- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

some links perhaps of interest
by eszterlists＠netscape.net 02 Jan '02

02 Jan '02

Dear AoIR Crowd, I've started an announcement (i.e. not discussion) list with mostly Web site recommendations (and anything else I may find of interest to distribute) in large part focusing on the social and policy implications of info tech. Today's issue has several links that I thought may be of interest to the air-l readership so I thought I'd post a copy here. I won't bother the list with future issues. If you're interested, you can sign up at http://www.eszter.com/elist . A Healthy and Good New Year to All! Eszter *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* This message was sent via Eszter's List. Please feel free to forward to others, but please include this introduction. For more information about Eszter's List, including instructions for (un)subscribing, see http://www.eszter.com/elist *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* In this issue: About E-LIST content Web site recommendations: Info.tech/Year in review/Women&Afghanistan First, a few words on what I will and will not post on this list. I have nothing against posting commercial sites as long as they come highly recommended. In fact, I'm quite interested in improving informed consumer choice so I'm very curious to hear about good experiences with online retailers. What I will not post are sites that require plug-ins or programs that are painful to deal with. Example: I will not post anything that only works with RealOne/RealPlayer as that program is intrusive and annoying beyond belief and I am not willing to reinstall it on my machine (it was hard enough to get rid of it completely in the first place) nor do I want to encourage others to have it. If your site has audio content, please make it available in multiple formats or choose one that can be run on multiple players (e.g. .avi). Thanks. Hope the New Year's starting off well for everyone. -- Eszter 20 Yr Usenet Archive - first mention of Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Mac, AOL, IRC, Tim Berners-Lee's announcement of the World Wide Web project, etc. http://www.google.com/googlegroups/archive_announce_20.html 2001 on the Internet: The Year in Review http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/features/2001review/2001review1.shtml The Year in Internet Law http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/28/technology/28CYBERLAW.html (requires free registration) Number of Web Pages by Language http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/demographics/print/0,,5901_40852… Is Google moving in on Amazon's turf? http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5100863,00.html?chkpt=zdnn_nb… How to kill your spam http://www.jcphome.com/nospam.html Example of problems with email filters (AOL filters Harvard's admissions decision emails) http://www.nandotimes.com/nation/story/209047p-2015925c.html ACM Computer Supported Cooperative Work 2002 (CFP deadline: March 22) http://www.acm.org/cscw2002 A Frustrated ACLU Tries to Guide Consulates Through a Thicket http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/02/national/02ACLU.html Kabul's Lost Women, Many Abducted by Taliban Still Missing http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A62604-2001Dec18 Humanity Denied: Systematic Violations of Women's Rights in Afghanistan http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/afghan3/ Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan http://www.rawa.org Today's quote: History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives. -- Abba Eban -- __________________________________________________________________ Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop@Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/

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cfp: Internet Research 3.0: NET / WORK / THEORY
by jeremy hunsinger 02 Jan '02

