Right. Rediff is popular because it's a local ISP (I don't like it though, as it keeps throwing a lot of pop-ups at you). Cybercafes are ubiquitous in urban areas, and you would be surprised how many of these are around. I guess there would be more cybercafes in an Indian city than in its Western equivalent (perhaps because of the low access of 'personal' computers at homes and in offices). In some parts of India, specially in the South where education and social indices are better, you could be surprised to see a significant proportion (no figures!) of young women busy at the cybercafes. Higher-speed internet access (by local standards) is available at fairly affordable rates of about 50 Euro cents per hour. One stumbling block has been the hassle of using Indian language solutions (in local scripts) in computing. Apart from proprietorial software solutions, some groups like the IndicComputing network have been working to change this, with mixed results. Indian figures, like those in many so-called 'developing countries' can often widely, so it might be hard to say what is the number of Net users here. This has been further affected by lobby goups which make varying claims (either to promote their interests, lobby for hardware sales or whatever). Take a look at what one network is saying -- (usual disclaimers, use with caution): Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) Indian online gaming market touches Rs 210 million: IAMAI study Indiantelevision.com ... 2004 Internet & Mobile Association of India, Disclaimer | Copyright. www.iamai.in/ Rgds, FN On 17/04/07, Kath O'Donnell <aliak77@gmail.com> wrote:

from a personal perspective, when I was in India last year, the guys at work used http://in.rediff.com/ and yahoo.com a bit. there were lots of ads for it also (tv and billboards). also the arranged marriage sites were popular with those looking for marriages. I can't remember the site name in particular that a workmate showed me but they had profiles - photos, info about the person, caste, what they were interested in, salary, education, manglik status etc (I have an audio recording of him explaining it to me - can send u the link if that helps as I or he might have mentioned the site name. have a video of it somewhere too). a few music people I met used myspace for networking. the guys at sarai (sarai.net), a new media/arts org might be able to offer suggestions - especially if there's any research on it. perhaps even contact the newspapers there (eg Times of India) as there were articles in the paper about internet usage and how people were using it so they might have stats? -- FN M: 0091 9822122436 P: +91-832-240-9490 (after 1300IST please) http://fn.goa-india.org http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com Konkani Wikipedia (under incubation) needs your help! http://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/kok

They've been in my thoughts as well. Jeremy, I'd love to hear from you that you're OK. I know you only via this list, but I have been thinking of you and the other folks at VT. Laura James Whyte wrote:

Many of our colleagues are former students of Virginia Tech. I can only assume that this tragedy has touched them all. Jeremy Hunsinger comes to mind

My thoughts are with you!

James

--------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. _______________________________________________ The air-l@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

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-- Laura J. Little, Ed.D. Instructional Technologist/Director, Title III Grant Marietta College Marietta, OH littlea@marietta.edu (740)376-4815 http://www.marietta.edu/~littlea/ "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." Alan Kay

Dear colleagues, I'm currently a visiting scholar in residence at Virginia Tech's Center for European Studies & Architecture, where we have 44 students in the study abroad program. (in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland). In the spirit of the moment, I thought I would share some of the photos we just shot of the candlelight vigil we held here. http://markham.internetinquiry.org/photography/vigil/ annette On 4/17/07, Jeremy Hunsinger <jhuns@vt.edu> wrote:

There are many VT colleagues on this list, there were over 10 that I knew about in the past. In any case, those that are there and everyone related is affected. this list... for instance spent the first years of its life as listserv.aoir.org at virginia tech. AoIR has strong connections to that institution, granted some are better than others, but it is good to keep all of our colleagues in mind during these tragic events. _______________________________________________ The air-l@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

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Indeed AoIR members and air-l members have long had connections to Virginia Tech, and it should also be remembered that staff from Virginia Tech assisted with the 2005 AoIR conference in Chicago (those of you who attended may remember the people behind the registration desk responsible for name tags, receipts, etc.). The Blacksburg Electronic Village is also well known among CMC scholars. I am sure many of us are connected to VT and Blacksburg either directly or through but one degree of separation. Many of us who work in academic environments are also no doubt touched by the shooting at VT if only because we, and our students, are imagining something like it happening on our campuses, places that we feel, whether rightly or wrongly, almost invincibly safe. As is the case with so many tragedies (too many, it seems, particularly during the past couple or so years, and on a larger and larger scale, it seems) I have no words for the family and friends of those killed, only sympathy, and for all of us I wish peace. Sj On Apr 17, 2007, at 9:29 AM, James Whyte wrote:

Many of our colleagues are former students of Virginia Tech. I can only assume that this tragedy has touched them all. Jeremy Hunsinger comes to mind

My thoughts are with you!

