- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

online dating article
by Bernie Hogan 31 Oct '03

31 Oct '03

Here's one for you! https://m1.buysub.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=175824&prme… it does not seem to be online anymore. Hopefullly someone south of the border subscribes and you can get yourself a copy. Its a pretty good article and very recent, with entries on lavalife and friendster, if I recall. BERNiE Bernie Hogan Department of Sociology NetLab, Knowledge Meida Design Institute University of Toronto bernie.hogan(a)utoronto.ca http://edublog.com/hogan/

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AoIR Presidential Thoughts
by Nancy Baym 31 Oct '03

31 Oct '03

Hello, At our General Meeting in Toronto I did not give any sort of innagural address. I would like to offer a few thoughts here. I hope you will take some time to think about these issues and engage in their discussion on list or with me. I was struck (again) in Toronto at the extent to which, in a remarkably short time, this association has come to be an institution suspiciously similar to other academic associations. Sitting in panels, it was almost hard to remember how recently the very idea of this conference seemed like an overly-ambitious dream or how, less than four years ago, I was making arrangements for our first meeting in Kansas and wondering if anyone outside the midwestern United States would come. We have now had over 1,000 individuals come to our four meetings, and we have nearly 2,000 subscribers to air-l. Our first Internet Research Annual, bringing together selected papers from the first three conferences, will be released in a few weeks and reviewing for the second annual will begin shortly. In addition, a number of books have already been published or are being planned based on panels and collaborative research projects that grew out of our conferences, and many research papers have been published in journals. Our ethics working group has created a guide that is being used by many scholars and increasing numbers of institutional review boards. Being able to help make all this happen has easily been the most rewarding enterprise of my professional life. I've also been amazed and deeply personally rewarded by the extent to which we have created a community of friends as well as colleagues. I think I speak for many repeat attenders when I say that people who were just names to me before our first meeting are now among my dearest friends and that one regret of our meetings is that I don't have time to get to know all those other interesting looking people walking around. That said, the association's rapid growth and the increased expectations people have of us present a number of challenges and issues, particularly given our status as an all-volunteer association. Like my predecessor in this role, Steve Jones, I believe that my role, and the role of the executive committee in general, is to facilitate the association's organic growth based on the interests, desires, needs, and energies of the members. I do not have a strong agenda I wish to impose on you. I hope all of us will be engaged in making AoIR what we want it to be, recognizing that there are some tensions which may ultimately be unresolvable. In Interpersonal Communication Theory, we talk about "relational dialectics," the idea that all relationships involve continuous efforts to find satisfactory points of balance between competing demands (for instance, the desires that our conferences include scholars from more and more disciplines yet have fewer simultaneous sessions). I hope that AoIR can find balance points that work for most of us, but acknowledge that some will always want more or less of something than others do, and that no approach will ever satisfy everyone. One challenge we face is the expectation that we should always be doing more and exploring areas we haven't. In essense, the challenge here is to take full advantages of the scarce resources we do have and to find new resources in order to create what we want to have. People point out on occassion that as an internet association, we should do more with the internet. Ideas range from overhauling the web site, to creating new online spaces, to creating complex databases of internet research, publications, and so on. There is indeed a tremendous amount of unrealized potential. There are also right now exactly two people who are doing all of our web work, and they are both in the midst of writing Ph.D. dissertations. We have had some successes in this area, most recently the list of AoIR bloggers compiled by Jeremy Hunsinger and Thomas Burg, and the List of Lists compiled by Jeremy, Ulla Bunz, David Silver, and Matt Allen. What we have not had, thus far, are the financial resources to pay people to do these things nor the volunteers it would take to create as many of these resources as we want. One way to reach our online potential is to charge considerably more for membership and conference fees so that we can pay for initiatives like these. Another is for more people who can make these things happen and are willing to see them through to volunteer. Perhaps the most exciting possibility would be if people who have great ideas (and skills) for novel and beneficial ways to use