- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Re: [Air-l] Wikipedia warning -- Wikipedia is not a reliable information source
by Bram Dov Abramson 05 Dec '05

05 Dec '05

On: >I have informed my students that they may no longer use Wikipedia as >a reference or source on papers in my courses. I urge you to consider >a similar statement. While Wikipedia may be a useful first step in >seeking information, I no longer accept it as a credible source. >Therefore, I advise students to look further when a project requires >a reliable source. And: >- Compounding the above point is the fact that Wikipedia's quality >assurance mechanism only works on a macro-level. We have little >information about whether individual articles have been properly vetted >by many users at a specific point. We end up deciding in general >whether we believe the mechanism works or not. I agree that a lot of the articles on Wikipedia are not great. As a reference tool, Wikipedia is interesting but not necessarily authoritative. Sure. Recently I've been discovering Wikipedia, and my thoughts had run in a different direction. Has anyone integrated Wikipedia into their courses, not as a source, but as a destination? Are there courses out there where students are being asked to *update* Wikipedia? (Wikipedia's quality assurance mechanism -- talking things out, seeking intervention, going to third party arbitrators -- assumes the possibility of rational resolution and is hard to understand besides. It needs a lot of work, particularly in having people produce concise guides making what's already there more readily understandable. Still, that doesn't mean it need be dismissed as a "brute force" approach! Something more is going on there, I think.) >- One common tool that people use to make decisions about information >quality is authorship. But in the name of promoting the >commons-authorship model, Wikipedia actually obscures the notion of the >author at an individual level. If you wanted to find out who wrote an >individual piece an article, there would be no reasonable way to do >that. It's true that wading into page histories can be time-consuming. But it's not *that* bad. Whether it is based on the other things they have written on Wikipedia or on their choice to stitch the Wikipedia identity to a real-world one, though, the reputation mechanism is still around -- though less foregrounded. If making the reputation mechanism more prominent would help Wikipedia, there are probably ways to do so within the existing structure. An individual could draft the article (or major changes to it), make the edit on Wikipedia, and leave a link on the Discussion page to the frozen version that that person had written -- allowing people to identify the author and consult it directly. The converse is true, too: the MediaWiki package makes it easy to gather links to all of one's edits on a single page. In fact, one could create an off-site list of "trusted authors" and the articles they had written, or edited, etc. Heck, I wonder what would happen if a group of academics decided to produce an encyclopedia and publish its results on Wikipedia -- and, simultaneously elsewhere, either online or in paper. The two sets of articles would gradually diverge. Third parties could decide which, if either, they wanted to consider authoritative. Sorry to natter on. I do understand that the original point was much smaller, ie to keep students thinking about the quality of their sources, and I agree with most of what's been said. Still, I can't help but think that Wikipedia is much more interesting as an opportunity. cheers Bram

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Ang Peng Hwa on Internet Governance "Webjam"
by Randolph Kluver (Assoc Prof) 05 Dec '05

05 Dec '05

Ang Peng Hwa gave a keynote speech at the recent AoIR meeting in Chicago on Internet Governance. Those who found his speech helpful might be interested in watching the internet governance "debate" on at Open Source Media, in which Peng Hwa is participating. Peng Hwa has posted a response to the opening salvo of the debate by Claudia Rosette (http://osm.org/site/articles/20051130rosettinternet/) His response is posted at this webpage: http://osm.org/site/articles/20051204angpenghwa BLOGJAM: On Monday, December 5, at noon US Pacific time, join Professor Ang in a live online discussion, along with Perry De Havilland of Samizdata <http://www.samizdata.net/blog/> , Franklin Cudjoe <http://www.wingsoffreedomandjustice.blogspot.com/> of Imani Ghana <http://imanighana.org/> and new media guru Dan Gillmor <http://bayosphere.com/blog/dangillmor> . Moderated by US News & World Report's Michael Barone <http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/baroneblog/home.htm> . Randolph Kluver Executive Director Singapore Internet Research Centre Nanyang Technological University Singapore 637718 phone (65) 6790-5770 URL: www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/

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Re: [Air-l] Wikipedia warning -- Wikipedia is not a reliable information source
by Ken Friedman 05 Dec '05

