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7 new papers, 1 Book and 2 MS Theses on opensource.mit.edu
by Karim R. Lakhani 21 Nov '05

21 Nov '05

Dear All, Please find below the latest additions to our knowledge repository. Many thanks to the authors for their submissions. Please provide feedback to the authors directly. Until next time.... Warmly, Karim Paper 1 Author: FRANCESCO RULLANI Title: The debate and the community. The "reflexive identity" concept and the FLOSS community case http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/rullani.pdf Abstract: The empirical studies relative to the Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) case stress the important role played by psychological and social motivations. However, the theories elaborated to cope with this dimension, such as "gift economy", "epistemic community" or "community of practice", are not combined into a unique structured framework. It is possible to draw inspiration from philosophical studies about language and from sociological studies about collective action in order to construct a mechanism here called "reflexive identity"- able to bridge the analyzed theories and to explain the empirical evidences left aside by self-supply, reputation and signaling. The reflexive identity mechanism is triggered by the dialog between the members. In order to simply communicate, in fact, members have to "negotiate" the system of meanings they use to interface with the world and with the communitarian environment. But this means reshaping also their own vision of the world, redefining their identity. Community aims, principles and ethos act directly on members' identity, making them internalize the communitarian structure of rules. The reflexive identity principle, then, merges the psychological and social dimension of the FLOSS phenomenon with the structure of rules adopted by the FLOSS community, and thus it constitutes together with self-supply, signaling, reputation and peer regard the basis upon which the FLOSS community is built. Paper 2 Authors de Souuza, Cleidson, John Froehlich & Paul Dourish Title: Seeking the Source: Software Source Code as a Social and Technical Artifact http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/desouza.pdf Abstract In distributed software development, two sorts of dependencies can arise. The structure of the software system itself can create dependencies between software elements, while the structure of the development process can create dependencies between software developers. Each of these both shapes and reflects the development process. Our research concerns the extent to which, by looking uniformly at artifacts and activities, we can uncover the structures of software projects, and the ways in which development processes are inscribed into software artifacts. We show how a range of organizational processes and arrangements can be uncovered in software repositories, with implications for collaborative work in large distributed groups such as open source communities. Paper 3 Author Beussi, Lorenzo Title: Analysing the technological history of the Open Source Phenomenon: Stories from the Free Software Evolution http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/benussi.pdf Abstract: The Free Libre Open Source Software represents an outstanding example of open development model of technological knowledge. It has been studied in several researches that produced valuable illustrations of the way it works. Our understanding of its principal features is growing exponentially and an entire new literature on open source has been created. However there appears to be an important gap in the literature: the origin of the phenomenon. The paper attempts to tackle this issue by analyzing the long-term technological history of Free Open Source Software; the main research questions at stake are: is the phenomenon completely new? and if it is not totally new, where it comes form? and, more generally, how open source software developed over time? As a consequence the present work focuses primarily on the analysis of the fee/open source software history of technological change over a period of almost sixty years. I adopted a multidisciplinary approach to analyse the network of relations emerging between inventions and technological innovations, as well as economic determinants and intellectual property rights regimes throughout the period considered. Thus, I attempt to investigate the origins of the phenomenon as a way of understanding its evolution. Paper 4 Author: Watson, Andrew Title: Reputation in Open Source http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/watson.pdf Abstract The 1990s and early 2000s have seen the dramatic rise of open source software, with the Linux operating system as the most salient example. This article focuses on the role of reputation in open source. It describes the importance of the reputations of hackers, software vendors, open source projects, and the open source movement. Although reputation has long been used as an explanation of hacker motivation, this article applies the concept of reputation at multiple levels, and identifies the inter-level relations. Paper 5 Author: Arti K. Rai Title" "Open and Collaborative" Biomedical Research: Theory and Evidence Abstract Although a few commentators have discussed briefly the application of open source-type principles to biomedical research, they have not analyzed carefully how the model is actually being used. In this paper, I draw upon an ongoing, multi-year empirical inquiry into the role of intellectual property in computational biology and associated efforts to evaluate the extent to which the open and collaborative research model may promote socially desirable biomedical innovation – that is, innovation that produces marginal health benefits in excess of its marginal costs. Paper 6 Author Dafermos, George