ONA (the American Online News Association) has announced the 2006 Online Journalism Awards - Finalists. Apart from awarding more traditional news site, they also award oustanding uses of multimedia, "speciality", "enterprise" and service journalism. Take a look, I learnt last year at the ONA conference that some of the nominees do really good stuff.

Obviously, there are quite a few sites nominated dealing with Katrina and the London Bombings and quite a few blogs. But I also noticed a smaller multimedia site: An Enduring Mystery - the Herald Tribune has put a lot of information about an unsolved murder of a family of four in 1959 online, complete with a 3D tour of the house showing how the corpses was found, "interactive" access to the rooms of the house with hotspots with the clues found in there, audio interviews with people who were involved in the case back then, photos, original newspaper articles etc. For a wannabee sleuth like me, it clearly looks like a site you could spend a lot of time perusing.
# posted by Lisbeth at: 19:04 (0) comments

Alreday back in the early 1990's, a smart guy at some point said: "People is the killer app!"* The guy was Pavel Curtis, the founder of LambdaMOO, and he was already then well aware that what people really wanted out of the net, was not fancy technology and access to lots of information, but access to other people. The first multi-user dungeon (MUDs, the precedessors to MMOGs) went online in 1979, and during the 1980's, bulletinboards and places like the infamous community The Well (described in writing by both Howard Rheingold and Katie Hafner) thrived. There were lot of discussions, and conversations, and sharing going on in these places, though technology weren't obviously as developped as these days. In 1997, Hagel and Armstrong's book Net Gain - Expanding Markets through Virtual Communities was all the rage; in it, the authors argued that implementing communities were a good investment, because it would amongst other things create "sticky" and loyal users that would be coming back and who would provide interesting feedback on a company's productsi.. So all the hype about the social and sharing aspects of the net being something suddenly "discovered" is, in my humble opinion, widely overrated and blatantly ignorant of the history and development of both the internet and the www.

What I see now emerging with phenomena like weblogs, and Myspace and Youtube, is a new generation of software tools, which allows for a highly interesting intersection and mixture of personal branding and community-building. A weblog is and will never be a community in which everybody is equal. It is not a space like the "old" communities, where people met in one space that everybody shared and which where owned by noone in particular (unless of course it was a commercial community, but in that case the company would often be the physical host of the community, not necessarily a character in the communication). In the blog on the contrary, there is ONE (or perhaps a handful) of people who dominates the blog with their voices and their opinions, namely all those publishing on the blog. So the weblog might constitute a voice in a conversation, but ON the weblog, the voice of its publisher(s) is a brand, and the brand is the voice. Everytime the blogpublishers publish something, they are creating an image of themselves, at the very same time as they are speaking to others. If there is a community emerging around the blog, it is community that is centered around the publisher of the blog, or around the opinions of that particular publisher. And once a blog starts to communicate with other blogs (creating a "blogcluster" which one could argue is another newspeak name for "community"), its communicating with other brands; and as well as maintaining a conversation, it helps build the brands of the other bloggers involved. When a corporate organisation starts blogging, who are we kidding? - its about branding and public relations, as well as it is about creating more open dialogue. These two aspects are intrinsically intertwined, the point is that it is neither one or the other, but both at the same time.

The same double-natured motivation of existence (branding AND dialogue/community-building) applies to other social software "places" as well; the conversation and the seed of the communities they support, is always located at the site of the individual, the profile. Have you noticed that is called MYspace and YOUtube (the latter with the tagline "Broadcast YOURSELF"). There is no "we-media" implied in these names. There might be "We-Media" happening at the spaces, that are still shared on an equal level, like good old Slashdot, or the Wikipedia, but almost everywhere people are always speaking as a profile, an individual the footsteps of whom you can always almost backtrack until you stand at their OWN place on the www.

I havent read or remember clearly any postmodern or modernity theory lately that I could relate my above "theory" to, but of course the articles and thoughts about this are outthere somewhere. What is starting to scare me, is the lack of historical awareness and the missing ability to think about the current development of the web in relation to what has in fact be happening on the Internet for the last 25-30 years, in much of what I these days see and read online (or read about online life). Im afraid that I will increasingly be bumping into students and young entrepreneurs and journalists, who believe that the existings forms of "sociality" and communication online is the best and the only and the most democratic version of the internet that exist. But it isn't and it wont be, unless we try to remember what happened in the days of the "Web 1.0." And if we want to avoid a Web 3.0, that is at heart, all about ME, I think it is time to think more critically about not how the conversations and the democratic dialogue happens (and can be improved), but where it happens and where they are rooted and why they started in the first place, thereby trying to better understand the intricate relationship between "me-branding" and "we-talking".