02 Jan '02

apologies if you receive multiple copies from a variety of lists, please distribute: CALL FOR PAPERS Internet Research 3.0: NET / WORK / THEORY International and Interdisciplinary Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) International Institute of INFONOMICS and University of Maastricht Maastricht, The Netherlands October 13-16 2002 Conference Website: http://www.aoir.org/2002 Deadline for submissions: February 15, 2002. Submissions: http://www2.cddc.vt.edu/confman/ The Internet has become an integral, ubiquitous part of everyday life in many social domains and international contexts. Yet, most of the public attention on cyberspace remains fueled by utopian or dystopian visions, rather than being informed by the growing body of research on the Internet as a complex fact of modern life. Internet Research (IR) 3.0, an international and interdisciplinary conference, will feature a variety of perspectives on Internet research, in order to develop a better theoretical and pragmatic understanding of the Internet. Building on the previous well-attended international conferences, the IR 3.0 will bring together prominent scholars, researchers, and practitioners from many disciplines, fields and countries for a program of presentations, panel discussions, and informal exchanges. This year's theme is Net/Work/Theory. Contributors are called to reflect on how to theorize what we know about the Internet and on how to apply what we know theoretically in practice. The conference will be held for the first time in Europe, whose intellectual environments have traditionally been a source of social and cultural theory. IR 3.0 will be hosted by the International Institute of Infonomics in the beautiful city of Maastricht in the Netherlands. As the city in which one of the key treaties of the European Union was signed, Maastricht also symbolizes a changing Europe in a changing international setting. The conference will provide opportunities to network, learn from other researchers, hear from leading players in Internet development, and enjoy the "art of fine living" of Maastricht, in the south of the Netherlands. The Association of Internet Researchers invites paper, presentation, and panel proposals from AoIR members and non-members on topics that address social, cultural, political, economic, and aesthetic aspects of the Internet. We welcome interdisciplinary submissions as well as submissions from any discipline. Panel presentations that establish connections across disciplines, institutions, and/or continents are especially encouraged. We also seek presentations that will make creative use of Internet technologies and techniques. SUGGESTED TOPICS: Theoretical and Methodological approaches to Internet Research Internet Access, Use and Effects Psychology and the Internet Individuals, Groups, and Communities Online Privacy, Surveillance, and Security on the Internet Internet Policy, Ethics, Law, and Politics Teaching, Learning and the Internet The Internet in Writing and Publishing Ethnicity, Race, Identity, Gender, and Sexuality Online The Internet in Cultural Contexts The Internet in History Digital Arts and Aesthetics Gaming on the Internet E-commerce, E-Business, or Value of Digital Content New Technologies and New Media E-Sectors (e-health, e-games, e-entertainment, e-other...) This list is not meant to be exclusive, but to trigger ideas and encourage submissions from a range of disciplines. The organizers will take an active role in generating and joining the various interests in appropriate formats FORMAT OF PROPOSALS Proposals can be of three types - papers, presentations, and panels. Each person is entitled to submit 1 paper, 1 presentation, and/or 1 panel proposal. PAPERS Proposals for papers: 150-250 word abstract. CREATIVE PRESENTATIONS/DEMONSTRATIONS Creative presentations (surprise us!) and Internet-related project demonstrations (including digital arts) are encouraged. The format for these proposals is the same as those for regular papers (150-250 word abstract). PANELS Panels will generally include three to four papers or presentations. The session organizer should submit a 250-500 word statement describing the session topic, include abstracts of up to 250 words for each paper or presentation, and indicate that each author is willing to participate in the session. WORKSHOP We also invite proposals for pre-conference workshop. These proposals should be submitted as soon as possible (no later than January 15, 2002) so that the workshops can be publicized. GRADUATE STUDENTS Graduate students are highly encouraged to submit proposals. They should note their student status with submission for consideration of a special Student Award. If you intend to be a candidate for the Student Award you must also send a final version of your proposal (final paper) by 15th September 2002. FORMAT OF SUBMISSIONS Submission will be accepted from 15th December until 15th February 2002. All proposals should be submitted electronically at: http://www2.cddc.vt.edu/confman/ It is preferred that you use HTML to minimally format your paper. Average time allotted for a paper or presentation will be 15 minutes. Average time allotted for a panel will be 1 hour and 30 minutes, including discussion time. If these time constraints are not appropriate for your panel/presentation, please include that in your abstract. Please include any equipment or special considerations that might affect your presentation. DEADLINES Proposal submission: 15th December, 2001- February 15, 2002 Author notification: April 1, 2002 Presenter's Registration to the conference: September 15, 2002 Student Award: Final paper due September 15, 2002 CONTACT INFORMATION If you have questions about the conference, program, or AoIR, please contact: Conference Coordinator: Monica Murero, Infonomics and University of Maastricht, Monica.Murero(a)infonomics.nl Program Chair: Klaus Bruhn Jensen, University of Copenhagen: kbj(a)hum.ku.dk A(o)IR President: Steve Jones, sjones(a)uic.edu More Information about IR 3.0 can be found on the Conference Website: http://www.aoir.org/2002 For more information about the Association of Internet Researchers, including information on joining the Association, visit AoIR' s website at http://aoir.org For more information about the International Institute of Infonomics visit our website at http://www.infonomics.nl -- jeremy hunsinger http://www.cddc.vt.edu/jeremy cddc/political science http://www.cddc.vt.edu 526 major williams hall 0130 http://www.dromocracy.com virginia tech -under construction blacksburg, va 24061 540-231-7614