Title: The Critical Delusion of Immaterial Labour http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/dafermos4.pdf Abstract: There is an idea of immaterial labour: given that no worker is truly autonomous, the working class formed around the abode of immaterial labour edges in that direction. This idea enjoys a particularly strong hold among people contemplating employment in industries radically transformed or even spawned anew by digitisation, a fine illustration of which is the new media sector comprising Website developers, and e-marketers, to name but two of the more popular areas of specialisation, yet the idea's underlying premises made their appearance a long time before the digital condition ascended in the epicentre of our technologically hypertrophic societies. However, not only this rather ambiguous idea is not grounded in pragmatism, and is thus poised to result in huge misunderstandings as to the social relations of production that the hyped-up class of knowledge workers seems to be defined by; but most importantly, it is also bringing into force a new dialectic of hyper-exploitation in which a multitude of people, both highly-qualified warriors of the digital revolution and deskilled, underpaid manual labour destined to man the call centres in India, give away (all or part of) their labour for free without demanding, or being capable of demanding, anything in return. This essay sheds light upon this multi-faceted problematic, and elucidates on the ends and means by which this obscure master - slave dialectic is set in motion. Paper 7 Authors Jullien,Nicolas & Jean-Benoît Zimmermann Title New approaches to intellectual property : from open software to knowledge based industrial activities http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/jullienzimmermann.pdf We analyze the question of intellectual property in computer software, showing that both copyright and patents do not fit to the specificities and needs of this industry. The alternative model of Open Source Software, based on a very new juridical concept called GPL "General Public License", tends to take a growing importance. We explain its main characteristics, which consist to impose to the producers to disclose the source-code of the concerned programs and of any further improvement if they re-distribute/resell it. We show that by doing that it introduces a totally different approach of intellectual property within industrial strategies, based on a weaker intellectual protection. We discuss the consequences of such a movement in intistitutional and public policy terms and we enlarge the approach to understand its exemplariness, in the context of a knowledge based economy, for a growing number of industrial activities. Book Title How open is the future? Economic, social and cultural scenarios inspired by Free and Open Source Software. (Creative Commons License) http://crosstalks.vub.ac.be/publications/index.html Edited by Marleen Wynants & Jan Cornelis Abstract of the book: There are two reasons why the free and open-source software issue has become such an inspirational and powerful force today: the rise of the Internet and the growing tendency to protect all intellectual property. Internet technology made it possible to handle massive decentralized projects and irreversibly changed our personal communication and information research. Intellectual property, on the other hand, is a legal instrument which - due to recent excesses - became the symbol of exactly the opposite of what it had been developed for: the protection of the creative process. As a result, free-thinking programmers, scientists, artists, designers, engineers and scholars are daily trying to come up with new ways of creating and sharing knowledge. MS Theses Thesis 1 Author Lindman, Juho Title: Effects of Open Source Software on the Business Patterns of Software Industry http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/lindman.pdf Abstract: Open source software is a phenomenon that has potential to change the traditional patterns of business behavior. Research committed so far has not evaluated the entire scale of potential changes, which is the purpose of this explorative thesis. Previous literature on the subject can be divided into history of the phenomenon, explaining the nature of the phenomenon, and a more general discussion about strategies and business models in the software business. By using these theories this thesis provides a framework for analysing the entire phenomenon. The framework is put to use in the empirical part. Data consist of interviews of experts in the field. An analysis of the data is done using narrative methods. The analysis yield eleven narratives that describe the phenomenon. Four of the narratives reveal effects. On the basis of the responses gathered, open source software can change competition environment, customer expectations, the importance of competence, and platform thinking. Thesis 2 Author Cooksey, Robert Title: I Walk the Open Road: Toward an Open Source Philosophy http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/cooksey.pdf Abstract This paper addresses the concept of "Open Source" in a philosophical way. It argues that open source is a virtual entity with ontological significance beyond the realm of the software movement that granted its naming. The paper includes an examination of the technical language surrounding open source software, progresses through a philosophical exploration of this language removed from the specificity of computer languages and technologies, and then returns to an analysis of The Open Source Definition in the light of the philosophical investigation. -- Karim R. Lakhani MIT Sloan | The Boston Consulting Group Mobile: +1 (617) 851-1224 http://spoudaiospaizen.net http://web.mit.edu/lakhani/www | http://opensource.mit.edu My *new* book: http://tinyurl.com/cjxj6

