-----Original Message-----
From: bwhitworth [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 20 June 2007 05:59
To: AISWORLD Information Systems World Network
Subject: [isworld] Re: Call for Chapters: Handbook of Research on
Socio-Technical Design and Social Networking Systems
Dear All
Brian Whitworth and Aldo de Moor are co-editing a new "Handbook of
Research on Socio-Technical Design and Social Networking Systems" to
gather current research into socio-technical systems - computer
technologies that enable social interaction of any type, whether
conversation (email), group discussion (chat), group writing (wiki),
trading (E-bay), online learning (WebCT), social networking or others.
This book is not about how to make technology more efficient, nor how
technology affects society, but about how social concepts can enlighten
technology design, use, and evaluation, i.e socializing technology. The
chapter call below seeks innovative contributers in the new
multi-disciplinary field of socio-technical systems.
See also the STS Handbook web page http://brianwhitworth.com/sts thank
you Brian Whitworth and Aldo de Moor [log in to unmask]
******************************************************************
Call for Chapters: Handbook of Research on Socio-Technical Design and
Social Networking Systems
Proposal Deadline: 8/31/2007
Full Chapters Deadline: 1/15/2008
A Book Edited by Brian Whitworth (Massey University) and Aldo de Moor
(CommunitySense)
This call is at: http://brianwhitworth.com/sts
Email correspondence: [log in to unmask]
Introduction
This handbook addresses current research into Socio-Technical Systems
(STSs) - computer technologies that enable social interaction of any
type, whether conversation (email), group discussion (chat), group
writing (wiki), trading (E-bay), online learning (WebCT), social
networking or others. The Internet has evolved from hosting information
to hosting social interactions. Yet as technology becomes part of social
life, social requirements must become part of technical design. Without
this, a "social-technical gap" emerges - a deficit between what society
wants and what technology does. This book aims to help reduce that gap,
by combining social and technical knowledge. The new multi-disciplinary
field of socio-technical systems, spans traditional disciplines like
Engineering, Psychology, Computing, Sociology and Business. A
socio-technical system is a social system that emerges from a technical
one. Its success requires social as well as technical performance. This
raises questions beyond how to make technology more efficient, or how
technology affects society, namely how social concepts should drive
technology. The premise is that technology, which is created by people,
should work for society, not the other way around.
Vision
Every day, throughout the world, people use computer technology to
conduct otherwise impossible social interactions, e.g. global online
discussions.
The technologies that allow this are, in general, socio-technical
systems.
This book asks what makes such systems work well or poorly. How people
can connect electronically is a complex technical problem, but how
people should connect socially is an even more complex problem. Both
problems must be solved for STS success. Spam illustrates what happens
when technical but not social problems are addressed, as ISP and user
inboxes fill with messages no-one reads or wants, wasting online time,
money and resources. Social issues have become as critical as technical
ones for the designrs and users of modern socio-technical systems.
As humanity enters a new millennium one cannot but feel that humanity
has, over thousands of years of often bitter struggle, made some social
progress.
Villages formed into towns, then cities, then city states, then nations,
then "nations of nations" like the USA or Europe, with hundreds of
millions of people per social unit. Is the next step an online global
society, with us all "citizens of the world"? If so, the social learning
of the past is important. Are social ideas like accountability, group
identity, friendship, fairness or public good, also relevant to
technology design, evaluation and operation? If technology enables new
social forms, will they follow old social principles? With several
thousand years of physical history, and many online social generations
come and gone, it is time to address critical socio-technical questions.
A technologized society must socialize its technology, with technology
designs that engage the social contexts within which they are embedded.
Without a social direction, technology may not flourish as it should,
just as without technology society may lose its potential. This approach
is summed up by three points:
1. The information technology revolution is only just beginning, and
socio-technical systems are leading the way.
2. Socio-technical systems that ignore social requirements will face
serious challenges.
3. Integrating social and technical requirements can overcome these
challenges.
We invite new perspectives on how social ideas can enlighten technical
design, evaluation and operation, and how technical practices can
inspire new forms of social interaction.
Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
Authors are encouraged to combine social theory and technical practice,
e.g.
from but not limited to the FIRST LIST below, and target application(s)
from but not limited to the SECOND LIST below:
FIRST LIST: Possible Theory Perspectives
- Active knowledge systems
- Anthropological models
- Applied pragmatics
- Archeological and history models
- Collaborative working environments
- Communication and meaning theory
- Community informatics
- Contextual theory models
- Criminal and social justice theories
- CSCW theory
- Decision support theory
- Digital trace analysis models
- E-business, E-government, E-politics, E-health etc. perspectives
- Educational/learning theory - Game theory
- HCI theory
- Human sensory processing and recognition models
- Information brokers and mediators
- Interpersonal relationship models
- IS design models
- IS quality evaluation
- Language/action theory
- Leadership theories
- Media choice theories
- Negotiation and conflict models - Open source theories
- Organizational communication modeling
- Political models, theories of social rights and obligations
- Pragmatic web theory
- Semantic modeling
- Small group theory
- Sociological models and social philosophy
- Socio-technical systems theory
- Technology appropriation
- Technology acceptance or social diffusion theories
- ANY OTHER SOCIAL THEORY
SECOND LIST: Possible Technology Application Areas
-- Information Management Systems: Browsers, Search engines, ListServs,
Web-crawlers, Portals
-- Human Expression Systems: Home pages, Virtual museum/art
gallery,Online music publishing, Online books/journals, E-zines, Blogs,
Online news
-- Interpersonal Relation Systems: Email, Internet phone (e.g.
Skype),Video-phone and conferencing, Instant messages, Chat, Social
networking, texting
-- Group Interaction Systems: Wikis, Bulletin boards, Group writing
systems, Collaborative tools, Commenting systems, Online voting,
E-governance, Online leadership, Online norms, Communities of Action,
Group membership systems, Online democracy, Communities of Practice,
Online multi-player games, Online cooperatives
-- Trade and Business Systems: Electronic markets, Recommender systems,
Enterprise information systems, Job markets, Work flow systems, Web-bots
(buyer/sellers), End-user license agreements (EULA),Online barter
systems, RFID systems.
-- Health Support Systems: Diagnostic support systems, Patient record
systems, Out-patient support systems, Patient empowerment systems
-- Learning Support Systems: Online learning systems, Asynchronous
Learning Systems, E-learning practices, Help agents, Video teaching,
FAQ's and Help-boards, Training and tutorial systems
-- Anti-social systems: Spyware, Phone-home systems, Spam, Unwanted
software installs, Spoofing, Phishing, Identity theft, Hacking tools
-- ANY OTHER SOCIO-TECHNICAL APPLICATION
Important Dates
August 31, 2007: Submit 2-page proposal for chapter
September 30, 2007: Notification of authors of proposal acceptance
January 15, 2008: Full chapters are due
April 15, 2008: Revised versions due
May 15, 2008: Notification of acceptance of final version
June 15, 2008: Camera-ready versions due
Submission Procedure
Individuals interested in submitting chapters (5,000-7,500 words) on the
above-suggested topics or other related topics in their area of interest
should submit via e-mail a 2-3 page manuscript proposal clearly
explaining the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter by August
31, 2007. We strongly encourage other topics that have not been listed
in our suggested list, particularly if the topic is related to the
research area in which you have expertise. Upon acceptance of your
proposal, you will have until January 15, 2008, to prepare your chapter
of 5,000-7,500 words and 7-10 related terms and their appropriate
definitions. Guidelines for preparing your paper and terms and
definitions will be sent to you upon acceptance of your proposal. This
book is tentatively scheduled for publishing by Information Science
Reference (formerly Idea Group Reference) (an imprint of IGI Global,
formerly Idea Group, Inc.), www.info-sci-ref.com in 2008.
We invite both theorists and practitioners to submit original articles
that connect social theory and technical practice. If the author feels
their ideas reach beyond current practice, we invite them to suggest how
they can be put into practice. If the author feels their practice is
beyond current theory, we invite them to explain why their technology
worked (or not).
Either way, this book is not about theory or practice alone, but their
integration. Since it may be difficult to see the socio-technical forest
for the trees, we ask authors to be:
Practically grounded. Address a practical case, or at least hypothetical
case(s), to illustrate the approach used.
Theoretically enlightening. e.g. consider issues like:
- How is the social system modeled?
- How is the technical system modeled?
- How does the social level affect the technical level? e.g.
architectural affordances, barriers, influences or signposts.
- How does the technical level affect the social level? e.g. social
adaptations to architectural constraints, or anti-social opportunities.
- What criteria should be used to evaluate a socio-technical system in
use?
- How do the system's operations evolve/devolve over time?
Common themes. Possible cross-chapter themes are:
- How do you conceive a socio-technical system?
- What type of social interaction is the focus?
- What type of technology or application does this apply to?
- How does this paper add value to socio-technical systems theory and
practice?
- What are the drivers of change and impacts on the communities
supported by the socio-technical system examined?
Please forward your e-mail of interest including your name, affiliation
and a list of topics on which you are interested in writing a chapter to
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