The candidate submitted the following statement:

1) What is your interest in this position?

I am glad and honored to be nominated for the open seat position of the AoIR executive committee. I have been involved with the association since its beginning when Steve Jones was President. I served in the AoIR ethics committee under the leadership of Charles Ess and later with Elizabeth Buchanan. We deliberated on how best to undertake “research on human subjects” in an ethically sound manner when the “subjects” in question are those who participate in various ways on the Net. My interest in this position is to expand the scope of the Association so that it become genuinely international. Though the Net originated in the US, it has expanded to cover all corners of the globe as we know. So it is fitting that our association should expand its reach internationally too.

2) What are your qualifications for this position (including prior experience and participation in AoIR)?

I am now associate professor of philosophy and Director of the Center for Ethics of Science and Technology at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. I have published a number of works on the interdisciplinary areas where philosophy, sociology and new media studies intersect. As I said I have served under the AoIR ethics committee for a number of years and have been a long standing member of the association since its beginning. Though I have not participated in an AoIR conference (due mostly to budgetary reasons) I have followed its progress since AoIR 1 many years ago.

3) What are two or three short-term goals you would like to achieve through membership of the executive (include a rationale for each and how you would contribute to their achievement)?

One thing I would like to explore is the possibility of holding an AoIR conference abroad, perhaps in Asia, where it not been held before. Asia is the region where the internet is expanding most rapidly, and there are a growing number of scholars there who are investigating the phenomenon from their perspectives. This will fit with my interest in expanding the scope of our association to be more international.

Another thing is that I would like to help promote the activities of our association in my region. This can take many forms, such as organizing smaller local seminars under the auspice of the association on topics such as internet governance, freedom of expression, comparative studies of values in the east and west, and so on. This will do a great deal toward raising the awareness of the association among Asian internet scholars.

4) What is your long-term vision for AoIR?

Usually scholarly associations are eventually associated with teaching programs. Perhaps there will be a “discipline” of internet studies which has a firmer shape and boundary. This will certainly remain interdisciplinary at its core, but it would be great for training newly emerging scholars in our field. So one vision I have is for our association to do what it can to nurture these younger scholars, as well as to integrate teaching and research in such a way that the knowledge we produce will help all of us in the world better reflect and understand the internet situation which is highly volatile. Our strength lies in this interdisciplinary nature where we come from different fields, backgrounds and methodologies to work together on the same set of problems. This has of course been our vision now and we can certainly look at it and find ways to adapt and modify that vision for the future while keeping our core value of camaraderie and interdisciplinarity.

5) What else should voters consider when deciding whether or not to vote for you?

Those who know me usually say that I am easy to work with and are helpful to others. I am dedicated to working for the group, a great team player and I am committed to working hard to complete the task at hand. I would be a very good choice if you consider expanding the scope of the association to become more international.

The candidate submitted the following statement:

1) What is your interest in this position?

I am pleased to have been nominated by someone, and would be very happy to serve if elected.

2) What are your qualifications for this position (including prior experience and participation in AoIR)?

I have been a member of the AoIR Ethics Committee, have participated in almost every IR conference (missed only Lawrence and Melbourne), and have served as a reviewer of papers and/or session chair in many of those years. I also coordinate the annual Couch Award for student scholars.

3) What are two or three short-term goals you would like to achieve through membership of the executive (include a rationale for each and how you would contribute to their achievement)?

I would advocate for increased presence of the organization in Asia and the global south, and finding ways to help scholars in these areas to participate. As the internet becomes increasingly important in these areas it is vital to cultivate scholarship that contributes to understanding its place in these cultures. I would also like to see greater efforts to promote and publicize the organization among scholars in North America and Europe who have yet to discover it. Internet research was esoteric a decade ago, but is now mainstream. However, many entering the field are unaware of what resources and support are available through this organization.

4) What is your long-term vision for AoIR?

I have no grand design in mind, but wish to see the organization continue to be strong, to mentor students and new scholars, and to provide resources in research methods and ethics that can be utilized across a wide range of disciplines.

5) What else should voters consider when deciding whether or not to vote for you?

Since I will have responsibilities in the UK during the 2011-12 academic year, I unfortunately will be unable to be in attendance at IR 12. But I’ll be with you all in spirit (and on the Twitter back channel).