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RE: [Air-l] buying socks online
by Bunz, Ulla K 02 Jan '02

02 Jan '02

"If this website had been like, about shopping, at least, it would have been about something important." This is a direct quote from one of my subjects from the usability research I've been conducting this fall. And yes, the subject was female, and no, she was not the only one to voice similar opinions. I don't know if there is research on demographic groups' (gender, age, cultural background, etc.) attitudes toward shopping in general. I assume there must be, and I'd be interested in hearing about it. Some of the Pew research and other research has shown that women and men do not do the same things online. Women: - seek health information - seek religious information - research jobs/employment - seek travel information - play games Men: - seek news information - purchase items (AKA shopping) - seek financial information/stock trading - participate in auctions (AKA shopping) - access government websites - seek sports news/information Now, the study David is quoting shows a shift in this use, a shift showing women outdo men in online shopping now. Whether that's good or not, it's certainly not a bad thing. I assume that much of this shift also simply derives from Christmas shopping traditionally being the mother's responsibility. So, maybe we should see if this trend holds up after Christmas before we draw conclusions. Also, David's subject line (buying socks online) brings up an excellent point. What is it that these women and men are buying online? And, can we rank online purchases as to their "seriousness?" And who would define those criteria? Some kind of Intellectual Internet Elite? That alone is problematic, I think. So, finally, to David's question: "Does the quote suggest that women are thinking of the Internet in a more serious way *because* they use it to shop?" IF the quote implied that all women think of ALL shopping as serious, and IF the quote implied that they ONLY think of the Internet as a valuable tool BECAUSE you can shop there, and IF this only applied to women (and to ALL of them at that), and not to men, THEN I'd think it very problematic. However, maybe this one single, reported on trend is just one of many indicators that women are a) using the Internet more, and b) are thinking of the Internet in a positive way, assessing it useful in a variety of ways? More comments? Ulla Bunz

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buying socks online
by david silver 02 Jan '02

02 Jan '02

Folks, A very interesting article in the Washington Post today covering an equally interesting new research report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The article is entitled "Women Take Lead in Web Shopping: 58% of Holiday Buyers Online Were Female" and can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49305-2002Jan1.html I'm still unsure about the rules of posting/reposting articles but I think I'll test my luck and cut and paste the first four paragraphs. If you have *any* interest in the thread that has been going down, please read: *** Women outshopped men on the Internet during the holidays for the first time ever, infiltrating a retail realm once dominated by young, wealthy white males, according to a national survey released yesterday by a nonprofit research group. Of the 29 million Internet users who bought gifts online between Thanksgiving and Christmas, about 58 percent were women, up from 50 percent last year, the Pew Internet & American Life Project found after polling more than 2,000 adults with Internet access. The research group's findings suggest women have crossed a major threshold in cyberspace, where the gender mix is becoming more consistent with the traditional retail world. "It's a vote of confidence for the online environment," said Lee Rainie, the group's director. "It means women think of the Internet in a much more serious way." *** Now, I'm a fan of the Pew project and have learned alot from their research projects. But I think Lee Rainie's quote sums up all the problems I had/have with the conflation of commerce and (that word again) community. Does the quote suggest that women are thinking of the Internet in a more serious way *because* they use it to shop? Am I the only one who finds this incredibly problematic? Comments, please. david silver http://faculty.washington.edu/dsilver

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Re: [Air-l] In One Year and Out the Other
by noci 01 Jan '02

01 Jan '02

did that.... i got to know the people online, symptomatical for my generation, isn't it? ;P nee 82. best wishes for 02-- maxD

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In One Year and Out the Other
by Ken Friedman 31 Dec '01

31 Dec '01

In One Year and Out the Other On New Year's Eve, make a telephone call from one time zone to another so that you are conducting a conversation between people located in two years. 1975 I have been performing this event every year since 1975. I invite you to join me this year using telephone, telefax, or email to send New Year's greetings across the shifting time boundary between 2001 and 2002. Ken Friedman