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Fwd: CFP: INES Fall 06 workshop
by Jeremy Hunsinger 21 Nov '05

21 Nov '05

> > Reminder: Call for papers. > Locating Engineers: Education, Knowledge, Desire > International Network for Engineering Studies (INES) Workshop > Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA > September 10-13, 2006 > Deadline for manuscript proposals: December 1, 2005 > Notification of acceptance: January 15, 2006 > Deadline for completed draft manuscripts: July 1, 2006 > > INES workshop website: www.inesworkshop.sts.vt.edu > > Reform in engineering education has become an object of intense > interest and > desire in countries throughout the world. What is at stake in the > contents > of education for engineers, and for whom? > > This first workshop of the International Network for Engineering > Studies > (INES), sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation and > Virginia Tech, > will bring together researchers on the history, social and cultural > studies, > and philosophy of engineering education to address these questions by > placing them in wider historical and cultural contexts. > > How have the social, political, and epistemological issues involved in > locating engineers varied across space and time? What have been key > struggles in different countries? What have been the implications of > outcomes in engineering education for emerging national identities > as well > as transnational projects ranging from industrial capitalism to > globalization? What have been the implications of engineering > education for > emerging sciences and technologies? What relations have emerged > between what > counts as engineering and who counts as engineers, including > disproportionate demographic distributions by race and sex? > > This three-day workshop will employ a unique format of focused > discussion > around 16-18 previously-drafted papers in order both to bring together > researchers working on these topics in different countries and to > identify > critical issues and opportunities for further research. The > workshop will > provide travel subsidies and defray local expenses for participants > contributing manuscripts. The NSF award includes travel and local > expenses > for up to four Ph.D. students from other U.S. institutions, including > students who are not contributing manuscripts but would otherwise > benefit > from attending, and with special encouragement to students from > underrepresented minorities. > > Plans for dissemination include a coordinated set of publications > in 3-4 > journals, web-based video/audio streaming and transcripts to inform > scholars > not able to participate, and an edited book collection. > > See the workshop website for more detailed information: > www.inesworkshop.sts.vt.edu. > > The International Network for Engineering Studies was born in > August 2004 in > Paris, France, and currently has more than 160 members. The > organization > has three purposes: (a) to advance research in historical, social, > cultural, and philosophical studies of engineers and engineering; > (b) to > build a visible international community of researchers interested in > engineering studies; and (c) to draw upon research in engineering > studies to > contribute to public discussions and debates about engineering > education and > policy. > > INES expects to hold a second workshop in Taiwan in Fall 2007 > around the > topic of engineers and the workplace and a third workshop in > Portugal in > Fall 2008 (prior to SHOT 2008) around the topic of engineers and > technology. > > INES members also work collaboratively within and between existing > professional societies to advance work in engineering studies. > > An INES website is forthcoming. > jeremy hunsinger jhuns(a)vt.edu www.cddc.vt.edu jeremy.tmttlt.com www.tmttlt.com () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.aoir.org The Associatiion of Internet Researchers

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CFP: IFIP. Social Informatics: An Information Society for All?
by Jeremy Hunsinger 20 Nov '05

