[Air-l] the next executive and the future of aoir

[Nancy Baym]

Let me add also that it's not just the interdisciplinarity of AoIR 
that makes it fun and interesting (although that's one of its primary 
appeals for me and many others), it's also the internationalism. In 
order to be as truly international as internet research is, the 
executive committee should reflect the internationalism of its 
members and potential members.

I'll also concur with my fellow exec members that running this 
association is a great chance to shape the focus of the association, 
to network with other internet researchers, and if one is active as 
an exec member, it can be an extremely rewarding personal and 
professional experience. I've been involved with AoIR since the fall 
of 1998, and few professional activities come anywhere close to the 
rewards of that involvement.

On another note, because AoIR has grown considerably in a short time 
(we were first imagined in 1998 and held our first meeting in 2000), 
and done so pretty smoothly without too many obvious public 
disasters, people often have the sense that we've got it all under 
control -- that there is a long line of people willing to do the work 
it takes to make it happen, that there are professional staff making 
things run, that we have offices somewhere out of which all this 
happens. In reality, AoIR exists and functions only because of the 
volunteer efforts of a handful of individuals. After several years of 
work, many of us are stepping down this year, and if AoIR is going to 
continue, energetic people willing to put in effort for the good of 
the association and the personal (and professional) rewards that 
offers will have to replace us. AoIR will become what our 
replacements make it. This association is yours. The way to make it 
what you want it to be is by running for office.

Nancy


>I will add my own emphasis to Jeremy's well stated case for 
>involvement in AoIR. Many (probably most) of us are already members 
>of some sort of scholarly or professional association. Usually these 
>are large and disciplinary organizations. While AoIR continues to 
>grow larger, it is far from the size of most such organizations. 
>And, it is most certainly not disciplinary. Most of us will not have 
>had, nor will we have, an opportunity to so directly support and 
>steer an association. AoIR, on the other hand, is an association in 
>which one can have direct and immediate impact. For me, few things 
>have been as rewarding as founding and then shepherding AoIR in its 
>early years. I know all of the arguments for not getting involved. 
>However, if we always give in to those arguments and do not argue 
>against them, our scholarly fields will continue to remain at best 
>disciplinary, giving at most lip service to interdisciplinarity. Our 
>lives (personal as well as professional I dare say) will be the 
>poorer for the lack of connections to people and ideas that AoIR 
>provides us. I urge you to join in the effort to build the 
>association, to build it into something other than another, 
>traditional, scholarly association, and into one that can support 
>interdisciplinarity among colleagues from around the world.
>
>Sj
>
>On May 6, 2005, at 1:59 PM, Jeremy Hunsinger wrote:
>
>>I think it is very important for people to get involved in this 
>>election,  and to nominate people to serve on the executive.   This 
>>next period will be very important to AoIR, and there are quite a 
>>few possible directions that the association might head, for 
>>instance:
>>
>>Will we develop a journal? or adopt a journal? or something else?
>>Will we continue to pursue the Annual, or will we go a different direction?
>>What will become of the website, wiki, conference system, and other 
>>tools we use all the time?  Will we have to raise dues?
>>Will we begin offering competitive bursaries to the conferences to whom?
>>Will we standardize the conference or will we continue our 'every 
>>one is unique style'?
>>Will we require full papers in future conferences?
>>
>>Those are just a smattering of the issues that the exec will deal 
>>with in the next two years, and many of them directly affect all of 
>>you.  I'm sure the rest of the exec can think of even more issues 
>>and I'm sure you can too.  So I'm encouraging you to participate in 
>>the election, the discussions around it, to nominate people, and to 
>>determine AoIR's future.
>>
>>Personally, I know that I'm stepping down this term, though I might 
>>stand for election in the future.  It has been a great experience, 
>>and I'd continue it if I could, but I'm entering a new stage in my 
>>career soon, and want to pursue a few other projects for a while. 
>>Other original members of the exec are also reaching the end of 
>>their terms and ex officio terms, so we need people to step up and 
>>take the reins of AoIR, and help determine its future.
>>
>>Let's open the discussion,
>>
>>
>>
>>jeremy hunsinger
>>jhuns at vt.edu
>>www.cddc.vt.edu
>>jeremy.tmttlt.com
>>www.tmttlt.com
>>
>>()  ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail
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>>
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>
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-- 
Nancy Baym	http://www.ku.edu/home/nbaym
Communication Studies, University of Kansas
Bailey Hall, 1440 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 102, Lawrence, KS 66045-7574, USA
Association of Internet Researchers: http://aoir.org