Call for papers: Twitter and Microblogging: Political, Professional and Personal Practices<http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/events/twitter_and_microblogging/> Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK, 10 - 12 April 2013 Twitter and other micro-blogging platforms, with their short messages, in some cases circulated to millions of followers, were at first viewed with condescension and amusement: famously David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, opined, "Too many tweets make a twat." Other media initially treated Twitter as offering platforms for celebrities, pools of banality, streams of dumbed-down opinions. But people using Twitter quickly found an enormous range of diverse uses, revelling in opportunities for creativity that microblogging and associated applications offered. People involved Twitter in organising revolutions, disseminating scientific findings, promoting brands, communicating with friends and crafting new forms of artistic endeavours and communications. Where Twitter is not allowed, as in China, other microblogging platforms have taken on similar functions. This conference brings together a range of researchers doing detailed analyses of the discourse, practices, and social interactions of microblogging communities. Plenary speakers include: Janet Jones, University of the West of England Nathan Jurgenson, University of Maryland Greg Myers, Lancaster University Ruth Page, University of Leicester Lee Salter, University of the West of England Contributions are sought in a variety of formats. See http://bit.ly/LUtwit Any queries email lutwit13@lancaster.ac.uk Dr Julia Gillen Senior Lecturer in Digital Literacies Department of Linguistics and English Language Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YL UK Tel: +44 (0) 1524 510830 Email: j.gillen@lancaster.ac.uk http://www.literacy.lancs.ac.uk/profiles/julia-gillen/