20 Nov '05

It is possible to get a minor extension on the deadline below if you need it :) -J International Federation for Information Processing IFIP-TC9 "Relationship Between Computers and Society" Seventh International Conference "Human Choice and Computers" (HCC7) An International Conference in remembrance of Rob Kling Social Informatics: An Information Society for All? Nova Gorica (Slovenia), Gorizia (Italy) September 21-23, 2006 Scope of the Conference Human choice and computers, Computers and Society, Social Informatics, are terms referring to a similar preoccupation: How is the human being and its societal environment kept in the centre - How to build up an "Information Society for All" [UNESCO, 2002], [eEurope, 2002] when developing our more and more complex ICT (Information and Communication Technology) systems? Call for Papers and Full Information Two main streams are proposed for discussion, the first one related to the concept of "social informatics", its methodology, its borders; the second related to its practice in different fields, or linked to relevant issues. Full presentation at http://www.HCC7.org Deadlines - December 15th, 2005: Papers submission deadline - 10 pages (4200-4500 words) with 5 keywords, to the International Programme Committee Chair, Jacques Berleur mailto:jberleur@info.fundp.ac.be http://www.info.fundp.ac.be/~jbl/ - Early March 2006: Feedback to authors - 1st April 2006: Final Paper due, and registration (people who don't register at the same time will not have their paper published) jeremy hunsinger jhuns(a)vt.edu www.cddc.vt.edu jeremy.tmttlt.com www.tmttlt.com () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.aoir.org The Associatiion of Internet Researchers

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[Comtech] First call for papers for Communities and Technologies 2007 (fwd)
by Barry Wellman 19 Nov '05

19 Nov '05

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 15:06:06 -0500 From: Charles Steinfield <steinfie(a)msu.edu> To: comtech(a)fit.fraunhofer.de Cc: Noshir Contractor <nosh(a)uiuc.edu>, Brian Pentland <pentland(a)bus.msu.edu>, C. Steinfield <steinfie(a)msu.edu>, Mark Ackerman <ackerm(a)umich.edu> Subject: [Comtech] First call for papers for Communities and Technologies 2007 Dear Colleagues, I realize this is quite early, but I would like to get the next Communities and Technologies conference on your planning horizon. The call for papers is provided below, and we encourage you to share this with interested colleagues. We hope you will find the topics to be of interest, and we look forward to welcoming you to Michigan State University for C&T 2007. Charles Steinfield, Brian Pentland, Mark Ackermann, and Noshir Contractor p.s. we apologize for any duplicate emails resulting from our posting this to several different listservs. ----------------------------------------------- 3rd International Conference on Communities and Technologies hosted by Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan U.S.A. June 28-30, 2007 First Call for Papers Conference Website: http://ebusiness.tc.msu.edu/cct2007 Following the success of two prior conferences, we cordially invite submissions to the third International Conference on Communities and Technologies (C&T 2007), hosted by Michigan State University. This biennial meeting serves as a forum for stimulating and disseminating research on the complex connections between communities - both physical and virtual - and information and communication technologies. C&T 2007 welcomes contributions from researchers in many fields, given the multidisciplinary and collaborative nature of inquiries into the interaction between community and technology. Past meetings have involved researchers working in such areas as computer supported cooperative work, computer supported collaborative learning, artificial intelligence, information retrieval, human computer interaction, information systems, community informatics, knowledge management, and Internet studies; across such fields as anthropology, communication, computer science, economics, geography, information studies, information systems, management science, political science, psychology, sociology, and telecommunication. The conference program includes competitively selected, peer-reviewed papers, as well as workshops, tutorials, and a small number of invited speakers. Important Dates: November 13, 2006: Paper submission deadline December 4, 2006: Deadline for submission of workshop proposals Conference Themes: There are many definitions of community. We focus on the notion of communities as social entities comprised of actors who share something in common: this common element may be geography, needs, interests, practices, organizations, or other bases for social connection. Communities are considered to be a basic unit of social experience. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can interact with communities in many complex ways. For example, ICTs can support community formation and development by facilitating communication and coordination among members. Conversely, the lack of attention to the surrounding community context may inhibit the design and effective use of ICT innovations. Hence, new research into the creation, use, and evaluation of ICTs aimed at community support is appearing at an increasing rate. New phenomena such as blogs, podcasting, smart mobs, and the popularity of social network software illustrate some of the new areas for research into the powerful and changing connections between community and technology. Empirical, conceptual, and design contributions are invited, involving a range of methodologies and approaches. These might include application designs, innovative frameworks, case studies, ethnographies, experiments, survey research, network analyses or economic studies. Topics appropriate for submission to this conference are manifold. Examples of some of the vibrant areas of communities and technology research include, but are not limited to: * virtual community formation and development * communities of interest and practice, knowledge sharing and organizational learning * communities and innovation * community informatics * technical support for communities * innovative applications of communityware * ad hoc communities and ICTs * innovations in community technology design * system platforms for e-community research * design methods for communityware * ICTs and geographical business communities (e.g. clusters and/or regional development) * ICTs and virtual business communities * community e-commerce business models * interactions between online and offline communities * social capital, communities, and technology * communities and e-government * ethnographic and case studies of virtual communities * trust, privacy and security issues in virtual communities * communities, technology and social movements * interaction in large scale online communities * persistent conversation in technology-facilitated communities * supporting collaboration in local and distributed communities * economics of technology-facilitated communities * inter-organizational communities and technology * communities, technology, learning and education Submitting Papers and Workshop Proposals Completed and original research papers of not more 20 pages must be submitted electronically to the conference website, and will undergo a peer review process. We are preparing submission guidelines and a conference management facility to enable online submission. In the meantime, general information about C&T 2007 is available at the conference web site. We also invite the submission of proposals for workshops, which will be held on June 28, the first day of the conference. Workshops can be either half or full day in length and built around specific themes relevant to the conference. Workshop proposals should be 4 pages in length, and should define the theme(s) of the workshop, the main activities and goals, the background and contact information of the organizer(s), the maximum number of participants in the workshop, the means of soliciting participants, and the method of selecting participants. Proposals should also include a brief summary of no more than 150 words suitable for describing the workshop in the conference program. Proceedings As with prior meetings, the Conference on Communities and Technologies Proceedings will be published by Kluwer Academic Publishers. Conference Organizers and Contact Information The 2007 meeting is being co-organized by Charles Steinfield and Brian Pentland of Michigan State University, Mark Ackerman of the University of Michigan, and Noshir Contractor of the University of Illinois. Questions regarding C&T 2007 should be sent to the conference email address, which is cct2007(a)msu.edu. _______________________________________________ Comtech mailing list Comtech(a)fit.fraunhofer.de https://mail.fit.fraunhofer.de/mailman/listinfo/comtech