05 Dec '05

Quick response to comments and questions 1) Ulf-Dietrich Reips asks, "How many citations of Wikipedia entries have your students really handed in to you that were a) not backed up by another source, and, b) found to be inaccurate?" I did not keep count. I have noticed a significant increase in Wikipedia use over the past year, and I notice that students who DO use Wikipedia often use it as a single source. The inaccuracies I observe tend to be a difference between these students and those who draw on a wide range of sources. This is a simple way to push them in another direction. My focus is on using multiple sources regardless of how good any one source may be. Given the use of Wikipedia as a proxy for research, my simple counterbalance is a proxy measure for those who do not search more widely in the first place. 2) Judd Antin writes, "For my own part, I often find that Wikipedia is a valuable place to start exploration, especially in areas that I know little about. Wikipedia articles often provide me with the background and context I need to begin exploration. This, IMHO, is the type of use we should promote." Without disagreeing with or contesting Judd's other points, I want to say that Judd and I agree here. I don't tell students not to use Wikipedia at all. It is a good starting point for background information and leads. What I tell students them is that I no longer accept Wikipedia as a source. As Judd writes, Wikipedia macro-level principle works, but the micro-level is too often flawed. While tools like the History Flow are interesting for those who want to research an article, I'd rather have students check multiple sources than myself have to check each article -- and its provenance -- when I see a Wikipedia reference. I do not wish to be a fact checker for student research papers. 3) Peter Steinberger writes, "To be consequent you have to ban all other Internet sources too. And all the magazines that are peer reviewed too, because lately they made some major mistakes too." I don't see it this way. There are many good on-line sources, and I work with students teaching them how to explore, evaluate, and use multiple sources comparatively, including on-line sources. The issue here is the likelihood of major mistakes, and especially the unchecked occurrence of malicious hoaxes and fraud. You may defraud a scholarly journal, but you must do so by faking your evidence in a sophisticated way and getting it past the reviewers. All it takes to defraud Wikipedia and set fake facts loose is to log on and write -- or rewrite -- an entry. For the moment, I argue that prohibiting Wikipedia as a source will enhance the debate by increasing the pressure on Wikipedia to find a better correction mechanism. 4) Jill Walker writes, "Our department has recently instated a similar prohibition against using the Wikipedia as a source in student papers. Our line has been that the Wikipedia is one of many useful places to start doing research on a topic, but that it is rarely valid as a final source for research. Many articles do provide good overviews and more importantly, they often link to primary sources which CAN be good, citable resources in student papers." Thanks for this note. Again, I agree, and I find myself in agreement with the other issues she raises as well. One note: this is not a school policy. It is my own policy. I have proposed this at the department level, though, and I plan to take it up the line. 5) Ulf-Dietrich Reips correctly notes that I misspelled John Seigenthaler's name. Alas, I did so twice. And I just did it again before correcting myself. But my note was not the "source" on Seigenthaler, and the sources I gave had it right. Rather, this was an example. My note was a source of information on a situation and my action in response to the situation. -- Ken Friedman Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design Institute for Communication, Culture, and Language Norwegian School of Management Design Research Center Denmark's Design School email: ken.friedman(a)bi.no

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cfp to tweak your interest!
by Stephanie Jo Kent 04 Dec '05

04 Dec '05

Hi all, I want to encourage you to check out the info and cfp for the upcoming conference hosted by graduate students of the UMass-Amherst Communication Department. The following link will take you to my blog blurb and from there to the poster and cfp for Communication in Crisis, CFPs due January 6. http://www.stephaniejokent.com/blog/archives/001860.html I've been mostly a lurker on the list for the past few years and am impressed with the potential for interdisciplinarity. We're hoping for a broad turnout and a wide variety of presenters. Graduate students and faculty are invited to submit, solo or in panels. I hope you'll consider this seriously and please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested. thanks for your time and support, steph Stephanie Jo Kent, M.Ed, CI Doctoral Student, Communication, UMass-Amherst 1852 Sunset Lake Road Brattleboro, VT 05301-9310 kentcon(a)sover.net steph(a)comm.umass.edu http://www.reflexivity.us

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teaching "sociology of the internet"
by Nik John 02 Dec '05

02 Dec '05

before knuckling down to prepare my quite general BA course on the sociology of the internet for 50 or so students, i thought it would be interesting to see how other people have done it. any good course sites out there from which to gain inspiration? any particularly successful online assignments to hear about? thanks nik ---------------------------------- Nicholas John, PhD Candidate Department of Sociology and Anthropology The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

