- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

research on web communities?
by Malin Sveningsson 08 Apr '03

08 Apr '03

Hi all, I was wondering if anybody knows of any research being done on web communities? Thanks in advance! Malin Sveningsson, PhD Media & Communication Karlstad University SE-651 88 Karlstad SWEDEN email: malin.sveningsson(a)kau.se Office Phone: +46 (0)54 700 18 33 mobile: +46 (0)70 244 38 90

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Re: Air-l digest, Vol 1 #681 - 9 msgs (Need Citation)
by Berquist＠uts.cc.utexas.edu 07 Apr '03

07 Apr '03

Annette, I find the CyberAtlas Statistics Tool Box a quick source for recent private sector studies of internet use. http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/stats_toolbox/article Global Stats at: http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/geographics/article/0,1323,5911_… 1,00.html I don't have any citations handy on the hyped stats of the early 90's, but the change in net growth was noted in WSJ: Julia Angwin, "E-Business: Has Growth of the Net Flattened?," Wall St. J., July 16, 2001, B1. Lon Berquist berquist(a)uts.cc.utexas.edu >> ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Annette Markham" <amarkham(a)uic.edu> > To: <air-l(a)aoir.org> > Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2003 9:05 AM > Subject: [Air-l] need citation > > > > Dear Colleagues, > > > > I need some citation help. Regarding Internet access, during the > early-mid > > '90s, what were some of the more ludicrous (or overly ambitious) > popular > > press (or academic) predictions about where we would be in ten years, > or > in > > a decade, or in a few years? > > > > Also, where can I get recent statistics regarding the degree of > penetration > > of Internet capabilities by country? (such as percentage of those > with > > home access to the Internet). Here, I'm not looking for something > too > > specific; I'm just wanting a citation for a methodology argument I'm > making > > about the mistaken assumptions researchers can make about broad or > full > > access to participants for studies. > > > > THANKS for any help you can give; please send off list help to > amarkham(a)uic.edu > > > > Annette Markham > >

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seeking input on classification of Internet terms (& blog graph)
by Eszter Hargittai 07 Apr '03

07 Apr '03

Hi, I'm looking for some input on the classification of some computer and Internet related terms. I had asked respondents in a study to rate their level of understanding of some terms and now as I analyze the data, I would appreciate some input regarding the categorization of the terms. (I didn't realize I was going to use certain analyses so I am only now addressing this issue.) I have put up a Web page with the terms. If you have a moment and wouldn't mind sharing your thoughts on it, I would greatly appreciate it (my email address is on the Web page). http://www.princeton.edu/~eszter/ci-terms.html On a different note, I've created a little figure showing the change over time in how much mainstream media outlets have covered Weblog/blog related topics. I've put the graph up on my blog: http://www.esztersblog.com - today's entry. Thanks for any help with my project! Eszter --- Eszter Hargittai http://www.eszter.com My Weblog http://www.esztersblog.com _______________________________________________ No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding. Introducing My Way - http://www.myway.com

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April on -empyre-: Datascape with Teri Rueb, Brett Stalbaum and John Tonkin
by Michael Arnold Mages 07 Apr '03

07 Apr '03

April on -empyre-: Datascape with Teri Rueb, Brett Stalbaum and John Tonkin -empyre- takes pleasure in welcoming three artists whose work engages GPS and data-base systems as an exploration of new content in landscape aesthetics, data mapping and psycho-geographies. Today our new media landscape moves from an aesthetic of representation and mimesis to a data driven generative model for exploration. Data is the actual expression of our ability to model both humanity and the planet as a system. Because it is actual, data plays an intermediary and "actualizing" role in the human relationship to the landscape. The role of the virtual in the unfolding of the actual is quickened, more dynamic, more widespread, and more embedded in our culture at this moment in time than at any other. What are the implications for digital culture, artistic practice and tactical media? Specifically, in the current context of war, we are seeing satellite imaging and GPS technology used to guide missiles, construct high definition maps, direct movement of troops and aircraft, and image space as territory. Questions regarding the representation of space and corollary constructions of identity are raised with every broadcast, press briefing, illustration and photograph. Real-time unpacking of the rhetoric behind these cartographic texts is urgently needed and we look forward to this month's forum unfolding as a space for such discussion and debate. Please join Teri, Brett and John starting April 1 on -empyre- ============================== --Teri Rueb (Baltimore, MD) has used global positioning satellite (GPS) technology in her work since 1996 to explore issues of space, mapping, landscape, memory, the body and cultural identity. Her current research explores sonic and acoustic constructions of space, spatialized narrative, human movement and psychosocial geography. --Brett Stalbaum (San Jose, California) is a C5 research theorist specializing in theory, database, and software development. The C5 Landscape projects, initiated in 2001, involve mapping, navigation and search of the landscape using internally produced Geographic Information Systems. He has recently been involved in code development and research/theory work on database, the artist's role in the problems of large data, and landscape art. --John Tonkin (Sydney, Australia) is a artist, programmer and curator who has worked for nearly two decades with animation, software development and databases. His recent works are formed through the accumulated interactions of users and investigate assumptions relating to subjectivity, scientific belief systems and the body. John recently curated "All Star Data Mappers" for d.lux Media Arts, a survey of artists and designers who are building information visualisation software to navigate the complex terrain of the electronic datasphere. http://www.johnt.org http://www.dlux.org.au/dataterra/exhibition.html ============================== -empyre- is an arena for the discussion of media arts practice, and regularly invites practicioners, curators and theorists in the media arts field to discuss specific projects, publications, and issues. Subscribe to -empyre- at: http://www.subtle.net/empyrean/empyre/