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Fwd: Fantasy football survey...
by Jeremy Hunsinger 17 Nov '05

17 Nov '05

Forwarded as per request, please participate as appropriate >> Jeremy, >> >> >> >> Could you make an announcement on the listserv that we are doing a >> fantasy football survey here at Florida State and we a looking for >> respondents. It take about five minutes and we are looking for >> players at every level. >> >> >> >> >> >> http://fantasy.comm.fsu.edu/ >> >> >> >> Many thanks, >> >> >> >> Steven. >> >> >> >> "Little things are goin' down..." - Shuffle Your Feet - Black Rebel >> Motorcycle Club. >> >> >> >> Steven McClung, Ph.D. >> >> Assistant Professor, Integrated Marketing Communication >> >> 356 Diffenbaugh >> >> Florida State University >> >> Tallahassee, FL 32309 >> >> Voice: 850.644.9125 >> >> E-mail: steven.mcclung(a)comm.fsu.edu >> >> WWW Site: http://mcclung.comm.fsu.edu/ >> >> >> >> <McClung, Steven.vcf> > > jeremy hunsinger > jhuns(a)vt.edu > www.cddc.vt.edu > jeremy.tmttlt.com > www.tmttlt.com > > () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail > /\ - against microsoft attachments > http://www.aoir.org The Associatiion of Internet Researchers > 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

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Please take this online survey
by Steve Jones 15 Nov '05

15 Nov '05

A group of students in a graduate seminar I am teaching has developed an online survey to learn more about the use of the internet and new media by air-l subscribers, and about internet tools made available at AoIR IR 6.0. I would appreciate it if you would take the survey. In all likelihood, unless you write extensive responses to the open- ended questions (which I would encourage), the survey should take about 10 minutes. It will be online until Tuesday, November 22. The url for the survey is http://toolssurvey.notlong.com. For those of you who filled out the conference evaluation that was online, please note that this is an entirely different survey, and is not a conference evaluation. If you have any questions please email me off list. Thank you in advance. Sj PS: Those of you who attended the conference met most of these students there, they were the volunteers without whom the conference would have been, logistically, a flop. I hope you share in my gratitude for their work and can repay the favor they showed AoIR by helping them out. Thanks.