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New ranking study on e-participation in German cities
by Matthias Trenel 02 Dec '05

02 Dec '05

********************* Press Notice 02. Dec. 2005, 08:00 CET Source: http://www.zebralog.de/en/000136.html German cities improve, but still have a long way to go ********************* Today, the Initiative for eParticipation has released its second study on citizen participation over the internet. As last year, Berlin showed the best eParticipation record, Freiburg and Munich made a big step forward. The study analyzed the websites of all 83 German cities above a population of 100.000. A ranking system was applied that rewarded points if cities offered comprehensible and comprehensive information on current political issues, if political decision makers could be addressed through the web, and if citizens were invited for deliberation through discussion forums or chats. The usablity of such participatory projects as well as their integration into political decision making processes was of primary importance. Coder's agreement on their assessment of the cities' websites ranged between 88 and 100%. The results show that German cities have improved their eParticipation record compared to last year's study. However, the large majority of German cities still has not attempted to consult citizens over the internet. Berlin ranked highest because (among other reasons) the city provides a citizen discussion space on its main portal, carried out a couple of online dialogues on town planning issues and had a participatory budgeting project in one of its boroughs (Lichtenberg) where citizens could take part online as well. The study has been commissioned by the Initiative for eParticipation and financed by the following German eParticipation providers and research institutions: binary objects (Berlin), Ingenieurgesellschaft entera (Hannover), Fraunhofer E-Government-Zentrum und Fraunhofer Institut AIS (Sankt Augustin), politik-digital (Berlin), TuTech Innovation (Hamburg), wegewerk (Berlin), and Zebralog (Berlin). The Initiative eParticipation wants to encourage policy makers and adminstrators to make use of internet-based participatory methods when decisions with far reaching consequences for citizens are made. The Initiative is convinced that both technology and methods for eParticipation are ready for use, and so are citizens who are waiting for opportunities to engage. New thinking is needed among politicians so that eParticipation can be employed on a wider scale. The study is available for donwload in German at http://www.Initiative-eParticipation.de 2053 characters Further information can be obtained from: Matthias Trénel eMail: trenel(a)zebralog.de phone: +49 30 6951 8694 fax: +49 30 6162 3681 http://www.zebralog.de/en/000136.html

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CFP: Exploring Gender, Feminism and Technology from a Communication Perspective
by Michele H Jackson 01 Dec '05

01 Dec '05

Women's Studies in Communication invites submissions for a special issue on "Exploring Gender, Feminism and Technology from a Communication Perspective" to appear in September 2006. Across disciplines, studies of technology have been a rich source for understanding women's experience and for advancing feminist theory. The goal of this special issue is to emphasize the contribution of communication practice and/or theory in exploring this relationship. More specific themes within this general emphasis may include examination of women's uses of particular technologies, the gendered nature of technology, the effect of technologies (or technological culture and globalization) upon women's lives, and developing/critiquing feminist theories of technology. Any type of technology may be considered; although they are welcome, manuscripts need not be limited to communication and information technologies. Manuscripts may by theoretical, empirical, or descriptive. For empirical studies, we welcome the full range of methodologies. All manuscripts must be clearly labelled as submissions intended for this special issue and submitted following standard guidelines described at http://www.bk.psu.edu/faculty/ramsey/submissions.html. All submissions will be blind and peer reviewed. Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to WSIC Associate Editor Michele Jackson, jackson(a)colorado.edu . Submission deadline: February 1, 2006

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Research Request: Philosophy of Design -- Full-text articles also welcome
by Ken Friedman 01 Dec '05

01 Dec '05

Dear Colleagues, This is a research request for articles and books on philosophy of design. This revises an earlier call. I seek citations, references, and descriptions of articles and books in which philosophers discuss issues that can be applied to design process as well as articles and books in which designers and design researchers discuss or develop a philosophy of design. Propositions and heuristic probes are welcome, along with references to full-formed or comprehensive philosophies. IMPORTANT REVISION: Several authors have been kind enough to send full articles or conference papers. If you have articles or papers you are willing to share, I will welcome them and I will include them in the compilation. Please send contributions, suggestions, and comments to: <ken.friedman(a)bi.no> with the words Philosophy of Design in the Subject: header I will compile all contributions and post them to the list. I will also prepare the compilation as a small anthology in .PDF format. The anthology will include full-text articles for which permission to include has been granted. The author of each contribution will retain the copyright to his or her contribution. Thank you. -- Ken Friedman Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design Institute for Communication, Culture, and Language Norwegian School of Management Design Research Center Denmark's Design School email: ken.friedman(a)bi.no