the internet could partner with us in seeking grant funding to make those ideas happen. There are doubtless other possibilities as well, and we will be putting together at least one working group to guide us in thinking through these issues in the coming months. Your thoughts and energies are welcome. If you have the energy to build resources, don't ever be shy about coming to us with your ideas. Another challenge seems to me to be our greatest strength, which is interdisciplinarity. We have a dialectic between wanting to be exposed to and informed by different ways of approaching the topics we care about and at the same time wanting others' work to conform to the standards by which we assess work in our home disciplines. We all need to rise to the challenge of presenting our ideas in ways that will be compelling to those who are not grounded in our traditions while at the same time reaching the standards of our traditions. Part of our challenge as readers and listeners is to find the strengths in work that comes from traditions we don't share. I hear a consistent desire from all ends of the methodological spectrums that, regardless of its tradition, work should offer its audience theoretical significance beyond the case or project presented. One direct way in which you can influence what counts as "quality" at our conferences is to serve as a reviewer next year, and I hope more and more of you will do so. Yet another issue is what we can do to bring more people in from underrepresented parts of the world, particularly those areas where the likelihood of being able to afford our conference is minimal. One of the great promises of the internet is the ability to link people globally in the face of great challenges -- indeed I saw at least one panel talking about the ways in which the internet allows grassroots movements in poor nations to expand their resources through affiliation with one another -- yet making this happen in an association such as ours is far from easy (or cheap). This connects more broadly to the issue of recruitment. My general feeling is that there are so many targets for recruitment (based on methodology, discipline, race/ethnicity, stature, etc) that recruitment is best left to our members to call on those they wish were here to join us. However, I think it is imperative that we do what we can to lessen the financial barriers to participation in AoIR for those who would like to join us but cannot afford to. Any inspirations you have on how we might be able to do this while still breaking even on our conferences (which are expensive to run) would be most appreciated. The last issue I'll raise here is that of what benefits we need to provide in order to make more people and institutions who are interested in AoIR take the leap and become paid members. Dialectic = I want to get more, I don't want to pay for it! As you know, air-l is offered free to everyone. Right now about 1/4 of air-l subscribers are members of the association. Paid members currently get access to the archives of conference papers and discounts on several journals and Routledge's Cyberculture book series. Related to this is whether or not we should have a journal of our own, which would entail higher membership fees and an editorial board (and editor) willing to do editing. Another possibility is to charge somewhat more for membership and include subscriptions to one or several of the existing journals that are relevant to internet research (examples include those to which our members currently receive discounts, such as IcS, NM&S, TIS, Cyberpsychology and Behavior, and so on). A third possiblity is to leave things as they are now and offer our members discounts on a range of journals without building them into the membership fee. We will be putting together another working group to look at these and other possibilities and make recommendations to us. Again, your opinions on journal preferences (or lack thereof) and benefits in general are welcomed. These are by no means the only issues before us, and I am interested to hear your thoughts on what else you would have us consider as well as your thoughts on any of those I have raised. In my time as a steward of this association, I invite all of you to think about what this association does or has the potential to do for you, and what you can do for the association to make it better. Thank you, Nancy -- Nancy Baym http://www.ku.edu/home/nbaym Communication Studies, University of Kansas Bailey Hall, 1440 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 102, Lawrence, KS 66045-7574, USA Association of Internet Researchers: http://aoir.org

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thanks for dating references
by Ulla Bunz 31 Oct '03

31 Oct '03

Thanks to those who replied to my inquiry about popular press articles concerning online dating services. I received several very helpful tips and URL's and will be able to use one or two of those for my class. Thanks. Ulla ************************** Ulla Bunz Assistant Professor Department of Communication Rutgers University 4 Huntington Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901 **************************

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New Book--Online Social Research
by Mark D. Johns 31 Oct '03

