- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Belarusian Mass Media Online
by mikhail.doroshevich＠e-baltic.org 02 Apr '06

02 Apr '06

Belarusian Mass Media Online e-belarus.org has recently conducted a survey of Belarusian online news sources. The survey was carried out within the month period( January 6- February, 6, 2006). 10 websites have been selected to represent various styles and approaches to online strategies, as well as different political attitudes. The major quantitative criterion was the average number of visitors per day. To understand users' perceptions and evaluations of online media, e-belarus.org organized focus group discussions. The group consisted of 10 participants, representing the core of Internet audience: individuals with a university degree, aged from 20 to 35, living in Minsk or in a regional center with a monthly income of more than USD 100. According to the information provided by the Ministry of information, there are 8 press agencies, 1148 print media (748 newspapers (136 regional), 400 magazines), 54 TV programmes and 154 radio programmes registered in Belarus [www.mininform.gov.by/main/massmedia/publishing] e-belarus.org survey reveals that only 6% of them have their online avatars: 6 agencies (64%), 58 print media (5%) (11% national and 12% regional ) and 23 TV and radio radio programmes (11%). Tut.by front page is the most popular news site with approximately 60 000 daily visitors. The other five top sites are date.by, naviny. by, charter97.org, bdg.by, svaboda.org. 4% of the total number of media are purely online projects. Two major Belarusian catalogues have registered 52 online projects providing news, including 21 national sites and portals, 8 regional, 19 specialized resources, 2 internet radio projects and 2 news syndication sites. Belarusian indymedia project http://belarus.indymedia.org/ launched in 2005 should be added to the list. The analysis of 10 online news resources conducted by e-belarus.org (tut.by; naviny.by; charter 97; eauramost.org; bdg.online; open.by; kraina.by; date.by; Belaruski partisan; telegraph.by) revealed that 58% of total number of news are taken form national online and offline resources, 37% - from foreign sources. 5% of news are presented without mentioning their sources. This is especially characteristic for the information about PACE and OCSE activities in Belarus, when no references to press-services of these bodies are given. National press agencies provide 34% of news, 38% news are collected from foreign news sources (27% - from Russian, 8% from press - departments of other foreign media), 8% of news these sites borrow news from each other, while only 5% of the total number of news are editorial. The major sources for Belarusian online media are national press agencies Belapan and Belta, Russian lenta.ru, Interfax and Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe website. In spite of the new possibilities opened up by online tools and technologies, Belarusian online media seem to have based their strategies on traditional journalism techniques. The number and quality of Belarusian media online initiatives shows them to be in the period of infancy. The overwhelming majority of them fall within the category of news sites with very limited editorial news and some form of participatory communication. The demand for value added online media remains unanswered. http://www.e-belarus.org/article/onlinemedia2006.html Best regards, Mikhail Doroshevich E-Belarus.ORG E: mikhail(a)e-belarus.org U: http://www.e-belarus.org B: http://www.i-policy.org

1 0

nvivo
by Barry Wellman 01 Apr '06

01 Apr '06

Coincidentally that some folks on this list mentioned Nvivo, Tom Richards (co-founder with wife Lyn) of Nudist/Nvivo gave a demo of the new Nvivo7 qualitative analysis software yesterday. It looked wonderful. It's a totally rewitten integration of N6 (ex Nud*ist) and Nvivo2. And has some hooks into statistical analysis packages, such as SPSS. BTW, Tom & Lyn have recently retired as active employees of QSR, the company they founded re their product. They remain connected. Had lovely dinner with Tom last night, who is going to pursue his astronomy hobby. One nice story is that Nudist's name got changed to N4 because (a) some US universities balked at buying such a risque product (even when spelled Nud*ist), and then when the Internet took off, some prudish filters wouldn't let messages through with Nudist in the subject line. This is NOT an April Fool's story. Barry _____________________________________________________________________ Barry Wellman Professor of Sociology NetLab Director wellman at chass.utoronto.ca http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman Centre for Urban & Community Studies University of Toronto 455 Spadina Avenue Toronto Canada M5S 2G8 fax:+1-416-978-7162 To network is to live; to live is to network _____________________________________________________________________

