Let me add also that it's not just the interdisciplinarity of AoIR that makes it fun and interesting (although that's one of its primary appeals for me and many others), it's also the internationalism. In order to be as truly international as internet research is, the executive committee should reflect the internationalism of its members and potential members. I'll also concur with my fellow exec members that running this association is a great chance to shape the focus of the association, to network with other internet researchers, and if one is active as an exec member, it can be an extremely rewarding personal and professional experience. I've been involved with AoIR since the fall of 1998, and few professional activities come anywhere close to the rewards of that involvement. On another note, because AoIR has grown considerably in a short time (we were first imagined in 1998 and held our first meeting in 2000), and done so pretty smoothly without too many obvious public disasters, people often have the sense that we've got it all under control -- that there is a long line of people willing to do the work it takes to make it happen, that there are professional staff making things run, that we have offices somewhere out of which all this happens. In reality, AoIR exists and functions only because of the volunteer efforts of a handful of individuals. After several years of work, many of us are stepping down this year, and if AoIR is going to continue, energetic people willing to put in effort for the good of the association and the personal (and professional) rewards that offers will have to replace us. AoIR will become what our replacements make it. This association is yours. The way to make it what you want it to be is by running for office. Nancy
I will add my own emphasis to Jeremy's well stated case for involvement in AoIR. Many (probably most) of us are already members of some sort of scholarly or professional association. Usually these are large and disciplinary organizations. While AoIR continues to grow larger, it is far from the size of most such organizations. And, it is most certainly not disciplinary. Most of us will not have had, nor will we have, an opportunity to so directly support and steer an association. AoIR, on the other hand, is an association in which one can have direct and immediate impact. For me, few things have been as rewarding as founding and then shepherding AoIR in its early years. I know all of the arguments for not getting involved. However, if we always give in to those arguments and do not argue against them, our scholarly fields will continue to remain at best disciplinary, giving at most lip service to interdisciplinarity. Our lives (personal as well as professional I dare say) will be the poorer for the lack of connections to people and ideas that AoIR provides us. I urge you to join in the effort to build the association, to build it into something other than another, traditional, scholarly association, and into one that can support interdisciplinarity among colleagues from around the world.
Sj
On May 6, 2005, at 1:59 PM, Jeremy Hunsinger wrote:
I think it is very important for people to get involved in this election, and to nominate people to serve on the executive. This next period will be very important to AoIR, and there are quite a few possible directions that the association might head, for instance:
Will we develop a journal? or adopt a journal? or something else? Will we continue to pursue the Annual, or will we go a different direction? What will become of the website, wiki, conference system, and other tools we use all the time? Will we have to raise dues? Will we begin offering competitive bursaries to the conferences to whom? Will we standardize the conference or will we continue our 'every one is unique style'? Will we require full papers in future conferences?
Those are just a smattering of the issues that the exec will deal with in the next two years, and many of them directly affect all of you. I'm sure the rest of the exec can think of even more issues and I'm sure you can too. So I'm encouraging you to participate in the election, the discussions around it, to nominate people, and to determine AoIR's future.
Personally, I know that I'm stepping down this term, though I might stand for election in the future. It has been a great experience, and I'd continue it if I could, but I'm entering a new stage in my career soon, and want to pursue a few other projects for a while. Other original members of the exec are also reaching the end of their terms and ex officio terms, so we need people to step up and take the reins of AoIR, and help determine its future.
Let's open the discussion,
jeremy hunsinger jhuns@vt.edu www.cddc.vt.edu jeremy.tmttlt.com www.tmttlt.com
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