* it has in fact been impossible for me to track the correct source of this very popular citation. I thought it was to be found in his famous article "Mudding: Social Phenomena in Text-Based Virtual Realities", but it isnt in there...It must have come from somewhere, I vividly remember reading it, hmmh...
# posted by Lisbeth at: 14:04 (1) comments

So now, at Kulturkanon, you can find most of, if not all, the works that made their way into the much discussed Officially Endorced Canon of Danish Culture, launched in early spring this year.

Not surprisingly, the ministry has gone ahead and ordered an "innovative" webdesign, made in pure Flash, so it is completely impossible to make direct links to any of the works listed (though direct links would be highly relevant to teachers and others wanting to teach some of the works represented, I would think). Which works the thumbnails on the frontpage represent remains a secret to those not initiated into Danish Culture until you mouse over them (how's that for communicating culture? - at least until you discover that on the top-navigation bar you can get a text-view). Then, they've presented the individual works by way of a collage of small windows which appears only with a small piece of text in them. It takes some time, before you find out that to get the info promised in the small piece of text, you shouldnt click on the text, but click on "multiple windows" icon in the topmost right corner, the place where you conventionally CLOSE a window. Oh, and when you click on the "other languages" tab in the main window with info on the individual canonical work, you get links to pdf.docs of the entire canon, i.e. the info have NOT been translated!). Did they not do a usability test on this website??? - But well, what the heck, at least they've tried to digitalise the works, and even thrown in some multimedia files...

May I take this opportunity to remind you, that I was part of an small alternatively "appointed" taskforce, that made its own canon of _digital_ culture and put it online a long time ago...
# posted by Lisbeth at: 00:18 (1) comments

..since she drank about 2 litres of tea a day. BBC: Tea 'healthier' drink than water. For as long as I remember, when I (and other siblings) suggested she'd drink more water, my mother claimed that drinking tea was exactly as good. Don't you too at heart feel somewhat annoyed, when your parents turn out to have been right about things, that you have been discussing with them for a long time? I dont think you ever grow out of that ;).
# posted by Lisbeth at: 19:53 (0) comments

thinking about the future possibilities of cooperation with the non-academic partners (DR and TDC) and academic partners (University of Copenhagen, Danish School of Design Cph), which have for the last two years been involved in the Mobile Content Laboratory (aka MIL - Det Mobile Indholdslaboratorium). As ITU representative, I have helped recruit students from the university to partipate in so far three (no 4 coming up) mobile concept development periods, during which students in cross-institutional groups in collaboration with the non-academic partner representatives have worked hard to come up with mobile concepts which fell into the heading of the themes each period has had. The senior researchers from each academic institution should also have done some research of the field, an obligation I have had a hard time fullfilling, since I have spent a lot of time organising the project, and organising and supervising students. Nevertheless, I have learnt a lot from sitting at the same table as people with a completely different perspective on mobile media than I.

With as little experience as I have, it is difficult to come up with creative solutions to co-operation projects in which all partners and all people get what they want out of it. But I hope the co-operation that started with MIL, continues in some form. It is a continous useful lesson to be reminded that there is sometimes a long way between theory (thoughts) and practice (development under pressure), but when ends meet, sparks fly.
# posted by Lisbeth at: 21:42 (1) comments

This is what a Vampyroteuthis Infernalis [aka vampire squid)looks like, another picture here and two pics more...
# posted by Lisbeth at: 22:43 (0) comments

http://www.martialarts.dk/profiles_weblog.asp?id=4207

["a weblog is a kind of online diary where you can write exactly what you want"]
# posted by Lisbeth at: 22:35 (0) comments

G.O.R. - General Online Research, march 2007, Leipzig. 350 word abstracts due September 30th. Topics and tracks includes the use of the internet and mobile phones in everyday life, for entertainment etc.
# posted by Lisbeth at: 16:57 (0) comments

Name of Game: LinkedIn

Objective of game: You can go either for the single-player mode: to gather as many connections as you can, in the shortest time possible and reach the 100% network cap (state of progress helpfully depicted in the "network" stat-bar); or the multi-player mode: to gather more "people in my network" than your fellow players.