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Research Participants Needed
by Jiali Ye 15 Nov '05

15 Nov '05

Hello, all: My name is Jiali Ye and I am a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at Georgia State University. As part of my dissertation research, I am conducting a survey on the maintenance of friendships developed on the Internet. To explore this issue, your help is requested. I would really appreciate it if you can let your students know about this survey. Of course, if you are currently having a friendship (not romantic relationship) initiated and exclusively maintained online, you are welcome to participate in the study. To participate in this study, simply go to http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwjou/esurvey/consentform.html Your responses will be confidential. The survey will take about fifteen to twenty minutes. After completing the survey, you can send an email to jye1(a)gsu.edu with subject "participation" in order to receive information about the survey results when they become available. Providing your e-mail is not required, but many people like to do this simply to learn about the results themselves. Again, your help in this endeavor is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Jiali Ye Ph.D Candidate Department of Communication Georgia State University Atlanta, GA,30303 404-463-0570 joujyyx(a)langate.gsu.edu www.student.gsu.edu/~jye

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Google Print & Mass Digitization Projects: DC Humanities & Tech Forum on 11/28
by Jeremy Hunsinger 15 Nov '05

15 Nov '05

>> >> I thought that some DC area editors might be interested in this >> forum. Charlene >> >> >> This fall's Washington DC Area Forum on Technology and the Humanities >> focuses on: >> >> "Massive Digitization Programs and Their Long-Term Implications: >> Google >> Print, the Open Content Alliance, and Related Developments" >> >> Our panelists are Clifford Lynch, Executive Director, Coalition for >> Networked Information, and attorney Jonathan Band. (See their bios >> below.) >> >> We will meet on Monday November 28, 2005 from 4:00-6:00 PM on George >> Mason University's Arlington Campus (not the Fairfax campus, as in >> the >> past) in room 121 of the (brick) "Original Building," which is at >> 3401 >> Fairfax Drive, Arlington-just one block from the Virginia Square >> Metro >> on the Orange line. There will be an informal dinner after the forum, >> at a cost of $10 per person. You must RSVP online for dinner by 21 >> November at: >> >> http://chnm.gmu.edu/tools/surveys/1224/ >> >> Co-sponsored by the Center for History & New Media (CHNM) at GMU and >> the Center for New Designs in Learning & Scholarship (CNDLS) at >> Georgetown, the DC Area Technology and Humanities Forum explores >> important issues in humanities computing and provide an >> opportunity for >> DC area scholars interested the uses of new technology in the >> humanities to meet and get acquainted. >> >> You can find directions to GMU at: >> http://www.gmu.edu/welcome/Directions-to-GMU.html >> >> and an Arlington campus map at: http://coyote.gmu.edu/map/arling.html >> >> There is no public parking at the Arlington campus, but you can >> probably find metered parking on the street at that hour. Arlington >> County has a parking guide here: >> >> http://www.co.arlington.va.us/Departments/EnvironmentalServices/ >> dot/traf >> fic/parking/RB/RBParking.aspx >> >> Please feel free to share this invitation with others who might be >> interested. (If you prefer not to receive subsequent notices for >> these >> forums, please email hvelez(a)gmu.edu) >> >> Speakers: >> Clifford Lynch has been the Director of the Coalition for Networked >> Information (CNI) since July 1997. CNI, jointly sponsored by the >> Association of Research Libraries and Educause, includes about 200 >> member organizations concerned with the use of information technology >> and networked information to enhance scholarship and intellectual >> productivity. Prior to joining CNI, Lynch spent 18 years at the >> University of California Office of the President, the last 10 as >> Director of Library Automation. Lynch, who holds a Ph.D. in Computer >> Science from the University of California, Berkeley, is an adjunct >> professor at Berkeley's School of Information Management and Systems. >> Jonathan Band is a Washington-based attorney who helps shape the laws >> governing intellectual property and the Internet through a >> combination >> of legislative and appellate advocacy. He has represented library and >> technology clients with respect to the drafting of the Digital >> Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), database protection legislation, and >> other statutes relating to copyrights, spam, cybersecurity, and >> indecency. He received his BA from Harvard College and his JD from >> Yale >> Law School. He worked in the Washington, D.C. office of Morrison & >> Foerster for nearly 20 years before opening his own law firm earlier >> this year >> >> -Roy Rosenzweig (Center for History & New Media; http://chnm.gmu.edu) >> and Randy Bass (Center for New Designs in Learning & Scholarship; >> http://candles.georgetown.edu/) >> > > > -- > Duncan M. Porter > Director, Darwin Correspondence Project > Department of Biological Sciences > Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University > Blacksburg, VA 24061 > 540-231-6768 jeremy hunsinger jhuns(a)vt.edu www.cddc.vt.edu jeremy.tmttlt.com www.tmttlt.com () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.aoir.org The Associatiion of Internet Researchers

