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Re: internet linguistic variety citations desired
by Bram Dov Abramson 07 May '03

07 May '03

elijah wright (elw(a)stderr.org) 07-5-2003: >that the amount of English used on the Internet doesn't >(or will rapidly cease to) matter for the following >reasons (or anything similar): > >(1) The Internet is global and distributed, so people will >use their own languages on it, (2) The growth of >non-English users exceeds in rate the growth of >English-speaking users, (3) The technical affordances of >the internet (Unicode, translation, etc.) have solved the >language problems. > >These seem to be popular conceptions, for which there may >be very slim published evidence. Maybe you'd consider taking a more nuanced approach to "the Internet" -- a connectivity platform, after all -- by looking at how the posited single public space plays out differently across the different popular Internet applications. The Web, for example, as not identical to e-mail. Instant messaging, as not identical to online gaming. And so forth. Surely the formation of languaged (to mutilate English ;-)) social networks in each of these media has its own, as you say, affordances. >we've chosen not to rely on Global Reach's statistics or >reports because they have a vested interest in providing >statistics that encourage people to... surprise... *BUY >MORE STATISTICS* from them. (...) >global reach sells a lot of things. ;) one of their >other big markets is translation services - they would >love to help translate your corporate site into twenty >languages, if you can afford it. Whether it's selling more statistics or selling translation and localisation services: yes, it's certainly a good idea to try and understand the biases of one's sources, and to think about the direction in which those biases might lead said sources to err. But I am skeptical of this idea of avoiding or discounting sources where biases can be identified, presumably in favour of better sources untainted by bias. Most knowledge is produced by people with opinions, biases, etc. The key is to evaluate in light of this, not search for that which is free of it; such a search might take a long while indeed. As for the methodology behind this particular source, there is nothing sophisticated here. This is path-of-least-resistance stuff: Internet user numbers are drawn from a variety of sources that used various methodologies on various dates, I suppose via NUA; all of the inconsistencies in this are then multiplied by what-language-they-speak assumptions which map official language(s) (save in a couple of cases, where available national demographics are substituted) onto Internet user population, introducing . And so forth. In other words a nice little project for someone -- on a part-time basis, I suppose -- which collates obtainable data into something meaningful and provides full documentation as to source data, assumptions, and methodology. And which is neither capital-t Truth, nor pretends to be. The sort of positivism which faults data sets for being imperfect or unmimetic representations of the world has always surprised me. Necessarily, statistics (and maps, and pictures, and photographs, and ...) are trade-offs. Finding out that they are trade-offs is not really the point imho; identifying what has been traded off, and using appropriately given those limitations, is. Hence: >how many of these internet users are multilingual with >english and some other language readily accessible to >them? how many are multilingual with at least minimal >competence in four or five of the top 100 languages >spoken/written worldwide? how are these people being >counted? these are the fun questions...] Sure. As long as these are understood, not as oversights which the compiler couldn't cotton onto -- the opposite seems more likely to me -- but as a degree of complexity outstripping the resources which the compiler was able to expend. In which case the fun of asking these questions is not in the triumphal aha! found holes! but, rather, in thinking about how these change the questions we ask, and the answers we come up with. (For example, why this is the only free data set available on the Web, indicating a distinct lack of interest from certain corners in reproducing or improving on it. On which, I think I remember Angus Reid here in Canada doing something similar, but more of it in-house; their Web site likely has contact details and a press release or two.) Interesting ideas, in all cases; good luck with it! cheers Bram

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Fwd: CHE-Academe Today, "A glance at the spring issue of "Dissent": Race and the Internet"
by Steve Jones 07 May '03

07 May '03

ACADEME TODAY: The Chronicle of Higher Education's Daily Report for subscribers _________________________________________________________________ MAGAZINES & JOURNALS A glance at the spring issue of "Dissent": Race and the Internet Will the Internet change our perceptions of race? Jerry Kang, a professor of law at the University of California at Los Angeles, says that depends on how we construct our online environments. Mr. Kang writes that, at this stage, most Internet communication takes place through text, in which participants' races may remain invisible. "This prompts giddy speculations about Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream Version 2.0 -- to be judged by the content of one's text-characters, not the color of one's skin," says Mr. Kang. But ultimately he sees only limited use for Internet environments in which all mention of an author's race is excluded. While acknowledging that "zoning most marketplaces for 'abolition'" could be useful, he suggests that the Internet's real promise may not be in eliminating racial perceptions, but in changing and enriching them. "Virtual communities are centered around common interests, experiences, and fates," he writes. A focus on common goals may allow people to relate to those of other races in ways that change their perceptions of race. This is especially likely, he says, if information about people's race is not revealed until they have already established a relationship. Constructing a positive environment for racial interaction on the Internet will become even more challenging as online environments come to rely heavily on graphics as well as text. Mr. Kang hopes that those who build these new online environments will consider their potential to improve or harm race relations. "If we are coding a new 'cyburban' reality," he writes, "let us at least make new mistakes." The article is not online. Information about the journal is available at http://www.dissentmagazine.org/

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Introduction and question
by Phil Hall 07 May '03