2 1

BISA International Communications CfP
by Maura Conway 31 Mar '06

31 Mar '06

**Apologies for cross posting** Thanks to all those who contributed to and attended at the International Communications section’s panels at last year’s British International Studies Association (BISA) conference in St. Andrews. I am pleased to announce the call for papers for this year’s BISA conference, which will take place in Cork, Ireland, from 18 to 20 December 2006. If you are interested in submitting a paper or, indeed, panel proposal related to International Communications for presentation at the annual conference, the deadline for submissions is Wednesday, 12 April. The International Communications section welcomes papers on the impact of both ‘new’ and ‘old’ media on the study and practice of international relations and foreign policy. **AoIRers, I am particularly interested in receiving paper proposals with an Internet focus as, I think, the Internet and its impacts are seriously undervalued in the discipline of International Relations** Abstracts of not more than 250 words and also bearing the authors name, affiliation, BISA membership status, and full contact details should be forwarded to me at maura.conway(a)dcu.ie. For further information about BISA and the annual conference, please refer to the BISA website: www.bisa.ac.uk. I look forward to hearing from you. Regards, Maura Conway

1 0

Online research methods: training package
by Matthew Allen 31 Mar '06

31 Mar '06

Dear all I bring your attention to http://www.geog.le.ac.uk/orm/index.htm An online research methods training package for social science community. It looks (on first impressions) excellent; peer-reviewed and developed under ESRC funding in the UK. 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 +61 8 92663511 (v) +61 8 9266 3166 (f) President, Association of Internet Researchers http://www.aoir.org

1 0

Perspective: It's my Internet--I can do what I want
by Jeremy Hunsinger 30 Mar '06

30 Mar '06

Employees are roaming free on the Internet for their own personal use while at work, according to a recent survey of more than 10,000 employees by Burstek, a provider of employee Internet management solutions. http://news.com.com/2010-1022_3-6055146.html? part=rss&tag=6055146&subj=news This is a pretty poor news article, imho, has anyone seen the actual study? I'm wondering how they actually operationalize some of their concepts because it seems to me that if employees use the internet for self-improvement, which to my mind includes discussing things with others, and reading, that might not be a direct form of efficiency, but i think that it probably increases the overall efficiency of the workplace by creating a more informed workforce. Jeremy Hunsinger Center for Digital Discourse and Culture () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.aoir.org The Association of Internet Researchers http://www.stswiki.org/ stswiki http://cfp.learning-inquiry.info/ LI-the journal