31 Oct '03

Another shameless plug for a new book, just published by Peter Lang and now shipping: Online Social Research: Methods, Issues, and Ethics (Digital Formations Series, Vol. 7 -- Steve Jones, Series Editor) Edited by Mark D. Johns, Shing-Ling S. Chen, and G. Jon Hall (C) 2004 Back cover: Online Social Research: Methods, Issues, and Ethics is a collection of essays by veteran online researchers who provide testimonial illustrations as to how traditional research methods may be modified for effective online research as well as identify and discuss the critical issues and dilemmas encountered. The former serves as a resource for teachers, students, and researchers who utilize online environments for information gathering. The latter is designed to stimulate ongoing debates and creative ideas about an as yet nonregulated arena of research. Online Social Research addresses online research in the fields of communication, journalism, sociology, psychology, marketing, education, and medicine, as well as related disciplines that may have occasions to utilize surveys, interviews, and observations for information gathering in online environments. Since this book deals with methodological consideration, it is designed as a text for research methods classes as well as a resource for researchers. Table of contents appears below. ------ Mark D. Johns, Ph.D. Asst. Professor of Communication/Linguistics, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa http://faculty.luther.edu/~johnsmar/ ----------------------------------------------- "Get the facts first. You can distort them later." ---Mark Twain Contents Online Environments and Interpretive Social Research Norman K. Denzin, University of IllinoisChampaign-Urbana Part IMethods of Online Social Research Introduction: Technological Environments and the Evolution of Social Research Methods Clifford G. Christians, University of IllinoisChampaign-Urbana; Shing-Ling Sarina Chen, University of Northern Iowa Reengineering Focus Group Methodology for the Online Environment Matthew Williams, Cardiff University; Kate Robson, University of Wales College of Medicine Researching OURNET: A Case Study of a Multiple Methods Approach Sharon S. Kleinman, Quinnipiac University Managing Visibility, Intimacy, and Focus in Online Critical Ethnography Kathleen LeBesco, Marymount Manhattan College Seeing and Sensing Online Interaction: An Interpretive Interactionist Approach to USENET Support Group Research Mary K. Walstrom, Sonoma State University Part IIIssues of Online Social Research Introduction: Opportunities and Challenges in Methodology and Ethics Amy S. Bruckman, Georgia Tech Surviving the IRB Review: Institutional Guidelines and Research Strategies Mark D. Johns, Luther College; G. Jon Hall, University of Northern Iowa; Tara Lynn Crowell, Richard Stockton College Participants and Observers in Online Ethnography: Five Stories About Identity Lori Kendall, SUNY, Purchase Representation in Online Ethnographies: A Matter of Context Sensitivity Annette N. Markham, University of Illinois at Chicago Research Paparazzi in Cyberspace: The Voices of the Researched Shing-Ling Sarina Chen, G. Jon Hall, University of Northern Iowa; Mark D. Johns, Luther College Part IIIEthics of Online Social Research Introduction: Ethics and Internet Studies Steve Jones, University of Illinois at Chicago Reexamining the Ethics of Internet Research: Facing the Challenge of Overzealous Oversight Jim Thomas, Northern Illinois University Issues of Attribution and Identification in Online Social Research Susan B. Barnes, Rochester Institute of Technology Electronic Eavesdropping: The Ethical Issues Involved in Conducting a Virtual Ethnography Katherine M. Clegg Smith, University of Illinois at Chicago NEED HELP ASAP!!!: A Feminist Communitarian Approach to Online Research Ethics G. Jon Hall, University of Northern Iowa; Douglas Frederick, University of Iowa; Mark D. Johns, Luther College Epilogue Are We There Yet? Emerging Ethical Guidelines for Online Research Charles Ess, Drury University

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digital divide
by Barry Wellman 30 Oct '03

30 Oct '03

The full version of the international comparative digital divide report -- by Wenhong Chen & Barry Wellman -- is at: http://www.amd.com/us-en/Weblets/0,,7832_8524,00.html#charting It was done for AMD's Global Consumer Advisory Board. There is a slightly older version on our website. 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 _____________________________________________________________________