07 May '03

Greetings List, Short introduction prior to a question. Phil Hall Anthropology BSc from UCL in 1998 - final dissertation an Ethnography in an early Avatar based Multi User Environment. Became hooked by the potential for automation of information delivery via embedded Chatterbots in the game. Since then have worked in IT, set up Elzware a specialist Chatterbot design studio last year. So, why this email ?? I am, as a side line, helping out with an online discussion group known as eMint. This is a collection of UK and EU community managers, academics and commercial interests. Further to this I am representing eMint at a Government Task Force which is discussing moderation in online environments. The objective is to understand and present some information publicly that might assist in the reduction of risk to children online from Paedophiles and other aggressive users of discussion groups. To further this conversation I am hoping to touch base with anyone currently, or recently, working to Ethnographic principles in online environments either text or avatar based, real or lapse time. I was advised from another Anthropology list that this might be a good place to ask for some views. I have had a review of the archive found a 1st Call for Papers: Deviance on the Internet: New Challenges for Social Science so the conversation would seem to be appropriate. If anyone can help out or give some pointers on this I would appreciate it. Thanks and regards, Phil Hall www.elzware.com

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internet linguistic variety citations desired
by elijah wright 07 May '03

07 May '03

Howdy folks - a co-conspirator and I are seeking citations regarding the dominance of the English language on the internet. Specifically, we are looking for media citations (popular media more than acceptable - !!!WONDERFUL!!!, in fact!) of instances where individuals have said: that the amount of English used on the Internet doesn't (or will rapidly cease to) matter for the following reasons (or anything similar): (1) The Internet is global and distributed, so people will use their own languages on it, (2) The growth of non-English users exceeds in rate the growth of English-speaking users, (3) The technical affordances of the internet (Unicode, translation, etc.) have solved the language problems. These seem to be popular conceptions, for which there may be very slim published evidence. Please respond off-list, and I'll post a condensed summary. thanks, elijah wright school of library and information science indiana university bloomington

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virus x 2
by Barry Wellman 06 May '03

06 May '03

In what Reuters says is Not a Joke, Microsoft has announced the world's first Internet loo, coming this summer in an outhouse that will tour the British summer music festival circuit. Given what often gets left fecally lying around outhouses, this offers the possibility for getting three bugs at once: bio virus, computer virus, and buggy Win software. 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 "For a couple of old-timers, they're quick." Undergraduate, after losing 320-150 to the 1962 undefeated Lafayette College Bowl Team [quiz show] in a 40-year reunion match, April 2 2003. (B Wellman, team captain) _____________________________________________________________________

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Information Technology in Regional Areas
by jeremy hunsinger 06 May '03

06 May '03

The Organising Committee of the Information Technology in Regional Areas Conference (ITiRA) invites submission of papers for its 2003 Conference. Dates: 5 - 7 November 2003 Venue: Rydges Oasis Resort, Caloundra, Queensland, Australia Deadline for the submission of full papers: 6 June 2003 Further details available at: <http://itira.cqu.edu.au/2003> or please email enquiries-itira2003(a)cqu.edu.au The ITiRA 2003 Conference explores strategies that link ICT enhanced economic, social and cultural development efforts with emerging opportunities in such areas as electronic commerce, community and civic networks, telecentres, electronic democracy, on-line participation, self-help and virtual health communities, advocacy, cultural enhancement and others. We see ITiRA 2003 as being of interest to practitioners, and policy makers in both developed and developing countries, and are particularly interested to share ideas across practice, research and policy. Hence, ITiRA 2003 encourages submissions for double blind refereed papers as well as practitioner case studies and policy development. Tracks * Community Informatics * IT for Developing Countries * Indigenous Voices on IT for Indigenous Peoples * IT for Regional Culture, Media and the Arts * IT for Regional Education and Training * IT for e-Democracy * IT for Regional Health * IT for Regional Industry and e-Commerce * IT for Tourism in Regional Areas * IT for Social Marketing in Regional Areas Important Dates: Full papers due: 6 June 2003 Notification of Acceptance: 12 July 2003 Final print-ready papers due: 15 August 2003 jeremy hunsinger jhuns(a)vt.edu on the ibook www.cddc.vt.edu www.cddc.vt.edu/jeremy www.cddc.vt.edu/jeremy/blog () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments

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Reply: Broadband statistics Norway
by Svein Bergvik 06 May '03

06 May '03

Though you would prefer data on each country from same source, this could be of interest. Probably the best source for such data in Norway. http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/10/03/inet_en/ Good luck! Svein Bergvik Telenor R&D Norway Visiting researcher at Center for Management of Information University of Arizona

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Re: Help needed about statistics
by catherine middleton 06 May '03

06 May '03

>I am preparing an article on internet penetration. I have been looking for= >=20 >some data because I am interested in getting the percentage of households=20 >connected to the Internet over the total of households and the percentage=20 >of households with a broadband connection over the total of households. I=20 >would like to get the statistics from one source, because otherwise=20 >comparison among different sources is not very accurate. >The countries in which I am interested in are Korea, USA, Hong King,=20 >Singapur, Taiwan, China, New Zealand, Norway, Australia. Broadband researchers usually use OECD data, but not all the countries you've listed are members. A chart with September 2002 stats is available at http://www.oecd.org/EN/document/0,,EN-document-41-1-no-4-39262-41,00.html. catherine middleton