3 3

Invitation to ICA Pre Conference in Budapest
by Nanne Priebs 30 Mar '06

30 Mar '06

ICA 2006 Pre-conference: Influencing Outcomes: Communications Research and Global and Regional Policy Transformations Date: June 16- 17, 2006 Venue: Central European University, Budapest, Hungary Sponsored by: ICA Philosophy of Communication Division, and Political Communication Division Organizers: The Project for Global Communication Studies, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, The Center for Media and Communication Studies, Central European University, Budapest, and the COST A30 European Media Scholars Network Description of the proposed conference: Given the theme of the Dresden ICA conference "Networking, Communication, and Research," it is appropriate and timely to offer a pre-conference that deals with the interplay between policymakers and the scholarly community. Globalization, internationalization, and a strong sense of inter-dependency as is documented by current political and economic realities has reinforced the need to understand how policy is made, what its impact is, who and how it influences, and whether local, national, regional or international laws and policies are called for and the most effect means of governance. The drive towards democratization and the many transitions that have taken place in the post-1989 period have cast a new light on the importance of creating meaningful and useful media policy. As one of the central pillars of a modern democracy, media institutions, comprising both traditional and new technologies, play a key role in the functioning of society. Against this backdrop, the Project for Global Communication Studies at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, and the Center for Media and Communication Studies, Central European University, propose a two-day pre-conference that will discuss the relationship between research and policymaking, how the scholarly community can impact and influence the policy agenda and policymaking institutions, as well as engage in a critical dialogue that will produce an agenda for future research, especially on issues and questions related to how media laws and policies affect and impact democratization and social transition. The pre-conference has the added bonus of the inclusion of the COST A30 European Media Scholars Network, which will host a special meeting to coincide with the ICA Budapest pre-conference. CEU is the coordinating university for the COST A30 Action "East of West: Setting a New Central and Eastern European Media Research Agenda." The project brings together more than 40 outstanding scholars from 20 European countries. The main objective of the Action is to develop a cutting edge, joint European social science research agenda with a clear focus on newly emerging problems of Central and Eastern European media in a comparative perspective. Budapest, as one of the principal points of the post-communist transition, provides a fitting backdrop for a pre-conference of this nature, giving participants the opportunity to engage with Hungary's media law and policy reform leaders from academic, civil society, as well as commercial and industry sectors. The Annenberg-CEU pre-conference sessions will feature: � Participation from many of Europe's leading media scholars who are part of the EU COST A30 Action European media studies network; � two keynote addresses; � panel discussions; � a tour of Hungary's famous and beautiful Parliament building, with a guided tour by a former member of Parliament and leading figure of Hungary's media law and policy transformation; � a roundtable on contemporary issues of nationalism and ethnic identity; and � optional guided tours of Budapest's famous cafes and outdoor garden pubs, a trip to one of Budapest's relaxing mineral baths, and visit to one of many local music attractions, like the Hungarian Opera. Cost and registration details: Please see the ICA website for registration details (http://www.icahdq.org/) or contact Susan Abbott at the Annenberg School for Communication at sabbott(a)asc.upenn.edu. Costs associated with the Budapest Pre-conference will include: hotel, some meals and a conference registration fee. Participants of the Budapest Pre-conference are encouraged to arrange their travel such that they connect through Budapest en route to Dresden. The Pre-conference organizers will also assist with travel to Budapest, and depending on interest with either organize low-cost air travel or a group bus from Budapest to Dresden. Other Details: Registration and deposit due in advance, by May 15, 2006. Contact people: � Susan Abbott, Sr. Research Coordinator at the Project for Global Communication Studies, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania � E-mail: sabbott(a)asc.upenn.edu � Laura Ranca, Project Coordinator, Center for Media and Communication Studies, Central European University � E- mail: rancal(a)ceu.hu. Pre-Conference Registration Fee: $100 USD (payable to ICA, at the time of registering and paying for ICA Dresden Conference) Items included in this fee: 1. Meals, Materials and Entertainment Fee: $50 USD 2. ICA Administration Fee: $25 USD 3. Annenberg-CEU Administration Fee: $25 USD Budapest Costs � Accommodation and Travel Pre-conference participants can either book their travel directly to Budapest (roundtrip) or they can book their travel (roundtrip to Berlin) and transfer to Budapest. We suggest the following itineraries: Travel to Budapest for the Pre-conference Participants must arrange their travel to arrive in Budapest on Thursday, June 15, 2006 for arrival and check-in. The pre-conference starts on Friday, June 16, 2006 at 9 am. Option A: Budapest direct � Roundtrip ticket from your home city to Budapest. � Easyjet flight from Budapest to Berlin, with bus transfer to Dresden (We will arrange for bus transfer for those interested). Estimated cost of the Easyjet flight, and bus transfer is $100 USD roundtrip (Budapest to Berlin and back to Budapest) Option B: Berlin direct � Roundtrip ticket from your home city to Berlin � You arrange your own travel to Budapest � options include Easyjet or other low-cost airlines or going by bus or train. (We will not arrange bus transfer with this option, but can provide advice and suggestions for ways to get from Berlin to Budapest). >From the Budapest Airport there is a Shuttle Service into the city. You can buy a round trip ticket (good for your ride to your hotel and back to the airport) upon arrival in Budapest, just after you get out of baggage claim. The cost of the ticket is roughly $20 USD. It is recommended that you change some money at the airport upon arrival or use the cash machines at the airport to get Hungarian Forints � the local currency. Budapest has a wide selection of banks, cash machines and change kiosks. Credit cards are accepted most places (mostly Master Card and Visa). English and German are widely spoken in Budapest, in addition to Hungarian, the national language. Accommodation We will do our best to help participants find the accommodation that meets their budget. We suggest the following: Hotel Options � You can choose from hotel rooms that start at 50 euros a night (around $60 USD). We will book your hotel for you, and will work with area hotels to find a rate that is suitable for your budget. Please email Laura Ranca (rancal(a)ceu.hu) to let her know your preferences. Hotel rooms can be shared, but you must indicate this before check-in. We will make the reservation, but you are required to pay the hotel bill at the time of checkout. Hungarian hotels accept Visa, and Master Card, and American Express, as well as cash. It is also possible to prepay your hotel bill with a wire transfer or credit card payment over the phone. The hotel fee is not included in the registration fee, so please plan ahead and get in touch with Laura Ranca to reserve a room. Youth Hostel Option � There are many Youth Hostels in Budapest to choose from. For a list of available hostels, please visit this website: http://www.reservations.bookhostels.com/europeanrailguide.com/findabed.php?… For people choosing to stay in a Youth Hostel, you must take care of reserving and paying for your stay on your own. The conference organizers are unable to do this for you. Hostels are an affordable option for accommodation in Europe, and are generally clean and safe and centrally located, with access to public transportation. The hostels closest to CEU are the ones situated in districts 5, 6, 7 and of Budapest (CEU is situated in district 5). Some of the near-by hostels are: � Mellow Mood Hostels (http://www.hostels.hu/about-us.html) � Marco Polo Hostel (http://www.backpackers.hu/marcopolo.php) � Aboriginal Hostel (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/AboriginalHostel-Budapest-4545) � Agape Budget Guesthouse (http://www.hostels.com/en/availability.php/HostelNumber.10040) Hostels fill up fast, so it is best to book in advance. CEU Dormitory Option (http://www.ceucenter.hu/ENG/index_eng.html) CEU operates a residential hall that is approximately 45 minutes from the center of Budapest and CEU by public transportation (bus + one Metro ride). The rooms are all wired with Internet access, and the hall has a swimming pool, tennis court, caf* and a dining facility. People from all over the world stay there and it is a nice way to meet people. For those interested in this option, please email Laura Ranca for more information and for reservations. Costs: 30 Euro � for single room 38 Euro � for shared room Rooms are subject to availability and space is not guaranteed. Student Guest-Stay Option � On a first-come, first-served basis, we will match interested graduate students with graduate students in Budapest attending CEU or other Budapest-centered universities. Space is limited. This option offers the budget-minded student traveler the opportunity to stay in Budapest for the pre-conference, without the worry of how to pay for accommodation, i.e. it is free, although we encourage you to bring a small gift for your host. It is recommended that you bring a sleeping bag or sheets and a blanket for the duration of your stay, although your hosts may already have bedding. We will facilitate email contact between ICA graduate student participants and their hosts in Budapest before the conference, so that you can know what to expect and how to best prepare. For those interested in this option, please email Laura Ranca at rancal(a)ceu.hu.