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FW: [Air-l] Prestige and Online Publishing
by Michael Gurstein 06 Apr '03

06 Apr '03

Robert Davison who edits the Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries (I'm on the Board) has asked me to forward this to our list... M -----Original Message----- From: Robert Davison [mailto:isrobert@is.cityu.edu.hk] Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2003 9:12 PM To: 'Michael Gurstein ' Cc: Robert Davison Subject: RE: [Air-l] Prestige and Online Publishing Michael, I would not mind if you sent some or all of the following to AIR-L "EJISDC does not ask that its authors transfer copyright at all, we charge nothing for access, we print nothing (though some authors have requested hard copies), and we are peer reviewed. Probably we accept about 50% of submissions. How well do we rate in the IS field? Hard to say, though not badly simply because we are an ejournal I feel. I am able to persuade some of my colleagues, who would otherwise feel compelled to publish only in the traditional prestigious paper press, to submit articles. I am grateful to my department for providing the journal's webserver. I am working with the UN (UNCTAD - www.unctad.org) to try and highlight the way that non-profits such as EJISDC can provide a viable epublishing operation - in contrast to the for-profit model. EJISDC just issued volume 11, with 12 articles devoted to constructive criticism of the 2002 UNCTAD report - feel free to browse at www.ejisdc.org." Robert

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Adult gamers within the family (thanks)
by Sue Cranmer 06 Apr '03

06 Apr '03

I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my recent query about this. The websites, news of projects, related jobs etc have all been illuminating and good background to my present study. Many thanks. Sue

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RE: Encyclopedia of Community
by Manuel Medina 06 Apr '03

06 Apr '03

Michael, thanks for the link. Very useful and interesting. Cheers, Manuel

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Re: [Air-l] Encyclopedia of Community
by Eszter Hargittai 06 Apr '03

06 Apr '03

Thanks, Michael, for raising some interesting and important issues. In response to Max's questions about whether tenure committees prefer hard copy or online publications, I'd prefer not to fall into a technologically deterministic discussion. I think there are plenty of hard copy publications that would count little toward a tenure case so it's not necessarily the medium that matters. Prestige seems to matter, which is often at least to some degree related to the level of peer-review. Of course, anyone who's submitted to or reviewed for a prestigious (or not) journal knows how much of the process is a fluke. It is far from a perfect system. But to address the question about the types of publications that matter, my impression is that it's hugely field dependent. In some fields, publishing a chapter in an edited book counts for almost nothing. In other fields, publishing something online even as a working paper counts for a lot. Some fields put quite a bit of weight on citations. So instead of simply looking at where you published, they want to know how many times the piece has been cited (granted, again looking at in what types of journals those pieces were published). My understanding is that self-citations don't count in this system which makes a lot of sense (that is, it's not enough for you to keep citing your own work, other people have to as well). It will take some time for any new journal to gain prestige, whether Web-based or hard copy. In that sense, those of us doing research in a new field will face challenges regardless of the medium of the publication because new journals (online or not) geared to our areas of interest can't possibly be as well known as much older venues for work. Over time, some of these journals will gain prestige, hopefully regardless of their medium. In an ideal world - and I'd hope this is the case in some places - tenure committees, at least at the dept level, would read one's work and not simply look at where it was published to determine its quality and contributions. For example, I don't know how many points Danny Kahneman (last year's Nobel winner in Econ) scored in Psychology (his field) for publishing a seminal piece in Econometrica (a very prestigious journal in econ) but it sounds like that was the place to publish it for the kind of impact it had on econ research. (For more: http://www.princeton.edu/pr/news/02/q4/1009-kahneman-b.htm ) Since this is related, I'd like to add that I've been amazed at the number of AoIR members' Web sites I've visited that do not have copies of their publications available for online access. I realize some of these are copyright related, but it's usually possible to put up a "pre-print" copy of one's paper. If not, in the least, I would hope people would make it clear on their sites that by contacting them we can obtain an e-copy via email. For those interested in more about the Soros Open Access initiative to which Michael referred, here's their Web site: http://www.soros.org/openaccess/ Eszter --- Eszter Hargittai http://www.eszter.com My Weblog: http://www.esztersblog.com How to win the Nobel Prize: http://www.roadtostockholm.com _______________________________________________ No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding. Introducing My Way - http://www.myway.com