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Summer Conference on Computers & Industrial Engineering at Tinos Island, Greece
by mboudour＠upatras.gr 31 Dec '01

31 Dec '01

Dear all, Happy New Year! I would like to inform you about the 30th International Conference on Computers and Industrial Engineering that is going to take place in the Island of Tinos at the Cyclads (Aegean sea), Greece, June 29 - July 2, 2002. The conference URL is: http://cda2.imse.lsu.edu/tinos2002/index.htm Although the deadline for submission of papers has already expired, the organizers might be a little flexible for those interested in submitting a paper now. For this purpose, those interested in submitting a paper should contact the Conference Co-Chair and Program Chair: Evangelos (Vangelis) Triantaphyllou <trianta(a)lsu.edu> Furthermore, as I am organizing the following special session in this conference: "Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Internet Research and Webometrics" for this purpose I am soliciting 3 papers closely related to each other on this topic. Therefore, I would appreciate if partners from the EU project EICSTES (http://www.eicstes.org/) or COMMORG (http://www.commorg.net/) who are interested in contributing into the above special session might contact me as soon as possible by sending to me the abstract of their intended contribution in this session. Best, --Moses M.A. Boudourides Associate Professor Department of Mathematics University of Patras 265 00 Rio-Patras Greece Tel.: +30-61-996318 Fax: +30-61-992965 http://www.math.upatras.gr/~mboudour

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Non Profit Informatics Research List
by John McNutt 29 Dec '01

29 Dec '01

At the ARNOVA (Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action) meeting a few weeks ago, some of us got together to discuss the possibility of setting up a group to discuss and promote research on technology in the nonprofit sector. We decided to set up a discussion list and consider where to go from there. This is primarily a group for researchers and scholars but others are welcome. If you are interested in exploring the exciting world of nonprofit technology, join the conversation! The instructions for the list are: Post message: NIRG(a)yahoogroups.com Subscribe: NIRG-subscribe(a)yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe: NIRG-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com John John G. McNutt Graduate School of Social Work Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 617.552.4036-Voice 617.552.1080-Fax www: http://www.geocities.com/john_g_mcnutt/ Be Ashamed to Die Until You Have Won Some Victory for Humanity-- Horace Mann Computing is not about computers anymore. Its about living --Nicholas Negroponte Abyssus abyssum invocat--C.S. Lewis

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CSCW02
by Barry Wellman 28 Dec '01