1 0

(no subject)
by Dr. W. Reid Cornwell 30 Mar '06

30 Mar '06

Noemi, I am interested in your research and would appreciate being in your circle of associates. I will also publish your work in our website. http://tcfir.org <http://tcfir.org/> I am planning a conference in September that will deal with Internet issues. In addition I suggest you look into "The International Digital Media and Arts Association" (iDMAa) http://www.idmaa.org <http://www.idmaa.org/> . Dr. Jeff Ruttenbeck, its president, would also be interested in your work. They have a conference and accept papers but I think it was held recently. Reid _____ Dr. W. Reid Cornwell The Center For Internet Research P.O. Box 6369 Breckenridge, CO 720.212.0719 (phone) 970.485.5109 (mobile) <mailto:wrc@tcfir.org> wrc(a)tcfir.org http://tcfir.org

1 0

Christians against MySpace?
by Mark D. Johns 30 Mar '06

30 Mar '06

ABC evening news tonight ran a story implying that some ultra-conservative Christian groups in the U.S. are targeting MySpace as a "pornographic" site contributing to the "moral downfall" of teens. Does anyone have any references on this? Specifics of what groups, what tactics are being employed against MySpace, etc.? Thanks. -- Mark D. Johns, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Dept. of Communication Studies Luther College, Decorah, Iowa http://academic.luther.edu/~johnsmar/ ----------------------------------------------- "Get the facts first. You can distort them later." ---Mark Twain

6 5

MA in Public Policy - Media Stream - extended application deadline
by Nanne Priebs 30 Mar '06

30 Mar '06

Dear all, The Central European University (CEU) invites applications from graduate students and young professionals to spend the Fall 2006 semester or the academic year 2006 * 2007 in Budapest, Hungary. The program is sponsored by the Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS) at CEU. The MA Program in “Media, Information and Telecommunication Policy” was launched as part of CEU’s Public Policy Program. The Media Stream is designed to train a new generation of policy-makers and advisors in several fields, including the important area of telecommunications and media development Application: As the official deadline has passed, I would encourage those who are interested to contact me asap at vispriebs(a)ceu.hu. - Looking forward to hearing from you! Best, Nanne Nanne Priebs Project Manager Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS) Central European University Nador u. 9, H-1051 Budapest, Hungary email: vispriebs(a)ceu.hu www.cmcs.ceu.hu *********************************************** CEU (www.ceu.hu) is a US-style English language graduate university with a focus on the social sciences and the humanities, accredited both in the United States and in Hungary, and located in Budapest, in the heart of Europe. The university is oriented to interdisciplinary research on, and the study of social change and the policy implications of transition to open societies. In addition, emphasis is placed on European Union affairs, as well as on the special features of non-Western democracies. CMCS (www.cmcs.ceu.hu) has emerged as a new center of excellence for promoting media and communication studies throughout the Central and Eastern European region. We aim to accomplish this in a manner that can be useful to NGOs, policy-makers and regulators as well as for internationally acclaimed scholars and researchers. CMCS was created through the joint efforts and participation of the Annenberg School for Communication (Univ. of Pennsylvania), the Budapest Technical University and the Central European University (CEU). ***********************************************

