplayer online > >games and the relations between publishers and players. Most Terms > >of Service agreements used by social softwares (including MMOGs) are > >one-sided contracts which leave users with little recourse to > >administrative justice should things go wrong. For instance if a > >player is banned by the customer service team in a game, there is > >often no mechanism of appeal, no system of accountability in place > >which can constrain the publisher. And players of these games, like > >the users you mention above, invest thousands of hours into games, > >building content for the publishers (which the publishers then > >usually lay claim to). > > > >The (market-based) argument is that as consumers we are able to > >constrain the publisher through our 'exit power'. The thought that > >if they (publishers) push too far, players will trash the game and > >leave is the thing that will supposedly prevent inequitable > >treatment of the users they provide the service to. But this > >argument ignores the high switching costs to the users. Because in > >social softwares, the affective and time investments are huge. The > >cost of leaving, to the user, is often too high to contemplate and > >they will put up with a good deal more than is fair. Exit power may > >work for consumers, but actually users of games and social softwares > >are more than consumers - they are very productive and that changes > >things. > > > >The thing is that currently these service providers achieve their > >success on the back of content created by their users, but there is > >no attendant sense of obligation to their users. The irony is that, > >in the MMOGs at least, players pay to make content for the > >publishers, (and by content I include the idea that social networks > >are affective content with a very real economic value to the > >publisher) who can then screw them every which way, and with > >impunity. I think this is probably clearest in the case of bannings > >- the denial of access to a persons own online identity and > >community, but there are also implications for the ongoing design > >processes. > > > >I've published a paper canvassing aspects of this which you can find at: > > http://eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00004311/01/4311.pdf > > > >TL Taylor is publishing soon on more design oriented issues, and I > >think you might find that interesting: > > > >"Beyond Management: Considering Participatory Design and Governance > >in Player Culture," First Monday, forthcoming. > > > >She also published a rippingly good article back in 2002: > > > >"'Whose Game Is This Anyway?'": Negotiating Corporate Ownership in a > >Virtual World" in F. Mayra (ed.), > ><http://granum.uta.fi/cgi-bin/book.cgi?6901>Computer Games and > >Digital Cultures Conference Proceedings. Tampere: Tampere University > >Press, 2002. > > > >Hope some of this might be useful in thinking through the issues you > raise > >Sal > > > >Dr Sal Humphreys > >Post Doctoral Fellow > >Faculty of Creative Industries > >Queensland University of Technology > >Brisbane, Australia > >Mob. 0414 456 078 > > _______________________________________________ > 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/ > -- Sarah "Intellagirl" Robbins http://www.intellagirl.com http://secondlife.intellagirl.com Yahoo: Intellagirl Skype: Intellagirl SecondLife: Intellagirl Tully

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Brisbane accommodation
by Graham Longford 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

For those without hotel accommodation yet for AOIR 7.0 in Brisbane (and who can't stomach the $1000AUD for 3 nights at the Hilton), I just booked for 3 nights at the Astor Best Western for $525AUD. A substantial savings. The hotel is just a few blocks from the conference venue and looks more than adequate. Thanks for the suggestion Mary-Helen! And thanks to Richard for reminding me to take care of this mundane detail. Apologies to non-attendees for this post. Cheers, Graham -- Graham Longford, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking (CRACIN) Co-investigator, Community Wireless Infrastructure Research Project (CWIRP) Faculty of Information Studies University of Toronto 140 St. George St., Rm 310 Toronto, Ontario CANADA M5S 3G6 email: graham.longford(a)utoronto.ca +1 416-978-4662

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Fwd: RE: Facebook Protest and other things you raised.
by Nancy Baym 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