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second CFP - ECAP'06
by Charles Ess 01 Dec '05

01 Dec '05

We apologize for multiple copies of this CFP. Please distribute widely. Second Call for Papers ===================================================================== COMPUTING AND PHILOSOPHY IV European Meeting E-CAP 2006@NTNU Norway Norwegian University of Science and Technology Dragvoll Campus, Trondheim, Norway, June 22-24, 2006 <http://www.eu-cap.org/> Conference Co-Chairs: Charles Ess (Drury University / NTNU): <cmess(a)drury.edu> May Thorseth (NTNU): <may.thorseth(a)hf.ntnu.no> E-CAP 2006 is generously supported by the Programme for Applied Ethics and the Globalization Programme, NTNU. (E-CAP is the European conference on Computing and Philosophy, the European affiliate of the International Association for Computers and Philosophy (IACAP): see <www.iacap.org> for further information.) ===================================================================== IMPORTANT DATES January 27, 2006 Submission of extended abstracts March 1, 2006 Notification of acceptance May 5, 2006 Early registration deadline June 22-24, 2006 Conference GENERAL INFORMATION >From Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 June 2006 the Fourth International European Conference on COMPUTING AND PHILOSOPHY will be held on the Dragvoll Campus of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. PROGRAM Continuing the foci of the E-CAP conferences (beginning in Glasgow, 2002), ECAP'06 will deal with all aspects of the "computational turn" that has emerged over the past several decades, and continues to expand and develop as a result of the multiple interactions between philosophy and computing. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Dr. Lucas Introna, Centre for the Study of Technology & Organisation Lancaster University, UK <http://www.lums.lancs.ac.uk/profiles/119/> Dr. Raymond Turner, Department of Computer Science University of Essex, UK <http://cswww.essex.ac.uk/staff/turnr/> Dr. Vincent Hendricks, Department of Philosophy and Science Studies Roskilde University, Denmark <http://akira.ruc.dk/~vincent/> RELEVANT RESEARCH AREAS We invite papers that address all topics related to computing and philosophy, including cross- and interdisciplinary work that explores the computational turn in new ways. Hence, the following is intended to be suggestive, but not exclusive: - Philosophy of Computer Science (see <http://pcs.essex.ac.uk/ecap06/cfp.html>) - Ontology (Distributed Processing, Emergent Properties, Formal Ontology, Network Structures, etc) - Computational Linguistics - Global Information Infrastructures - Philosophy of Information and Information Technology (Including: Information as structure; Semantic information) - Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Problem of Consciousness and Cognition - Computer-based Learning and Teaching Strategies and Resources & The Impact of Distance Learning on the Teaching of Philosophy and Computing - IT and Gender Research, Feminist Technoscience Studies - Information and Computing Ethics - Biological Information, Artificial Life, Biocomputation - New Models of Logic Software - "Intersections" - e.g., work at the crossroads of logic, epistemology, philosophy of science and ICT/Computing, such as Philosophy of AI - Ethical and Political Dimensions of ICTs in Globalization SUBMISSION OF PAPERS Authors should submit an electronic version of an extended abstract (total word count approximately 1000 words). The file should also contain a 300 word abstract that will be used for the conference web site/booklet. Final papers must not exceed a total word count of 3500 words and an abstract of not more than 500 words. The submissions should be made electronically, either as PDF, rtf ,or Word format. To submit papers visit <http://www.eu-cap.org/submit> The extended abstract submission deadline is Friday 27th January 2006. For information about paper submission and the program that is not available on the conference web site (<http://www.eu-cap.org/>), please contact the Conference Co-Chairs. REGISTRATION AND FEES Registration will take place through the conference website, <http://www.eu-cap.org/> The registration fee includes the conference reception, conference lunches and coffee and tea breaks, and one ticket to the conference banquet. Discounted ("earlybird") registration fee (prior to May 5, 2006): 200 Euro Discounted registration fee - PhD students: 100 Euro Regular registration fee (after May 5, 2006): 250 Euro Regular registration fee - PhD students: 150 Euro (Masters and undergraduate students may register for the conference at no cost: a fee will be assessed, however, to cover the costs of the lunches and catering.) ACCOMMODATION To book accommodation, please visit the conference web site, <http://www.eu-cap.org/> VENUE The dragvoll campus at NTNU offers excellent conference facilities as well a beautiful physical setting as it overlooks Trondheim and the Trondheim fjord. The city of Trondheim (Norway's ancient capital and home to the Nidaros Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral north of the Rhine) is easily accessible by air and rail, and is itself more than worth the visit. (Beyond city-related information provided on the conference website, start with <http://www.trondheim.com/>) == Charles Ess Distinguished Research Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies <http://www.drury.edu/gp21> Drury University 900 N. Benton Ave. Voice: 417-873-7230 Springfield, MO 65802 USA FAX: 417-873-7435 Home page: http://www.drury.edu/ess/ess.html Co-chair, CATaC'06: http://www.catacconference.org Co-chair, ECAP'06: http://www.eu-cap.org Professor II, Globalization and Applied Ethics Programmes Norwegian University of Science and Technology NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway http://www.anvendtetikk.ntnu.no/pres/bridgingcultures.php Exemplary persons seek harmony, not sameness. -- Analects 13.23