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Re: Adult Gamers within the Family
by Dmitri Williams 06 Apr '03

06 Apr '03

Sue- This is part of my dissertation research, and I confirm that there isn't much out there on this aspect of game play. Almost everything is about children or teenagers, or the ubiquitous college sophomore subject pool. But ditto Nancy's comments on Avatars Offline, and Jason's on Digiplay as a good resource. Try the IDSA web site (http://www.idsa.com/) for some facts and stats on age and use in the US. I think their numbers are too high, but that shouldn't surprise you from a trade group. Pew Internet also has asked some game-related questions, and was kind enough to recently give me this eye-opening data from a 2002 survey (Keep in mind that this is probably anything from Bridge to Everquest): Q. Ever play a game online All users 37% Men 37% Women 38% Whites 34% Blacks 48% Hispanics 54% 18-29 52% 30-49 34% 50-64 28% 65+ 38% I should have some family-based data on the game I'm studying (Asheron's Call 2) in the next few weeks, and you're welcome to mail me off-list. Here's what else I have for cites: Marriage & Family review, Vol 8 #1 & 2 are all on computers and families, but is from 1985. Sneed & Runco, 1992 (I think), Journal of Psychology V 120: The Beliefs Adults and Children Hold About Television and Video Games Let me know if you come across anything else good. I'd like to have more information myself. Cheers, Dmitri **************** Dmitri Williams Ph.D. Candidate University of Michigan Department of Communication Studies dcwillia(a)umich.edu http://www.umich.edu/~dcwillia On Thursday, April 3, 2003, at 12:01 PM, air-l-request(a)aoir.org wrote: > From: "Sue Cranmer" <sue(a)jcranmer.freeserve.co.uk> > Date: Thu Apr 3, 2003 3:26:05 AM US/Eastern > To: <air-l(a)aoir.org> > Subject: [Air-l] Adult Gamers within the Family > Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > > > Hi > > Can anyone help me with references about adults playing computer games > as > part of the family, for instance, parents who use the computer for work > which blurs into entertainment through gaming. > > Thanks > Sue

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Re: Prestige and Online Publishing
by Adrian Miles 06 Apr '03

06 Apr '03

At 12:01 -0500 5/4/03, air-l-request(a)aoir.org wrote: >1. If you are based in an academic institution, does publication in >e-journals count for less 'points' when being considered for promotion and >tenure? in Australia the federal government criteria is peer review, whether it is dead tree or electronic is irrelevant. In the past I have argued successfully (in approx. 1995) that self published content was also legitimate as long as you could demonstrate peer endorsement (in that example I did this by providing unsolicited emails applauding the particular online, self published, project). In terms of promotion that is a different issue, as promotion is never only based on merit but always involves some absurd combination of personal and institutional politics. in this context where you have published may in fact be an issue, and would vary from department to department, institution to institution. my personal view and experience is that good academics can tell good journals from poor, whether they're on paper or screen. regarding the other thread and rights. I'm currently chair of this years Digital Arts and Culture conference and all papers are being published by RMIT publishing under their subscription only electronic service. However this was negotiated as a non exclusive licence which means authors retain republication rights. This was done to help meet the Australian government's requirements for the proceedings to be recognised as 'real' academic labour. (the major critieria are peer review and publication by a professional publisher.) However since this is subscription only I have also negotiated a special issue of Fine Art Forum (electronic) which will include the same content so that it is in the public domain, again on a non exclusive basis. In my own publishing, most of which is electronic, like Danny Butt I refuse to sign contracts that disallow me from republication, and if it is an elect. journal that is subscription only (eg. Postmodern Culture) then I always ensure i have permission to mirror the content personally with the appropriate acknowledgements. Like others here I have problems where the academic publishing model is: we provide the content unpaid we do the reviewing unpaid we often provide the editorial labour, unpaid we or our institutions are required to pay considerably for subscriptions, whether page or screen based. in this model I don't see what the publisher actually contributes in an electronic publishing apparatus, and remain very interested in trying to develop open source publishing engines that support open publishing, peer review, and so forth. cheers adrian miles -- + MelbourneDAC2003 digital arts and culture conference [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/] + interactive desktop video developer [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/vog/] + hypertext rmit [http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au] + InterMedia:UiB. university of bergen [http://www.intermedia.uib.no]

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