Sal Humphries was having trouble sending this to the list, so sent it to me. With his permission I pass it on to the list. > >Nancy Baym wrote: > >>What I find interesting, and frankly rather upsetting, and cannot yet >>fully articulate (help fellow listers!) is that we (speaking here as >>a user) get invested in these sites. We use them to build identities, >>to create connections, to network, for whatever purposes. We spend a >>lot of time there and we get invested through time, social >>connections, and affect. And then the developers get a new idea and >>suddenly we all have to live with it or leave. To use the front lawn >>metaphor, it's as though they decide that actually the streets >>shouldn't be on a grid pattern, they should all be cul-de-sacs and if >>you didn't want to live on a cul-de-sac, well, move to a new town. >>Who were you to think you had any say in city planning? >> >>As these sites become more and more integral to everyday experience, >>it seems the developers have more and more of an obligation to >>understand and their users, and to incorporate their concerns into >>the design before making big changes, and to give people options for >>managing problematic elements of the changes they decide to make >>anyhow (in the facebook case, turning off the minifeed for your own >>profile). >> >>There seems to be a real difference between the ethical and practical >>obligations to users in these "web2" sites and the way that >>businesses have related to their customers in the past. As I say, >>this is not something I've worked through, but design and >>development, customer service, public relations, and community >>relations all seem to merge in new ways. >> >>Does anyone have more thought-through ways to think about what I'm >>trying to get at here? >> > >I think you raise some very interesting points about the ways we >lose control (to some extent) of our communities and identities >through conducting parts of our social life in proprietary spaces. >I've been thinking about this in relation to mulitplayer online >games and the relations between publishers and players. Most Terms >of Service agreements used by social softwares (including MMOGs) are >one-sided contracts which leave users with little recourse to >administrative justice should things go wrong. For instance if a >player is banned by the customer service team in a game, there is >often no mechanism of appeal, no system of accountability in place >which can constrain the publisher. And players of these games, like >the users you mention above, invest thousands of hours into games, >building content for the publishers (which the publishers then >usually lay claim to). > >The (market-based) argument is that as consumers we are able to >constrain the publisher through our 'exit power'. The thought that >if they (publishers) push too far, players will trash the game and >leave is the thing that will supposedly prevent inequitable >treatment of the users they provide the service to. But this >argument ignores the high switching costs to the users. Because in >social softwares, the affective and time investments are huge. The >cost of leaving, to the user, is often too high to contemplate and >they will put up with a good deal more than is fair. Exit power may >work for consumers, but actually users of games and social softwares >are more than consumers - they are very productive and that changes >things. > >The thing is that currently these service providers achieve their >success on the back of content created by their users, but there is >no attendant sense of obligation to their users. The irony is that, >in the MMOGs at least, players pay to make content for the >publishers, (and by content I include the idea that social networks >are affective content with a very real economic value to the >publisher) who can then screw them every which way, and with >impunity. I think this is probably clearest in the case of bannings >- the denial of access to a persons own online identity and >community, but there are also implications for the ongoing design >processes. > >I've published a paper canvassing aspects of this which you can find at: > http://eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00004311/01/4311.pdf > >TL Taylor is publishing soon on more design oriented issues, and I >think you might find that interesting: > >"Beyond Management: Considering Participatory Design and Governance >in Player Culture," First Monday, forthcoming. > >She also published a rippingly good article back in 2002: > >"'Whose Game Is This Anyway?'": Negotiating Corporate Ownership in a >Virtual World" in F. Mayra (ed.), ><http://granum.uta.fi/cgi-bin/book.cgi?6901>Computer Games and >Digital Cultures Conference Proceedings. Tampere: Tampere University >Press, 2002. > >Hope some of this might be useful in thinking through the issues you raise >Sal > >Dr Sal Humphreys >Post Doctoral Fellow >Faculty of Creative Industries >Queensland University of Technology >Brisbane, Australia >Mob. 0414 456 078

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Re: [Air-l] Publishishing
by Caroline Haythornthwaite 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

Ok, let's not assume -- perhaps you'd like to introduce yourself to the list. /Caroline Haythornthwaite ---- Original message ---- >Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2006 16:37:34 -0600 >From: "Rasputin" <rasputin(a)sukinsyn.com> >Subject: Re: [Air-l] Publishishing >To: <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> > >All you've found out is that a site shares a server along with 15,000 other >websites. > >You know what they say about assumptions? > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org >[mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of elw(a)stderr.org >Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2006 3:30 PM >To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org >Subject: Re: [Air-l] Publishishing > > >> Subject: Re: [Air-l] Publishishing >> >> strange that sukisyn site is on the same host as the host organization >> of tcfir.org the focus on education foundation. strange coincidences >> occur i suppose. > > >It seems fairly obvious that the recent rash of trolls are all connected >to one particular list member, who appears not to have the awareness of >general internet operational issues to be conscious of the ease of >figuring out who he is. > >--elijah > >_______________________________________________ >The air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list >is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org >Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: >http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > >Join the Association of Internet Researchers: >http://www.aoir.org/ > >_______________________________________________ >The air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list >is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org >Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/ listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > >Join the Association of Internet Researchers: >http://www.aoir.org/ ---------------------------------------- Caroline Haythornthwaite Associate Professor Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 501 East Daniel St., Champaign IL 61820

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Brisbane accomodation needed
by Richard Smith 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

I realize this isn't likely the appropriate place for it, but I am getting a bit concerned that I can't find a reasonably priced room near the conference hotel. I left it too late to get the discounted rooms (shame on me), so I am now facing either a very pricey room in the Hilton or somewhere else... Does anyone have a suggestion for a room nearby that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? I am not fussy - would take just about anything. I arrive Tuesday, Sept 26, leave Sunday, Oct 1. -- Richard Smith, Associate Professor School of Communication Simon Fraser University, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, CANADA V6B 5K3 Phone: 604 291 5116 Web: http://www.sfu.ca/~smith/ New book!: http://arago.cprost.sfu.ca/smith/mawc

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Faculty Position in HCI
by James P. Zappen 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

