[Air-L] reminder -CfP: Online Social Networks, Communication Practice and Public Relations

[Erika Pearson]

Just a reminder that the following CfP is still open, with full papers  
due Feb. 2010.  Please feel free to forward to anyone who may be  
interested
e.
~

The social networking emerging online is now seen as one of the  
defining characteristics of Web 2.0 and beyond.  From virtual worlds  
to microblogging, individuals and groups are forming diverse and  
sometimes apparently novel ways of building and maintaining social  
bonds.  These mediated exchanges between individuals and groups who  
may never physically meet challenge our current understandings of  
friendship, communication, and belonging.

For communication and public relations scholars and practitioners,  
such interactions pose a number of signification questions. How do  
researchers explore these nebulous social connections people forge in  
online spaces?  How do we re-evaluate what it means to be an  
individual and part of a group in this context? Do these new channels  
of communication change the way we present ourselves and our ideas?

This special edition seeks papers which discuss and explore ways in  
which to approach, study, and account for the diversity of online  
social experience, particularly in regard to communication practice  
and issues of public relations. Possible topics include:
      * methodological frameworks for studying online social behaviours
     * theory building (normative or critical) regarding the social  
web as part of communications or public relations practice
     * ways of conceptualizing the online self and society, such as;  
performance, identity, network theory, and their implications for  
organisational communication and public relations
     * issues and ethics in online data collection on social  
networking sites
     * case studies exploring the impact of multimodal (online/ 
offline) social ties in research
     * opinon pieces on using social networks in public relations
     * critically informed speculation on the future of communication  
practice in social media (beyond ‘Web3’)
     * multimedia submissions on a related topic

Papers are welcome from all disciplinary areas.  Full papers will be  
due by Friday 5th of February, 2010 and will be peer reviewed.   
Academic papers should be 5,000 words and practitioner papers between  
2,500-3,000 words maximum. Style should follow house guidelines:  
praxis.massey.ac.nz/fileadmin/Praxis/Files/Journal_Files/ 
Prism_House_Style.pdf

Enquiries are welcome and should be directed to Erika Pearson (erika.pearson at otago.ac.nz 
).

http://praxis.massey.ac.nz/cfp_socialnet.html