CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS: ON ONLINE DISCUSSION

CALL FOR CHAPTERS
Proposal Submission Deadline: March 31, 2009
Cases on Online Discussion and Interaction:
Experiences and Outcomes

A book edited by Leonard Shedletsky, Professor, Communication,  
University of Southern Maine, USA, and Joan E. Aitken, Professor,  
Communication Arts, Park University, USA

To be published by IGI Global:  
http://www.igi-global.com/requests/details.asp?ID=558


Introduction
A close look at online communication takes us headlong into a heated  
battleground of strongly held beliefs in relation to people talking to  
one another, face-to-face, versus online discussion.  Some individuals  
maintain that the traditional, face-to-face environment is one of  
debate, interaction, and immediacy between human beings, and that  
online communication is a cold and inhuman landscape. Others hold that  
the online discussion forum extends the opportunity to interact, depth  
of content, and sense of self-involvement, which surpasses  
face-to-face discussion.

As human communication on the Internet includes more and more channels  
associated with ordinary, face-to-face communication,  for example,  
sound and sight, there are now many specific and varied examples of  
how people are using online discussion.  These examples or cases give  
us the specifics needed to make sense out of how research and theory  
are being applied?or not applied?in current practices.  What is the  
evolving nature of online discussion today? Can we begin to understand  
what is likely to make for better and worse online discussions?

The Overall Objective of the Book
Cases on Online Discussion and Interaction: Experiences and Outcomes  
will attempt to help us better understand how people communicate  
through online discussion, what its strengths and weaknesses are, what  
we can do to facilitate better discussions, how communication is  
evolving, and how we can think about online discussions as we take  
part in them, lead, moderate or facilitate them, and find new  
applications in social and work contexts. After reading the case  
studies, the reader should have a good idea of what is likely to  
facilitate discussion online, what is likely to encourage  
collaborative meaning-making, which is appropriately productive,  
supportive, engaged, and what is likely to foster critical thinking.  
We wish to draw together in one book, chapters dealing with an array  
of research methods, communication contexts, and philosophical  
perspectives.  The cases will observe online discussion in education,  
business conferences, support groups, social networking, and public  
and private discussions of all kinds. Often, authors will find it  
useful to compare the online discussion to the more traditional  
face-to-face discussion.  Hence, this book is going to be useful in  
helping us better understand the traditional face-to-face discussion,  
too.  Either one-on-one or group discussion analysis can provide  
insight regarding where we are and where we need to go.

Target Audience
The prospective audience is the academic audience and the practical  
world of users from business, politics, medicine, information  
technology, entertainment, short message services, telephony, social  
networking, and imagined communities. The readers will be people who  
want to understand how online connectivity works, either to add to the  
research and theory or to enhance effectiveness of online discussion.

A TENTATIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. FOUNDATIONS.

II. PROCESSES. [Contributed chapters, potential topics include, but  
are not limited to, the following]:

?	Autonomy.
?	Collaboration and teamwork.
?	Community/
?	Conflict.
?	Discourse analysis.
?	Feedback.
?	Immediacy.
?	Interaction, interactivity, transaction.
?	Interpersonal communication.
?	Motivation.
?	Online or blended college course.
?	Outcomes.
?	Participation.
?	Self-expression.
?	Social networking.
?	Socratic Method.
?	Software and technology development.
?	Support.
?	Transactional distance.

III. COMMUNICATION MODES. [Contributed chapters, potential topics  
include, but are not limited to, the following]:

?	Blog.
?	Business or organizational context.
?	College course environments.
?	Email.
?	Entertainment sites.
?	Gaming.
?	Imagined communities.
?	Interactive software.
?	Interactive webpages.
?	Obama campaign or presidency.
?	Political involvement.
?	Short message service (texting).
?	Social networking (e.g., MySpace, Facebook,Twitter).
?	Support group.
?	Telephony.
?	Webpages.
?	Wikis.

IV. CONTEXTS. [Contributed chapters, potential topics include, but are  
not limited to, the following]:

?	Business contexts.
?	Educational contexts.
?	International or intercultural contexts.
?	One-on-one contexts.
?	Political systems.
?	Social networking.
?	Social or religious change.

V. IMPLICATIONS, Consequences and Conclusions. [Contributed chapters,  
potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following]:
?	Future implications for business, education, politics.
?	Influences on global economy.
?	Innovative combinations of face to face and online discussion.
?	Predictive innovations.

Submission Procedure
Researchers and practitioners are invited to electronically submit a  
5-7 page manuscript proposal, which clearly explains the purpose and  
central ideas of their proposed case chapter.  Prospective authors are  
welcome to submit a conference paper, which has potential for revision  
to a case chapter.  For primary consideration, proposals need to be  
submitted on or before January 19, 2009. Potential authors can also  
submit a draft of a full case chapter by February 16, 2009.

Each case study chapter will be a detailed account of an individual,  
group, organization, or system, though we do not want to count out  
experimental research.  The detailed example may include personal  
perspectives of the author or quotes from people involved. We do not  
wish to limit the structure of chapters to one model only, but one way  
to organize the chapters is as follows:

?	Background of the case, and relevant research and theoretical issues.
?	Technology Use, advancements, and people described in the case.
?	Case Description of technology concerns, technology components,  
management and organizational concerns.
?	Current Challenges facing the organization and the current status of  
the aforementioned challenges and problems.
?	References.
?	Additional Readings.
?	Questions for Discussion.

Publisher
All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review  
basis. The book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global, (Formerly  
Idea Group Inc.), www.igi-global.com, publisher of the Information  
Science Reference (formerly "Idea Group Reference") and Medical  
Information Science Reference imprints. Inquires and submissions can  
be forwarded electronically (Word document) or by mail to the contact  
editor Dr. Leonard Shedletsky.

Important Dates:
March 31, 2009:	Proposal Submission Deadline
April 15, 2009:	Notification of Acceptance
June 15, 2009:	Full Chapter Submission
July 30, 2009:	Review Result Returned
September 30, 2009:		Final Chapter Submission

APA Style Manual.

The Length of the Case Chapter
The length of the proposed chapter will vary according to content, but  
typically about 8,000 words including an abstract, references and an  
additional reading list.

Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word  
document) or by mail to:
Dr. Leonard Shedletsky
98 Bedford Street
Department of Communication & Media Studies
University of Southern Maine
Portland, Maine USA
Tel.: 207.780.5437
Fax: 207.780.5311
E-mail: mailto:[email protected]
Website: OnlineAcademics.org/Discussion


-- 
Lenny Shedletsky
Professor
Department of Communication & Media Studies
University of Southern Maine

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