[Air-l] benefits, freebies, papers, etc

[Nancy Baym]

By the way, the Association of Internet Researchers does provide a 
free means for anyone -- whether they are members are not -- to 
connect with others doing relevant work, find out about what else is 
going on that may interest them, and otherwise have their internet 
research interests sustained and supported by AoIR without paying 
membership dues. It's called air-l. How many other professional 
associations do you know that provide a free forum for nonmembers to 
complain about what the association doesn't do for them? I am amazed 
at the invisibility of the resource of air-l, even as its used as a 
means to discuss all that AoIR doesn't do.

Bram is right that the question of what is interesting or good may 
not be the same as what is feasible (though those categories have 
certainly been collapsed in most of this discussion), and abstract 
discussion of what is good/right/ideal/etc has its utility. As ever, 
if there are people enthusiastic about undertaking the labor to make 
AoIR what you think it ought to be, let those of us on the exec 
committee know what you can pitch in. We always have more to be done. 
If you have ideas about what AoIR ought to be and no interest in 
contributing to making those things happen, then it may be an 
interesting discussion, but it won't motivate anyone to do it.

Nancy