Please see the announcement of the Rensselaer faculty position in human-computer interaction appended below and distribute it to candidates who may be interested in and qualified for such a position. Thank you. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Humanities and Social Sciences Department of Language, Literature and Communication Tenure Track Faculty Position (Rank Open) in Human-Computer Interaction The Department of Language, Literature and Communication seeks a strong scholar/researcher in human-computer interaction. We will consider candidates in any area of HCI; however, we are especially interested in candidates whose research interests are in the areas of social computing, mobile/ubiquitous computing, or user-centered design, and who implement systems or perform rigorous laboratory or field studies as part of their research approach. Candidates are expected to develop a substantial program of research leading to peer-reviewed publication and external funding. A junior candidate should show evidence of strong promise in teaching and scholarship and a senior candidate should have a strong record in teaching and scholarship. Teaching opportunities will be at the undergraduate and graduate level with the typical teaching load set at two courses per semester. Desirable teaching expertise includes interface prototyping and implementation, HCI usability and evaluation techniques, and design methodology. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary faculty conducting state-of-the-art research on communication in technologically mediated contexts in areas such as human-computer interaction, communication studies, digital rhetoric, technical communication, media studies, and graphic design. The department has just added a new M.S. in Human Computer Interaction to a program portfolio that includes one of the top-ranked Ph.D.s in Communication and Rhetoric and a joint B.S. in Electronic Media, Arts, and Communication. The department also makes substantial contributions to teaching in a B.S. and M.S. in Information Technology and has a joint B.S. in game studies under development. Faculty and students have access to the Social and Behavioral Laboratory (http://www.sbrl.rpi.edu) and other Institute research facilities. More information about the department is available at http://www.llc.rpi.edu. Rensselaer is a U.S. News and World Report top-50 university with approximately 5000 undergraduate and 2500 graduate students. It is located in the emerging "Tech Valley" region of the Hudson River Valley with New York City, Boston, and Montreal only a few hours away. The region is known for its quality of life: Outdoor recreation opportunities in the Adirondack and Berkshire Mountains are only an hour or so away. The area boasts affordable Victorian architecture and is a cultural center for the arts. Rensselaers own EMPAC the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center will provide unsurpassed facilities for creative exploration and for research linking art and technology when it opens in 2007. Appointment begins August 15, 2006. Review of applications will begin February 1, 2006 and will continue until suitable candidates are identified. Application letter, current c.v., writing samples, and three letters of recommendation should be sent to: James P. Zappen, Search Committee Chair Department of Language, Literature, and Communication Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 110 8th Street Troy, NY 12180 Email: zappenj(a)rpi.edu Telephone: (518) 276-8117 Fax: (518) 276- 4092 10-0-0

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Faculty Position in Communication
by James P. Zappen 10 Sep '06

10 Sep '06

Please see the announcement of the Rensselaer faculty position in communication in technologically mediated contexts appended below and distribute it to candidates who may be interested in and qualified for such a position. Thank you. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Humanities and Social Sciences Department of Language, Literature and Communication Tenure Track Junior Faculty Position in Communication in Technologically Mediated Contexts The Department of Language, Literature and Communication seeks a strong scholar/researcher in communication in technologically mediated contexts. We will consider candidates who approach this topic grounded in established communication theory and research methods from any area; however, we are especially interested in candidates whose approach is informed by new media studies or by organizational, cross-cultural, or visual communication. Candidates are expected to develop a substantial program of research leading to peer-reviewed publication and external funding. The candidate should show evidence of strong promise in teaching and scholarship. Teaching opportunities will be at the undergraduate and graduate level with the typical teaching load set at two courses per semester. Desirable teaching expertise includes communication theory and research methods, but our flexible program allows faculty to devise and teach courses related to individual scholarly interests. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary faculty conducting state-of-the-art research on communication in technologically mediated contexts in areas such as communication studies, human-computer interaction, digital rhetoric, technical communication, media studies, and graphic design. The department has just added a new M.S. in Human Computer Interaction to a program portfolio that includes one of the top-ranked Ph.D.s in Communication and Rhetoric in the country and a joint B.S. in Electronic Media, Arts, and Communication. The department also makes substantial contributions to teaching in a B.S. and M.S. in Information Technology and has a joint B.S. in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences reaching final approval. Faculty and students have access to the Social and Behavioral Laboratory (http://www.sbrl.rpi.edu) and other Institute research facilities. More information about the department is available at http://www.llc.rpi.edu. Rensselaer is a U.S. News and World Report top-50 university with approximately 5000 undergraduate and 2500 graduate students. It is located in the emerging "Tech Valley" region of the Hudson River Valley with New York City, Boston, and Montreal only a few hours away. The region is known for its quality of life: Outdoor recreation opportunities in the Adirondack and Berkshire Mountains are only an hour or so away. The area boasts affordable Victorian architecture and is a cultural center for the arts. When it opens, Rensselaers EMPAC the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center will provide unsurpassed facilities for creative exploration and for research linking art and technology. Appointment begins August 15, 2007. Review of applications will begin October 15, 2006 and will continue until suitable candidates are identified. Application letter, current c.v., writing samples, and three letters of recommendation should be sent in hardcopy to: James P. Zappen, Search Committee Chair Department of Language, Literature, and Communication Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 110 8th Street Troy, NY 12180 Email: zappenj(a)rpi.edu Telephone: (518) 276-8117 Fax: (518) 276- 4092 (ads in July) 10-0-0

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Publishishing
by Rasputin 09 Sep '06

09 Sep '06

Why does an organization that is supposed to "Fount of Knowledge" on all things Internet publish its proceedings in on paper?

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