28 Dec '01

Folks, CSCW conferences, announcements below, generally attract smart computer scientists interested in building and studying groupware and communityware. They tend to be academics, corporate software researchers and developers, and a few government folks. The conference is held every other year. This year in New Orleans!! I've gone to 3 in the past decade -- and have learned much and enjoyed the congenial group. There are some important gaps in CSCWniks' purview -- as there are in any other groups -- but I do want to encourage you to attend. Barry ___________________________________________________________________ Barry Wellman Professor of Sociology NetLab Director wellman(a)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 ___________________________________________________________________ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2001 11:13:17 -0800 From: Elizabeth Churchill <churchill(a)pal.xerox.com> To: 'Barry Wellman' <wellman(a)chass.utoronto.ca> Subject: RE: networking Hi there Barry Anyway wanted to wish you all the best for the holiday season and send you the call for papers for CSCW - do pass it around to those you think may be interested and I do hope you will come. All the best, --Elizabeth Dear Colleague, We would like to invite you to participate in the ACM 2002 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, which will convene November 16-20 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference program will include research papers, videos, interactive posters, demonstrations, panels, tutorials, workshops, a doctoral colloquium, and other exciting activities. Please forward this message to anyone who you think may be interested; our apologies if you receive multiple copies. If you have any questions, please visit our web site (http://www.acm.org/cscw2002) or contact us by email (cscw2002-info(a)acm.org) We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans! Elizabeth Churchill & Joe McCarthy, Conference Co-Chairs =============================================================== ACM 2002 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 2002) Sponsored by the ACM Special Interest Groups on Supporting Group Work (SIGGROUP) and Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI). New Orleans, Louisiana, 16-20 November 2002 http://www.acm.org/cscw2002 cscw2002-info(a)acm.org Call for Participation The CSCW Conference is an ideal venue for presenting research and development achievements in the design, introduction, and use of technology that affect groups, organizations communities and societies. Although work is an important area of focus for the conference - the conference has traditionally focused on such topics as the use of email, chat, voicemail and videoconferencing in supporting people's work activities and working relationships - technology is increasingly supporting a wide range of recreational and social activities. As consumer markets continue to expand, more and more people are able to connect online and we are moving toward a Computer Supported Cooperative World. Appropriate topic areas for CSCW 2002 therefore include all contexts in which technology is used to mediate communication, coordination, cooperation and even competition among people, including entertainment, games, art, music and the remote sharing of intimate moments. Given its broad scope, CSCW is a multi-disciplinary conference, and participation of people from diverse backgrounds, cultures and perspectives is strongly encouraged. We welcome submissions from researchers and practitioners in all sectors, including academia, industry and government. CSCW has consistently been at the leading edge of thinking about the role of coordination and communication technologies in our lives. With your help, CSCW 2002 will play an important role in continuing this tradition. Come and help us make CSCW a stimulating and exciting event. Topics of interest include but are not restricted to the following: * Innovations and experiences with Intranets, the Internet, WWW * Innovative installations: CSCW and the arts * Innovative technologies and architectures to support group activity, awareness and telepresence * Social and organizational effects of introducing technologies * Theoretical aspects of coordination and communication * Methodologies and tools for design and analysis of collaborative practices * Ethnographic and case studies of work practice * Working with and through collections of heterogeneous technologies * Emerging issues for global systems The following are brief descriptions of the CSCW 2002 participation categories; prospective participants should visit our web site (http://www.acm.org/cscw2002) to learn more about these categories. STUDENT VOLUNTEERS: Students are invited to apply to volunteer at CSCW 2002. In exchange for 20 hours of volunteer work, students will receive complimentary conference registration and an invitation to the conference reception. The number of student volunteer positions will be limited. Interested students enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program for the 2001-2002 school year should apply using the form on the conference website as soon as possible. RESEARCH PAPERS: Papers should present original, unpublished research on technological mediation of activities affecting groups of people. Potential areas of interest include theory, methodology, empirical investigations, architectures, prototypes and experiences related to the development, deployment and use of computer systems supporting all aspects of shared activities, including, but not limited to, activities at work, in the home, in education, and the arts. Papers should be no longer than 10 pages, including the abstract, all figures and references. VIDEOS: Videos are a great way to present work that involves dynamic interaction, ranging from demonstrations of new systems to complex aspects of group communication and work practice. Potential topics include, but are not limited to demonstrations of innovative research prototypes; demonstrations (but not marketing) of innovative aspects of commercial systems; studies of work practice that have implications for CSCW; retrospective collections of significant CSCW fields of work; and visions of future technologies. INTERACTIVE POSTERS: Interactive Posters provide an opportunity for researchers to present work in a more open format where authors interact directly with groups of conference attendees. We especially encourage submission of late-breaking and preliminary results, smaller results not suitable for a full paper, innovative ideas not yet validated through user studies, student research, and other research best presented in this open format. Interactive Poster submissions should include a poster abstract of no longer than 2 pages, including all figures and references. DEMONSTRATIONS: Demonstrations allow conference participants to view novel or noteworthy CSCW systems in action, discuss the systems with those who created them, and perhaps to try them out. Appropriate demonstrations include applications, technologies, research prototypes and products. This forum is not an opportunity for marketing or sales presentations. Presenters must have been directly involved with the development of the system and be able to explain the differentiating and novel contributions of the system. Demo proposals should be a maximum of 4 pages. PANELS: Panels should examine innovative, provocative, controversial, or late-breaking issues. The best panels are often structured as a debate with an opportunity for audience participation. We also welcome novel suggestions of topics or formats such as impromptu design by a panel or comparative empirical analyses by expert panelists who have divergent perspectives. We are open to innovative formats including live demonstrations and/or technology competitions. Panel proposals should be no longer than 4 pages. TUTORIALS: Tutorials should be designed to give participants the opportunity to learn about CSCW concepts and techniques in intensive sessions. Proposals are solicited for half-day and full day tutorials. Tutorial proposals should be no longer than 5 pages. WORKSHOPS: Workshops provide an opportunity to discuss and explore emerging areas of CSCW research with a group of like-minded researchers and practitioners. Workshops may focus on any aspect of CSCW theory or practice, established concerns or new ideas. The goal of the workshop is to share understandings and experiences, to foster research communities, to learn from each other and to envision future directions. Workshops are typically run for a full day. DOCTORAL COLLOQUIUM: This Colloquium is a forum in which Ph.D. students can meet and discuss their work with each other and a panel of experienced CSCW researchers and practitioners. We welcome applicants from a broad range of disciplines and approaches that inform CSCW, including sociology, computer science, cognitive science, and related fields. Applicants should be beyond the proposal stage and into their dissertation research. The Colloquium committee will select approximately 10 participants who will be expected to give a short, informal presentation of their work during the Colloquium, to be followed by a discussion. Submissions should be no longer than 3 pages. SUBMISSIONS: CSCW 2002 requires online submission. Please see the CSCW 2002 website (http://www.acm.org/cscw2002) for information about online submission information. All submissions should be formatted according to the standard ACM SIGCHI publication guidelines. IMPORTANT DATES March 22, 2002 Papers due April 19, 2002 Videos, Panel Proposals, Tutorial Proposals and Workshop Proposals due June 7, 2002 Notification of accepted Papers, Videos, Panels, Tutorials and Workshops June 28, 2002 Interactive Posters due July 12, 2002 Demonstration Proposals and Doctoral Colloquium submissions due July 19, 2002 Final version of Papers due August 9, 2002 Final version of Videos and Video Abstracts due August 16, 2002 Notification of accepted Interactive Posters, Demonstrations and Doctoral Colloquium submissions October 5, 2002 Final versions of Panel abstracts, descriptions and position statements; Tutorial notes; Interactive Posters; Demonstrations abstracts; and Doctoral Colloquium submissions due November 16, 2002 CSCW 2002 conference begins For more information, please visit our web site (http://www.acm.org/cscw2002) or send us email (cscw2002-info(a)acm.org)

