Innovations and Reproductions in Cultures and Societies
(IRICS) Vienna, 9. - 11. December 2005

Virtuelle Gemeinschaften | Virtual Communities

Section Chair/Suggestions, Abstracts to:
Gerald Ganglbauer (Sydney) [gerald@...]


Abstract:
Virtual or - as we also call them - digital communities have only
been made possible through the most sustainable innovation of
the last century: the Internet. Almost on a daily basis new groups
are formed, ranging from digital neighbourhood (where
members may or may not meet in real life) to global groups of
people sharing interests. Various technologies, from older style
UseNet or BBS (Bulletin Boards), to contemporary eGroups and
BLOGS (weblogs) enable, almost cost free and worldwide, the
reproduction of any kind of comments in real-time.

These days any thinkable legal structure of a group of people -
just as well as keen individuals - are hereby given an easy to
handle yet very powerful tool to communicate content, ranging
from science, arts, politics and society, up to and including the
most bizarre collector's spleens. Expats, ethnic organizations,
writers' groups, net artists, environmental groups, nature lovers
... Google, MSN and Yahoo! list endless groups covering any
possible subject.

Individuals, on the other hand, enjoy the freedom of being able to
create their very own mix of diverse group memberships, thus
filtering available contents (collective knowledge base).
According to one's own interests and competence, one's own
contributions are submitted to selected distribution channels,
thereby actively contributing to the process of shaping our
present and future.

This section calls for papers about real life samples of Digital
Communities, which must be accessible by the general public.

Deutsche Fassung:
http://www.inst.at/irics/sektionen_g-m/ganglbauer.htm

Conference infos:
http://www.inst.at/irics/index_english.htm

Regards
Gerald Ganglbauer