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2004 Program Chair
by Nancy Baym 30 Oct '03

30 Oct '03

I am delighted to announce that Professor Sheizaf Rafaeli has accepted our invitation to be the Program Chair for AoIR's 2004 Conference at the University of Sussex. Dr. Rafaeli is in the Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Haifa in Israel, and is also the Director of the University of Haifa's Center for the Study of the Information Society. He served for many years as a founding co-editor of the Journal of Computer Mediated Communication. He was also a keynote speaker at our second conference in 2001. We are excited by the combined energy, expertise, and enthusiasm of Sheizaf and conference chair Kate O'Riordan and look forward to a stimulating and fun event in 2004. Nancy -- Nancy Baym http://www.ku.edu/home/nbaym Communication Studies, University of Kansas Bailey Hall, 1440 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 102, Lawrence, KS 66045-7574, USA Association of Internet Researchers: http://aoir.org

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Neural Skeins and Digital Skins -- November on -empyre-
by Michael Arnold-Mages 30 Oct '03

30 Oct '03

The parallels between the internet and a biological system are many. Growth and decay, circulation and disease are symptoms of these living systems. In our bodies, cells, neurons, bacteria and on-line, words, memes and code-structures are vital elements of ordered, yet chaotic process. For the month of November -empyre- delights in presenting Neural Skeins and Digital Skins: code, writing, and the net as a central nervous system, with four prominent artists and theorists. *** In a pastiche of imagery and French and English text, Tamara Lai (Belgium) spins her intimate, visceral cyber-poems from her base in Liege. Lai's oeuvre includes exploration of performance, ephemerality and virtual relations. Alan Sondheim (US), New York based net artist and poet, conducts a continuous meditation on cyberspace, emphasizing issues of interiority, subjectivity, body, and language. http://www.asondheim.org/ Alessandro Ludovico (IT) publishes the critical journal neural.it in Italian and English online. <http://www.neural.it> and <http://www.neural.it/english> Florian Cramer (Germany), is a theorist on comparative net aesthetics and literature, and lectures at the Free University Berlin. *** As Alan writes, We collude between death and sex, to the limits of distortion - space-time burns around configurations of terror and the body. The skin is always a skein of communication. Words are performative only to the extent they can persuade physical reality beyond the sememe - propaganda or persuasion of language. How, as Florian asks, does 'codework' fit notions of text that were crafted without digital code - most importantly: machine-executable digital code - in mind, and vice versa. Is it a coincidence that, in their poetical appropriation of low-level Internet codes, codeworks ended up aesthetically resembling concrete poetry? And, apart from aesthetic resemblances, how do computer programs relate to literature? Join us in discussion to examine these questions and more on -empyre-. Subscribe at: http://www.subtle.net/empyre -------------

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Annual Volume 2: Submission Deadline is October 31
by Mia Consalvo 30 Oct '03

30 Oct '03

Final Call: If you presented a paper at AoIR 4.0 in Toronto and have not sent that paper to the archive, and wish your paper to be considered for inclusion in the Internet Research Annual Volume 2, you need to send a completed version of the paper to Mia Consalvo at consalvo(a)ohio.edu by October 31, 2003. Here are some basic guidelines for submissions: *Suggested length: No more than 5000 words, INCLUDING references, tables, and notes. *Format: MS Word, sent electronically to Mia at consalvo(a)ohio.edu *Style: APA style will be required for all accepted papers, but submissions can be in another style, provided author is willing to make the change later. *Publication history: Papers submitted for consideration in the Annual must have been presented at the AoIR 2003 conference in Toronto, Ontario. However, they must not have been published in any other outlet. *Decisions: All papers received by October 31 will be considered, and final decisions about inclusion will be made by January 15, 2004. Thanks! Mia -- Mia Consalvo, Ph.D. 213 RTVC School of Telecommunications 9 South College Street Ohio University Athens, OH 45701 (740) 597-1521 consalvo(a)ohio.edu

