Greetings from Santa Barbara. The Center for Information Technology and Society (CITS) <www.cits.ucsb.edu> at the University of California Santa Barbara is pleased to announce a workshop for leading technology researchers, designers, users, and commentators to examine technology's role in promoting social engagement and participation improving the quality of community life, both online and off. The 2006 Santa Barbara Forum on Digital Transitions will be held the evening of April 9 and all day April 10, 2006. On behalf of the Forum's Organizing Committee, I am pleased to invite members of the AOIR community to join us for this special event. Registration is limited, in order to encourage substantial interaction among all participants. We have lined up a diverse and knowledgeable group of presenters to launch the dialogue at panel sessions, and have designed the event to encourage additional informal conversations and idea sharing throughout. For more information about the event and participants, see the information below and visit <www.sbforum.cits.ucsb.edu>. Registration fees are $490 for corporate participants, and $190 for academics and others. Please feel free to contact me or Cathy Boggs, CITS Research Communications Coordinator, at <cboggs@cits.ucsb.edu> if you have questions about any aspects of this event. We recommend registering soon at <www.sbforum.cits.ucsb.edu> to ensure a space. We hope you can join us in April. Sincerely, Rob Patton Program Manager Center for Information Technology and Society University of California, Santa Barbara <www.cits.ucsb.edu> <patton@cits.ucsb.edu> 805-893-5910 voice 805-893-7995 fax ************************************************ 2006 Santa Barbara Forum on Digital Transitions ************************************************ Come explore the evolving nature of community and collaboration in the digital age. The 2006 Santa Barbara Forum on Digital Transitions will engage a select group of approximately 100 technology innovators and thought-leaders in lively discussions about the processes and challenges of using technology to improve the quality of community life and collaborative efforts, both online and off. This day and a half workshop features a mix of formal and informal activities and technology demonstrations maximizing participants' opportunities to explore ideas and to create new outside-the-norm collaborative relationships. Panels will address issues of self-regulation in online communities; coordinating people online; factors that sustain engagement in online communities; lessons from developing countries about technology's role in community emergence and transformation; and emerging trends in the use of mobile social software. Participants include: . creative and business leaders from information technology companies and service providers . academics from the social sciences, humanities, sciences and engineering . foundation officials and others who fund or sponsor research addressing information technology and society issues . representatives from NGOs and non-profit organizations that research or use technology in building communities of interest . government policymakers from local, state, and national levels . media professionals and bloggers who write about technology trends and their social consequences. The Santa Barbara Forum is sponsored by the University of California Santa Barbara's Center for Information Technology and Society (CITS), a diverse coalition of more than a dozen scholars in the social sciences, engineering, and the humanities, is sponsoring this first in a series of annual meetings to explore cutting-edge trends and long-term social transformations resulting from people's use of information technologies. Registration fees for the Santa Barbara Forum are $490 for corporate participants, and $190 for academics and others. For further information, visit our website at <www.sbforum.cits.ucsb.edu>, or contact Dr. Cathy Boggs, CITS Research Communications Coordinator, at <cboggs@cits.ucsb.edu>. Members of the Santa Barbara Forum's Advisory Board and Forum speakers are listed below. *************** Advisory Board *************** W. Lance Bennett - Professor of Communication and Political Science, University of Washington Andreas von Blottnitz - Venture Partner, BV Capital John Seely Brown - Former Chief Scientist, Xerox, and Director, Xerox PARC Charles House - Director, Intel Research Collaboratory J.D. Lasica - Author, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Ourmedia.org Ellen Levy - Director of Industry Collaboration and Research, Media X, Stanford University Doc Searls - Author, Senior Editor, Linux Journal Marc Smith - Community Technologies Group, Microsoft David Toole - Co-Founder & CEO, Outhink.com ********** Panelists ********** Kevin Almeroth, Department of Computer Science, UC Santa Barbara Angela Beesley, Vice President, Wikipedia Foundation, Co-Founder Wikicities Lance Bennett, Professor of Political Science & Communication, University of Washington Supratik Bhattacharyya, Principal Member, Sprint Advanced Technologies Laboratory Bruce Bimber, Professor of Political Science & Communication, UC Santa Barbara John Seely Brown, Former Chief Scientist Xerox, and Director, Xerox PARC Noshir Contractor, Professor of Speech Communication & Psychology, University of Illinois Anil de Mello, CEO, Mobuzz Jennifer Earl, Assistant Professor of Sociology, UC Santa Barbara Kirsten Foot, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Washington Sheeraz Haji, CEO, GetActive Eszter Hargittai, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies & Sociology, Northwestern University Amir Hasson, Co-Founder, First Mile Solutions David Lockton, President, Lockton Ventures Geert Lovink, Founder & Director, Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam Madhavi Mallapragada, Professor of Communication & Culture, Indiana University Kevin Matthews, President & CEO, Artifice, Inc. Lisa Parks, Associate Professor of Film & Media Studies, UC Santa Barbara Howard Rheingold, Author, Founding Executive Editor of HotWired Clay Shirky, Consultant, Adjunct Professor, NYU Interactive Telecommunications Program Josh Silver, Executive Director, Free Press David Toole, CEO, Outhink.com Mena Trott, Co-Founder and President, Six Apart Myles Weissleder, VP Public Affairs, Meetup.com