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language awareness and wikis
by David Palfreyman 15 Nov '05

15 Nov '05

Apologies if you have received this before. I am editing a special issue of the journal "Language Awareness", on the use of online media. I have received papers on a range of topics related to this, but I am looking in particular for one involving research on the use of wikis to raise language awareness. I am pasting an invitation below, and I would be grateful if you could forward this to anyone who you think might be interested. Note that the journal publishes papers on language awareness not only in English teaching but in the learning of other foreign languages or mother tongues as well. Hoping to hear from you, David Palfreyman Zayed University, Dubai ***************************************************** "Language Awareness" is an interdisciplinary journal which seeks to encourage and disseminate work exploring the following: * the role of explicit knowledge about language in the process of language learning; * the role that such explicit knowledge about language plays in language teaching and how such knowledge can best be mediated by teachers; * the role of explicit knowledge about language in language use: e.g. sensitivity to bias in language, manipulative aspects of language, literary use of language. This is an invitation for submissions for a special issue of "Language Awareness", focusing on the use of electronic media (including web-based media, virtual learning environments, online interaction and multimedia) to promote or investigate awareness of language. The intention is to bring together recent empirical work exploring the potential of new media in a range of fields, which may include first or second language education, teacher education, literature teaching or critical literacy development. Contributions need not be pure 'success stories', but may highlight challenges of the new media and possible responses to these. If you are interested in contributing to this special issue, please send an abstract (200 words approx) to <David.Palfreyman(a)zu.ac.ae> by 30 November 2005, outlining your study and its relation to the theme of the special issue. For further information about "Language Awareness", please see the journal website <http://www.multilingual-matters.com/multi/journals/journals_la.asp>, and for queries about the special issue, please contact <David.Palfreyman(a)zu.ac.ae>. :-D

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Re: [Air-l] Friendster
by Ingbert Floyd 14 Nov '05

14 Nov '05

The social networking software is not my area of expertise, and neither is culture, but I am interested in how various aspects of software afford certain behaviors, but do not afford others. One of the things I find fascinating is how social software like myspace have facilitated a culture of casual hook-ups among some teenagers. Obviously, it's an interaction between certain teen cultures and the affordances of the software, but I was wondering if anybody has studied (1) how this online aspect of those cultures developed, (2) what purpose these behaviors serve in the culture: What needs of the teenagers are met? Is it simply because it allows them an opportunity to have sex? Why don't they just have casual sex with their F2F friends? Why does the software need to mediate the behavior? Does somehow not having a relationship make it easier to have sex? Or is that a mythology that contributes to facilitating such behavior? Does this have something to do with stealing power from their parents/adults in general, in that they are trying to behave like adults when society is still treating them like children (can't drive until 16 or 17, can't smoke, can't drink, have curfiews, most don't have to work to support themselves, only have to work to afford luxuries, etc.)? (3) what is it about the software that affords the creation of these types of casual relationships? why is it different than "normal" F2F relationships that kids develop? or is it so different? (4) is there a culture of practicing safe sex, or is the culture a potential STD disaster? (this is less research related and more a concern for the health of our youth question). Anyway, anthing people can point me to to read about this would be appreciated. Ingbert Floyd PhD Student Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

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