[Air-L] Update from the AoIR Executive Committee - March, 2008 edition

[Charles Ess]

Hi all

We thought it might be useful for you to have an update of what your
Executive Committee has been up to, following the very successful and always
enjoyable AoIR annual conference, IR 8.0, in Vancouver last October.

Like everyone else: we've been busy! -- with a number of tasks and projects,
including:
 
1) Thanks to System Office Alex Halavais, our domain name registration has
been renewed (whew! We still exist!).
 
2) We have resolved some pressing financial issues, including a U.S.
Internal Revenue Service [for non-U.S. citizens - you may enjoy knowing that
many of us refer to it as the Infernal Revenue Service ...] penalty and
completing agreement upon and payment of the 2005 conference management fee.
In addition, Treasurer Monica Murero is working with IR 8.0 Program Chair
Richard Smith to finalize our finances for the Vancouver conference. (AoIR
finances are reported to the membership as part of the Annual General
Meeting held in conjunction with the IR conferences.)
 
3) We discussed (again) the very important suggestion ­ inspired in part by
justified enthusiasm in response to John Willinsky¹s keynote address - that
AoIR produce its own journal, using Open Source software and licensing.
We learned that this ­ and other options ­ had been previously discussed by
the AoIR Publications Working Group (chaired by Caroline Haythornthwaite).
We decided we could do no better than to affirm the recommendations of the
P.W.G., of continuing to work to
 
a) discerning the best journals for our members to publish in;
b) seeking to form collaborative relationships with one or more of them, and
c) publicizing these relationships (occasional notes on the listserv, a spot
on the website) as part of our service to our members; and
d) including a pre-conference writing workshop.
 
We can highlight here precisely the journal _Information, Communication &
Society_, which will feature a forthcoming special issue made of up best
papers from IR 8.0, edited by Barry Wellman and Carolyne Haythornthwaite.
This collaborative relationship is set to run for another three years ­
woot!
 
4) The IR 9.0 / AoIR 2008 annual conference continues very nicely on
schedule, thanks to a great deal of work on the part of the Local Organizing
Committee, chaired by Lisbeth Kastrup, Program Chair Brian Loader, IT-U
academic officer/co-conference coordinator Anna Sommer, and numerous
reviewers, administrative assistants, student volunteers, etc.
Treasurer Monica Murero is working with IR 9.0 Local Organizing Committee on
the budget and all financial operations that impact the conference with the
goal of keeping close to last year's fees and to contain costs. Monica is
also setting up a new PayPal account to improve the financial services
offered to members when they make payments to AoIR (membership renewal,
conference registrations, etc) or donations.
Monica and Alex will be working with Lisbeth and Company to integrate PayPal
into the conference registration system (i.e., a shift from Kagi as used in
previous conferences).
 
THANKS, all!
 
5) Graduate Student Representative Åsa Rosenburg is undertaking a complete
AoIR website redesign.  We hope to unveil the new website in time for the IR
9.0 conference in October.
 
6) A Call for Proposals for IR 10.0 / 2009 has been sent to the AoIR
listserv.  (Feel free to resend to potentially interested colleagues /
institutions!)
 
We are engaged with a number of on-going responsibilities, including:
 
7) Fine-tuning of our bylaws regarding taxation matters and the election
process ­ including a formal appointment of a ³taxation officer² (Steve
Jones) who will serve as the organization¹s liaison with the U.S. Internal
Revenue Service. (Thanks, Matt! Thanks, Steve!)
 
8) Considering the possibility of using some AoIR funds to support A Good
Idea - e.g., assisting graduate students and/or graduate students and
scholars from developing countries to attend the AoIR conferences, in order
to increase diversity of representation and voices.
Additional suggestions - and donations! - welcome.
 
9) Insuring that conference registration and membership records are
up-to-date and properly/securely record and stored (with specific thanks
here to Alex, Monica, and Secretary Sabryna Cornish)
 
10) Discussing the possibility of developing a media liaison, with
responsibilities for cultivating connections in the technical industry
press, practitioner press, places such as Wired, etc.
(This might include keeping a conference and related events calendar on the
website highlighting important / interesting events for our members.)
 
11) Continued efforts to improve communication with our membership - witness
this little news note.
 
12)  All the daily tasks and duties required to keep us running smoothly -
including Systems Office Holly Kruse's work on the listserv, processing new
membership requests, etc.
 
13) Monica is working on the preparation of the 2007 Financial Report- a
rather complex task- and will work soon with Steve Jones  on  the 2007 IRS
(tax) declaration . Monica would like to express a huge thank you, on behalf
of all  of us, for the wise, quick and great support on AoIR business she
always receives from Steve.

We hope this note helps provide an overview of AoIR, where we've been
(including Vancouver), where we're going (including Copenhagen), and what
we're trying to do along the way to help our members and guests by providing
not only essential conference presentation and publication opportunities,
but also additional resources and opportunities that we hope will be
helpful, and/or at least enjoyable!
 
As always: we are more than happy to receive your comments and suggestions ­
please address them to either me (<cmess at drury.edu>) or Vice-President Mia
Consalvo (< >) and we will be sure that they come to the attention of the
Executive Committee.
 
Thanks, AoIR-ists!
- c. 

Distinguished Research Professor,
Interdisciplinary Studies Center <http://www.drury.edu/gp21>
Drury University
Springfield, MO  65802  USA

President, Association of Internet Researchers <www.aoir.org>
Co-Editor, International Journal of Internet Research Ethics
http://ijire.uwm.edu
Co-chair, CATaC conferences <www.catacconference.org>
Professor II, Globalization and Applied Ethics Programmes
<http://www.anvendtetikk.ntnu.no/pres/bridgingcultures.php>

"The answers to this and similar questions are not obvious, though unfounded
opinions are always ready at hand."  - Sara Ruddick, "Better Sex" (1975)