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Call for Papers, The Internet in China Conference
by Randolph Kluver (Assoc Prof) 01 Dec '05

01 Dec '05

Conference Announcement and Call for Papers Fourth Annual Chinese Internet Research Conference "China's Internet and Chinese Cultures" Singapore Internet Research Centre School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University Singapore Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22, 2006 Recent statistics indicate that close to ten percent of China's population is or will soon be online. Today, China boasts the world's second largest online population, behind only the United States. What impact will the Internet and other new media technologies have on China's culture and society? How will China's many people see their social lives, work lives, and relationships changed by the experience of the Internet? In addition, how will China affect the development of the global Internet? The Fourth Annual Chinese Internet Research Conference will focus on these questions and more as we explore the ways in which the Internet and other technologies interact with Chinese cultural and social life. We welcome contributions from any discipline that can address the critical questions. This interdisciplinary conference brings together scholars, analysts, industry leaders, journalists and legal practitioners from around the world to examine the impact of the Internet on Chinese culture, and vice versa. Keynote speakers will address these and other important questions. We welcome proposal submissions from all disciplines. Suggestions for papers might include: Chinese culture and new media technologies Bridging the political divide: the Internet and Cross-Straits Relations Chinese communities and the Internet "Internet pollution" and social impacts "Let a billion voices bloom"- e-government, e-democracy Addressing China's digital divide The Chinese diaspora and the Internet China and global governance (ICANN, WSIS etc) China and Asia's Digital Future (China's role in Internet development in Asia) All proposals will be peer reviewed and should consist of at least 1000 words. Full papers are welcome, but not required. Submissions should be sent via e-mail to the SIRC at sirc(a)ntu.edu.sg by March 1, 2006. The proposals will be reviewed on a rotating basis. Authors will be notified of acceptance by April 15, 2006. If you need an expedited review of your proposal, please include the request with your submission. Selected papers from the conference may be published in a conference volume or a special symposium issue of an academic journal. Participation in the conference neither guarantees nor compels publication of a paper. All participants are responsible for their travel expenses. The conference registration fees will be waived for presenters. The conference language will be in English. The conference will be hosted by the Singapore Internet Research Centre and the School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University and cosponsored by the China Internet Project of UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, the Intellectual Property & Communications Law Program at the Michigan State University College of Law, and the School of Journalism and Communication at Chinese University of Hong Kong. Previous conferences were held at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, UC Berkeley, and Michigan State University. For further information, please contact: Randolph Kluver Singapore Internet Research Centre School of Communication and Information Nanyang Technological University Singapore 637718 phone (65) 6790-5770 http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/ About the Singapore Internet Research Centre ________________________________________ The Singapore Internet Research Centre (SIRC) at the School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, initiates and conducts research related to the Internet across Asia, including East, Southeast, and South Asia. Faculty associates of the Centre engage in wide variety of collaborative research efforts with other researchers around the globe. International collaborative projects include the World Internet Project and the Internet and Elections Project. Randolph Kluver Singapore Internet Research Centre School of Communication and Information Nanyang Technological University Singapore 637718 phone (65) 6790-5770 http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/

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