I'd like to tag on to Jeremy's statement. I was a local (and a grad student) during the first AoIR conference in Lawrence, Kansas. I'm now finishing my fourth year as AoIR's secretary, and it's been an incredible experience. I first ran for secretary upon Nancy Baym's urging, and I was pretty surprised when I actually won. Surprised and flattered. I was also a little awed to be sitting at the same table as "famous" people like Steve Jones and Barry Wellman, for example, and have them listen to my input. And not just when I yelled, "Fire, fire," and poured a water pitcher out over the napkin one of the exec's had accidentally dropped on a burning candle... In all seriousness, serving as the secretary was very rewarding. Yes, you have to be somewhat organized and there are occasional reports to be written, or archives to be perused to remind the exec of the flow of discussion on an issue. But on the upside, I feel that I have made friends with the exec members of both my terms. I have also met a lot of other people via email which has helped making face to face connections. I'm still at the beginning of my career, and this has been a fun and easy way of networking. I've learned a tremendous amount about organizational processes and decision making, gained experience in policy as well as editorial issues, was exposed to financial considerations, and could see people's enthusiasm and ideas blossom into reality. At times our discussions on the exec listserve are quite animated (if not to say, heated), and there are a lot of issues that not everyone agrees on, though we all have very good arguments to support our opinions. The conference locations for 2006 and beyond are a great example. Should we try to reach out more and take our conference to locations in different countries/continents to attract new audiences? Should we go for popular destinations? Should we be financially cautious and stick with places that have worked for us before? How much should visa issues influence our decisions? Or the different academic-year schedules around the world? If I'm against a particular location, is that for organizational reasons, or is that maybe my personal preference shining through? Is a particular location good for next year, or maybe the year afterwards? Well, I could keep going, but you're getting my point. It's exciting, and complex, and it actually affects a lot of people. You can be part of shaping the direction of AoIR through location, choice of conference chairs and themes, and - if you're running for an open seat - projects. So, in my opinion, you should run (or nominate someone) especially if you think that AoIR could be improved. Your ideas are what will drive us forward. Ulla -- Ulla Bunz Assistant Professor Department of Communication Rutgers University 4 Huntington Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901