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RE: Online Dating services
by Fernando Polo 30 Oct '03

30 Oct '03

Ulla, Just before reading your request for help, I was having a look at this article in MSNBC News: http://export.msnbc.com/news/806278.asp?cp1=1 The only problem is that it could be a bit old (I couldn't find the date). You will also find a lot of resources about dating communities (including interviews with founders, and a lot of related news links) in the Online Community Report (www.ocreport.com) Dig in the archives, and you will find useful info. Hope this helps. Fernando Polo Partner DiceLaRed S.A. _____________________________ www.dicelared.com Gral. Martínez Campos, 25 28010 Madrid Tel/Fax +34 914 453 721 Móv +34 677 934 999 fernando.polo(a)dicelared.com _________________________ --__--__-- Message: 1 From: "Ulla Bunz" <bunz(a)scils.rutgers.edu> To: "Air List" <air-l(a)aoir.org> Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 13:45:08 -0500 Subject: [Air-l] request for help: online dating services Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org I'm requesting help to track down a *popular press* article (preferably online, but not necessary) that reviews the current trends and/or issues about online dating. I'm NOT looking for something that reads essentially like an advertisement for any one of the numerous online services. I'm hoping to find something like a Wired article, or along those lines, on how dating and relationship forming have been changed/influenced by the current surge toward online dating services. Responses on or off list (bunz(a)scils.rutgers.edu) are appreciated. Thanks, Ulla ---------------------------------------------------- Ulla Bunz Assistant Professor Department of Communication Rutgers University 4 Huntington Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Email: bunz(a)scils.rutgers.edu ----------------------------------------------------

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AoIR-MEET: Invitation to join the planning for AoIR 5.0
by K.S.O-Riordan＠sussex.ac.uk 30 Oct '03

30 Oct '03

AoIR-MEET INVITATION: AoIR 2004 CONFERENCE (5.0) IN THE UK The Association of Internet Researchers will meet on September 19-22, 2004, for AoIR: 5.0, at the University of Sussex, Brighton, UK (www.sussex.ac.uk) AoIR is an international organisation and has tried to vary the locations of its meetings to allow a wide membership to attend. This is the second meeting in Europe and the first time in the UK! The planning that goes into the conference is critical to its success, along with the environment, and most importantly, the people involved. The AoIR is committed to planning conferences from the ground up and I would like to take this opportunity to ask people to participate. I¹d encourage members to take part in the planning process as well as volunteering on the ground where possible. If you are interested in helping to plan this conference, please subscribe to air-meet, the list of the conference planning committee. Those on the air-meet list will shortly be discussing the final conference theme and title, a draft Call For Papers, and preferred keynote speakers. To join the conference planning list go to: http://aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-meet The conference team at the University of Sussex have booked capacity for a three-day conference with 9 streams. We have held on-campus accommodation for delegates and intend to build in pre-conference workshops and round tables, in partnership with the programme chair and the air-meet as the planning develops. The University of Sussex is an interdisciplinary academic environment and has always been open to a variety of different groups. It has many partnerships with local organisations, is architecturally renown, located in a beautiful setting and has world famous library collections and research centres. The City of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of the UK is an attractive, internationally oriented city with transport links via rail, air, sea and road. It has a rich history in the arts, film, education and politics. The University of Sussex is just outside Brighton on the edge of the South Downs. I very much look forward to seeing AoIR 5.0 here. All the best Dr. Kate O'Riordan Lecturer in Continuing Education (Media Studies) Centre for Continuing Education Sussex Institute Essex House University of Sussex Falmer Brighton BN1 9QQ Tel: 01273 877774 Email: k.s.o-riordan(a)sussex.ac.uk Web: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/qlff7

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