Rule set: Positive response to "will you be my contact" mail prerequisite for the generation of 1 more network experience point. In order to avoid the spamming of too many innocent people, you can only contact people, whose email address you know or whom you went to work or school with. However, you can ask people in your LinkedIn network to "introduce" you to others, the easiest way to obtain their email addresses.

Game strategy: you can either spam everybody you know with emails (game helps you do this) or wait for others to contact you (might be more successful in the long run, but somewhat slower).
- You can also go for gathering bonuspoints (given for number of testimonals aka "endorsements"), by exchanging testimonals with people that are either a) your close friends or b) someone so afraid of being fired, dumped or flunked by you that they are willing to endorse you anytime, everywhere.
-Workarounds: If you're running out of people to contact, and the "introduce" option is dried out, emails can of course also be obtained by surfing for people's adresses on the www or spamming people you know have the emails, you're missing. You can also invent affiliations to schools you never attended, or workplaces you never worked at, in order to obtain access to new people. This could be considered cheating.

Gameplay:
* clickable colourful buttons (ADD CONNECTIONS, GET INTRODUCED etc)
* radio-buttons (crossing off people you had forgotten you knew at your previous workplaces or that you went to class with)
* text-box input (coming up with creative excuses for why you want to get in touch with people that you a) see quite often anyway b) had a huge fight with the last time you saw them c) dont really want to talk to if you meet them in real life
* searching through the address books of all your mail programmes (desperately looking for email addresses of new people to contact, so you can get your network statbar up to 100%)

Number of Web 2.0 stars *** (3 out of 5):
- stat (statistics) bar huge improvement, as allows immediate feedback on progress
- the "you can only contact people whose email you know" feature provides new interesting obstacle, in that it prevents network maximisation from happening too fast
- exchange of network connections should be possible in return for writing endorsements
- gameplay somewhat limited, developers might consider synchroneous chat option in order to allow people to persuade other people to be their contacts on site
# posted by Lisbeth at: 15:36 (2) comments

Four young Danish soldiers, just sent to Iraq is now blogging for Danish newspaper Politiken. Interesting to see how their writer's voices already after just one post appear very different, it will clearly be four quite different perspectives on the experience of being in Iraq if they continue to write.

Regarding voices, the most intriguing, but also moving and sad weblog I have come across recently, is that of Pilgrim at Pilgrim's Journey. Pilgrim is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (the now official diagnosis of what was formerly known as multiple personality disorder). She has been writing for more than 2 years, and I have read posts from the beginning up to now. Her multiple identities (some grown-ups, other kids) regularly appear in the posts: Pilgrim, Caroline, Nobody (who becomes Jo), Sadgirl, Missy, Tuck - they are also presented on her website. This is clearly not a work of fiction (at least I believe so), it's too raw and too consistent to be one such. As a researcher, it is interesting to see how the different identities of her's clearly has so different voices and personalities. As a person, I hope for "Pilgrim", that her journey towards a more coherent life will succeed - and I admire her courage in sharing the experience of her life with others.
# posted by Lisbeth at: 11:06 (0) comments

A new issue of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication is out: JCMC Vol 11 Issue 4, including an article by Dmitri Williams and Constance Steinkuhler on MMOGs as a "third place". I heard some of Dmitri's thoughts on this at the DIGRA 2005 conference, he' s doing some very interesting work, looking forward to reading it!

There is also some article related to network ties and the passing on of online surveys, which should be of interest to some students of mine who are writing on MA-thesis on Viral Marketing for Teenagers.
# posted by Lisbeth at: 22:38 (0) comments

Thinking about blogs and lurkers: pertaining to MA thesis, some students of mine are writing: can you measure the success of a corporate weblog, based on the number of comments to it? If the weblog has regular readers, that by reading blog forms some form of stronger tie with the company, even though they never comment, then the weblog can some form of effect, can't it? But not much seems to have been written about blogs in particular and lurking, though there are some interesting thoughts on way to measure the community of a blog (including the lurkers), in Efimova's and Hendrick's article: "In search for a virtual settlement:
An exploration of weblog community
boundaries" . They refer to an interesting looking article by Nonnecke & Preece: "Silents participants: Getting to know Lurkers Better". An early version of that (??) can be found in the draft: "Why Lurkers Lurk" which is online. Michael McVey has some interesting numbers of the ration of active readers, active lurkers and passive lurkers towards the end of a little paper of his: "Developing Online Communities". Apparently Laurie Mcneill also discuss them briefly in the article "Teaching on Old Genre New Tricks: The Diary on the INternet", but cant access that. Apparently bloglurkers are referred to as "blurkers", the first "formal" definition at Big Pink Cookie in November 2004 (??).