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Rerarding "Help needed about statistics"
by Mete Yildiz 06 May '03

06 May '03

Dear Isabel, UNDP World Reports (www.undp.org) provide data about the telecommunications structure status of all the countries in the world. I also remember seeing an article by Ezster Hargittai on (if I do not recall it wrong) connectivity in OECD countries published I guess in 1999 in "Telecommunications Policy" journal. You might want to take a look at the methodology section. Best regards, Mete

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Workshop on "HCI design aspects for applications of m-commerce"
by A.C.Roibas＠bton.ac.uk 06 May '03

06 May '03

Workshop on "HCI design aspects for applications of m-commerce" - 1st Call for Papers 8 September 2003, in adjunction to MOBILE HCI 03, in Udine (Italy) The topic of the workshop M-commerce is one of the most challenging problems regarding interaction with mobile devices. The workshop intends to explore and analyse the main features in the design of scenarios of mobile commerce for the incoming 3G mobile communication technologies. One of the main problems to the diffusion of m-commerce in Europe was the applications' lack of usability. Furthermore there are other m-commerce related aspects as micro-payments, wireless authentication for proximity transactions, interactive-ads for mobile devices etc that deserve special attention by HCI designers. Mobile scenarios which are a fertile area for new applications and services, require an original approach to user centred interface design. Therefore, new design approaches, HF studies, behavioural theories and evaluation techniques need to arise in order to be able to design interactive m-commerce applications and services that provide the user with a positive experience. This tutorial aims is to sensitise participants to these specific HCI design issues for mobile applications of m-commerce; to share the experience gained in several case studies; to explore the most appropriate techniques of interface design and evaluation in this type of device range and to identify possible areas of exploration to extend the HCI research community in the proposed topic. ------------------------------------------ The activity organization The workshop is designed as a one-day practical activity with relevant theoretical discussion, ending with a poster design session. After the presentations and discussion, participants will be invited to choose a particular format for mobile-commerce (book payment, cinema booking, etc.) and hypothesise a plausible scenario of use (mainly when he is 'on the move' - e.g. in a train, using a pocket PC or a mobile phone) for these services or applications. Each team will be asked to summarize its findings with a poster presentation. ------------------------------------------ Program Committee The workshop organizers will be responsible for facilitating the breakout groups formed and ensuring discussion during the workshop. * Dr. Anxo Cereijo Roibás, University of Brighton a.c.roibas(a)brighton.ac.uk <mailto:a.c.roibas@brighton.ac.uk> * Stefania Marcoli, H3G stefania(a)marcoli.it <mailto:stefania@marcoli.it> * Luigi Centenaro, Ericsson spa luigi(a)centenaro.it <mailto:luigi@centenaro.it> * Lucia Terrenghi, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology lucia.terrenghi(a)fit.fraunhofer.de <mailto:lucia.terrenghi@fit.fraunhofer.de> ------------------------------------------ Background of the participants and proposed group size The workshop is intended for practitioners working in the mobile industry (telcos, device manufacturers, service providers, etc.) and for HF academics and students with interests in human computer interaction and mobile commerce. Participants will be asked to submit a brief position paper of 1-2 pages, or a reference to a mobile product in which they have been involved. Participants will be selected on the basis of their interest in and familiarity with the topic. Although not particular skills are required, basic knowledge of interaction design issues are recommendable. A group not bigger than 20 participants will be very suitable to a positive share knowledge and experiences. However, if the interest in this topic significantly increases and request to participate warrant, then it would consider reformatting the workshop to accommodate larger numbers. ------------------------------------------ Participation and Deadlines Workshop candidates are requested to send a position paper (no longer than 4 A4 pages) before the 10th of June to a.c.roibas(a)brighton.ac.uk <mailto:a.c.roibas@brighton.ac.uk> . Submissions need to be formatted according to the ACM SIG style (guidelines for generating and formatting files are available on Springer-Verlag Internet site at: http://www.springer.de/comp/lncs/authors.html <http://www.springer.de/comp/lncs/authors.html> ). ------------------------------------------ Important dates June 10: Workshop submission deadline. July 5: Workshop acceptance/rejection deadline. Also note that the authors of accepted workshop papers can register with a reduced fee, but the deadline for this is July 11. In case of delays, the workshop participants will have to pay a late registration*. July 20: Authors submit to organizers camera-ready versions of papers. September 8: Workshops day at Mobile HCI 2003 *Please note that participants need to register for the whole MobileHCI'03 conference. For registration details and fee see http://hcilab.uniud.it/mobilehci/registration.html <http://hcilab.uniud.it/mobilehci/registration.html> . For more information, see http://www.it.bton.ac.uk/staff/anxo/workshopmhci03.htm <http://www.it.bton.ac.uk/staff/anxo/workshopmhci03.htm> .

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