1 0

Last call --- Wonderground --- Design Research Society International Conference 2006
by Ken Friedman 30 Mar '06

30 Mar '06

Friends, The time for your Wonderground proposal has arrived. This is the last call for papers. We are already receiving good material and we look forward to a wonderful international event that brings the world's design research community together in Lisbon. The main details appear below. For more information, please visit our web site at http://www.iade.pt/drs2006/ DRS conferences are an important opportunity to present research and to learn from others. For many authors, DRS conference papers offer an opportunity to present work that will later become the foundation of journal articles and books. Wonderground emphasizes an informative, inclusive review process designed to provide authors with valuable insights and comments to help them take papers to the next stage for later publication. Our review process will "help authors in" for a rich, inclusive conference. Our promise to every author is simple: If you send a paper to Wonderground, we guarantee a clear, useful review that will help you present your research at the conference and take your work further afterward. We look forward to a continued strong response from the design research community, and we hope for proposals from everyone who reads this final call. Eduardo Corte-Real, Ken Friedman, and Terence Love Co-chairs Wonderground! Design Research Society International Conference 2006 Lisbon, Portugal -- Third Call for Papers - Deadline March 31 Wonderground - the 2006 Design Research Society International Conference invites full papers of up to 6,000 words and working papers of up to 2,000 words. There is a specific call for contributions to the research exhibition. We welcome papers in all areas of design research. -- Conference Web Site http://www.iade.pt/drs2006/ -- DEADLINE: 2006 March 31. Responding to requests for an extended deadline, we changed the deadline to March 31. We will continue to accept papers until April 5. We will begin the review process for each paper as it arrives to ensure a prompt reply for those who need it. Digital submission: Authors must submit papers in digital form. Submission address: Please submit papers to the Content Management Coordinator "Martim Lapa" martim.lapa(a)iade.pt When sending your paper to Mr. Lapa, please send a copy [Cc:] to the Content Management Secretary "Elisabete Perfeito" eperfeito(a)iade.pt Language: Papers must be written in English. References, format, and style: Conference papers should follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition. Please visit the conference web site for full details. Authors can download a good short guide at URL: http://www.docstyles.com/ Length: Full papers should be up to 6000 words plus illustrations. Working papers should be up to 2000 words plus illustrations. Refereeing: A large, international scientific committee ensures expert review for all fields for design research. No referee will review more than three papers. Each author will receive careful, clear, reflective comments. The Wonderground review process will "help authors in" rather than "keep authors out." -- Short Guidelines: Members of the scientific committee have prepared two short guidelines to help authors write papers that enable readers to understand and use their work. These are not rules, but suggestions or checklists covering the key features of a conference paper. Full Papers: The full paper format runs up to 6,000 words. We encourage submissions from all fields of design research. We welcome papers representing all perspectives and research methods. These guidelines are intended to help authors At the top of the full paper, write a self-contained abstract of up to 200 words that outlines your aims, scope, and conclusions. Then, give up to five keywords that describe the working paper. In the paper, 1) Introduce the subject and state the goals of the paper. 2) Identify the issues you will consider and give some background. 3) Describe your approach to the issues you will address. 4) Describe the circumstances in which you conducted your work. 5) Describe what you actually did and describe the tools you used. 6) Describe your findings or conclusions and explain how they support your goals. 7) Indicate what you learned or accomplished and suggest future work in your area of interest. 8) Provide a bibliography containing all the references cited in the text. Working papers: The 2000-word length working paper format allows researchers to present work in progress in a convenient way while making a rich enough argument to deserve conference presentation. A working paper should contain several features of a full paper. At the top of the working paper, write a self-contained abstract of up to 200 words that outlines your aims, scope, and conclusions. Then, give up to five keywords that describe the working paper. In the working paper, 1) State the theme of the paper. 2) Promise a contribution. 3) Provide evidence for the argument that you will present to reach the conclusion. 4) State the structure of the argument and show how you will develop it. 5) Show how the evidence and the argument will lead to a contribution. Evidence may include summaries of empirical work as well as discussion from the literature. 6) Provide a selected reference list to supports the working paper in the same way that a full reference list supports a full paper. Language: English is the conference language. Please remember that English is a second or third language for many of our authors and readers. We encourage authors to write in a direct, comfortable style for clear, understandable papers. -- Information update service: If you are submitting a paper or exhibit to Wonderground, please join our JISCmail information list to receive updates and conference information. To join please go to: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/DRS-CONFERENCE-CONTRIBUTORS.html

1 0