Yeah, and thumbs up for Morten, who while I was on holiday, went ahead and programmed a Blog Matrix Generator (link goes to Danish intro) where you can plot info about your blog to see it's development mapped on the matrix I suggested (sorry, Morten, for not reacting before, but the comment you left notifying me about the initiative didnt appear before I got back from holiday, then there was job change etc!). Some Danish bloggers have tried to map their blogs with his tool, see f.i. Oschlag. Morten also tested old colleague Dalager. Fun and uber cool, I could never have come up with something like that myself :), but it seems to work well, though I guess one could work on the character of the input words.

I know it is impossible to have a matrix with two measures on one axis, but with Morten's generator it actually seems to work, sort of! Will think about it more, and get back, once I have some peace and quiet to think more about (still in a weird in between jobs place, with multiple deadlines).
# posted by Lisbeth at: 15:50 (0) comments

OK, so it has taken me basically not only yesterday, but most of today to get the wireless printserver (SMCWPS-G) and the not-wireless laserprinter up and running, but now it works. XXXX! I truly feel more geeky than ever (though admittedly I had to call in the dentist for a very useful helping hand in early stages of the process). Since I couldnt find any useful hints online, here is a note of my experiences, for future fellow sufferers.

Basically I learnt this (beware of the lingo of the not-so-initiated network person):
- you definitely have to set up to the printerserver via the server's cd-rom (not! via windows xp), what it basically does is install some drivers (network monitor) and set up a LPT-port in windows with the printserver's ip-address as a printer port for your selected printer (you CAN do it via windows as well, but it doesnt work)
- you have to initially set up the printer server with cables btw wireless router and printerserver
- static dhcp, and make sure it is the correct IP-adr you get for the printerserver, and that the wireless routers ip is the gateway ip (you can check the printserver's ip-address by looking at what ip the wireless router assigns it in the DHCP display table)
- so far, both router and printerserver has to be set up for open system communication
- finally, you have to go into the ps-admin prog (that came with the install cd), click on the printerserver when found, and (in my case), click on the "wireless tab", click on the "WEP" tap, and enter the WEP encryption code for the router (hexadecimal) that you generated years ago when you set up your router. (note: you CANT list the WEP-encryption code in the ps-wizard, if you choose open system)
- also make sure that the LPR in the psadmin interface does list "lp1" on the "queue name" port 1

Bonus info: until the printerserver admin interface can find the printserver in wireless mode, you're basically fucked...

Enjoy ;)
# posted by Lisbeth at: 18:24 (3) comments

Last tuesday, August 1st, was my first day at my new temporary job as visiting associate research professor at the Center for Designforskning (Center for Design Research), located at the School of Architecture (aka "Karch") at Holmen, right next to the Opera. During my 12-month position there, I will primarily be working on and completing a book about the development of design, aesthetics and interaction on the www from the early 1990's to the present day with my colleague Ida Engholm (with whom I also co-edited the Digitale Verdener anthology). I will also in general help out organising and participating in activities in relation to the Center's research theme on Aesthetics & Interaction.

The first week has been a bit confused for various reasons and holiday among the admin staff, so I still need to get a permanent office space, keys and access card, and wireless internet access that works, but judging from previous experience, a bit of confusion and a lot of running around to talk to various admin people is just part and parcel of the starting-at-a-new-university- institution-experience....At least, at Karch, I haven't had to walk for miles to find an office where I had to sign a document in which I promised that as an employee I would commit no terrorist acts against the Danish state, which is what I had to do to get officially accepted as visiting researcher at Georgia Tech (only that is was of course a promise not to commit terrorist acts against US).

Anyway, the overall intention of the coming year is to do RESEARCH and to do it in peace and quiet. Yeah! Therefore, in the time to come, it has for a while been my intention to have a few "working-at-home" days on a regular basis, and therefore, as a treat, I've now decided to upgrade my home office! Today I bought a small laser printer and a printer server, so I can work in a completely wireless and print efficient environment (read: at the big table in my small living room without any cables!). Once the system is up and running, I will have taken yet another bold step towards total geek-dom...
# posted by Lisbeth at: 15:54 (1) comments