The candidate submitted the following statement:

1)What is your interest in this position?

I have been involved in the organization mailing list, utilizing it for information and for sharing resources for several years. With the expansion of uses of the internet, I found his organization of extreme importance to me in my research and teaching. I am an active participant in scientific organizations by nature rather than just passive, and I identify with the scope and objectives of AoIR deeply and wanted to be a bigger part of it. I therefore wanted to offer my skills and contributions. I wanted to facilitate the improvements and optimize the achievements of the association.

2)What are your qualifications for this position (including prior experience and participation in AoIR)?

My qualifications for this position include prior experience with aoIR, and activities with other organizations with similar goals and operations.

1. I have been active with AoIR interactive as an active participant. I have read the listserv regularly and interacted with individuals requesting assistance and have myself requested assistance, sharing information on social media for a syllabus, for example, or requesting coauthors on articles I am writing. I have regularly forwarded selected items to another international list and to individuals needing information. I have also read other materials such as research and the guide to ethical internet research. I have also reviewed the wiki.

2. I have had experience with other organizations with some of the same objectives or functions, involving aspects of the internet including the Community Informatics Researchers international organization, and am editor of an international journal issue, Informing sciences, and involved in an organization developing an international online open source university.

3) What are two or three short-term goals you would like to achieve through membership of the executive (include a rationale for each and how you would contribute to their achievement)?

The association has accomplished much. My first objective is to maintain and enhance the present activities of the association of advancing the cross-discipline field of internet studies through communications, sharing and a variety of means for members to participate and be involved. Much progress has been made through these functions and operations. There are several short term goals that would enhance the association’s effectiveness and implement the development and growth of internet functions.

1. The involvement of the internet scientific community needs to be increased. The mailing list is 2000 persons, for example. It is a “support network promoting critical and scholarly Internet research independent from traditional disciplines and existing across academic borders,” As such, its work needs to be better known, and access to it increased in order to meet its goals. The association is “international in scope” providing scholarly Internet research independent from traditional disciplines and existing across academic borders. Consequently, there is the potential of a vast amount of involvement but few know about its work and goals. An effort is necessary to increase communication in the association increasing those knowing about it and increasing participation. The first goal, of increasing communication among its participants, and increasing the number of participants is achieved by expanding the use of social media and internet tools. This would include Webinars, mobile phone access, courses, and expansion and use of its wiki, adding to it with google docs. I woud discuss this with the other members of the executive body, and assist in its implementation.

2. Develop or add to avenues of access of information for internet researchers. Now requests are given on the listserv. The success of the association and the centrality of its purpose in internet research and need of the research community requires that more needs to be done to provide researchers support. I would provide an increase in publications and types of publications including a journal, but also shorter or themed publications online. A well used and developed google docs, frequent webinars, and a mechanism to make available references online, pointing to library or database sources. Publicize these activities to bring in more participants and ask them their sources of information. In addition, develop and utilize a LinkedIn program or similar one for researchers to communicate with each other. I will provide in this by developing the projects to accomplish this, communicate with the executive group and communicate with members.

I have the skills to promote collaboration among people and I would use these skills to promote collaboration on these goals.

4) What is your long-term vision for AoIR?

I envision a dynamic, interactive organization that is future-oriented keeping up with and PROMOTING the advancements of the internet through its support of researchers. It will include a broadbased collaborative body of researchers, actively involved, communicating with each other and promoting collaboration. The association will be using the leading means of communications including social media. The organization will be truly international, and bring together many disciplines. It would promote the use of internet in more situations and making access to its benefits available to all.

The organization will maximize the resources available to researchers and encourage interaction among the research community.

I envision many educational and informational opportunities including webinars and seminars, social media and interdisciplinary visits and online conferences. Finally, I envision the easy access to the research of the community through a variety of means.

5) What else should voters consider when deciding whether or not to vote for you you?

I have the experience with international research technology organizations, experience in a variety of disciplines related to internet research. and have familiarity with AoIR goals and functioning, and have provided leadership with similar organizations. I have the experience and success in working with international collaboration and am enthusiastic about it.

I have an orientation toward the human element, the persons involved in the use of the internet, people oriented research from my work with elderly use of internet.

I am very collaborative oriented, successful in achieving objectives by assisting persons to work together and in initiating international groups to work together to achieve goals.