Dear AoIRers, we're very much looking forward to seeing you all in Brisbane at the end of September. This email is a gentle reminder to those of you who haven't registered yet - please do so soon as this significantly assists us in organising the conference. You can find the online conference registration at http://conferences.aoir.org/. To ensure that you and your paper are listed in the conference programme, please make sure you complete your registration by the end of August at the very latest. Should you need more time to complete your registration, or wish to withdraw from the conference, we'd appreciate it if you could let us know via email so we can adjust the programme accordingly. We also want to remind you that we offer a number of pre-conference workshops, as well as a conference dinner, which you might also like to register for. Places in the workshops are filling up fast, so be quick! If you'd like to make additional workshop or dinner registrations, please simply go back to the registration form and tick only those options which you'd like to add to your existing registration. Then, enter your first name, last name, and title in the boxes provided, and 'X' in all other boxes - this will indicate to us that you're adding to an existing registration. You can also book additional seats for the conference dinner in this way. Given the calibre of your papers, and the fabulous keynote speakers, panels, roundtables, and workshops which will be part of the conference, we think we've got a very exciting event to look forward to. We hope you'll enjoy the conference, and we look forward to welcoming you in Brisbane. Below are some of the highlights of the conference programme, for your information. === Pre-Conference Workshops === == Doctoral Colloquium, sponsored by the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology. The colloquium offers PhD students working in Internet research or a related field a special forum where they will have a chance to present their research plans and discuss them with peers and established senior researchers. == Internationalizing Internet Studies, sponsored by the Cultural Technologies node in the Australian Research Network (ARC) Cultural Research Network. This workshop will seek to uncover how non-Anglophone uses of the Internet might challenge certain preconceived notions about the technology and its social impacts as well as the manner in which Internet studies is taken up, valued and taught outside the circuits of understanding prevalent in Anglophone academia. == Open Access to Knowledge and the Creative Commons, organised by Creative Commons Australia and the Law School at Queensland University of Technology. This workshop is designed to introduce the concept and theory of open access licensing in general, and Creative Commons in particular. == Mobile and Wireless Devices in Learning and Teaching, organised by the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology. This workshop invites those already using mobile and wireless devices in learning and teaching, and those interested in doing so, to share their experiences and work towards building a stronger and more consistent pedagogical framework for mobile learning. == Humanities Online Research Resources: Infrastructure Not Content!, organised by the Australian Academy of the Humanities. In Australia, work is being done towards the development of a national digitised cultural resource. This workshop aims to solicit contributions of ideas, strategies, and new leads by brainstorming the model with as many different perspectives as it is possible to garner, including those of people working in research sectors in other countries where these ideas have been successfully progressed further. == Excursion to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary This is an alternative to the morning workshops on 27 September - it includes transport and entry to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in suburban Brisbane, where you'll be able to cuddle a koala, handfeed kangaroos, and encounter a large variety of Australian wildlife, all in beautiful, natural settings. You'll be able to return in time to attend the afternoon workshop sessions and the conference reception. === Conference Dinner The conference dinner takes place in the evening of Friday 29 September, following the AoIR Annual General Meeting. It will be held in the Queen's Ballroom at the Brisbane Hilton, and features excellent modern Australian cuisine and a selection of famous Australian wines and beers, as well as non-alcoholic refreshments. === Keynote Speakers === == Professor Guo Liang: "Online Public Opinion in China" Guo Liang is a deputy director of the Center for Social Development in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). He is also working as an Associate Professor for the Institute of Philosophy of CASS. He wrote columns introducing the Internet to Chinese people from 1996 to 2000 for South Weekend, a leading weekly newspaper in China. In 1997, he edited seven books the Internet Culture Series, including one book, The Creation of the Internet, written by himself. This led to his recognition as one of the top 10 Chinese Netizens in 1998. == Professor John Hartley: "Creative Content and the Creative Citizen" Originally from London, John Hartley completed a BA (Hons) at the University of Wales (Cardiff) in 1972 and published his first book, Reading Television, in 1978. The best-selling book, co-authored with John Fiske, was the first to analyse television from a cultural perspective, and is considered a defining publication in the field. This work also established Hartley as a pioneer and international leader in contemporary television and cultural studies. Currently he is an Australia Research Council Federation Fellow and Research Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Creative Industries and Innovation at Queensland University of Technology. We look forward to seeing you in Brisbane in September! Axel Bruns === Conference Chair Fay Sudweeks === Programme Chair Matthew Allen === AoIR President Gold sponsors: === Cisco Systems (www.cisco.com) === Institute for Creative Industries and Innovation (www.ici.qut.edu.au) === Creative Industries Faculty (www.creativeindustries.qut.edu.au) Major sponsors: === Australasian CRC for Interaction Design - ACID (www.acid.net.au) === Peter Lang Publishing USA (www.peterlangusa.com) -- Dr Axel Bruns a.bruns@qut.edu.au - http://snurb.info/ Media & Communication Musk Ave, Kelvin Grove, Qld. 4059, Australia Creative Industries Faculty Z2-202, CIP - (07) 3864 5548 Queensland University of Technology CRICOS No.: 00213J