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community and kreplach
by david silver 27 Dec '01

27 Dec '01

So many great posts, so little time. (And a related quandary: so much leftover turkey and kreplach, so little stomach space.) I've been influenced by and intrigued with Wendy's work for years now and I take her very seriously when she asks: "Are virtual communities different today (this may have been partially what David was initially inquiring about)? Can they still be theorized as utopian, even other worldly? If so, does that take us back to 1992, rather than helping us develop theory for post-dot-com 2002?" Following Wendy's post is Mike Gurstein who notes that little if any has been said about community networks, CTCs, etc. In my mind, these two posts are somehow linked. I'm a bigtime fan of community networks but am currently finding it difficult to take them seriously in (almost) 2002. (This is not a flame, hardly; I'd like to see some evidence that they are still relevant these days.) And I wonder -- along with Wendy, and perhaps with Jonathan, too -- whether we're stuck in an outdated paradigm when we focus on community (read: non commercialized online environments). I know the Net-radio comparison has become a bit of a cliche but I still believe it extremely useful and find myself thumbing through the work of Susan Douglas, Susan Smulyan, and Daniel Czitrom, looking for clues. Like the Net, radio was ushered in on a red carpet of utopian hype and, also like the Net, was somewhat quickly commercialized. For the three scholars noted above, the commercialization of radio resulted in profound changes to the content and form of the medium. Now, if we were to take an informal vote on the last few years' most influential Net developments, I have little doubt that commercialization would top the list. (Any naysayers?) Which leads me back to Wendy's questions and another one: Why has the field been so resistant to tackle -- critically -- this development? david silver http://faculty.washington.edu/dsilver

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