James

--------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos. _______________________________________________ The air-l@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http:// listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

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dear all, thanks for the all your input this really helps me a step further. For those of you that where interested in the dating sites: www.shaadi.com http://www.asians4asians.com/html_free-dating-sites.html http://yourdreamshaadi.co.uk/ If anybody has experience in using them I would be very interested . . . . Thanks & Regards Nicole MA. Nicole Reinhold, Senior Research Consultant nicole.reinhold@philips.com, http://www.design.philips.com goldenberg anne <goldenberg.anne@gmail.com> Sent by: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org 2007-04-19 07:39 AM Please respond to air-l@listserv.aoir.org To air-l@listserv.aoir.org cc Subject Re: [Air-l] Internet Usage in India Classification Hi, I made a study a few yeard ago on "social informatics in India". That was for a master in communication and Information sciences It includes several cases studies based on field work and some interviews (and among them, Frederick Noronha, :) ). The study is in French, not sure it will help if you're not to easy with this language, but still; it's available here: http://www.vecam.org/article462.html under a CC licence. Anne Goldenberg On Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:11:11 +1000 "Michael Baron" <webbaron@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi, Nicole I have done a paper on comparative analysis of government websites in india and Russia...(it was some years ago though so its a bit outdated). If it can be of any help, i can email it to you.

have a nice day, Michael

On 4/17/07, Nicole Reinhold <nicole.reinhold@philips.com> wrote:

...

Dear all,

I'm interested in Internet usage in India, in quantitative number but even more in what services, sites are popular and why. Especially I would like to learning more about user generated content and social networking sites in the Indian online community.

Is there anybody with the same interest or that is part of the Indian online community that can share her/his experience. I'm also thankful for any related report, link or publication.

Thanks Nicole

MA. Nicole Reinhold, Senior Research Consultant Philips Design nicole.reinhold@philips.com, http://www.design.philips.com _______________________________________________ The air-l@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

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_______________________________________________ The air-l@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

Frederick - I agree - it is important when studying sites to note the cultural and social context of how they are used while translating the practices that surround the use of the sites. r On Apr 19, 2007, at 9:56 AM, Frederick Noronha wrote:

Nicole, I'm not sure if it's right to call a 'shaadi' site a "dating" one. The former is linked to marriage, and has very different connotations from dating as is understood in the West. Wonder what the others from the sub-continent feel on this score. FN PS: When we wanted to promote the popularity of Goanet, a not-for-profit venture, one such network was run and here's some specimen output: http://www.goacom.org/news/getStory.php?ID=2040 There's probably no one-to-one correspondence in translating across cultures.

Radhika Gajjala radhika@cyberdiva.org Radhika Gajjala Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator School of Communication Studies 302 West Hall Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, OH 43402 http://personal.bgsu.edu/~radhik http://www.cyberdiva.org/blog

On 19/04/07, Nicole Reinhold <nicole.reinhold@philips.com> wrote:

Hi Radhika, Thanks for correcting me, I fully agree to you point - Shaadi is indeed not a dating website as the successful outcome is not a "date" but a marriage.

It's not just a question of outcome. It's also a question of intentions, motives, and cultural settings. "Arranged" marriages (in my view, neither inferior nor superior to "love" marriages, just different) have been traditionally accepted in parts of the globe for generations. Now, part of this has gone online. In the case of 'dating' sites, there could be an element of anonymity involved, i.e. you start talking before you decide on each other. This isn't the case with the "shaadi" sites, where it's very important to have things upfront from the word go. Above all, it's a question of whether research about cyberspace is sensitive to the local context, or a one-size-fits-all approach is attempted.

I guess I still parked in my brain "under dating" as the principal is similar: you map and match participants based on their profile data and contact them online. However there is still an other aspect I was thinking

Not sure I'm agree with you here. Calling the "principle similar" would be to likening Cho Seung-hui -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cho_Seung-hui -- to the military, just because both carry guns, to cite a recent but probably inapt comparison!

about what when family members are searching a partner on behalf of someone else? Is that something you would indicate when "showing interest" in one profile?

Not sure I understood your question. Marriages can, traditionally at least, be rather social affairs in our parts of the globe. Family members (or respected village elders) getting involved in match-making can be routine -- both in real-world and online. Of course, it's another world in urban parts of Asia and with the younger generations... but this goes beyond research about the internet, I guess.... FN -- FN M: 0091 9822122436 P: +91-832-240-9490 (after 1300IST please) http://fn.goa-india.org http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com Konkani Wikipedia (under incubation) needs your help! http://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/kok

i think very few of the www.shaady.com users are from an origin other than Indian. From an "indian propspective" being contcted by a family memeber instead of a girl/boy you are after is normal. :) On 4/20/07, Kath O'Donnell <aliak77@gmail.com> wrote:

my friend was using the sites and his profile was online. he was contacted by one of the girl's mothers (or maybe aunts?) prior to communicating with the girl.

http://blip.tv/file/get/AliaK-20060711MarriageAndCastesInIndiaALocalsPerspec... is a chat with him & some others from work whilst we were looking at the site with him. forgive our/my questions - we didn't know much about the customs in india at the time & still learning :) (I'm more used to the accent now too)

On 4/20/07, Nicole Reinhold <nicole.reinhold@philips.com> wrote:

...

contact them online. However there is still an other aspect I was thinking about what when family members are searching a partner on behalf of someone else? Is that something you would indicate when "showing interest" in one profile?

-- http://www.aliak.com _______________________________________________ The air-l@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

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-- "My Body is my Temple" "Be The Change You Want to See In The World." Gandhi