We are looking for two researchers interested in participating in a panel we are proposing for the upcoming International Communication Association conference to be held in Singapore June 22-26, 2010. The conference has stressed the need to examine the political, cultural and technological challenges facing communication in the modern age, and has even highlighted the growing presence of virtual worlds as locations and means for communication. Research into virtual worlds has received increasing attention in the conference, the organization, and universities around the world. At Metaverse U in 2009, there was much buzz about interoperability, increased and diversified worlds, simplified tools for user-generated worlds, and the 3D internet. Decades worth of research on virtual worlds, digital games, virtual reality and avatars has generated hundreds of articles with a variety of methods and methodologies on display. At this past Transforming Audiences 2 conference in London, there was much discussion on new media reception studies sometimes “reinventing the wheel”, not being reflectively cognizant of theories and studies that have gone on before in reception studies, or even in other fields of inquiry. Is the field of research into virtual worlds on a similar trajectory? We know a lot about virtual worlds, but how aware of we about what we and others are doing to know virtual worlds? How much are we learning from others? Given the complexity of virtual worlds, is there is single methodological approach to study them, or should a multiple, mixed approach be undertaken? And if so, how? In connection with an upcoming special issue for the journal Convergence on methods and methodologies in virtual worlds research, we are proposing to do a panel at ICA 2010 that addresses these issues. Additionally, we want a panel comprised of a variety of methodological viewpoints that do not present in isolation; in other words, we do not want researchers to just present on what they have done. Instead, we are proposing a panel that is a structured discussion of people with different methodological approaches to discuss, in a series of rounds, what they do when they study virtual worlds. First, each panelist will talk about what they did in their study(s) – what method/methodology they chose and why, and what they learned from what they did, with more focus on method/methodology than knowledge about the phenomenon. Second, each panelist would reflect on what the other panelists have said, indicating what they learned from each other, where they saw overlaps and/or divergences. Third, we would open it up to the audience to comment on what they learned, to offer suggestions the panelists have not offered, and/or to ask questions about method/methodology (saying that questions about results can be handled outside of the panel). We believe suggesting such a panel would be seen favorably by ICA given a) the topic of challenges to understanding how to understand virtual worlds and b) the unique nature of the panel that is more than just a series of presentations. We are asking if you would like to participate because we find valuable both your approach(es) to studying virtual worlds, and your demonstrated ability and desire to reflect upon these approaches. If you would like to participate, please send a title and brief abstract (no more than 150 words) on what method(s) and/or methodology(s) for what study(s) you would be addressing in the discussion. That is, how you place yourself in the field of research on virtual worlds in terms of what your approach is, and one or two studies that illustrate this approach you would like to discuss. Please have this sent to me by NOVEMBER 3rd as we need to gather the panel proposal together to send out November 6th. We apologize for the shortness of this time period; we had not anticipated how many people were not planning on attending this conference. You will be notified by November 5th if we are using your submission. PLEASE NOTE we are looking for people who are able to be in Singapore for the conference. If you have any questions, then please send them along. CarrieLynn D. Reinhard, PhD Virtual Worlds Research http://worlds.ruc.dk/ Roskilde University Department of Communication, Business, and Information Technologies Building 43.3 Kommunikationsvej 1 DK-4000 Roskilde mbl: + 2280 5128 "If we understand that everyone is connected to everyone else in some way or another, it makes it hard to hurt any single one person, for who knows if we might unwittingly hurt someone we love." - CDR 9/20/02