Dear Sister and Fellow AoIR-ists: One of the great delights over the past year is to learn from the occasional conversation that yes, indeed, the AoIR guidelines are "out there" and making a difference (positive, so far as I know). E.g., * a young researcher approached her IRB to begin the process of applying for approval - and was told, without prompting, that she should be sure to look at the AoIR guidelines since her research involved online venues. (Yes, her project was approved.) * an Australian university (which shall remain nameless until I receive appropriate documentation and permission) likewise has included the AoIR guidelines in its resource database on matters ethical. And...??? (For this philosopher, two data points are good starting points towards a generalization... smile) Here's where you come in (I hope). If you're aware of the guidelines being used in some way at your institution, by a colleague you know, etc. - and if you're at liberty to say, would you mind sending me a note to that effect? My notion is to collect these sorts of listings and include them in a webpage affiliated with the ethics document. Presuming there are a good number of them, this will help other researchers who may want to use the guidelines in arguing for their particular research project's design for appropriate ethical requirements and protections - i.e., if said researcher can point out that other institutions are using the guidelines as well, it will add credibility to them and thus to his/her argument. So - if you're aware of uses of this sort and you and/or your institution are happy to have these publicly noted on a website affiliated with the document, please let me know. In the meantime, thanks - and thanks again to all the folk who made AoIR 4.0 such a delicious feast of new ideas, interesting research, and some of the most enjoyable folks I have the pleasure and honor of knowing. Cheers and all best wishes, Charles Ess Visiting Professor (fall, '03) Department of Digital Aesthetics and Communication (DIAC) The IT University of Copenhagen Glentevej 67 DK-2400 Copenhagen NV Telephone: +45 38 16 89 63 Mobile: +45 22 46 06 35 Fascimile: +45 38 16 88 99 Distinguished Research Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies Drury University 900 N. Benton Ave. Springfield, MO 65802 USA voice: 417-873-7230 fax: 417-873-7435 homepage: <www.drury.edu/ess/ess.html> Co-chair, CATaC '04: <it.murdoch.edu.au/catac>