done with photos of cute figurines

CALL FOR PAPERS for the Virtual Communities minitrack
Forty Annual Hawai’i International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-40)
January 3-6, 2007
Hilton Waikoloa Village, Big Island

Additional detail may be found on HICSS primary web site: http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu

Virtual Communities have been studied from a variety of different
perspectives and disciplines. Examples range from political
communities, communities of interest, communities of relationship,
and gaming communities to communities of transactions. Community
building and community management can be a key success factors in the
digital economy and society. They can either supplement existing or
even represent new business models in the digital economy. The
communities we target may be constituted as Internet shops, portal
sites, educational, groupware systems, electronic auctions,
billboards, peer-to-peer file sharing infrastructures, enterprises or
organizations, social communities and more. Online communities differ
in their orientation. Nevertheless, there are common features which
all types of communities share: common interests, practices,
languages and ontologies with common semantics as well as normative
issues. Communities are a sociological phenomenon. They can foster a
social atmosphere for interactions, relationships and transactions.
We call for papers that address communities as a social and business
phenomenon.
Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
- Social, political and economic impact of Virtual Communities
- Communities as a sociological phenomenon in the digital economy
- Sense of community
- Community-related business models, services and best practices and
lessons learned
- Management and organizational behavior of communities
- Transaction-oriented Virtual Communities, Customer collaboration
- Peer-to-Peer or mobile services for Virtual Communities
- Personalization and use of customer profiles
- Recommendation systems
- Case studies and topologies of Online Communities
- Design principles for community platforms
- Formal or semi-formal models of communities and their platforms:
Conceptual frameworks, Organizational models, Cognitive models,
Multi-agent systems, Formalizations

MINITRACK CHAIR:
Karine Barzilai-Nahon
Assistant Professor
The Information School
University of Washington
Mary Gates Hall, Room 370B, Box 352840
Seattle, WA 98195-2840, Tel- (206) 685-6668
Email – karineb@u.washington.edu
Website http://www.ischool.washington.edu/karineb>www.ischool.washington.edu/karineb

IMPORTANT DEADLINES
Abstract Authors may contact Minitrack Chair for guidance and indication of appropriate content at anytime.
June 15 Authors submit full papers to the Peer Review System,
following Author Instructions found on the HICSS web site
(www.hicss.hawaii.edu). Papers undergo a
double-blind review.
August 15 Acceptance/Rejection notices are sent to Authors via the Peer Review system.
September 15 Authors submit Final Version of papers to the Peer Review System web site.

The Virtual Community minitrack is part of the Internet & the Digital
Economy Track
Co-chaired by David King
(david.king@jda.com) and Alan Dennis
(ardennis@indiana.edu)

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS: Center for Collaboration Organizations – 17th Annual International Conference

Building Collaborative Capability for World-Class Business Results
September 25-27, 2006 – University of North Texas – Denton, Texas
Deadline for proposals: April 1, 2006
We are seeking presentations and workshops that share best practices,
tools, and techniques for improving business processes and results
through employee involvement and collaboration and teams telling their
stories.

90-Minute Individual Presentation – A presentation showcasing best
practices, tools and techniques used in the workplace. Our audience
prefers interactive “hands-on” sessions that provide opportunities
to experience tools, techniques; activities to develop their skills and
knowledge; and time for questions and answers.

90-Minute Team Presentation – A presentation by a work team, work
group, design team, steering team presentation by at least three members
sharing their group processes and best practices, with an emphasis on
lessons learned and challenges met.

90-Minute Panel Presentation – Current issues addressed by experts from
a variety of companies and/or industries and moderated by a panel
chairperson.

Other Innovative Approaches – Open space, focus sessions, roundtable,
debate, simulations, etc. – to engage learners.
Track 1 – Designing Collaborative Work for Business Excellence
Track 2 – Building Collaborative Business Improvement Environment
Track 3 – Sustaining Collaborative Culture
Track 4 – High Performing Collaborative Organizations
Track 5 – Team Presentations
Details and submission form at:
http://www.workteams.unt.edu/callforpresenters.html

CALL FOR CHAPTERS:
The Handbook of Virtual Collaboration: Paths to Excellence
Deadline April 24, 2006 for abstracts up to 1,000 words.

Themes:
Assessing virtual collaboration
Designing for effective virtual collaboration
Acquiring and using technological resources for virtual collaboration
Preparing the human element for virtual collaborative work
Leading and managing collaborative virtual work
Sustaining, Learning and Growing for future effective virtual collaboration
Details at: http://www.workteams.unt.edu/Virtual%20Collaboration%20Call%20for%20chapters.htm

EGOS (the european group for organisational studies) is having their 22nd Colloquium July 6 – 8, 2006 in Bergen, Norway. the call for papers has past but here’s the conference information.

the theme is ‘The Organizing Society’ with a series of sub-themes

most interesting is sub-theme 11:
Trust Within and Across Boundaries: Conceptual Challenges and Empirical Insights (though several look interesting). i hope they put additional details on the web – maybe even podcasts of the sessions!!!!